Fundraising terms that match how your organisation actually raises money

The legal risk usually comes from assumptions about what a donation means, especially when an appeal is linked to a project, event or stated purpose. Supporters may expect funds to be used in a particular way, refunded in certain circumstances, or handled consistently across online and offline channels. Clear fundraising terms help explain the basis on which donations are accepted, any limits around refunds, and how campaign changes are dealt with. That is particularly important where your organisation runs public appeals, recurring giving options or event-based fundraising with different messaging across platforms.

The document often covers how donations are made, whether donations are for general purposes or a named appeal, when a refund request may be considered, what happens if a campaign is changed or withdrawn, and how supporter information is handled alongside your other policies. Depending on your setup, the terms may also address recurring donations, third-party fundraising pages, event cancellations, minimum fundraising commitments, or how goods, tickets or sponsorship elements interact with the donation process. The exact wording depends on how your organisation actually raises funds and communicates with donors.

Important details include whether you fundraise through your website, social media, third-party platforms, in-person events or community campaigns, and whether donations are unrestricted or tied to a specific appeal. We also need to understand if supporters receive anything in return, such as event entry, merchandise or acknowledgements, because that can change how the terms should read. If volunteers or partner organisations collect funds on your behalf, that can also affect the wording. The more closely the terms reflect your real fundraising flow, the more useful they are in practice.

A generic template may cover broad concepts, but it often misses the practical points that create confusion in real campaigns. For example, a template may not deal properly with restricted-purpose appeals, peer-to-peer fundraising, recurring donations, or what happens if an event is postponed and part of the payment is not purely a donation. It may also use language that does not match your website journey or supporter communications. A tailored document is usually more helpful where your organisation has several fundraising channels or wants the terms to line up with its actual campaign wording and processes.

Not automatically. This service centres on fundraising terms and conditions. If your donation flow also needs a separate privacy statement, donor terms bundle, constitution update or broader governance advice, that would usually be handled as additional work. We can flag where those related documents may be worth considering, especially if your fundraising process collects personal information in several ways or involves committee approvals and internal policies. Ongoing representation is also outside the fixed-fee unless it is included in the agreed scope, so the service stays focused on the fundraising terms themselves.

Submit an enquiry on this page or click 'Get started'. One of our legal consultants will review it within 1 business day and get in touch to understand what you need.

Your consultant will then email you a fixed-fee quote setting out the cost, scope and timing. If you're happy with it, you can accept the quote and sign our engagement letter online.

Once you've accepted, one of our Australian-qualified lawyers will work with you to complete your project. They'll contact you by email or phone if they need anything.

Sprintlaw works on fixed-fee pricing wherever possible, so you can review the scope and cost before you decide whether to proceed. For the Fundraising Terms And Conditions service, pricing starts from $900.00.

After you enquire, a legal consultant will confirm what is included, the expected timing and whether any extra work is needed before you engage us.

We work online, so we can help wherever you are in New Zealand. Our team works remotely, mainly from Australia.

Your work is done by our Australian-qualified lawyers, who hold Australian practising certificates and specialise in business law. None of them are New Zealand lawyers or hold a New Zealand practising certificate.

Sprintlaw NZ Limited is a legal consultancy, not a law firm, and is not regulated by the New Zealand Law Society. We don't act in court or tribunal matters, conveyancing (including leases and business sales) or other reserved areas of work. Communications with Sprintlaw are unlikely to be protected by legal professional privilege. We still keep everything confidential under our engagement letter.