Bank account for local fund raising

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My niece will soon have an operation to remove her lower leg for medical reasons. Initially she will have an NHS prosthetic leg. She and her family are well liked locally and a lot of people and organisations have been moved to donate funds to help my niece in future life. None of the family have been actively seeking funds; the donations and fundraising have been spontaneous reactions by others in the community. Donations have come from the local Rotary club, local school, raffle in the café where my niece works etc. A member of the community has even setup a Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/nicola-field-2.

 

To date funds received have been paid into a building society account held in my name on behalf of my sister (my niece’s mum). This was ok when the money was only from within the family but now that donations are being made from outside the family I want to make it all more formal and transparent. As a first step I feel we should have a bank account. There’s only HSBC left trading locally. Does anyone have any suggestions or advice regarding a bank account or anything else we should be aware of? I’ve never been involved in anything like this and would appreciate any advice the AccountingWeb community can give.

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By Accountant A
26th Feb 2019 14:31

No idea but, given MLR, etc., it may be difficult to open an account "for the benefit" of another individual without the formality of a trust with trust documentation, etc..

If your niece is under 18, there may still be informal arrangements accepted. Used to have accounts for my nephew which were me "in re" nephew's name.

Building Societies (small ones) might be your best bet but, as you note, local ones may not be available.

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By WhichTyler
26th Feb 2019 20:14

Why not give the money straight to your sister? Or niece (if the money is to help her?)

In any case it is usually easier to open an account with a bank that you/your sister already use, than to start a new relationship.

Otherwise as Acct A say, you are looking at a trust

Good luck btw

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Replying to WhichTyler:
Morph
By kevinringer
26th Feb 2019 21:07

Thanks for your good wishes WhichTyler.

My sister is nervous about handling what she feels is other people's money which is why she'd rather have the account in my name and not her name. My niece is only 13 and has similar concerns.

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By Marion Hayes
27th Feb 2019 13:26

HSBC have , or had when I was involved in a charity, a Community account. I would pop in to look at the criteria

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