Recognized student organizations are eligible to fundraise on campus. Funds raised must be used to support the overall mission of the organization. Only recognized groups in good standing may fundraise on JMU property. When selling merchandise with any form of the JMU name or logos groups must use licensed vendors approved by the JMU Foundation and receive approval through the Merchandise Approval Form process.

Bake sales, or other food sales, must be approved by Aramark prior to the event through a signature on the Event Approval Form.

Student organizations are not considered 501(c) (3) non-profit status and should not advertise themselves as such. If an organization is a student chapter of an established non-profit, check with the national organization to see if they extend that status to campus affiliated organizations.

Possible fundraising options include: 

• Working concession stands at JMU football and basketball games 
• Food sales (all food sales must be approved by Aramark prior to the event)
• Merchandise sales
• Events with an entrance fee (see the gambling policy)

Solicitation

Student Organizations must adhere to the Student Handbook Soliciting, Petitioning, Selling, Surveying, and Publicizing policy.  Fundraising activities may not include door-to-door solicitations. Student organizations can engage in off-campus solicitations, but must notify JMU’s Development Office before seeking public donations.

Gambling

Student Organizations must adhere to the Student Handbook Gambling policy.  Prohibited forms of fundraising include gambling, raffles and poker tournaments. This is defined as the making, placing or receipt of any bet or wager in the Commonwealth of money or other thing of value, made in exchange for a chance to win a prize, stake or other consideration or thing of value, dependent upon the result of any game, contest, or any other event the outcome of which is uncertain or a matter of chance, whether such game, contest or event occurs or is to occur inside or outside the limits of the Commonwealth.

“Raffle” means a lottery in which the prize is won by (1) a random drawing of the name or prearranged number of one or more persons purchasing chances or (2) a random contest in which the winning name or preassigned number of one or more persons purchasing chances is determined by a race involving inanimate objects floating on a body of water, commonly referred to as a “duck race.”

Date Auctions

The purpose of this statement is to discuss briefly two aspects of date auctions that make them inappropriate at James Madison University. It is not our intent to propose that the organizations that have sponsored date auctions in the past had any intentions of promoting or endorsing these issues. Rather, it is our intent to promote awareness of these concerns and point out potential problems and liabilities for future consideration.

Racial insensitivity – Date auctions tend to have the appearance of slave auctions. Slave auctions were a very real and tragic part of the history of this country. They devalued the dignity of human beings to the level of merchandise. Regardless of the intent of a date auction, it still involves one person “bidding” for the services of another person. Whether the services consist of work, time or something else, an auction of this type consists of one person paying a second person (or organization) for the services of a third person. The bidding process invariably involves a comparison of the relative “value” of each person being auctioned. On a campus where equality, openness and sensitivity are valued, any activity that suggests the auctioning of one human being’s services to another is inappropriate.

Gender insensitivity – An extension of the issues above is the need for us all to respect the rights of others and to know that a person cannot be bought. One of the dangerous attitudes that continues to exist between men and women is the concept of “whoever pays is entitled.” Many date rapes result from the assumption on the part of the man or the woman or both that whoever pays for the “date” is entitled to more than the other person wanted. Date auctions can tend to create an environment where those expectations may be used to the disadvantage of one or the other participants.

Developed by Texas A&M University, used with permission. 

If you have any questions, please contact OSARP at osarp@jmu.edu or Student Life at beinvolved@jmu.edu