Charity bags are a common way for charities to fundraise. The money raised from charity bags is an important source of income for many charities, which helps them carry out their vital work. For many members of the public charity bags are an easy way to support causes, but for others they may be an unwelcome intrusion.
Charity bags will usually be posted through your letterbox. They often have written instructions on them that explain what types of donated goods can be put in the bag (such as unwanted clothes, shoes, toys or homewares).
You may receive bags for unwanted items that are not being collected for charitable purposes. However, if you are being asked to donate your items for charity, this must be clearly stated on the bag.
Although you can also donate your unwanted items directly to a charity shop or clothing bank, this advice sets out what you need to know if you receive a charity bag and want to donate in this way. We also set out what you can do to make it clear you do not wish to receive charity bags.
What are charity bags?
Charities use charity bags to fundraise for their cause. Donated items are usually sold to raise money for the charity or given directly to the people they support.
Although charities will sometimes independently distribute and collect charity bags themselves, this work is more often carried out by a company on behalf of the charity. This can be a more cost-effective way of distributing the bags than the charity doing it themselves. The charity and distribution company will have an agreement in place which outlines where and how often the bags are delivered.
What rules must charities and companies follow?
Both charities and the companies they work with are required to follow the standards in the Code of Fundraising Practice (the code). The code sets out the behaviours and standards expected of all fundraisers. If charities and the companies they work with do not follow the code, they may be investigated by the Fundraising Regulator.
They must also follow laws in the House to House Collections Act 1939, which requires them to have a licence or permit from the local authority when collecting donations from people’s homes. However, there are 47 national charities that are exempt and do not need to register with each local authority. The National Exemption Order webpageincludes an up-to-date list of exempt charities.
If you’re not sure whether a bag collector has a licence to collect in your area, contact the licensing team at your local authority.
Although charities will have an agreement in place with their distribution company which sets out how the bags will be delivered and the proportion of funds they will receive from the donations, they are not required to share this publicly. However, we advise charities to be transparent about the agreement.
What information must be on the charity bag?
To help you make an informed decision on whether to donate, charity bags must have the following information on them:
- The name and registration number of the charity that the items are being collected for on the front and back of the bag;
- What cause is being fundraised for;
- The distribution company’s name, registration number and place of registration on the front and back of the bag. This information must be printed the same size or bigger on the bag as the name of the charity they are collecting for; and
- How much or what proportion of the money raised the charity will receive.
Charities and charity bag collection companies can register with the Fundraising Regulator to show they support good fundraising practice.
If the charity or collection company is registered with the Fundraising Regulator, you can expect to see the Fundraising Badge on the bag – this is the logo that says ‘Registered with Fundraising Regulator’ (see below). You can check whether they are registered with the Fundraising Regulator by searching our Directory.
