Fundraising Policy for Students

Fundraising is defined as the collection of money through voluntary contributions, sales, and/or events/programs for the purposes of charitable donation and/or club support.

The college understands that students, especially those affiliated with BCSG-recognized clubs and other student organizations, may wish to seek external funds to support key initiatives and projects. It is therefore important that students understand that the college benefits greatly from the ongoing generosity of Bates alumni and parents who provide significant monetary support for student-related events/programs and services on an annual basis. In addition, businesses and vendors in the Lewiston-Auburn community also contribute significantly to the college by providing monetary support and services that enrich life at Bates. For these reasons, it is imperative that all fundraising activities are coordinated at Bates.

Below, the policies and procedures by which students may or may not solicit prospective donors for money or gifts and engage in other fundraising initiatives are outlined. After reviewing the guidelines set forth in the document, students should submit a Fundraising Application to the Office of Campus Life.

General Fundraising Guidelines

Fundraising may be conducted for the purpose of charitable giving or charitable donations to entities outside of Bates College. Monies raised must be donated directly to the outside entity (for example, through donation to the entity’s website, or an entity representative being physically on site to collect donations). Monies raised for the purpose of charitable giving cannot be held by an individual or student club or organization. Current students may not function as a charitable entity’s representative for the purpose of collecting charitable donations.

College funds, including the funds of BCSG-recognized clubs and other student organizations, may not be used to support events/programs focused solely on fundraising. Events/programs with a primary focus other than fundraising that include a fundraising aspect are permitted to use college funds.

Charging admission to an event/program for the purpose of fundraising is not permitted.

Any group that is creating merchandise or marketing material that includes the Bates College name or official college marks must ensure the usage is in accordance with the Bates Communications and Marketing Office’s (BCM) branding guidelines. Any questions may be directed to BCM, located in Lane Hall, via email at communications@bates.edu.

Official college marks are licensed, so any group creating merchandise to be sold must use a licensed vendor for production. For a list of licensed vendors, students should contact BCM.

Any group wishing to sell items on campus should be aware of all college policies related to where they can sell these items. Sales should happen through tabling in Commons (tables can be reserved at bates.edu), through approved online sales, or at events/programs with permission from event/program planners. This includes at sporting events, concerts, dances, etc.

Fundraising Guidelines for BCSG-Recognized Clubs

Items normally sold in the Bates College Store may not be offered for sale without prior written permission from the College Store Manager.

Clubs may not use campus rooms, mailing, or any other college facilities to promote or sell their products.
Clubs may sponsor an individual, but that individual’s project must be directly related to that club’s mission on campus and cannot be used for a Bates academic endeavor.
Fundraising initiatives held by BCSG-recognized clubs that are approved by the Office of Campus Life must report all fundraising activity to the BCSG Funding & Activities Board (FAB) and the Office of Campus Life.
All fundraised monies for the purpose of club support shall be deposited into the club’s BCSG-designated account.
Fundraised monies are subject to the Finance section of the Club Operations Policy.
The FAB Chair, in consultation with the Offices of Campus Life and College Advancement, reserves the right to prohibit and rescind any and all BCSG-recognized club fundraising activity and privileges when appropriate.

Prohibitions

The college reserves the right to restrict all fundraising activities to reasonable times, places, and manners. The following activities are specifically prohibited:

Solicitation by credit card or telephone card companies, with the exception of those approved by the Bates College Store or the Office of College Advancement.

Fundraising for BCSG-recognized clubs or any Bates organization or initiatives using crowdfunding platforms (e.g., Kickstarter, GoFundMe, Patreon, etc.).
Except in extenuating circumstances determined by Campus Life, the use of app-based payment platforms such as Venmo and CashApp, as these are unable to be directly linked to the college’s account system.

Door-to-door fundraising on campus or on college-owned, -operated, or -controlled property.

Formal fundraising events/programs soliciting parents, alumni, faculty, or staff, with the exception of those approved by the Bates College Store or the Office of College Advancement.

Fundraising for any candidate for political office or political campaigns.

Sale or distribution of items that violate college trademark rights or existing contracts.
Individuals personally taking possession of fundraised monies for an extended period of time due to the liability and risk involved with potential, even unintentional, misuse of funds.

Donations from Local Businesses and Vendors

The Office of Campus Life coordinates all requests from student clubs and organizations to solicit businesses and vendors for monetary donation and/or services. Those seeking donations from local vendors for events/prizes/etc. should be aware of and sensitive to the fact that they receive many requests from both the Bates community and other members of the community. Therefore coordinating these efforts enables the college to ensure that we are not overburdening the same businesses and vendors for support. Students interested in seeking donations from a national corporation or foundation should submit a Fundraising Application.

Solicitation on Campus by Outside Vendors

Aggressive solicitation of students, faculty, and staff on campus for the purpose of a club is strongly discouraged at Bates College. These activities can be disruptive and imply endorsement by the college of particular products, ideas, or positions.

The college, BCSG-recognized clubs, and other student organizations, occasionally invite vendors to campus to fulfill particular campus objectives. The Office of Campus Life must provide written approval to such vendors to grant exceptions to solicitation policies. Student clubs must guarantee the availability of the products that their sponsored vendors sell. No outside entity may proselytize or sell products without direct sponsorship of a BCSG-recognized club, other student organization, or administrative office. Students interested in inviting vendors to campus should submit a Fundraising Application.

Direct sponsorship means that a BCSG-recognized club, other student organization, or administrative office has initiated contact with the outside entity, has agreed to represent the outside entity on campus, and submits a Fundraising Application.

Once approved, Bates entities are accountable for the actions of the outside entity they sponsor while its representatives are on campus. Commercial enterprises may not be invited to the college to sell their products on campus in return for a share in the profits from those sales. All printed materials (posters, banners, fliers, etc.) bearing corporate logos or insignias must be approved in advance by the Office of Campus Life.

Alumni and Parents

The Office of College Advancement coordinates all fundraising efforts to benefit the college. Individual students, BCSG-recognized clubs, and other student organizations are not permitted to solicit alumni or parents for monetary support. Should one wish to solicit alumni or parents to help fund a key initiative, it is required that the group contacts the Office of College Advancement.

The college recognizes that parents of current students are sometimes asked to provide supplemental funding for student activities, clubs, organizations, and special initiatives such as trips for athletic teams or clubs; however, students are not permitted to conduct widespread parent fundraising appeals, including fundraising for clubs using crowdfunding platforms (e.g., Kickstarter, GoFundMe, Patreon, etc.)

Students Seeking Grants

The college recognizes that an individual student or group of students may wish to seek external grant funding and is ready to support such efforts. Students wishing to seek external grant funding should submit a Fundraising Application.

The college will not submit or accept student-initiated grant proposals that are not sponsored by a faculty or staff liaison as described above. The faculty or staff member who accepts the role of liaison will be responsible for:

Guiding the student(s) to work in a timely fashion with the Office of College Advancement when appropriate.
Ensuring that the student-initiated proposal is in compliance with all college policies.
Supporting students’ efforts to obtain the required college approvals prior to submitting the grant proposal.

Additionally, if the proposal is funded, the liaison will be responsible for:

Overseeing the student’s implementation of the grant.
Ensuring that the student’s project team complies fully with the funder’s reporting requirements.
Overseeing all the activities related to the grant funded project.
Ensuring the fiscal management of the grant is in compliance with college policies.

Additional Restrictions and Requirements

Bates College acknowledges that a policy of this nature may not anticipate every possible issue that may arise with respect to fundraising activities. Restrictions may be made in addition to, or in lieu of, those set forth in the policy.

Sanctions for Violation of the Fundraising Policy

BCSG-recognized clubs who violate this Fundraising Policy may be subject to:

Fines and/or restitution including loss of funding from FAB for the current academic year or longer.
Loss of the right to use college property or facilities for events/programs.
Loss of recognized club status.
Other disciplinary sanctions.
Other educational sanctions appropriate to the circumstances.

Any questions pertaining to any part of this fundraising policy may be directed to the Office of Campus Life by emailing campuslife@bates.edu.

Campus Life