Fundraising Policy - OKM Band Parents' Organization
The role of the OKM Band Parents' Organization is to raise funds for the OKM Music program. Parent volunteer leadership positions include our Fundraising Organizer, Treasurer, Pizza Sales Organizer, and the leaders of the individual fundraising campaigns. To volunteer, please fill out the online Volunteer Form. We value your time, so any requests will be specific.
Before participating in any fundraising, parents must read and agree with the policies below before choosing to participate in these optional, volunteer supports for students.
There are THREE categories of Parent Fundraising:
1. MUSIC SUPPLIES: PIZZA SALES AT SCHOOL STORE (Funds general program expenses)
A team of Band Parents sell Pizza through the school store every Wednesday. Ideally, volunteers only have to do ONE LUNCH SHIFT per month - they go to OKM, to the store, the pizza arrives, and they help distribute. To volunteer, please fill out the online Volunteer Form. Profits buy instruments and equipment for the OKM music program.
2. BAND TRIP: FUNDRAISERS FOR INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS: The music program keeps a spreadsheet where each Band student keeps the profit they made for each campaign.
The OKMBPO brings our "music community" together in financial support of students who would like to go on our optional and extra-curricular OKM band trips, IF students work hard with the fundraising, they can go on any tour. In many of our past tours, back to 1999, we've had some Band Students pay for all of their trips because of their fundraising, according to the "where there's a will, there's a way" mantra.
3. BAND TRIP: FUNDRAISING FOR FOR A DESIGNATED TOUR: These are group fundraisers, often "Big Events", like a community dance, where the proceeds go to lower the tour costs for ALL students for one Band tour AND/OR the individual student for that tour. For example, a dance might net some big overall profits that would go to all the students of the Senior Music Tour, but at the same event, individual students could also make more profits if the parents decide to track and credit individual ticket sales for that event.
Before participating in any fundraising, parents must read and agree with the policies below before choosing to participate in these optional, volunteer supports for students.
There are THREE categories of Parent Fundraising:
1. MUSIC SUPPLIES: PIZZA SALES AT SCHOOL STORE (Funds general program expenses)
A team of Band Parents sell Pizza through the school store every Wednesday. Ideally, volunteers only have to do ONE LUNCH SHIFT per month - they go to OKM, to the store, the pizza arrives, and they help distribute. To volunteer, please fill out the online Volunteer Form. Profits buy instruments and equipment for the OKM music program.
2. BAND TRIP: FUNDRAISERS FOR INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS: The music program keeps a spreadsheet where each Band student keeps the profit they made for each campaign.
The OKMBPO brings our "music community" together in financial support of students who would like to go on our optional and extra-curricular OKM band trips, IF students work hard with the fundraising, they can go on any tour. In many of our past tours, back to 1999, we've had some Band Students pay for all of their trips because of their fundraising, according to the "where there's a will, there's a way" mantra.
3. BAND TRIP: FUNDRAISING FOR FOR A DESIGNATED TOUR: These are group fundraisers, often "Big Events", like a community dance, where the proceeds go to lower the tour costs for ALL students for one Band tour AND/OR the individual student for that tour. For example, a dance might net some big overall profits that would go to all the students of the Senior Music Tour, but at the same event, individual students could also make more profits if the parents decide to track and credit individual ticket sales for that event.
Fundraising Terms and Conditions:
If you chose to participate in any OKM Band Parents' fundraising activity, students and parents must abide by these "Terms and Conditions", which were developed over the years by the OKM Band Parents' Organization, and adapted at our annual fall General Meeting. Please contact the OKM music teachers in advance of any campaign if you have questions or concerns.
OUR DUE DATES ARE STRICT:
Your participation in OKM Band Parent Fundraising must be in compliance with the due dates, as per the instruction page that the Band Parent volunteers give with every fundraiser. As a courtesy, we will endeavour to also post due dates on our website. If a student does not process their orders correctly, or is late, their orders will not be accepted. On the due date/time, the Band Parent volunteers will immediately collect and process the orders, and contact our suppliers for product delivery, and we will protect our volunteers' time by not allowing "one more late order" to be accepted.
CONDITIONS: As a condition of participating in the fundraising that is provided through the Band Parents, students and parents must agree to the following conditions, which were created by approval of Band Parent Executives:
OUR DUE DATES ARE STRICT:
Your participation in OKM Band Parent Fundraising must be in compliance with the due dates, as per the instruction page that the Band Parent volunteers give with every fundraiser. As a courtesy, we will endeavour to also post due dates on our website. If a student does not process their orders correctly, or is late, their orders will not be accepted. On the due date/time, the Band Parent volunteers will immediately collect and process the orders, and contact our suppliers for product delivery, and we will protect our volunteers' time by not allowing "one more late order" to be accepted.
CONDITIONS: As a condition of participating in the fundraising that is provided through the Band Parents, students and parents must agree to the following conditions, which were created by approval of Band Parent Executives:
- Fundraising for band trips is a courtesy provided by Band Parents, to support our OKM Band students. While these trips are extra-curricular and optional, they are also a highly motivational part of our program. The OKMBPO helps all students access and participate in these opportunities. All persons connected with fundraising are volunteers, and are to be treated with courtesy and respect.
- All OKM Band Trips are extra-curricular and optional. All students who would like to participate, regardless of their personal financial circumstances, should be able if they work with OKMBPO to raise the funds. To date, most OKM Band Trips have included Band students who were able to raise 100% of the funds by working with OKMBPO fundraisers.
- Each student will receive credits into their own "account" - the more they work and the more product they sell, the more their account grows. A spreadsheet is maintained by the music program, which works with each campaign's team of parents to make sure everything is properly reconciled (student profits, vendor payments, etc.). Parents are invited to keep tabs on their individual student accounts by emailing OKM teachers. Before a Band Trip payment is due, OKM teachers will give invoices showing the TOTAL amount of fundraising in a student's account.
- Money raised through OKMBPO can only be used for Band Trips, by the student who raised those funds, for their Band Trip(s), only at OKM.
- Funds are not transferable in any way to other school programs or accounts, or to other individuals, because when music students sells products or services to the general public, they are making representations to the public, under OKM letterhead, that they are OKM Band Students, and the funds are for OKM Band. The customer believes and chooses to purchase products, and thereby donate their funds, specifically to support OKM Band - not any other group, in or outside of OKM. The Band parents have chosen to spend their volunteer time to support the Band students, not other programs.
- If an OKM Band student leaves OKM Band with Band Trip funds remaining, their account balance will be held for one (1) year, during which time, by parent request, it may be transferred to a sibling in the immediate family who is, or will be, enrolled in the OKM Band, for their Band Trips. Funds will not be transferred between different families.
- If a student leaves OKM Band for any reason, their Band Trip funds will be transferred to a general OKM Music account where the funds will used to support all music students, the music program, and/or music tour costs for continuing music students.
- Funds may not be converted to cash for "spending money" for the tour. Students should not raise more funds than they need.
- Should a student raise funds towards a band trip but then not participate, their account balance will automatically be carried over for their next OKM Band trip.
- Late orders will not be accepted. The due dates are very clearly stated. Parents of late students will need to design any needed remedies, including possibly contacting the fundraising vendor to make alternate arrangements, and/or giving all customers a refund.
- Any funding liabilities incurred will be paid by the profits of that campaign. There is no School District budget that can cover any losses - the "business enterprise" of the collective OKMBPO efforts will yield the profits, and liabilities, shared equally.
- Should any student fail to maintain minimum behavioural, performance, and academic standards as outlined in the Behaviour Policies of OKM and School District 23, they may be expelled from the extra-curricular Band trip, with the burden of payment falling on the expelled student to pay for all unrecoverable expenses incurred, such as room or flight deposits. Should that student not attend other band trips, there will be no refund of their Band Trip account, as they will have defaulted (notwithstanding #5). There is no funding available from school budgets.
- A non-refundable deposit is required when a student signs up for a band trip, and Band Trip Accounts may NOT be used. Should a student withdraw, for any reason, they will lose their deposit (exception - some international tours have conditional cancellation refund policies). At the end of the day, if a student raises more funds than needed by the tour, then we will cash back the balance of the original deposit at the end of the tour. This policy is to protect the price points that we announce at the outset of our tours. If a student withdraws, it always impacts our budget, as the ratio of paying persons per bus seat (etc), is diminished.