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Fundraising, Sales and Solicitation

Fundraising, Sales and Solicitation for Student Organizations

Sales, solicitations, and fundraising activities are permitted by officially registered and recognized campus organizations only if they are for the general benefit of the University and/or the community, have received authorization of the president or a designate and follow University policies. Mass emailing may NOT be used for selling, solicitation or fundraising activities. The complete University Fundraising Policy may be found at USI.edu/giving/fundraising-policy.

Application for approval for sales, solicitation and fundraising must be initiated with the Center for Campus Life. Approval for all activities must be received prior to beginning these activities. This must occur whether or not you are reserving University space.

  • Sales - shall be defined as the sale or offer for sale of any property or service
  • Solicitation - shall be defined as the act of making a request or plea for one’s cause or philanthropy and includes the receipt of or request for any gift or contribution
  • Fundraising - is defined as the organized activity/event of raising funds and/or property.

Authorization to sell on campus does not constitute an endorsement by the University of either the product sold or the service rendered. 

Fundraising activities must not violate state law by including a drawing, raffle, half-pots, bingo, lottery, charity game night, game of chance or any scheme for distribution of prizes among persons who are paying for a chance to obtain a prize. Fundraising activities must also adhere to University and USI Foundation policies.

Student organizations wishing to solicit private funds must coordinate this through the USI Foundation.  Organizations should request approval four (4) weeks in advance for any solicitation. Written letter solicitation must be approved through USI Foundation.

Student organizations are not allowed to conduct sales, solicitation or fundraising at any athletic events.

All donations must be deposited with the USI Foundation. The funds will be placed in your on campus fund after they are documented through USI Foundation. If you were handed a check, please be sure to get that to the USI Foundation Accounting office (Wright Admin 102) within 1 business day of receipt. If the check can be sent directly to the USI Foundation office that is the University’s preference. ALL CHECKS should be made out to USI Foundation and the memo line should state which student organization the money is for.

For more information and to ask specific questions, please setup a meeting with Jenny Garrison in the Center for Campus Life. 

Givebacks
Many local restaurants provide opportunities for USI student organizations to partner with them for a night of fundraising. Some businesses will require a copy of our USI tax exemption certificate. This document is not given to students organizations, rather it is sent by the University to the business on your behalf. To request a certificate be sent, please contact Tamara Moll (tlmoll@usi.edu).

*Please Note: If your organization has an off campus bank account and/or their own federal tax ID number, then your organization is not eligible to use USI's tax exempt certificate.

Taking Payment
Organizations may take payment via cash or check, and portable credit card machines are available for student organizations to check out from the Bursar's Office. There is a cost for using the machines. The use of payment collection sites such as Venmo or Square is prohibited. The Bursar's Office will not accept money that is collected through payment collections devices or sites other than those provided by the corporation or the university.

Depositing Funds
The deposit form is located accounts payable webpage (http://www.usi.edu/busoff/AccountsPayable/). Please keep in mind the cash received should always be deposited as soon as possible, usually within 1 business day of receiving it.

Bake Sale Guidelines
Bake sales may be held on the USI campus by recognized or registered student organizations for the purpose of raising funds to support organizational activities. Bake sales are defined as and limited to events at which home or commercially prepared bakery-type items are sold.

  • Bake sales must be held in the approved location and for the time period specified. Organizational representatives must be present throughout the activity and are responsible for set up, clean up and removal of bake sale items, tables, chairs & signage
  • Organizations conducting bake sales must agree to hold the university harmless in the event of any legal action resulting from the bake sale. Furthermore, the organization must abide by the following food preparation & labeling guidelines.
  • All food must be individually wrapped & labeled as to product identification & price. Items must be displayed & stored off of the floor/ground & must be covered at all times.
  • Food must be able to be kept safely at room temperature. Items requiring heat or refrigeration to reduce spoilage are not allowed; for example, items containing custard, creams, meringues or cheesecakes.
  • Ingredients known to cause allergic reactions in some individuals, including the use of nuts, nut oils, dairy, gluten flour or artificial sweeteners should be clearly marked on products. It is particularly important to review ingredients when using boxed mixes where trace ingredients may be hidden.
  • Inclusion of spoiled food products, materials not for human consumption or where the intent is to cause bodily harm to the consumer are expressly prohibited. Inclusion of such materials may result in disciplinary action and/or termination of bake sale privileges.
  • Bake sale items will be prepared with ingredients purchased from commercial sources (grocery stores, warehouses, bakers, etc.) and customary home sanitation practices should be observed in food preparation.
  • It is recommended that two organizational representatives be present throughout the bake sale; one to handle money & one to handle food items.

Tax Considerations with Student Organization Sales​
Student organizations must pay tax on certain purchased items or services (e.g. Indiana sales tax) and collect tax for certain receipts. Student groups should expect to pay tax for most tangible goods (t-shirts, cups, etc.), prepared food (pizza, catered food, etc.) and certain services. Student groups should also expect to collect sales tax when selling certain items or services such as: chili or pancake feeds, art show receipts, car washes for fixed amounts, certain event ticket receipts, marketing services provided, t-shirt sales to group members or as a fundraiser, etc.  When the organization is approved for a fundraiser or sale, the Center for Campus Life will provide a spreadsheet to calculate tax. Student groups must remit the funds for both the sale of an item or service and the collected tax to the Cashier’s window.  This is done using the tax spreadsheet. Bursar's office will deposit the receipt for the sale of the item or service into the student organization’s fund account and remit the associated collected tax directly to the state on behalf of the student organization.

Please keep in mind the cash received should always be deposited as soon as possible, usually within 1 business day of receiving it. The tax spreadsheet will be sent to you by the Center for Campus Life upon the approval of your sale. 

Student groups do not have to pay or remit tax on purchases or sales that are normally exempt under state law.  Some exemptions include unprepared food items (groceries, candy, chips, pop), car washes done for at-will donations, general free-will donations received, commissions received for concession sales, certain conference or tournament registrations, general donations received, services rendered for on-campus departments, recruitment fees, silent auctions for donated items with no set prices, and certain types of labor services. Some vendors don’t charge sales tax on their invoices, like out-of-state vendors, because they are not obligated to by law. 

Authorization to sell on campus does not constitute an endorsement by the University of either the product sold or the service rendered. All sales must be conducted in accordance with state law and University policy, including the university food service policy.

*NOTE* The Center for Campus Life is not an accounting or financial branch of the University. Fundraising Approval may need to come from additional offices to make sure all policies, procedures and laws are being followed. 

Licensing and Trademark
The purpose of the licensing program is to ensure the University of Southern Indiana’s (USI) brand identity is properly represented on products and services marketed to the USI community and the public. The licensing program is responsible for determining if a product and/or design are consistent with the goals and image of USI. The program also ensures the quality, content, production and distribution of products meets USI standards.

USI has contracted with Leerfield Licensing Partners to administer its licensing program. Leerfield acts as an intermediary for USI, enabling it to work directly with manufacturers and retailers. This ensures that decisions can be made promptly and that manufacturers can become licensed with the University in a timely manner.

In order to produce products bearing the marks of USI, manufacturers and vendors must be licensed through Leerfield. The licensing program is a resource for all members of the USI community and the vendors who work with the USI and was designed to ensure consistent and appropriate use of the University’s visual identity. Additionally, the program enables USI to share in the benefits derived from the commercial use of these trademarks. For more information and frequently asked questions visit: USI.edu/brand/licensing-and-trademark

All University of Southern Indiana registered trademarks are the property of University of Southern Indiana.