Donations, Fundraising & Refund Policy

Construction for Women CIC (“CFW”) is a Community Interest Company (CIC) that exists to advance equality, inclusion, and opportunity for women in the construction and built environment sectors.

This policy outlines how we manage donations, fundraising activities, and refunds in a way that is transparent, ethical, and compliant with relevant regulations.

It ensures that:

• All donations and fundraising activities support our community benefit objectives.

• CFW fundraises in a legal, open, honest and respectful way, consistent with the Code of Fundraising Practice issued by the Fundraising Regulator.

• The public understands that CFW is a CIC, not a registered charity, and how their contributions are used.

• CFW is registered as a Community Interest Company (limited by guarantee) and regulated by the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies and Companies House.

• Unlike charities, CICs are not governed by the Charity Commission and cannot claim charitable tax reliefs such as Gift Aid.

• CICs have an asset lock, meaning profits and assets must be used for community benefit and cannot be distributed for private gain.

• CFW fundraises under the Code of Fundraising Practice, ensuring our activities are legal, open, honest and accountable.

• CFW may hold local authority permissions for street or event-based fundraising activities as required by law.

CFW may apply to register with the Fundraising Regulator to demonstrate our commitment to ethical fundraising standards.

CFW believes that trust and transparency are essential to ethical fundraising.

When fundraising, we will:

• Clearly state that Construction for Women CIC is a Community Interest Company, not a charity.

• Display our full company name and registration number on all fundraising materials.

• Make clear whether we are asking for donations, selling goods or services, or collecting sponsorships.

• Explain how funds will be used — for example, to support training programmes, mentoring schemes, or awareness campaigns for women in construction.

CFW will never mislead the public into believing it is a charity, nor claim that donations qualify for Gift Aid unless legislation changes to allow that for CICs.

4.1 What we accept

CFW welcomes donations and other forms of support from:

• Individuals and community members;

• Companies and corporate partners;

• Trusts, foundations, and grant-makers; and

• Other organisations aligned with our mission and values.

Donations may take the form of financial gifts, gifts in kind, sponsorship, or pro bono professional services.

4.2 Decision-making and due diligence

All donations are reviewed to ensure they:

• Are consistent with our mission and values;

• Come from legitimate, ethical sources; and

• Do not compromise our independence, integrity, or reputation.

Large or potentially sensitive donations will be reviewed by the Managing Director for approval.

CFW may refuse a donation where:

• Acceptance could cause reputational harm or conflict with our aims;

• The source is linked to illegal or unethical activities (e.g. modern slavery, corruption, discriminatory practices); or

• Conditions attached to the donation are not compatible with CFW’s purpose or operational capacity.

All donation decisions and refusals will be recorded and stored securely..

All funds received are used solely to further the social purpose of Construction for Women CIC.

This includes (but is not limited to):

• Delivering skills training, mentoring, and workshops for women in construction.

• Running awareness campaigns and advocacy projects.

• Supporting research, outreach, and community engagement.

Funds raised for a specific purpose will only be used for that purpose, and this will be monitored through CFW’s financial and community reporting.

CFW may partner with socially responsible businesses and industry bodies that share our values of equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Before entering any corporate partnership or sponsorship arrangement, CFW will assess:

• The partner’s ethical track record and reputation;

• The alignment between their business activities and CFW’s values; and

• Any potential risks to independence or integrity.

Sponsorship or partnership agreements will always be:

• Transparent and written;

• Approved by the Managing Director; and

• Reviewed periodically by the CFW Steering Board.

Anonymous donations may be accepted if:

• CFW can reasonably confirm that the funds originate from lawful and ethical sources; and

• Accepting anonymity does not conflict with our accounting or reporting obligations.

Anonymous donations exceeding £10,000 will be internally reviewed and recorded confidentially in our financial records.

CFW is committed to ensuring fairness and transparency in managing donations and event payments.

Refunds will be considered in the following cases:

• A donation or payment was made in error (e.g., duplicate payment or incorrect amount).

• A technical issue occurred during online payment.

• A donor notifies CFW within 14 days of making a one-off donation and the funds have not yet been used or committed.

• A CFW event, course, or activity for which a booking was made is cancelled by CFW.

Refund requests should be made by email to: info@constructionforwomen.co.uk

All refund requests will be reviewed within 10 working days and, if approved, processed within 14 working days.

Refunds will not usually be made where:

• The donation has already been allocated to a project or used for community benefit; or

• The donor has received a tangible benefit (e.g., event ticket, merchandise).

Payments made through third-party fundraising platforms (e.g. Eventbrite, JustGiving) are subject to their individual refund policies.

CFW maintains clear, auditable records of all donations and fundraising income in accordance with:

• The Companies Act 2006;

• CIC Regulations 2005; and

• Data Protection laws (UK GDPR).

An overview of our fundraising and community benefit activities is published annually in our CIC Report, available to the public through Companies House.

CFW welcomes feedback and will take any concerns about fundraising seriously.
If you have a complaint, please contact us at:

📧 info@constructionforwomen.co.uk

📬 Construction for Women CIC, The Old School House, Carrington, Manchester, M31 4UG, United Kingdom.

We will acknowledge complaints within 5 working days and provide a full response within 20 working days.

If you are not satisfied with our response and CFW is registered with the Fundraising Regulator, you can refer your complaint to them at: www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk

This policy will be reviewed every two years, or sooner if there are major changes to legislation or fundraising practice.

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints regarding this policy, please contact us.