Club Fundraising

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Fundraising is a way for student chartered clubs to support their events or travel through growing funds. There are many options to fundraising and can be done on campus or off campus, by following some rules. This information will help you learn how to fundraise so you can plan the events you want, not just the events you can afford.

What is Fundraising

Fundraising is exactly that, raising funds. Student chartered clubs can fundraise for events, items sales, or travel using these methods.

  • Asking people for money through a donation drive.
  • Hosting a table with goods for sale, like, donuts, cakes, cookies, or stuff.
  • Completing a fundraising campaign.

Regardless of the type of fundraiser a club hosts, there are rules and policies which direct how to accomplish a fundraiser.

Types of Fundraisers

We'll cover the various ways to raise funds and explain how they differ.

Process

  1. Your group decides they want to raise funds by doing an event. Hold a meeting and decide who will work with the Office of Student Life club coordinator so we can support the event.
  2. All ideas for fundraisers are tracked on the request to fundraise, regardless of how you will accomplish the fundraiser. 
  3. If you do not want funding to help you start the fundraiser, you still must complete the request to fundraise form. For example, you may purchase all the supplies to make cookies for a bake sale, hold the bake sale, and make profit for the club. In this situation, a reimbursement is not expected and you have raised funds. However, if you do not have funds to purchase supplies to make cookies, you can request funds as "seed" money for the fundraiser. That is outlined on the request to fundraise form.  
  4. All fundraisers must be scheduled with the Office of Student Life. This happens through the request to fundraise form. The form will ask you to complete information for an event, and that is the fundraiser you will complete. 
  5. Club members may request a cash box to handle any cash donations made at the event.
  6. All event managers have access to a credit/debit card machine to use for people who do not carry cash. Training will be available for clubs who use the machine.
  7. The Office of Student Life will help reserve spaces and formally approve the request to fundraise.
  8. LWTech, on your behalf, can work with an organization that can donate. The Office of Student Life will produce a letter of support, including our college's tax ID number for larger donations but the college does not produce tax donation letters for any donations unless they are received by the LWTech Foundation. For example, if you are engaged in a bake sale and someone decides to donate $5.00, the college will not generate a tax donation letter. However, if someone wants to donate $5,000 to your sale the Office of Student Life will work with the LWTech Foundation to deposit funds so that donor may receive a tax donation letter from the college.

Rules

  1. All funds made from any sales are kept in a college account and may not be kept in any personal account.
  2. Any funds made from a sale must be turned into the Office of Student Life on a daily basis, is the event is more than one day.
  3. When funds are made they are kept in that college account and the Office of Student of Life helps chartered clubs expend those funds.
  4. Funds may not be expended where a person or group will personally gain from those funds.
  5. No student group may enter into a contract with a company on behalf of the college.
  6. All fundraisers must include a purpose for the fundraiser including how the funding will be used by the club.
  7. Drawings and raffles are no longer allowed as an option for any fundraiser or event, by state law.

Generally a donation drive is over a series of days within a span of several hours. At LWTech, donation drives are held on campus in the East Mall. A table is set out for your group to ask for donations.

Rules

  1. Student groups, and anyone at the college, many not solicit any college community members by roaming around the college. All sales are set in a specific location and that is the East Building, East Mall area.

The name suggests that you are going to offer items for sale. Items for sale could include any number of things and can be sold on one day or over a series of days. Generally items are either food or a good. Primarily, clubs have sold branded clothing like t-shirts, pens, or stickers. The Office of Student Life, based on your request for funding form, will assist with supporting purchases for this kind of fundraiser. If ordering items for sale at least 4 to 6 weeks is necessary to receive the item for sale.

If your group is going to sale baked goods some rules will apply. 

Bake Sale Rules

  1. All items must be singularly wrapped.
  2. All items must be prepared in a clean cooking area.
  3. All items must be labeled, including an ingredients list.
  4. Items may be sold for any amount.
  5. As stated on the King County Public Health Department webpage the following rules also apply "nonprofit organizations may offer baked goods for religious, charitable, or educational purposes, without a permit. They must be non-temperature controlled for safety foods and wrapped in a sanitary way. There must be a visible sign that the food comes from a kitchen and is not inspected by a regulatory authority. Examples are cookies, muffins, double crust fruit pies, and bread. Foods such as pumpkin pie, custards, and whipped cream toppings are not allowed."

A fundraising campaign usually lasts for a month or longer. These campaigns are usually a combination of the first two fundraising types. They can be solely focused on asking for money, or they can focus on a long term sales strategy. For example companies will offer 'fundraising for non-profits', especially focused on schools. If your group finds a company you are interested in working with contact the Office of Student Life so we may work with the company on your behalf.

Process

  1. Complete the online event form, which also serves as the purchasing and fundraising approval form.
  2. Work with the Office of Student Life to confirm any purchases.
  3. The Office of Student Life will help you reserve and set up your sale area.
  4. All funds will be deposited by the Office of Student Life, using state mandated double cash control processes.