Last updated: 2 November 2026
We want fundraising for Crawley Down Village School to be welcoming, fair and well organised. If something goes wrong, we want to hear about it and learn from it.
This procedure covers Crawley Down Village School Friends Of & Parents Association (T/A Fundraising Team), registered charity in England and Wales number 1161820.
What you can complain about
You can raise a concern about our fundraising, donations, charity-run events, communications, use of personal information, or the conduct of trustees, volunteers and people fundraising on our behalf. Donors, parents, carers, pupils, volunteers and other members of the public can use this procedure.
Complaints about teaching, school management or an activity run solely by the school should be directed to the school’s own complaints process. If a concern overlaps with our activities, we will explain which parts the charity can investigate. Urgent safeguarding concerns should be reported promptly to the appropriate safeguarding lead or authority; do not wait for the ordinary complaints timetable if someone is at risk.
How to contact us
Email info@cdft.org.uk with “Complaint” in the subject line. Please tell us:
- What happened, when it happened and which event, campaign or communication it relates to.
- Your name and how you would like us to contact you.
- Any relevant transaction reference, correspondence or other evidence.
- What outcome you are seeking.
Please do not send full payment-card numbers, passwords or unnecessary information about children. We can usually identify a Zeffy or SumUp transaction from its reference, date and amount.
If writing or emailing is difficult, speak to a trustee or volunteer at one of our events and ask for help recording your complaint or arranging another way to communicate. Someone can complain on your behalf with your permission. We will consider anonymous concerns, although we may be unable to investigate fully or tell you the outcome without contact details.
Stage 1: acknowledgement and investigation
We aim to acknowledge your complaint within five working days and provide a full response within 20 working days of receiving it. Working days exclude weekends and bank holidays in England. The acknowledgement will explain who is handling the complaint and what happens next.
The Chair will normally arrange for an appropriate trustee to investigate. Wherever possible, the investigator will not have been directly involved in the matter. If the complaint concerns the Chair, mark it “For the attention of the Vice Chair” using the same email address. A complaint about another trustee will be considered by trustees who are not the subject of the complaint. If an appropriate independent review is not possible internally, the trustees will consider an external reviewer.
We will consider what you tell us, relevant records and the views of people involved. We may ask you for clarification. If we need more time, we will explain why, provide a revised response date and keep you informed.
Our response
Our response will explain what we considered, our findings and reasons, and any action we propose. Where something has gone wrong, action may include an apology, correcting information, improving an event or communication, or changing a process. We will explain any limits on what we can disclose about other people.
A complaint does not automatically establish an entitlement to a refund. Requests involving payments, tickets, cancellations or refunds will be considered against the relevant transaction terms and your legal rights. Using this procedure does not remove those rights or replace a payment provider’s own dispute process.
Stage 2: trustee review
If you remain unhappy, reply to info@cdft.org.uk, marked “Complaint review”, explaining what you think has not been addressed and the outcome you seek. Please do this promptly so we can investigate while records are available.
The trustees will arrange a review by someone not previously responsible for the decision wherever possible. We aim to acknowledge the review request within five working days and respond within 20 working days. If more time is needed, we will tell you why and when to expect our response. The review response will explain the charity’s final position and relevant external routes.
Taking your concern further
- Fundraising: you can contact the Fundraising Regulator if you are dissatisfied with our response or have not heard back within four weeks. Its own remit and time limits apply. You do not need to wait indefinitely for our internal process.
- Personal information: you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office. We handle privacy concerns and rights requests under the relevant data protection timescales; these are not extended by the ordinary complaints timetable.
- Serious concerns about charity management: see the government’s guidance on complaining about a charity. The Charity Commission does not resolve every individual dispute.
- A payment provider’s own service: Zeffy or SumUp may have a separate complaints or payment-dispute process. Tell us about a transaction involving our charity so we can help identify the payment and address the parts for which we are responsible.
Fairness, confidentiality and records
We will treat concerns respectfully and will not disadvantage someone because they have made a complaint in good faith. We ask everyone involved to communicate respectfully. Information will be shared only where reasonably necessary to investigate, respond, obtain advice, protect people or meet a legal obligation. We cannot promise absolute confidentiality where safeguarding, regulatory or legal reporting is necessary.
We record complaints, the steps taken and the outcome, normally keeping the record for three years after closure. We may retain it longer where a legal, safeguarding, insurance or regulatory matter requires this. Our Privacy Policy explains how personal information is handled.
The trustees will review complaints for lessons and recurring issues, and review this procedure at least annually or sooner if a significant concern shows that it needs to change.