Student Fundraising Activities

File: IGDF-R

Guidelines for fundraising activities conducted by students are as follows:

  1. Student participation must be voluntary.
  2. The fundraising activity must be such that it is not likely to create a poor public relations image.
  3. Fund raising activity efforts must not interfere with the educational program.
  4. Fund raising activities conducted by associated student bodies or sub-groups thereof must conform to the district ASB accounting requirements. Expenditures of all ASB funds must be approved by the ASB.
  5. The following fund raising activities are approved:
    1. Sales of goods (school supplies, T-shirts, magazines, etc.);
    2. Car washes and rummage and garage sales;
    3. Paper drives, bottle drives, etc. that do not interfere with the school day;
    4. Carnivals when organized and supervised by the school and / or the recognized parent group (must follow ASB guidelines related to gambling events);
    5. Skating and bowling parties provided there is adequate supervision and liability protection;
    6. Bandathons, bikeathons, and walkathons;
    7. Dances, talent, variety, musical, and drama productions (after school hours); and
    8. Other as identified in the approved ASB Budget for each school.
      Any major purpose fund-raising activity that is not listed above must have the approval of the superintendent.
  6. When the fundraiser involves sales of food during the school day (as defined by the period from midnight before to 30 minutes after the end of the official school day), the food must meet USDA nutritional requirements.
  7. Charitable fundraising activities conducted by students, through the Associated Student Body, is permissible subject to the following guidelines:
    1. The building principal or designee must pre-approve all charitable fundraisers and shall not approve more than three such fundraisers per academic year.
    2. All proceeds must go to a bona-fide non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) and may not be associated with any activity related to assisting a campaign for election of a person to an office or for the promotion or opposition to a ballot proposition.
    3. Notification must be provided prior to the solicitation of funds about the intended purpose of the fundraiser and that the proceeds shall be held by the district exclusively for the specific purpose(s).
    4. All authorized direct expenses for the fundraiser must be paid from the money raised and not from public funds. Direct expenses incurred by the District may be subject to reimbursement under this provision.
    5. Funds raised for charitable purposes will be considered private funds and will be subject to ASB accounting requirements
  8. If fundraising activities are co-sponsored by a student body organization and a parent group, an arrangement for the proportional sharing of expenses and profits or losses should be made prior to the initiation of fundraising

Guidelines for fundraising by outside groups (including parents) using students are as follows:

  1. Fundraising activities conducted by outside groups (including parent groups) shall not involve the official student body organizations and must not utilize district materials, supplies, facilities, or staff unless reimbursement is made.
  2. Sponsorship of fundraising activities by schools’ official parent groups, even where monies realized shall be donated to associated student bodies, is encouraged to minimize accounting efforts. If fundraising activities are co‑sponsored by a student body organization and a parent group, an arrangement for the proportional sharing of expenses and profits or losses should be made prior to the initiation of fundraising.
  3. Groups may not use school materials, supplies, facilities, or staff without proper reimbursement. Requests to the administration for access to students for purposes of fundraising should be referred to the appropriate parent organization, which shall have the option of permitting the outside group to utilize the parent organization’s normal method of communication to transmit information concerning the fundraiser.
  4. Groups shall not collect money in school buildings as part of fundraising activities. Fund collections must be made by other means in other locations under the supervision of the official parent groups, except that each school may permit the official parent organization to maintain one secure location in the school’s office for deposit of envelopes containing funds from a permissible fundraising activity.
  5. A group may display a sign announcing a fundraising activity. Brochures explaining the program may be made available to students through the school office.
  6. Any outside group, other than an official school-parent group, must be an approved charitable organization / activity identified in Policy JL-R, Student Gifts and Solicitations, before conducting fundraising activities within a school or schools.
  7. Any other outside groups not approved pursuant to Policy JL-R, Student Gifts and Solicitations, seeking to raise funds from or through students may only do so if the following criteria is met:
    1. Must work through established official parent organizations and not with or through student body organizations or the administration.

Approved:
05/07/90

Revised:
08/25/14
08/24/15

Student raises hand while teacher talks to class