Policies expenses and procedures

Here you will be able to find all the information and necessary forms for our policies and procedures, including expenses.

Gifts and hospitality

From time-to-time customers, suppliers or other persons including service users may offer a gift to an employee, volunteer or trustee, but as a charity and business we need to comply with the Bribery Act. Bribery is defined as the accepting of gifts, money, hospitality or other favours in return for providing something of value to the briber. Guide Dogs Procurement Team hold a gifts and hospitality register for all gifts and hospitality offered as well as received.

This could be a small item or something of considerable value. Other than “token” gifts such as advertising merchandise given by suppliers which amount to £5 or less (for example, branded pens, mugs, confectionery etc), all gifts, however small, must be reported to your volunteer manager. No gifts to the value of more than £50 may be accepted. If a gift is offered of more than £50 and refused, it must still be reported to your volunteer manager.

Under no circumstances can gifts of cash be accepted of any amount (this does not include vouchers which can be accepted up to a value of £50).

All volunteers are responsible for reporting any gifts or hospitality they have been offered and/or kept to your volunteer manager, as these must be recorded.