Purpose

To ensure that all fundrasing activities directly affecting the operating budgets of the St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish (Church and School) are a success financially and spiritually.
 

Approval

All fundraising activites of the St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish (Church or School) must be approved by the Parish Finance Board. This includes organizations or groups that use St. Bernard's name on or off the parish property. Any organization not abiding the parish fundraising guidelines will not be allowed to participate in any activities for two months. 
 

Finance Board Fundraising Committee

The Finance Board will be the point of contact for all fundraising activities of the church/school. The Finance Board will review all fundraising activities and proposed dates that are submitted by church/school organizations. The board will approve and schedule events based on priority and notify the proper groups upon official Finance Board approval. Any conflicts will be addressed and resolved by the board. 
 

Approval Process for Fundraising Activities

Every church/school organization will be required to submit all proposed fundraising activities and dates for the upcoming fiscal year to the Parish Finance Board by June 30th. The Parish Finance Board will approve dates based on financial importance. If a conflict arises, the board will request alternate dates from the organization. Conflicts will be resolved by the board. Once the board reviews all proposed fundraisers for the year, the Parish Finance Board will officially complete the approval process and will give written notice of approval. The event will then be placed on the parish's master calendar. Regardless if the event is taking place on or off the parish property, the activity must be approved by the Finance Board.
 

Scheduling

All fundraising activities will be priortized and aligned to optimize the operating budgets of the church/school. Religious and Spiritual events will be given priority over other activities. Approved fundraising activities will be placed on the parish's master calendar which is kept and managed by the Church Receptionist. In order to maintain fairness to all groups, only two fundraisers will be approved for any organization within a two month period. Only the Parish Finance Board will allow for exceptions to the two month rule. Any scheduled changes will must be reapproved by the Parish Finance Board. It is strongly encouraged that events are planned in advance. The Finance Board must be notified of any cancelled events.
 

Categories of Parish Fundraising

Procedures for Major Parish Fundraising Approval

Events that are considered major fundraising event:
Any event that is expected to raise $1,500 or more. This includes any activity that is held on or off the property of St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish or any activity using St. Bernard's name.
 
All major fundraising on behalf of St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish must be presented to and formally approved by the Finance Board. The Finance Board will take into consideration the importance of each event as it pertains to the church or  school budget, and how it relates to the function of the parish as a whole. No fundraising activity may take place 60 days prior to the Parish Carnival or the School Gala.
 

Important Major Parish Fundraising Events --
The following events will take precedence over other scheduled events:
    1. Parish Carnival/Garage Sale
    2. Women's Guild Victorian Tea
    3. School Gala
    4. School Magazine Sales

 
For the security purposes, all church/school organizaitons must follow the cash handling procedures established by the Parish Business Office.
 

Procedures for Minor Parish Fundraising Approval

Events that are considered minor fundraising events: 
Any event that is expected to raise less than $1,000 on behalf of the St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish.  This includes any activity that is held on or off the property of St. Bernard of Clarvaux Parish or any activity using St. Bernard's name.
 
Approval Process for Minor Fundraising Activities: 
Any organization wishing to raise money on behalf of St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish will be required to submit a Parish Fundrasing Form to the Finance Board two weeks prior to the event.  The committee will request alternative dates from the organizations.  Once the fundraiser is  approved, the organizatgion will be given written notice of approval and the activites will be placed on the parish's master calendar.
 

Procedures for approval are as follows:

   1.  The organization must check with the church receptionist to confirm their requested date is available, then the date may be tentatively reserved.
   2.  The organizaiton must submit the Fundraising Form to the Finance Council by the 4th Thursday of the month  prior to the proposed event.  
   3.  The committee will review and approve the request.  If a conflict arises, the organization will be contacted.
   4.  If approved, a member of the Finance Board will contact the organizaiton and the church receptionist to give formal approval. 
   5.  Organizations that are given approval must follow the fundraising accounting procedures, which are available in the church office.
 
Any Organization that does not follow the above procedures will not be allowed to fundraise on behalf of the parish for at least two months.