Policy 3800: Fundraising by Employees and Students Fund (Rules)

Fund Raising / Crowdfunding Services

Employees shall seek the permission of their principal or supervisor before raising funds on behalf of the District, schools, or students. Employees shall also comply with all the following provisions relating to online solicitations and the use of crowdfunding services for school-related purposes. All property and proceeds received as a result of fundraising for the District, schools, or students, including solicitations via a crowdfunding service become the property of the Board. 

Crowdfunding service means a web-service used for the solicitation of goods, services, and/or money from a large number of people via the internet. Some common platforms are: Go Fund Me, Kickstarter and Donors Choose.

Crowdfunding/Online fundraising is permitted in accordance with the following provisions: 

1. The principal of the school shall approve all online fundraising activities where the expected amount of the funds raised will be less than $2,500, prior to any employee posting any such fundraising solicitation. Amounts of $2,500 or greater need the approval of the building’s Executive Director.
2. Employees may only use crowdfunding services that send the items or proceeds solicited by the employee directly to the school where she or he is employed.
3. The employee must verify under the crowdfunding service’s terms and conditions that he or she meets all requirements for such solicitations.
4. Under no circumstances can the tax ID number of the District be used for employee initiated online fundraising activities.
5. Any employee seeking to display or post a photograph of a Grand Rapids Public Schools student in conjunction with a fundraising solicitation must first secure the written consent of the student’s parent.
6. If an employee’s proposal is approved by the crowdfunding service, the employee agrees to use the donated materials solely as stated in the employee’s proposal.
7. Any solicitation shall be for the educational purposes only (for example, field trips, art supplies, science kits, books, etc.). The solicitation of personal items (for example, winter coats, nutritional snacks, etc.) shall benefit students directly.
8. Unless otherwise approved by the school principal in writing, all goods and/or proceeds solicited and received through any online solicitation shall become the property of the Board, and not of the individual employee who solicited the item(s) or funds. The employee is prohibited from taking any such item(s) to another school without the school principal’s written approval.
9. To the extent an employee solicits any technology or software, the employee shall secure the prior written approval of the Coordinator of MIS or his or her designee prior to any such solicitation.