File: GBEBD -
ONLINE FUNDRAISING AND SOLICITATIONS - CROWDFUNDING
Franklin Public Schools employees will comply with all of the following provisions relating to online solicitations and the use of crowdfunding services for school-related purposes as well as all applicable laws, regulations and district policies. No online fundraising may occur except as provided below.
The Superintendent or their designee shall have final authority to approve any online fundraising activities by school district employees and shall determine and communicate to Principals the circumstances under which online fundraising proposals shall require Superintendent or School Committee approval in accordance with law and school district policy. The Principal of each school shall approve all online fundraising activities within their buildings prior to any employee posting any such fundraising solicitation.
Solicitation shall be for educational purposes only (field trips, supplies, supplemental materials, books, etc.) and personal items (coats, nutritional snacks, etc.) shall only be to benefit students directly. To the extent an employee solicits any technology or software, the employee shall secure the prior written approval of the Director of Technology or designee prior to any such solicitation. All digital learning tools and software applications must adhere to the District Student Data Privacy (SDP) guidelines and/or require a signed Student Data Privacy Agreement (SDPA).
Crowdfunding campaigns may not include identifiable pictures of the District students in the crowdfunding post or on the project sponsor’s project page on the crowdfunding site. Crowdfunding campaigns will not use language that suggests or states that an item or items for which the donations are being sought are required for or otherwise integral to a student’s individual education plan (IEP), necessary for a student to achieve their IEP goals, or necessary to ensure participation of a student or students with disabilities in school or a program offered by the Franklin Public Schools.
Employees shall not use a crowdfunding source, or set up their solicitation in such a way, that they are asking for donations directly from individuals over whom the employee making the request has authority, or with whom the public employee is having official dealings (such as parents/guardians of students in a teacher's classroom). The solicitation can be included in communication methods such as mass notifications, classroom emails, newsletters, back-to-school materials, etc., and say "Classroom X needs tissues and crayons," but direct requests for donations should not be sent individually to parents/guardians .
Employees using crowdfunding services shall periodically disclose in writing to the Superintendent the names of all individuals whom the employee has directly solicited in any manner including but not limited to oral, written, or electronic solicitation. The Superintendent shall maintain these disclosures as public records available for public review.
Employees may only use crowdfunding services that send the items or proceeds solicited by the employee directly to the employee's school or to the school district. Employees must verify under the crowdfunding service's terms and conditions that they meet all requirements for such solicitation. Items or proceeds directly sent to employees are considered gifts to the employee and may result in violation of state ethics laws.
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.
If a solicitation is not fully funded within the time period required by the crowdfunding service, or the solicitation cannot be concluded for any reason, every attempt will be made to return donations to the donors. Donations unable to be returned shall only be used as account credits for future solicitations.
Crowdfunding campaigns will not disparage the Franklin Public School District or any of its buildings, programs, students, or employees. Campaigns will not solicit funds for items or projects that are religious or political in nature or purpose or require the endorsement of a business product. The Franklin Public School District will not “match” funds through a crowdfunding campaign nor assume any responsibility for unreasonable or hidden costs, maintenance, replacement, or ongoing costs of donated items.
The Franklin Public School District reserves the right to refuse items that have been obtained through an approved crowdfunding campaign if it discovers that the project violated this policy or was in violation of the crowdfunding site’s requirements, policies, and/or regulations. The District reserves the right to terminate any pre-approved crowdfunding campaign or withhold approval for any crowdfunding campaign for any reason.
Unless otherwise approved by the Superintendent in writing, all goods and/or proceeds solicited and received through any online solicitation shall become the property of the School Committee, and not of the individual employee who solicited the item(s) or funds. The employee is prohibited from taking any such item(s) or funds to another school or location, without the Superintendent's written approval.
LEGAL REFS: MGL 44:53A; 71:37A; 268A:3; 268A:23;
Ethics Commission Advisory Opinion EC-COI-12-1;
CROSS REFS: GBEA, Conflict of Interest;
GBEBC, Gifts To Staff;
KCD, Donations of Non-Budgeted Funds
SOURCE: MASC - Updated 2022
NOTE: Crowdfunding services are defined as any online service used for the solicitation of goods, services, or money from a large number of people via the internet or other electronic network. Examples include GoFundme, Kickstarter, Indiegogo, YouCaring, and DonorsChoose.