This article will aim to answer some common questions about signing up to GoCardless as a Scout or Guide group.
- The Scout Association is a Registered Charity - can I use their details?
- We do not have a charity number for our group - what can we do?
- Why do you need to verify me personally if I am acting on behalf of a Scout /Guide group?
- Why do I need to enter the details of all trustees of my charity?
- What bank account can I use to receive my payments?
- Our bank account has multiple signatories and I cannot make the verification payment. What can I do?
The Scout Association is a Registered Charity - can I use their details?
Unless you are collecting payments into a bank account held in the name of the Scout Association, please do not sign up using these details.
If your Scout or Guide unit has a charity number in its own right, please select ‘Registered Charity’ and sign up using your registered charity details. For further guidance, please see our Registered Charity Guide.
We do not have a charity number for our group - what can we do?
It’s not a problem if your scout or guide group does not have their own charity number. Please select ‘Excepted Charity’ from the drop down list in the ‘Tell Us About Your Company’ section and fill in the details. For further guidance, please click here.
Why do you need to verify me personally if I’m acting on behalf of a Scout/Guide Group?
We’re regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as a payments processor. Strict regulations require us to conduct checks on the merchants we collect payments for - for charities, this includes the account administrator.
We appreciate that the process is quite intensive, especially for registered charities. Security and compliance are a priority for us, and allow us to provide you with a great payments processing system - we really appreciate your cooperation!
Why do I need to enter the details of all trustees of my charity?
For registered charities, we need to collect the names and dates of birth of all registered trustees. This is in line with our regulatory requirements as an FCA regulated payment processing company.
We cross-reference the details entered against the relevant charity register and need to ensure we have all trustees' details before we can complete the verification of your account.
What bank account can I use to receive my payments?
You can connect any bank account that is held in the name of your scout or guide group and able to receive incoming payments. We will ask you to make a small verification payment of £0.01 to verify your account details. Please see our Verifying your bank account article for further information.
Our bank account has multiple signatories and I can not make the verification payment. What can I do?
We understand that not all charitable organisations are able to make outgoing payments easily. Please email us at verification@gocardless.com and we will be able to advise you of the alternative options!