There may be times where a person or organisation wants to conduct a charitable collection but it is not practical to apply for a licence under the Charitable Collection Act 1946. For example:

• the appeal is going to be a one-off event or only for a short time; or
• the collector is an individual or unincorporated group and is not eligible to apply for a licence.

In these situations, it may be better to obtain authority from an existing licensed charity to collect under their licence.

A collector will need to find an appropriate licence holder to work with and may wish to contact an organisation whose objects align specifically with the proposed fundraising. Alternatively an organisation with ‘general’ charitable objects such as a local service club may be more appropriate. 

The licenced charities register provides an alphabetical list of all charitable organisations in Western Australia and is a good starting point for anyone looking to partner with a licence holder.

It is recommended that any agreements to fundraise under the authority of a licence holder be documented in writing and include information about:

• The activities that can be undertaken by the collector.
• The date the agreement commences and ends.
• Any requirements to reference the licence holder in the advertising or promotional materials for the fundraising.

Guidance pack for licence holders

To help support the community to raise charitable funds legally, Consumer Protection has a guidance pack to make it easier for licence holders and fundraisers to organise appeals and events. 

The pack is intended as a guide only and licence holders are encouraged to customise the model application or develop their own documentation. 

The pack includes:

• An application for authority to be used by the person or organisation seeking to collect under the authority of the licence holder.
• A confirmation letter setting out the conditions for fundraising under the authority of the licence holder.
• A financial reporting statement to be returned at the conclusion of the fundraising activity so the licence holder may accurately record all income and expenditure in the financial accounts. 

Once an agreement has been made a copy of that signed authority should be emailed to charities@demirs.wa.gov.au