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Administrative Procedures 5000 - Students
Administrative Procedure 5135.1 - Fundraising

Administrative Procedure 5135.1 - Fundraising

I. Purpose

To provide direction to school principals in the area of fundraising, or the process of gathering voluntary contributions of money or other resources.

II. Policy

This procedure is in accordance with Board of Education Policy 5135, School-Based Fund Raising. The terms fund raising and fundraising are used interchangeably.

III. Procedures

Fund raising is conducted in the schools in accordance with applicable Board of Education Policy. The following procedures must be followed when raising funds at the local school level.

  1. The principal will advise staff, students, and the community through teacher bulletins, parent newsletters, and other forms of communications of the need for fundraising and other appropriate information that would assist staff, students, and the community in understanding the finances involved.
  2. The standard in-house Fundraiser Authorization Form (Attachment 1) will be used to request authorization to proceed with a fundraising activity when the fundraising activity is handled by anyone other than the principal.
  3. The approved Fundraiser Authorization Form must be returned with the contract, if any, to be signed by the principal. The approved date must be part of a yearly calendar being followed to establish priority school needs and control the number of fundraisers.
  4. Refer to Administrative Procedure 5135.2, Principal’s Contracting Authority, for established monetary limits for contracts.
  5. Fundraising purposes shall be specified and communicated for each fund raising activity or event, and separate accounting should be maintained for each in the same fashion as all other restricted accounts within the school’s activity funds.
  6. The unit cost and mark-up of any items sold for profit for fundraising activities of the school will be available in each school for staff and parent inspection (see Fundraiser Completion Report, Attachment 2).
  7. At the end of each school year, the principal shall prepare a report summarizing all fund raising activities concluded during the year. This information will be available for review by parents and any other interested members of the community. The report will specifically state the net amount of funds retained as profit from such activities.
  8. When students sell items outside the school, they must have a letter of introduction, signed by the school sponsor and approved by the principal. If the parents do not desire to have their children participate, those parents have the option to decline.
  9. School dances are one example of Board-approved fundraising events. Dances may be held after school, on evenings, or weekends for fundraising purposes, and shall be subject to the voluntary participation of individuals. It is inappropriate to hold fund raising events, including dances, during the school day when they take time away from learning.
  10. In accordance with recommendations by student leaders, secondary school principals should consider the following:
    1. Maintain a high degree of student involvement in fund raising and related decision-making.
    2. Avoid unexplained arbitrary decisions in local fundraising.
    3. Gain local autonomy in fundraising and items purchased (rings, yearbooks, etc.)
  11. Principals are encouraged to meet and share ideas concerning successful fundraising activities.

IV. Related Procedures

V. Maintenance and Update of These Procedures

The Business Operations Department is responsible for updating these procedures as needed.

VI. Cancellations and Supersedures

This Administrative Procedure cancels and supersedes Administrative Procedure 5135.1, dated May 1, 2000.

VII. Effective Date

January 22, 2016

About This Procedure

Last Revised: January 22, 2016

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