All organizations are REQUIRED to fundraise a portion of their budget.

The guidelines are as follows:

• Organizations with yearly budgets between $1 and $300 must fundraise 10% of their expenses.
• Organizations with yearly budgets between $301 and $4000 must fundraise at least 15% of their expenses.
• Organizations with yearly budgets higher than $4000 must fundraise at least 20% of their expenses.

There are two different types of fundraising that organizations often have questions about:

1. Making your required fundraising percentage for the semester: This means your organization must fundraise the percentage listed above. THIS IS ONLY CONSIDERED FUNDRAISING IF A PROFIT IS MADE. IF YOUR ORGANIZATION REQUESTS $500 TO HOLD AN EVENT AND ONLY MAKES $300 OFF OF THAT EVENT THAT ISN’T FUNDRAISING- you’re losing money! FOR AN EVENT THAT COSTS $500, FUNDRAISING IS ANY MONEY YOU MAKE OVER $500.

2. Organizations may also elect to raise money to donate to a charity of their choice. Again in this case the costs to put on the event should be covered and you should donate the PROFITS of the event to the charity. Your fundraiser should therefore be advertised as “100% of the profits will be donated to X cause.”

Please note that direct solicitations of monetary donations, sponsorship or gifts-in-kind from businesses, individuals, parents or alumnae is generally discouraged since MHC annually seeks donations from parents, alumnae, and businesses to support its overall operations. Any desired fundraising from these sources by student organizations must be approved by Student Programs in consultations with the Office of Development.

There are many fundraising options available to organizations including (but not limited to) charging admission to an event, holding a raffle, holding a bake sale, selling tee-shirts or other organization paraphernalia, selling candy grams, providing a service for pay or anything creative your organization can think of.

The Ways and Means Committee would like to financially support all the activities of MHC organizations. Unfortunately, the SGA budget does not always allow for this to take place. In these circumstances, we would like to encourage organizations not only to do their own fundraising, but to also seek alternative sources of funding. Here is a list of departments and offices to consider:

• Offices of the President of Dean of the College
• Collaborating with other student organizations
• Academic Departments (i.e. English, Economics or Politics Departments)
• MHC Organizations and Programs
• Five College Fine Arts Center Fund (for events co-sponsored with 5-college organizations)
• Weisman Center for Leadership