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Concord school officials propose crowdfunding policy to guide online fundraising by staff and school-affiliated groups
Summary
District staff presented a draft Policy 304 to set rules and approval steps for crowdfunding and online fundraising by staff, PTOs and school groups. Board members asked staff to seek feedback from principals, PTOs and booster clubs, to define approved platforms and to clarify who must deposit and track donations.
District staff introduced a proposed crowdfunding policy (Policy 304) during the meeting and told the board the draft is intended to give the Concord School District guardrails for online fundraising by staff, parent organizations and other school-affiliated groups.
“I'm gonna jump in. This has really been an impact on us, and it's really trying to give us some guardrails around all of the funding sources that our staff can use to help fund special projects,” a district staff member said, describing classroom campaigns, wish lists and third-party sites that solicit donations for school projects.
Board members and staff discussed the policy’s scope and key operational questions: which fundraising efforts would be controlled by the district (crowdfunding campaigns run by district staff or using district branding), how donations would be deposited and recorded by the business office, thresholds for principal or superintendent approval, and whether approved sites should be published. The draft proposes a simple approval process and monetary thresholds so principals can approve small campaigns (for example, donations under a local threshold) while larger campaigns would go to higher-level review.
Committee members raised practical concerns about equity, local purchasing and administrative burden. “We don't wanna add another barrier to teachers potentially just going out and getting what they need,” said a board member (Kara). Board members suggested staff test thresholds used in existing practice: the district already routes district-managed donations through the SAU business office and has a practice where principals approve some expenditures and larger gifts require superintendent or board action.
The board asked staff to gather input from principals, PTOs and booster clubs and to bring additional details back to the committee, including a recommended list of approved crowdfunding platforms, clear rules about use of Concord School District branding, and a plan for deposit and accounting of donations. Staff said they will also check whether booster clubs or other groups are already registered as independent 501(c)(3) organizations; those groups typically operate under a different fiscal and reporting regime and may not need the district's procedural approval.
No final policy action was taken. District staff were directed to consult with building principals, PTO leadership and the business office, to return with suggested language on approved platforms, dollar thresholds (staff noted current internal practices that route amounts above $500 to higher review and require board review for very large donations), and implementation procedures for tracking in-district property purchased with donations.
Board members said the policy should make clear what the policy covers and what it does not (for example, independent PTO or 501(c)(3) booster groups), protect student privacy and FERPA, avoid using district logos on unaffiliated campaigns, and support local vendors where practicable. Staff committed to workshop the draft with principals and PTO representatives before returning it to the board.
