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Our finances

Whether it’s marathon sponsorship, proceeds from a bake sale, or the result of committed employee fundraising, we’re grateful for every penny that comes our way – and we are committed to spending it wisely.

Every penny you donate to us is used carefully and responsibly. We fund work with a demonstrable, positive impact on people’s lives, while keeping support costs to a minimum.

For every £1 it spends on fundraising, Shelter Scotland raises around £4.50.

Other places we get funding from include:

  • charitable foundations and trusts: for example, The Mercer’s Charitable Foundation, which funds a project to support ex-offenders after release, and the Big Lottery Fund, which supports homeless children via the Newham Education Project.

  • our nationwide network of shops

  • the government, who contract Shelter Scotland to
    provide legal advice

  • our Enterprise team, who run paid-for courses
    covering housing, homelessness and benefits

To read more about where our money comes from, read our annual report.

Download our annual report

Our fundraising standards

We’re a member of the Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB) self-regulatory scheme.

The FRSB works to ensure that organisations raising money from the public do so honestly and properly.

As a member of the scheme, we follow the Institute of Fundraising’s Codes of Fundraising Practice.

Our supporter charter is our promise to you that we’ll use your donations carefully and responsibly.

That means keeping support costs down, letting you know what difference your donations have made, keeping your personal data safe and secure, and always being transparent and fair in our fundraising.

Read our Supporter Charter

Download

1. We’re committed to high standards

  • We do all we can to make sure that fundraisers, volunteers and fundraising contractors working with us to raise funds comply with the codes.

  • We comply with the law, including those that apply to data protection, health and safety and the environment.

2. We’re honest and open

  • We tell the truth and we don’t exaggerate.

  • We do what we say we’re going to do.

  • We answer all reasonable questions about our fundraising activities and costs.

3. We’re clear

  • We’re clear about who we are, what we do and how your gift will be used.

  • Where we have a promotional agreement with a commercial company, we make clear how much of the purchase price we receive.

  • We give a clear explanation of how you can make a gift and amend a regular commitment.

4. We’re respectful

  • We respect the rights, dignities and privacy of our supporters and beneficiaries.

  • We won’t put pressure on you to make a gift - if you don’t want to give or want to stop giving, we’ll respect your decision.

  • If you tell us that you don’t want us to contact you in a particular way, we won’t.

5. We’re fair and reasonable

  • We take care not to use any images or words that cause unjustifiable distress or offence.

  • We take care not to cause unreasonable nuisance or disruption.

6. We’re accountable

  • If you’re unhappy with anything we’ve done while fundraising, you can contact us to make a complaint.

  • If we can't resolve your complaint, we accept the authority of the FRSB to make a final adjudication.

Face-to-face fundraising

Every day, our teams raise money through street and door-to-door fundraising across Scotland.

They often walk 13 miles a day! Because of the regular donations our fundraisers ask for, we can plan ahead - and reach even more people in desperate housing.

Face-to-face fundraising is a very cost-effective way to raise awareness and generate income.

All of our fundraisers abide by a strict Institute of Fundraising industry code of practice and we give them in-depth training to make sure they:

  • wear legible identification that’s prominently displayed

  • never deliberately mislead or confuse a member of the public

  • follow the Institute of Fundraising’s three step rule.

Shelter street fundraiser

Our fundraisers don’t work on commission: they’re all paid a flat rate. And we mainly recruit in-house, which means most of our face-to-face fundraisers only work for Shelter Scotland and they can tell you our most up-to-date news.

If you’ve got any questions about our face-to-face fundraising, get in touch. Email info@shelter.org.uk or call 0300 330 1234.

We invest in new projects, services and campaigns when the evidence we gather shows us there’s a need.

Affected by the emergency?

Help us by sharing your story.

The housing emergency

Breaking down the issues we face in Scotland today

Social housing explained

Social housing ends homelessness. Find out why.

We’re here for everyone, but only with your support