Applying for a bank account

Unfortunately, it is now very hard to set up a bank account in the name of Extinction Rebellion, simply because most banks refuse to accept us. In the past, groups have set up accounts with Triodos Bank, but unfortunately Triodos is not accepting any new accounts. This could change, so it is worth checking their website.

However, there are ways around this problem, which you can learn about below, and in:
Information on how to operate without a bank account.

If you already have a bank account

It can useful having a bank account for fundraising, particularly if you want to create Chuffed fundraisers, or use card/contactless payment devices, for example.

It is really important to make sure that the wider group (eg. your Local Group, or Community Group) knows about the account, who is managing it and who the signatories are.

Ideally, a summary of the finances should be easily accessible to the group it belongs to, even if that is just a verbal report from time to time, or showing others in the group the bank statements. Keeping everything transparent is helpful because it is then less likely misunderstandings will happen and also adds credibility and conviction for fundraising outreach conversations with the public. If you can tell a member of the public who wants to donate the kinds of things the group tends to need money for, they will be much more likely to donate!

If the account is managed online, then the person managing the account can be a completely different person to the signatories.

Credit Unions and Community Banking

These may be a way of setting up a bank account for your local group. Find out more about this here.

Using your Region/Nation bank account

Your Region or Nation might be able to process your local group income and expenditure and keep a separate note of your balance. This method is used successfully by a few regions/nations already, but it does depend on the Region or Nation having a bank account, and having somebody on the regional team prepared to do the extra admin involved.

A nearby local group that already has a bank account may be happy to allow another local group to use the bank account as well. The same admin burden mentioned above could be an issue, but generally there are not many transactions for local groups, so this sharing is a practical solution if the goodwill and capacity is there to make it work.

Individual or joint bank account

An individual with online current account may find it very straightforward to add an online savings account; this could be used exclusively for XR funds. Or an individual may have a dormant bank account that could be used for their XR group.

The newer online/app based banks are another option. These can be more straighforward to set up a bank account for an individual and maybe for a climate community group.

This arrangement is not ideal, however, in that the responsibility rests with one person to look after the group’s funds.

Obviously, it is also a risk because if that person steps back from XR the group would need to ensure that the funds are passed back to XR. But many groups do work this way.

One way of mitigating the risk of a person stepping away and the group losing access to the account is for two long term members (who are not a couple!) to set up a joint account together and use this to manage to group's money. Therefore if one person steps back you will not lose access to the money (and could then transfer it to a different joint account with a different pair of people named.)