Donations

Donations of cash, goods or services can be made to the RCH Foundation via an Auxiliary. The RCH Foundation’s donation policy can be found here.

Cash donations are preferred. If a cash donation is made via an Auxiliary, a receipt must be provided. Receipt books are available from the Auxiliaries Office. All donations over $2 must be receipted accordingly. Please direct any questions about tax deductibility to the Auxiliaries Office.

Only some goods and services can be accepted by the RCH Foundation as a donation. Please see the RCH Foundation’s policy on donations of goods and services for further information. Donations of goods or services are not tax deductible however an acknowledgment (but not a receipt) should be provided for any donations of this kind.

Auxiliaries may seek donations from companies or individuals. However, prior to approaching a company for a donation, please obtain approval from the Manager, Auxiliaries and Fundraising to avoid multiple or conflicting requests for donations.

Events

Auxiliaries may hold events to raise funds for the RCH. Prior to holding an event, an Event Notification Form must be completed and returned to the Auxiliaries Office. Once approved by the Auxiliaries Office, fundraising events will be covered by the RCH Foundation’s Insurance Policy. They can also be advertised on the Events page of the RCH Foundation website.
All functions and events held by an Auxiliary must be for the exclusive benefit of raising money for the RCH. Auxiliaries should ensure costs are kept to a minimum in order to maximise the funds raised for the hospital. As such, an event should never cost more than 20 per cent of the total funds raised at the event. Please note that event tickets are not tax deductible.
Should any Auxiliary member wish to invite an RCH Clinician or RCH Staff Member to an Auxiliary event, the group’s President must contact Declan Lourey, Auxiliaries and Fundraising Manager with the event date and time. The Manager will contact the corresponding Department to check the RCH Team’s diary. The Manager will come back to the Auxiliary to advise if a representative from the team can attend. Should the Auxiliary wish for the RCH Staff Member to speak at their event, this must also be requested in advance approved by the Manager. All requests must be made at least four weeks prior to the event date.

Raffles

Auxiliaries may hold raffles to raise funds for the hospital. Prior to holding a raffle, a Raffle Notification Form must be completed and returned to the Auxiliaries Office. The Auxiliaries Office will then arrange printed raffle tickets (at that Auxiliary’s expense) in accordance with the information submitted on the Raffle Notification Form. Raffle prizes can include goods or services but cannot include cash, stocks or shares (unless the cash comprises 10% or less of a travel or accommodation prize). Here is a handy Raffle Guide to guide you.

The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation sets out certain rules and guidelines that apply to raffles. There are different rules and guidelines for small raffles (where the prize pool is less than $500), medium raffles (where the prize pool less than $5,000) and large raffles (where the prize pool is more than $5,000). You can find the rules and guidelines for all raffles here.

Please note that raffle tickets are not tax deductible.

Should your Auxiliary wish to hold an auction please contact the Auxiliaries Office.

Gratitude Hub

The Gratitude Hub is a retail shop and fundraising centre, located on Main Street at the RCH.

The Gratitude Hub sells a collection of products including homewares and gifts, with proceeds supporting the hospital. It also features interactive donation stations and collateral such as the latest RCH Foundation publications and campaign videos for visitors to engage with.

The Gratitude Hub is partially staffed by Auxiliary volunteers. Profits from the Gratitude Hub are then distributed to any Auxiliary that actively volunteers there, according to the percentage of hours worked over a year. All Auxiliaries are eligible to volunteer at the Gratitude Hub. If you would like to volunteer, please contact the Gratitude Hub Coordinator.

The Gratitude Hub also sells a range of Auxiliaries products online through its website. If you would like to find out how to sell products online, please contact the Manager, Auxiliaries and Fundraising.

Cart, pod and market day stalls

Auxiliaries can also fundraise by selling goods or raffle tickets via the cart, pod or market day stalls at the hospital. If you would like to take part in a cart, pod or market day stall, please contact the Auxiliaries Coordinator, who will assist with making a booking. The cart, pods and market day stalls are very popular, and bookings are allocated via a formal allocation system annually in October for the following year, Should you wish to register your interest, please complete this form and return to the Auxiliaries Coordinator.

When fundraising on a pod at the hospital, an Auxiliary must ensure:

• the selling space around the pod is not extended by using trestle tables or the like. Racks and tubs can be used to display merchandise
• a key to the pod drawers is obtained from the RCH Gratitude Hub during normal operating hours. When you leave for the day, drawers must be locked and the key returned to the Gratitude Hub. If you need access before or after normal business hours, this must be arranged with the Auxiliaries Liaison Officer
• all unsold goods are removed at the end of the day and the area is left clean, tidy and free from all rubbish.

Safety standards for goods sold

Generally, all items sold by an Auxiliary to raise funds for the hospital must comply with mandatory safety standards. Please see the Product Safety Australia website, which has an up to date list of items for which there are mandatory safety standards and those which are banned. All food products offered for sale must comply with the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services’ regulations and must be properly labelled in accordance with such standards. Additionally, any Auxiliary members who make food for sale at the RCH must attend and pass a Food Handling and Hygiene course. This course can be undertaken at the hospital at no charge. Please contact the Auxiliaries Coordinator to arrange attendance. If you have any questions about whether an item meets the required safety standards, please contact the RCH Safety Centre Senior Project Coordinator.

For all current Hospital advice around selling food on your stalls please contact Auxiliaries Coordinator.

Market Days

A number of market days are held annually in Main Street at the RCH. These usually include:
• Paddy’s Market (generally held in March)
• Winter Market (generally held in June)
• Spring Market (generally held in September)
• Andy’s Market (generally held in November)
• Christmas Market (generally held in December)
Please contact the Auxiliaries Coordinator for a list of upcoming market days.

Security on the cart, pods or stalls

Should an incident occur where goods are stolen from a cart, pod or stall, please report this to the Gratitude Hub Coordinator and the Manager, Auxiliaries and Fundraising immediately. Security staff will then be made aware of the incident.

Fundraising tins for Good Friday Appeal

Auxiliaries can use fundraising tins from the Good Friday Appeal to collect money. Tins can be collected from the Auxiliaries Office and must be returned here unopened to be transported to the Good Friday Appeal Office for opening and counting. Money collected by an Auxiliary in these tins will be attributed to that Auxiliary.

Grants from Trusts and Foundations

Auxiliaries cannot submit applications to external Trusts or Foundations for funding. All applications submitted to Trusts or Foundations on behalf of the RCH are coordinated through the RCH Foundation. If an Auxiliary member has contact with a Trust or Foundation and has been asked to submit an application in relation to an Auxiliary or the RCH, please contact the Manager, Auxiliaries and Fundraising.

Fundraising online

Auxiliaries can create an online fundraising page via MyCause to collect donations. The online fundraising page can be customised with an Auxiliaries’ own information and images. The fundraising page will have a unique web address so the link can be easily shared on social media, websites or email. People who donate through the fundraising page can leave a supportive message and will also immediately receive a tax deductible receipt by email. Visit the Online Fundraising Hub to learn more or contact Manager, Auxiliaries and Fundraising.