You should make sure that your crowdfunding page provides information about what the money is being donated for. The laws on donations only apply to donations that are given to registered non-party campaigners, specifically towards their spending on regulated campaign activity.
You should make clear whether the funds are being raised for spending on regulated campaign activity. This is important because the laws do not cover money that is received for the organisation’s general purposes. You can find more information about the activities that count and how to assess whether an activity is regulated in How do you know whether spending is regulated?
You should make sure that the page contains information to explain that permissibility checks will be undertaken in compliance with the law. You should be clear about the reasons why you are collecting any information.
Your crowdfunding page should also explain that donation and donor information, including private donations, may be reported to the Electoral Commission and published. You can find a definition of the term ‘private crowdfunding donation’, in Choosing a crowdfunding platform.
We recommend you are clear and explain that if a donor cannot be identified, or if they are an impermissible donor, then the donation may have to be returned. If you do not receive enough information about a donor, you may need to contact them to ask for further details.
We recommend that you include an imprint on your crowdfunding page. You can find more information on digital imprints, in Imprints.
If you are planning to create a crowdfunding campaign and you are unsure about which requirements apply, or how to plan your campaign to meet requirements, you can reach out to us for advice.