Fundraiser Q & A Published March 26, 2014 By 8th Fighter Wing Judge Advocate 8th Fighter Wing Judge Advocate KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- The Air Force Assistance Fund started Mar. 24, 2014. The legal office has been receiving a lot of fundraising questions lately, so we thought we'd clear the air on some of these issues. We want to help you figure out a way to hold your fundraiser, not to be a barrier. Hopefully this information will help you plan a fundraiser within the bounds of the law. If you have any further questions, please call the legal office at 782-4283 or Mr. Tyrone Berhannan at 782-4325. I want to organize a fundraiser. How do I start that process? How far in advance do I have to make that request? To request a fundraiser, you need to know as many details about your fundraiser as possible: when, where, what, how much, who will it benefit, etc. You can request an electronic request form from Mr. Tyrone Berhannan from the 8th Force Support Squadron. Complete the form and submit it to Mr. Berhannan for routing. You may need to coordinate with the Chapel, Base Exchange, public health or other agencies depending on your request (it should be clear from the form). You should request approval at least 30 days before the start date of the fundraiser. Keep in mind your organization can only carry out two fundraisers per quarter. How can I advertise for my fundraiser? There are several ways for you advertise for your fundraiser excluding government email, which is prohibited. Here are some ways for you to advertise: - Gather personal emails and send information to those addresses - Contact the Armed Forces Network or Public Affairs - Get your information in the weekly bulletin-contact PA - Commander's calls - Other Private Organization/Organization meetings such as Airmen Committed to Excellence and the Air Force Sergeants Association --spread by word of mouth! How can I get volunteers for my fundraiser? The best way to get volunteers for a fundraiser is by word of mouth. Talk to people in your squadrons and make announcements during commander's calls and other organizational meetings. If we have a function and just ask for donations, is that still considered a fundraiser? Per AFI 36-310 a solicitation is a request for money. POs and unofficial activities/organizations may accept gifts and donations but cannot solicit them. If you are just leaving a jar out in a morale den with an organization's name on it, that is not a solicitation. However, as soon as you start advertising the jar or telling people to donate, then you are soliciting. Also, if you are giving people something in return for their donation, you are fundraising. Does the AFI explicitly say we cannot use email or just government resources? Yes it does. Per AFI 34-223, paragraph 11.1.3, "The use of Government equipment and systems for other than official purposes is extremely limited. Government systems (daily bulletin boards and or electronic public folders) may be used to provide notice of unofficial off-installation fundraising campaigns and volunteer requests if approved by the Installation Commander. In no event should official email, mail, computers, copiers, BITS, etc., be used to provide notice of these type of activities." Raffles To learn more about raffles, read AFI 34-223 paragraphs 10.15.2-10.16.5. Essentially, raffles have to be for the benefit of Department of Defense members and their families, and cannot violate local laws. Does Korean Law Authorize Raffles? No. Holding a raffle violates Korean laws. Essentially, that means no raffles at Kunsan. Why do I need to have a disclaimer on my fundraising advertisement? So that POs are not mistakenly identified as an entity of the DoD, the disclaimer must be on fundraising advertisement. This is explicitly stated in AFI 34-223, paragraph 10.1.2.3. Why can't I fundraise for an outside organization during the Combined Federal Campaign/Air Force Assistance Fund? AFI 36-3101, Table 1 contains information regarding fundraising during the AFAF and CFC. If you look at Rule 5, soliciting for a private external organization is not authorized during the CFC/AFAF. The reason for this is the CFC and AFAF are important Air Force-supported fundraising campaigns and PO/unofficial activities should not detract from these campaigns. When does my organization need to become a Private Organization (PO)? Once your organization exceeds a monthly average of $1,000 over a 3-month period, you must become a PO unless you decide to discontinue on-base operations or reduce your current assets below the $1,000 threshold. How does my organization become a PO? To become a PO, you need to first read through AFI 34-223 and AFI 36-310 to make sure you fulfill all of the requirements. Contact Mr. Tyrone Berhannan to begin this process. The AFI says my organization has joint and several liability for the PO. What does that mean? Joint and several liability essentially means if your PO goes into debt, all the members of the PO are personally liable (their personal assets can be taken) to pay any debts of the PO. Where can I read more about fundraising and PO rules? AFI 36-3101 contains basic fundraising rules, particularly those involving the CFC and AFAF. AFI 34-223 contains PO rules and fundraising rules regarding raffles, government e-mails and media disclaimers.