University of Findlay Fundraiser Policy & Permit Form
It is the responsibility of the Office of University Advancement to work with businesses and individuals to secure donations, sponsorships, products and gifts-in-kind for the University. All other University of Findlay student organizations, classes and departments are required to adhere to the following fundraising guidelines.
Definition
Fundraising - The process of gathering voluntary contributions of money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies.
General Guidelines
All fundraising must be consistent with the organization’s purpose, university policy and state and federal laws.
- No officer or member can ever receive monetary gain from the fundraising of the group. Income cannot be given or loaned out under any circumstances to any person.
- A currently enrolled student member(s) or University personnel of the sponsoring group must be present during the entire time of the event.
- Only two (2) fundraising events may run concurrently each day. The maximum time any one fundraising event can run is five consecutive days.
- Fundraiser permit forms may only be submitted when fall and spring semester classes are in session. Permit requests submitted prior to the start of a semester cannot be approved until classes begin.
- Appropriate fundraising methods include programs or sales in which a service, product or form of entertainment is provided by the members of the organization (e.g., car wash, apparel sale, Valentine’s Day message sale, flower sale, bake sale, item collections...).
- All bake sale items must be individually wrapped and sealed.
- The Office of Student Activities reserves the right to deny a fundraising request or cancel a planned fundraiser if a student organization fails to adhere to all University policies and procedures (http://www.findlay.edu, keyword - University policies).
Fundraising Procedure
- A Fundraiser Permit Form must be completed and submitted to the Office of Student Activities via the online form below at least two (2) weeks prior to the fundraising event/activity. All fundraiser activities may not begin until the Office of Student Activities gives official approval. This includes any and all advertising.
- A detailed proposal that includes all names of businesses or organizations to be solicited must be attached when the Fundraiser Permit Form is submitted. This will then be reviewed by Student Activities and Advancement to determine if approval is appropriate.
- Commitments/arrangements with businesses or organizations cannot be made until official approval has been granted by the Office of Student Activities.
- If food or food service materials are required for an on-campus fundraiser, arrangements must be made prior with Sodexo. Approved Bake Sales and Candy Sales are exempt from this requirement.
- A Permit for Use of Facilities Form must be submitted after approval of the Fundraiser Permit Form.
- A Follow-up report is required to be completed within one (1) week of the completion of a fundraiser. A link to the report will be included in the approval email.
Cancellation Policy: It is the responsibility of the student organization to notify the Office of Student Activities, as well as any partner business or non-profit organization, that a fundraiser has been cancelled at least two weeks prior to the scheduled/approved date.
Prohibited fundraising methods include but are not limited to:
- Events/activities deemed inappropriate, offensive, illegal, inflammatory, or inconsistent with the mission and goals of The University of Findlay. Determination may be made at the discretion of the Office of Student Activities. This includes any event/activity which promotes and/or provides alcohol.
- Campaign solicitations and campaign fundraising activities - Funds for political candidates or campaigns may not under any circumstances be solicited. University students, faculty, and staff may make personal contributions to the candidate(s) of their choice.
- Raffles - Any event requiring a fee in exchange for a chance at a prize may qualify as a raffle. If there is any question about whether your activities could be considered a raffle or lottery please contact the Office of Student Activities.
- Games of Chance - Ohio law defines a "game of chance", i.e., gambling, to be "poker . . . or other game in which a player gives anything of value in hope of gain, the outcome of which is determined largely by chance."
- Online fundraising (e.g., GoFundMe, Chase Quick Pay, Fundly, MyEvent, Giveforward, Venmo, Square, and Paypal…).
- Date auctions - No individual or group may be auctioned for “services” or a “date”.
- Solicitation in classrooms and campus offices.
- Solicitation by credit card or telephone card companies.
Sanctions
Student groups failing to adhere to established fundraising guidelines stated herein will have the following sanctions imposed:
- First violation – All donations must be returned to the donors and the student group will be placed on warning status.
- Second violation – All donations must be returned to the donors and the student group will move to probation status.
- Third violation – All donations must be returned to the donors and the student group’s University Charter will be revoked for one year.
- Fourth violation – All donations must be returned to the donors and the student group’s University Charter will be permanently revoked.
Please note: If monetary donations cannot be returned to individual donors, the funds will be deposited to the Student Activities Board account to be used in support of campus programming.
Reservation of Rights
The University of Findlay acknowledges that a policy of this nature may not anticipate every possible issue that may arise with respect to fundraising activities. As a result, the University reserves the right to impose reasonable restrictions and/or requirements with respect to the time, place, and manner of fundraising activities. These restrictions may be in addition to, or in lieu of, those set forth in the policy.
The fundraising policy can also be found in University Policies.