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A total of 125 organisations out of 214 applications received have been approved to hold flag days to raise funds for their charitable projects on 51 Saturdays and 12 Wednesdays which fall on school or public holidays in 2007-08. Flag sale will be conducted from 7am to 12.30pm on the approved flag days.
A spokesman for the Social Welfare Department said today (March 30) that to allow more organisations to conduct flag sale, 31 flag days had been assigned as Regional Flag Days in 2007-08. Three organisations will sell flags to solicit donation concurrently, one each on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon and in the New Territories.
The spokesman said that for easy identification, the flag day organisers were required to put on the money collection bags the logo or name of the organisation and mark "This flag day has been approved by the Social Welfare Department".
The spokesman appealed to flag day organisers to take precautions against any possible fraud. They should inform the Police of any loss of property and seek their help for fraudulent acts such as tampering with collection bags or unauthorised fundraising being found.
People can visit the Social Welfare Department homepage at http://www.swd.gov.hk or the ESD Life website http://www.esdlife.com if they wish to check information on flag days. They are also welcome to call the department hotline at 2343 2255, or department headquarters at 2832 4311 during office hours.
The spokesman also said that the Government has promulgated the "Reference Guide on Best Practices for Charitable Fund-raising Activities" to help the charities improve the transparency and accountability of their fund-raising activities. The best practices of the Reference Guide cover areas on donors' rights, fund-raising practices and financial accountability. The Reference Guide is accessible from the Social Welfare Department homepage.
Ends/Friday, March 30, 2007
Issued at HKT 15:52
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