Organising an event
General help in organising an event.
Event checklist:
Before the event:
- Research your fundraising idea
- Check the safety, legal and insurance issues
- Form an organising committee, if necessary
- Get lots of helpers lined up
- Plan your budget
- Look for sponsors, if necessary – who do you know with contacts?
- Schedule your event, inform everyone and spread the word
- Find someone to talk about your event and contact the media
During the event:
- Make sure you have enough people on hand to help out
- Appoint someone to be responsible for handling the money
- Use the opportunity to tell people about your charity and other events
- Take lots of photographs
After the event:
- Make sure you have lots of helpers
- Seek feedback, consider what went well and review how you might do things differently next time
- Thank all those who helped and supported – the JEP have a free letters page which might like to take use of
- Show everyone your pictures and send them to us too!
Compliance
Will your event be subject to certain regulatory restrictions or health and safety considerations? Do you need to consider insurance for specific events?
For more information on the permissions and relevant permits needed for raffles/lotteries, public events or collecting money see below
If you’re planning an event and the location doesn’t already have a public entertainment permit, you can apply for one through the Bailiff’s Chambers. It’s recommend you contact the relevant parish hall asap to inform them of your plans too.
When applying for a public entertainment permit, you will need to do a risk assessment and show that certain health and safety standards will be met, particularly in terms of catering, toilets and noise.
For more information and helpful guides as to what is legal click here
Health & Safety
What do you need to consider in order to make sure your event is run safely and according to rules and regulations? Click here for more information or contact the Health and Safety Inspectorate directly on 447300 or hsi@gov.je.
Consider any first aid requirements. If necessary, speak with St John Ambulance and they can attend charity events - follow this link
Planning an event
Your fundraiser often begins with an idea. Run this by friends, colleagues etc who can then add their thoughts, ideas and experiences. Try and get as many people as you can involved to spread the load and the more people you tell the better to ensure your event is a success.
The internet is a great place for ideas and advice regarding events and fundraising. Here are some websites that might be useful:
Charity Digital - Topics - 50 incredible fundraising ideas
www.fundraiserinsight.org
www.fundraiserhelp.com/fundraising-ideas.htm
www.fundraising-ideas.org/DIY/UKCollection.htm
https://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/home/
Getting the word out
Social media is a great way to get the word out there. Email us and we can add it our FB page and the website and as a member, you get a free advertising slot in the Jersey Evening Post. Posters and flyers can be placed in gyms, at schools, in the library, in shop windows, on work notice boards, kitchens and staff rooms. Banners can also be made relatively cheaply and put up in various sites. See below.
Local media contacts
The media are very supportive of charity events. Before contacting them, make sure you have someone who is enthusiastic and willing to speak and that they know all the information.
Events diaries:
For the newsrooms:
For more information and advice about how to work with the media, check out our training page as we run regular courses which might be of interest.
Sponsorship/donations
If you don’t have the ability for supporters to make donations online, as an AJC member you can offer this via our website. There are also other sites, such as JustGiving which enable you to raise funds far and wide online.
Many organisations offer matched donations for charities, so it’s worth asking your supporters about this.
And if you receive a single donation of £50 or more, your charity can claim 25% tax back - click here for more info.
Organising an event
If you want to collect money during an event, you need to get permission from the Bailiff’s chamber, writing in advance with more details. When collecting money, you are specifically requested not to shake or rattle any tins or buckets. Contact 01534 441103 bailiffschambers@gov.je for more information
If you are planning an event on the road or a public place, you must complete the form in the attached link.
Planning an event on the road or public place (gov.je)
An event can be a walk, a cycle race, car rally, running event, picnic in the park, fete, parade, concert etc
Public entertainment licence
If your planned event involves music and dancing, films and theatre, motor sports, boxing, wrestling and equestrian events, circuses, funfairs and fetes etc you will need to apply for a public entertainment licence. An event plan is required covering all the necessary details including site setup, noise management, a risk assessment and insurance.
For more information and to download an application form follow this link
http://www.gov.je/Leisure/Events/OrganisingPublicEvent/Pages/Licensing.aspx
Flag Days
A ‘Flag Day’ is where you have a single day, or a week, for collections.
For these, charities need to get permission in writing from the Bailiff’s chambers and as they are carefully controlled so all charities get a fair chance, you need to apply by 15th November in the year before the proposed Flag Day. Applications are considered in December and dates allocated by the end of the year. There is a £10 fee for a Flag Day.
There are various rules relating to permissions granted, so please make sure you are aware of these beforehand.
Contact Rebecca Traisnel - 441100 bailiffschambers@gov.je for permissions or more information.
Releasing balloons/Chinese lanterns
You are asked to write to the parish where any such event will be happening and this will be risk assessed. The following agencies must also be notified in advance that this is taking place:
States of Jersey Police General Enquiries 01534 612612
States of Jersey Fire Service Fire Safety Enquiries Number 01534 445967
St Helier Honorary Police Duty Centenier 07829 722227
Jersey Coastguard 01534 447705
Jersey Air Traffic Operations Department 01534 446108
For more information on all of the above follow this link
For more details and information about holding events in town, follow this link
Flyers
If you would like to hand out leaflets and flyers within St Helier, please complete the application form found here
Banner/lamp post advertising
Advertising banner sites are available for charity and non-profit making organisations at the steam clock, La Route de Liberation and at Les Jardins car park. For each event you are planning, you can book one site for two weeks.
Lamp posts can be booked along Victoria Avenue, the Esplanade and La Route de Liberation.
Contact the events co-ordinator by email dfi@gov.je or in writing to apply or for more information:
Department for Infrastructure
PO Box 412
Beresford House
Bellozanne Road
St Helier
Jersey
JE4 8UY
There are also various raised banner sites available from Feb-Oct in St Helier and you need to get permission directly from the owners of the premises for these.
For more information, click here
Useful contacts
Promenades, Raised Banners (King & Queen Street) & Railing Banners (Steam Clock, La Route de Liberation)
Regine Atkinson - 01534 448207 r.atkinson@gov.je
Raffles/lotteries
Gambling Commission - 01534 828540 info@jgc.je
Royal Square
Bailiff’s Office - 01534 441100 bailiffschambers@gov.je
States Main Roads
Nick Kearns – Department for Infrastructure - 01534 448275 N.Kearns@gov.je
Street Entertainment & Busking Permits
Hettie Duncan (Education & Outreach Co-ordinator) - Arts Centre – 01534 700419 hettie@artscentre.je
Sunday Trading
Jackie Phipps– Parish Charges Department – 01534 811894 jackie.phipps@posh.gov.je
Town Centre Manager
Daphne East – 01534 811813 daphne.east@posh.gov.je
Market and Festivals Organiser
Anna Renouf – 01534 811835 anna.renouf@posh.gov.je
Town Hall
Gemma Rowley – 01534 811844 gemma.rowley@posh.gov.je
DFI Parks & Gardens
Derek Noble – Department for Infrastructure - 01534 448628 D.Noble@gov.je
Raffles & lotteries
If you run a raffle or lottery you may need to register or you may need a permit.
Charities will need to apply to the Jersey Gambling Commission for a Social & Charitable Registration or Permit if they plan to hold more than 3 gambling events in the calendar year or one event with prizes over £1500. Raffles (with any value of prizes, however low), lotteries and bingo are permitted under a Registration. A Permit is required to offer cinema racing or for very high prize value events in excess of £12,000. Crown and Anchor can only be offered by charities if they engage the services of a licensed commercial provider. Contact the Jersey Gambling Commission for further information or view their website for advice and guidance. https://www.jgc.je/social-and-
Flag days
A charity needs to obtain permission to collect in public places.
Taking collections in public places requires the permission of the Bailiff under Customary Law powers. A person who collects in public without the Bailiff’s permission is acting contrary to the Law.
Anyone seeking permission to collect in public must make such a request in writing to the Chief Officer
Details must be given of the proposed time and place of the collection, with the name of the organisation that will benefit. In the event that a collection is proposed on behalf of another charity, written evidence will be required that this charity recognises the collector and supports the collection before the application is considered.
See here for details of how to obtain permission plus further information regarding charity activities in public.https://www.gov.je/leisure/events/organisingpublicevent/pages/collectingpublic.aspx
Health & safety
Ensure your event is 'risk free' to the public and to those running the event.
A risk assessment will be required, not just for the charity's benefit, but also if the charity is applying to the States of Jersey for permission to hold a public event.
This will be for the measures you'll take to make sure any potential and foreseeable risks are being addressed - whether to those taking part in, or watching, the event.
The States of Jersey do not have a 'risk assessment' template and do not give guidance on what this should consist of, however there are many templates and guidance notes on the Internet, for example, see here