Over the last few days, local business and the public have made us aware of several people canvassing homes and organisations in the Torfaen ares of Wales asking for donations to St Michael’s Hospice.
At this time, we are not aware of anyone who has approached us asking for permission to canvas to raise money for our Hospice, and we do not have any of our own representatives doing this.
However, sometimes kind people do decide to fundraise for us without letting us know. Of course, we may find that they are indeed collecting for the Hospice, with good intentions, but we will only know this if money is returned to us.
If approached to donate, or if these individuals canvas your home or business, we would encourage you to ask for ID or sight of an authority letter.
How to tell if fundraisers are genuine
When you meet a fundraiser in-person, check their credentials:
- Genuine fundraisers collecting on our behalf will either have I.D as a staff or volunteer member or a letter of authority from us on headed paper.
Check their collecting bucket/tin:
- Genuine fundraisers collecting on our behalf will have blue branded collecting buckets or tins (yellow or purple) which detail our name and registration number. The label will be firmly affixed with a professional sticker. These will have a sealed top and should be undamaged. They are only issued to those who have a letter of authority or I.D.
- Our fundraising group ‘The Hospice Angels’ wear their own branded clothing and have a letter of authority to fundraise.
What to do if you are unsure:
- If in doubt, ask for more information – a genuine fundraiser should be happy to answer your questions.
- If you become aware of any suspicious activity, please contact us here at the St Michael’s Hospice as soon as you can. You can call us on: 01432 851000, email us here or contact us via any of our social media channels.
- You can also report it to Action Fraud
- Or you can contact West Mercia Police directly on: 0300 333 3000
