When is a money collection permit not required?

Schools and nurseries 

Schools and nurseries can run money collection campaigns without a money collection permit or a small-scale money collection notice as long as the campaign is run in connection with an event that has a set start time and end time as well as a programme.  At least one adult of full legal capacity must be present and in charge of the money collection operation. Schools and nurseries can only raise funds at events hosted by themselves, specific school or nursery classes or third parties. In other words, schools and nurseries cannot run money collection campaigns online or on social media, for example. 

All the funds raised must be used to promote education. This can include, for example, field trips and excursions.

Established study groups and clubs

Established study groups and clubs can run money collection campaigns without a money collection permit or a small-scale money collection notice as long as the campaign is run in connection with an event that has a set start time and end time as well as a programme. At least one adult of full legal capacity must be present and in charge of the money collection operation. Study groups and clubs can only raise funds in connection with events hosted by themselves or a third party. In other words, money collection campaigns cannot be run online or on social media, for example. 

The funds raised must be used to promote the activities of the study group or club. This can include, for example, purchasing equipment and resources. However, any equipment purchased must not become personal property of members of the study group or club but must remain communal property.

Political money collection

Political money collection campaigns can be run without a money collection permit or a small-scale money collection notice. Political money collection campaigns can be run for the benefit of candidates in general elections, local elections, presidential elections and elections to the European Parliament. Candidates cannot raise funds for themselves, and instead the campaign must be run by their party or an association established specifically to support the candidate in question.

Political money collection is designed to provide a way to cover the costs of election campaigns. Political money collection is only permitted during the official campaigning period, which begins six months before the date of the election and ends two weeks after the election day. 

Accounts must be submitted to the National Police Board of all political money collection campaigns. It is the money collections’ responsibility to submit their accounts on time. The deadline for submitting accounts is two months after the end of the money collection campaign.

Community assistance

Community assistance does not constitute money collection within the meaning of the Finnish Money Collection Act. Community assistance refers to communities coming together to help individuals or families who have fallen on hard times. Community assistance can be given by friends, acquaintances, relatives and neighbours. In other words, for an activity to be classified as community assistance, the people providing the assistance must know the beneficiary in some way. 

Community assistance can be given in the form of goods, money or labour. However, any community assistance given in the form of money must be based on spontaneous donations. This means that the public cannot be asked to donate money to provide community assistance. Monetary donations for community assistance cannot be collected online or on social media, for example.

Non-monetary donations

Collecting non-monetary donations is not considered money collection within the meaning of the Money Collection Act. No money collection permit is required for asking the public to donate items such as old clothing or toys.

Charity auctions, concerts and events

Organising charity auctions, concerts or events does not constitute money collection. Charity auctions involve trading in the form of an auction, with all or some of the proceeds being donated to charity. Charity concerts and events can be organised with all or some of the proceeds from ticket sales being donated to charity. The performers can also donate their fees or a part thereof to charity.

Legacy donations

Asking for legacy donations is not deemed to constitute money collection. In other words, no money collection permit is required for appealing to the public for donations through their wills. This means that associations and foundations can ask the public to leave assets to them in their wills through their website, for example.

Commemorative and memorial donations

Private individuals can commemorate their birthdays and other special occasions by asking, instead of flowers or presents, for monetary donations to their chosen charity in their party invitations or interviews given to mark the occasion. No money collection permit or small-scale money collection notice is required for these kinds of one-off appeals. Funeral announcements can also be published with an account number or another form of request for memorial donations instead of flowers. 

This exemption only applies to private individuals; associations and foundations, for example, cannot ask the public for commemorative donations without a money collection permit.

Free public events held in cordoned-off areas

Associations, foundations and the Finnish Red Cross can raise funds in connection with their events on the following conditions:

• There must be no admission fee to the event, and the event must be open to the general public. 
• The event must be held indoors, or outdoors in a cordoned-off area.
• The event must have a programme. 
• The organiser of both the event and the collection must be a registered association, a foundation, the Finnish Red Cross or an operational unit of the Finnish Red Cross.

The funds raised must be used to promote the organiser’s mission. The funds cannot be used to boost business.

If the organiser is a religious association, a collection similar to a church collection can be held to raise funds to support the association’s mission.

Church collections

No money collection permit is needed for church collections held by registered religious communities within the meaning of the Finnish Act on the Freedom of Religion, as long as the collection takes place in connection with a public religious service. Registered religious associations can also hold collections similar to church collections at their own events (see above).

A money collection permit or a small-scale money collection notice is required for church collections held, for example, online or by asking for contributions to be paid into a bank account after a religious service.