3.1.16lp2 Fundraising — Students/Advisors

Adopted: July 2010
Modified: March, 2024
Last Reviewed: February 2015, March 2024
Contact: Executive Assistant to the President
Owner: President
Forms: Fundraising Application, Solicitation-Vendor Request Form and Fundraising Request Form

Fundraising Procedure for Students/Advisors

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 and services.

The College understands that students, especially those affiliated with Lanier Technical College (LTC) -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 LTC alumni who provide significant monetary support for student-related events/programs and services on an annual basis. In addition, businesses and vendors in the seven-county service area also contribute significantly to the College by providing monetary support and services that enrich life at LTC. For these reasons, it is imperative that all fundraising activities are coordinated at Lanier Technical College.

Below, the policies and procedures by which students/Advisors 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 Special Populations. Special Populations regulates and coordinates outside vendors on campus so this office will also oversee all fundraising efforts in order to make it a fair and coordinated process for all clubs.

General Fundraising Guidelines

Each club is allowed one fundraising event per semester. If one more is needed for a specific reason it will be reviewed by the Coordinator of Special Populations and the Vice President of Students Affairs on a case-by-case basis. This will not be the norm but the EXCEPTION. If there is a conflict of interest with SkillsUSA and this policy then the Student Life Advisor and the Vice President of Students Affairs will make the decision on a case-by-case basis.
Fundraising may be conducted for the purpose of charitable giving or charitable donations to entities outside of Lanier Technical 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 LTC-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 Lanier Technical College name or official college marks must ensure the usage is in accordance with the LTC Marketing Department Coordinator. 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 the Student Life Advisor.

Fundraising Guidelines for LTC-Recognized Clubs

Items normally sold in the LTC College Store may not be offered for sale without prior written permission from the College Store Manager.
Clubs may not use campus rooms (without reserving the room), 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 LTC academic endeavor.
Fundraising initiatives held by LTC-recognized clubs that are approved by the Office of Special Populations must report all fundraising activity to the Office of Special Populations.
All fundraised monies for the purpose of club support shall be deposited into the club's LTC-designated account. A copy of the receipt needs to be given to the Coordinator of Special Populations.
Fundraised monies are subject to the Finance Section of this policy.
The Office of Special Populations, in consultation with the Offices of Campus Life, reserves the right to prohibit and rescind any and all LTC-recognized club fundraising activity and privileges when appropriate.

Prohibitions

Solicitation by credit card or telephone card companies, with the exception of those approved by the LTC College Store.
Fundraising for LTC-recognized clubs or any Lanier Tech organization or initiatives using crowdfunding platforms (e.g., Kickstarter, GoFundMe, Patreon, etc.).
Fundraising for any candidate for political office or political campaigns.
Sale or distribution of items that violate the College trademark rights or existing contracts. Receipt by individuals who organize a fundraising event/program of proceeds from the event/program.

Donations from Local Businesses and Vendors

The Office of Special Populations 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 LTC 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/Advisors 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 Lanier Technical College. These activities can be disruptive and imply endorsement by the College of particular products, ideas, or positions.

The College, LTC-recognized clubs, and other student organizations, occasionally invite vendors to campus to fulfill particular campus objectives. The Office of Special Populations 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 LTC-recognized club, other student organization, or administrative office. Students/Advisors interested in inviting vendors to campus should submit a Solicitation-Vendor Request Form (attached).

Direct sponsorship means that a LTC-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 Solicitation-Vendor Request Form and Fundraising Request Form.

Once approved, LTC 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 without a LTC-recognized club member and advisor overseeing this the entire time.

Finance

All monies from fundraising events need to be deposited in the LTC-recognized club account (if you do not have a club account please see the Business Office with directions on how to obtain one) and a receipt given to the Office of Special Populations.
Check Request forms are required to pay invoices directly from a LTC-recognized club account. This is the responsibility of the LTC-recognized club advisor.
Club funds may not be used to purchase alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.
Club funds may not be used to purchase pornographic material.
Clubs wishing to use their funds to purchase a subscription service (e.g., Apple Music, Spotify, Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva, etc.) must obtain prior approval from the Office of Special Populations, Campus Life, and the Vice President of Student Affairs to do so.
Clubs may not use their funds to buy gas for personal vehicles. Any personal gas purchases made with club funds will have to be reimbursed to the college by the purchasing student. If the student responsible does not respond to outreach regarding repayment the Office of Special Populations reserves the right to directly charge the student's account after fourteen days.
Clubs wishing to pay an individual for labor or any service rendered (e.g., Speaker, Field Trip Tickets, etc.) must receive prior approval using the Solicitation-Vendor Form and/or the Fundraising Request Form. Services rendered must be paid for via invoice. Individual club members may not pay for services from personal funds and then request reimbursement. Reimbursement requests related to services rendered will be rejected, and the individual that paid for the service will assume personal responsibility for the cost. Please contact the Office of Special Populations or Campus Life for support with the invoice payment process.
Club funds may not be used to pay students under any circumstances. Please note that this is a legal requirement.
Club funds may not be used to donate to external organizations (e.g., charities and other non-profit organizations).
Clubs are prohibited from spending into debt. If a club spends into debt, the Advisor, President, and Secretary/Treasurer of said club must immediately report this to the Office of Special Populations. A Special Populations staff member and the Vice President of Student Affairs will meet with the Advisor, President, and Secretary/Treasurer of said club to determine how the debt occurred, and determine next steps regarding the club's account and potential debt resolution.

Additional Restrictions and Requirements

Lanier Technical 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

LTC-recognized clubs who violate this Fundraising Policy will be subject to:

1st Offense: Formal written Warning
2nd Offense: No fundraising for the upcoming semester
3rd Offense: Loss of 25% of funding from the Office of Student Life for the current academic year.

Any questions pertaining to any part of this fundraising policy may be directed to the Office of Special Populations by emailing: kregister@laniertech.edu.