Student Government and RCO Fundraising Guidelines

For the purposes of these guidelines, the term "noncommercial fund raising" refers to an income generating activity that is not conducted primarily for private business or personal profit.

Student Governments and Registered Campus Organizations may engage in non-commercial fundraising on-campus.

Non-University organizations may not engage in collection of funds on campus other than to charge reasonable fees to recover costs of production of non-commercial literature that is distributed in campus open spaces.

The following provisions govern the collection of funds, the solicitation of donations, sale of materials, payment of dues, admission charges and the required financial accountability.

General principles:

  • All fundraising events must have a defined purpose and must relate to the mission of the student government or registered campus organizations. Funds raised may not be used for illegal purposes.
  • University properties are not to be used for fundraising efforts for personal gain.
  • All fundraising events must be approved by Student Life at least 10 business days prior to the event.
  • All fundraising events must be scheduled and staffed entirely by the membership of the sponsoring student government or organization. A visible sign indicating sponsorship must be displayed at all times.
  • The University reserves the right to audit the financial records of Registered Campus Organizations using University property to raise funds when a reasonable complaint of financial irregularity is made or when there are grounds to believe that funds raised on campus have not been used for the purposes of the organization or for the specific purpose for which the funds were raised.
  • In the event that a fundraising activity loses money, the sponsoring organization remains accountable for covering all costs incurred by that activity.
  •  The occasional sale of manufactured items is permitted only if the items are directly related to the mission and purpose of the organization; such sales should not compete with items sold by campus departments or vendors.
  • Active solicitation of credit card applications on University property, whether by individual students or student organizations, is prohibited.
  • Registered Campus Organizations may not sponsor non-University vendors or commercial entities that promote the sales or solicitation of merchandise or products to the general campus.
  • All campus organizations must adhere to reasonable and prudent procedures for their financial affairs.
  • Financial and in-kind support of activities sponsored by student governments and registered clubs and organizations by for-profit organizations is not considered commercial activity provided the primary purpose of such support is to underwrite a program or activity, as opposed to the promotion of a commercial product or service.

Fundraising examples:

  • Bake Sales in designated Special Use Areas.
  • Food Sales that require refrigeration or heating to maintain health and safety are severely limited and must directly relate to a program or event sponsored by a Registered Campus Organization. Contact the Office of Student Life for more information.
  • Sale of items that are hand crafted by members of the organization
  • Sale of non-commercial items specifically related to the purpose and mission of the organization. Use of official UCSF logos or graphics must comply with University of California and UCSF policies and procedures. For more information see Use of University Name, Seal and Logo
  • Sale of products with “value-added” such as flower delivery or candy sales on Valentine’s Day
  • Prize drawings are permitted only when tickets/chances are given away. Voluntary donations may be accepted but cannot be required in order to have a chance to win a prize. Raffles are not permitted. A raffle is the sale of a chance to win a prize.
  • Gambling is not permitted on campus. Simulated “Casino Nights” may be held on campus. Voluntary donations may be collected. No purchase or donation shall be necessary for admission. The chance to win a prize must be completely random and independent from the results of any game.
  • Carnival-like game booths may be held but no purchase or donation is necessary to participate in the contest. Anyone requesting a free ticket to play must be provided one.
  • Services, such as a car wash
  • Films with copyright permission may be shown on campus. Voluntary donations may be collected. No purchase or donation shall be necessary for admission.
  • “Blank”-a-thons that feature participation based sponsorship
  • Auctions and silent auctions in which no purchase or donation shall be necessary for admission

Any questions regarding fundraising on campus should be directed to Student Life.

General Guidelines for Bake Sales

Student organizations holding bake sales on the UCSF campus are required to obtain prior approval from Student Life.

If the food items (candy, cake, muffins, other baked items that do not require special handling) are prepackaged as individual servings, they can be sold at campus bake sales. Bake sale items with cream or custard toppings or fillings may not be sold. Limiting your selection to the pre-approved baked items and adhering to the following guidelines, will eliminate the need to obtain prior approval from the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEH&S).

At this time, approved bake sale items can be prepared, assembled, portioned and packaged in private homes provided good sanitation practices are followed throughout the process. OEH&S inspectors perform periodic inspections of campus bake sales. In the event compliance with the following guidelines cannot be met, organizers may be required to discontinue sales until the necessary corrections are made.  

  1. Sound sanitation practices, such as using clean equipment, must be followed when preparing, packaging, storing, transporting, displaying and selling bake sale items.
  2. Those preparing, packaging, transporting displaying or selling bake sale items must be free of communicable diseases such as colds, the flu and hepatitis. Their hands and arms must be free of wounds, cuts and sores.
  3. Those contributing or participating in the bake sale must wash their hands before working and after each break, especially after restroom breaks.
  4. Organizers must maintain a list of everyone contributing food items for sale. The list should include each contributor's name, address and identify the item contributed.
  5. Ingredient information must be available upon request or each item must be properly labeled. Displaying a sign indicating "Ingredient Information Available Upon Request" and maintaining photocopies of recipes at the bake sale table is sufficient.
  6. All food ingredients must be pure, wholesome, free from contamination and be obtained from approved sources (i.e., grocery store).
  7. All food items and the plates or containers they are served on must be completely wrapped as individual servings. Clear plastic is suitable..
  8. Eating utensils must be single use and disposable. The utensils must be individually wrapped or displayed with their handles up to prevent contamination.