Support of the nominated charity 
A local registered charity will be nominated and voted on each September for support in the following financial year. The same charity can be nominated in subsequent years. The nominated charity will be supported by allowing employees to donate their time by means of Fundraising or Helping Hands.  

One fundraising day or helping hands day per employee per year 
This means one working day (or part day) per employee each financial year. Time off cannot be taken in lieu of fundraising/helping hands days which take place at weekends, public holidays or during employees’ own annual leave. These days must be recorded by HR and approved by your line manager in advance. 

Not more than one fundraising or helping hands event per month 
This is to ensure we can arrange the necessary risk assessments for staff going offsite. We’ll review this, once we understand the work required, to see if we can accommodate more events in some months. These should be submitted with at least four weeks’ notice. Please give as much notice as possible as if the necessary risk assessments cannot be completed with reasonable endeavours in this time, then the event may be cancelled. 

A meeting (in person; conference call; video call) should be scheduled between the Consultative Committee and the nominated charity at the start of each financial year to assess how we can best assist the charity. Two members of the committee should be delegated to maintain the necessary contact to schedule and coordinate participation in events. The delegates must have time approved by their line manager to undertake this task.  

Fundraisers/Helping Hands events will be promoted on Fargro’s Twitter account (and other media), before, during and after the event.   

Ad hoc support for other charities and organisations 
Where an employee wishes to fundraise any other registered charity (national or local), Fargro will match-fund to a maximum of £50 for each fundraiser event. Ad hoc fundraising must be in the employee’s own time and cannot be taken as a fundraiser/helping hands day for the nominated charity. Match-funding will be capped at £1000 for the financial year 2017/18. 

Where donations are requested by local charities or other local worthy causes, known and supported by an employee, Fargro will donate goods to the value of £50 at Trade Price. These must be registered with Amanda Wheeler and goods booked to the appropriate account (registered charity; good cause). “Local” will be deemed to mean within 30 miles of an employee’s home address. 

“Worthy causes”, which might not be registered as charities, include but are not limited to: schools and other educational establishments; hospitals and other care institutions (where the fundraising is for local facilities); village fundraisers. They do not include nationally represented bodies such as political parties or trades union organisations. The Directors reserve the right to veto requests for donations. 

Charity Sponsorship 
When asking for sponsorship support, the test to be applied is whether the person being asked to make or approve a charitable donation can say no with absolute confidence that this will not be detrimental to the business relationship between their business and Fargro, or between them and you. Similarly, agreeing to make a charitable donation cannot be construed by the individual as being beneficial to the relationship. The assurances we may give, that agreeing or declining to donate, make no difference to the relationship, are inadequate. In order to avoid such awkward, compromising situations, which could also be interpreted as soliciting a bribe, we ask that the following advice is followed.  

1. No supplier to Fargro is to be asked by any employee or representative of Fargro to make a corporate donation to a fundraising event. 
   
   
2. No employee of a supplier is to be asked to make a personal charitable donation unless you are satisfied that he/she will be making the donation out of his/her own pocket and will not be claiming it from his/her employer as an expense. Therefore, it is only appropriate to approach people with whom you have established a personal relationship. You must use your own judgement, but consider this; when you meet this person for a coffee or drink, is it paid for personally or by Fargro or his/her employer?
   
   
3. If a supplier offers to make an unsolicited corporate donation, for example because they have seen our social media activity about the charity, then please refer them to a Director. We will accept the donation unless we have reason to suspect the donor expects preference in return. 
   
   The logical conclusion of this, is that it is OK to ask a customer to make a charitable donation, as they are empowered to decline without any perceived consequence. However, as a matter of policy we will not permit soliciting of corporate donations from customers. Whether it’s appropriate to ask a customer’s employee for a personal donation depends on a test similar to point 2 above.