Do I need an authority to fundraise?

You will not need an approval to solicit for donations if you are a charitable organisation which is only incorporated in Tasmanian.

You will require an approval if you are:

• Organisations which are not incorporated in Tasmania but in another jurisdiction, or whose principal office is located in another State or Territory
• Organisations which are not incorporated are generally prohibited from soliciting for donations from the public. Occasionally however a community group may wish to assist with a cause which is not being addressed by an organisation which is incorporated. This is usually in response to an issue in the local community.
• Individuals generally are prohibited from soliciting for donations from the public except on behalf of an organisation. Occasionally however an individual may wish to assist with a charitable cause which is not being addressed by an organisation. This usually occurs in relation to local events in the community, for example disaster relief in response to fire, drought or flood.

Exemptions for this:

Some organisations because of their unique structure cannot realistically incorporate. This is most often the case with certain religious organisations, but may also be true of others. Organisations can apply to the Office of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading for an exemption from the incorporation requirement so that they can solicit for charitable donations from the public without having to be incorporated.

How do I apply for an authority to fundraise?

Copies of the application form and the Director's criteria for applications can be viewed at the Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading web site.

A copy of the application form can be down loaded here

Alternatively forms can be obtained from:

The Office of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading
PO Box 1244J
Hobart 7001
Telephone: 1300 65 4499
Fax: 03 6233 4882
E-mail consumer.affairs@justice.tas.gov.au

Raffles:

Please note that Raffles are administered by the Tasmanian Racing and Gaming Commission.

Their contact is details are:
Tasmanian Gaming Commission
GPO Box 1374
Hobart 7001
Telephone: (03) 6233 6119
Fax: (03) 6234 4457

Web page - click here

Other relevant fundraising information:

Under the Collections for Charities Act 2001 the rules apply to anybody who solicits money for a charitable purpose from the public. This includes incorporated bodies, individuals, non incorporated bodies and religious organisations.

A charitable purpose includes any benevolent, philanthropic or patriotic purpose, and any purpose for the protection of the environment or the welfare of animals. For example, this might include general causes such as protecting the environment, or a very specific cause such as a fund to help persons recover from a local disaster such as fire, flood, or drought relief. The rules do not apply to an appeal which solely benefits the members of a club or association, but would apply where there is some clear benefit for the larger community.

The rules do not apply to:

• The sale of goods or services, for example chocolate sales.
• A request for renewal of membership of an organisation.
• An appeal by an organisation to it's membership. This includes religious and school organisations.
• An appeal within premises that are used by a club or religious organisation.
• An appeal to a Commonwealth, State or Local authority.
• Selling of raffle tickets.

How can I collect donations through Our Community's Australian Giving Centre?

Once you have obtained your fundraising license, you can expand your fundraising efforts by using Our Community's online donations service which will allow you to take credit card donations 7 days a week, 24 hours per day. Along with collecting donations via the internet, you will also be able to promote donating by phone, fax, post and leaving a bequest to your organisation.

This donations facility is a commission free service offered by Our Community - we take NO commission or fees for this service. The only online donations fees that will be incurred by you are the credit card fees and a bank transaction fee.

You also own all your data - Our Community does not use any of the donor details in any way and our systems have secure encryption for donor protection.

For further information, visit the Australian Giving Centre.

And for direct Internet links to more fundraising forms your group may need, follow this link to Our Community's Best of Community page.