Clubs and Charitable Giving - The Deal:
Since chartered clubs are part of Gunn High School, and the high school is a government organization, there are a plethora of rules and regulations clubs have to follow when they wish to fund-raise. In a nutshell, money raised through fundraising should directly benefit and will be spent on the club members.
But wait - the whole purpose of our club is to raise money to send to [insert charitable organization name here].
How do we do that?
Unfortunately, you can’t donate funds directly to charitable organizations, as it is considered a “gift of public funds’, which is against the California State Constitution (Article 16, section 6, to be exact).
Gunn is a public agency, and public agencies cannot make donations. This includes purchasing items with the intent of donating the items to the charity. Because the clubs are part of Gunn High School, they fall under this rule as well.
However, are some things your club can do to support your chosen charitable organization without breaking the law:
Since chartered clubs are part of Gunn High School, and the high school is a government organization, there are a plethora of rules and regulations clubs have to follow when they wish to fund-raise. In a nutshell, money raised through fundraising should directly benefit and will be spent on the club members.
But wait - the whole purpose of our club is to raise money to send to [insert charitable organization name here].
How do we do that?
Unfortunately, you can’t donate funds directly to charitable organizations, as it is considered a “gift of public funds’, which is against the California State Constitution (Article 16, section 6, to be exact).
Gunn is a public agency, and public agencies cannot make donations. This includes purchasing items with the intent of donating the items to the charity. Because the clubs are part of Gunn High School, they fall under this rule as well.
However, are some things your club can do to support your chosen charitable organization without breaking the law:
- Raise money to hold an informational assembly/ talk on campus
- Hold a canned food/ clothing/ cell phone/ shoe drive for the charity
- Have people donate directly to the organization (through the charity's website or a check made out directly to the charity)
- Have club members and anyone else interested come volunteer at an event the organization is putting on (street fair booth manning, participation in a walk, etc).