Chapter 2.132
CHARITABLE GIVING CAMPAIGNS
Sections:
2.132.030 Employee committee established.
2.132.040 Campaign guidelines and requirements.
2.132.010 Intent and purpose.
A. The intent of this chapter is to provide a means consistent with state law governing salary and wage deductions for charitable organizations and federations, whereby uniform procedures will be established for the efficient administration of one annual campaign for charitable contributions from city employees which may be made through payroll deductions.
B. The purpose of this chapter is to:
1. Enhance city government and local communities in the meeting of human needs;
2. Provide a convenient channel through which city employees may contribute to the efforts of charitable organizations and federations;
3. Minimize both the disruption to the city workplace and the costs to the taxpayer that multiple charitable fund drives may cause; and
4. Ensure that charitable organizations and federations are fiscally responsible in the uses of the monies raised. (Ord. 3336-13 § 1, 2013: Ord. 2756-04 § 1, 2004)
2.132.020 Definitions.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
A. “Campaign” means the solicitation for charitable organizations and federations of contributions from city employees through oral presentations, printed materials, audio/video media, or other similar means on city property during normal city business hours.
B. “Charitable organization” means an organization which has been in active existence at least three years and which is formally recognized by the United States Internal Revenue Service as complying with Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or is a governmental unit of the state of Washington. All contributions to the organization must be deductible for federal income tax purposes under Section 170 of the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1954 as demonstrated by receipt of an Internal Revenue Service letter of determination granting tax deductible status to the charitable organization.
C. “Employee committee” means the committee established pursuant to Section 2.132.030.
D. “Federation” means an entity representing at least five charitable organizations organized by its member charitable organizations to solicit and distribute contributions. (Ord. 3336-13 § 2, 2013: Ord. 2756-04 § 2, 2004)
2.132.030 Employee committee established.
A. Composition. An employee committee shall be established each calendar year, consisting of not more than one employee volunteer from each of the city departments. If two employees from a city department wish to volunteer, the full time employees of the department shall elect a volunteer to be a representative to the employee committee for the calendar year. The mayor shall appoint a full time city employee to chair the employee committee, but the chair need not be appointed from among the employees elected by the departments. The chair shall be responsible for all aspects of the administration of the campaign and the employee committee.
B. Functions. The employee committee shall coordinate the campaign pursuant to this chapter and any rules that may be established by the mayor consistent with this chapter. Such coordination includes, but is not limited to:
1. Using established criteria to determine which charitable organizations and federations may participate in the campaign.
2. Determining the filing dates for applications by charitable organizations and federations to be included in the campaign.
3. Selecting, through an informal, but fair, process an organization to act as financial administrator.
a. The financial administrator is an outside agency that collects and disburses employee contributions that are collected by payroll deduction and that are not directly distributed to a participating charitable organization or federation.
b. The financial administrator shall be reimbursed a percentage of the proceeds that it collects and disburses. The total percentage reimbursed to the financial administrator shall be set by contract.
c. The employee committee shall present council with a contract, for council approval, for a financial administrator for a term not to exceed five years.
4. The employee committee is responsible for general oversight of the financial administrator’s contract.
C. Compensation. Members of the employee committee shall serve voluntarily without additional salary and shall not receive additional compensation for working beyond normal working hours.
D. Meetings. Committee meetings will be scheduled by the chair and may be attended by any city employee. Attendance at meetings is not compensated. (Ord. 3336-13 § 3, 2013: Ord. 2756-04 § 3, 2004)
2.132.040 Campaign guidelines and requirements.
A. Frequency. There shall be one annual campaign for charitable organizations and federations as provided by this chapter and in accordance with any rules adopted pursuant to this chapter. The mayor shall specify, for the chair, the month(s) in which the campaign will be held.
B. Eligibility for Participation. A charitable organization or federation shall be eligible to be selected by the employee committee to participate in an annual campaign if:
1. The charitable organization or federation submits a timely application for participation to the employee committee, which application shall include a certificate signed by an authorized officer or employee of the charitable organization or federation substantially stating that:
a. The charitable organization or federation (and each organization represented by the federation) meets the standards established respectively in Sections 2.132.020(B) and (D).
b. The charitable organization or federation (and each organization represented by the federation) has existed and has actively made grants or performed the nonprofit work for which it is organized during the previous twelve months.
c. The charitable organization has the express permission of its board of directors, or the federation has the express permission of the board of directors of each member organization represented by the federation, for the use of its name and participation in the campaign.
d. The charitable organization or federation (and each organization represented by the federation) is registered with the Secretary of the state of Washington as provided by RCW 19.09.065 and is in compliance with Washington laws governing charities to the best of the knowledge of the individual certifying the application.
e. The charitable organization or federation (and each organization represented by the federation), except government units, is governed by a voluntary board of directors which serves without compensation for serving on the board.
2. The charitable organization and federation (and each organization represented by the federation) shall not discriminate with respect to those classes of people protected by federal law.
3. The charitable organization and federation (and each organization represented by the federation) shall make available to the employee committee copies of its annual report including its most recent financial statement, as well as a disclosure for that period of the total dollar value of support from all sources received on behalf of the charitable purposes, fund raising costs and other expenses.
4. Each charitable organization and federation (and each organization represented by the federation) shall expend a minimum of seventy-five percent of the monies raised from the campaign for those charitable purposes for which the money was solicited within twelve months of receipt of the monies.
5. Each charitable organization and federation (and each organization represented by the federation) shall have no more than twenty-five percent of their total budget used towards overhead costs.
C. Payroll Deductions Authorized. Charitable organizations and federations participating in campaigns pursuant to this chapter and to the rules authorized by this chapter may solicit donations from city employees to be made by payroll deductions. The city shall make deductions from city employees’ salary warrants. Monies so collected shall be paid to the charitable organizations and federations as authorized by city employees pursuant to this chapter and rules herein authorized.
D. Use of City Resources—Prohibition. City property, equipment, or city employees’ working time may not be used during a campaign for partisan political purposes, to assist in an individual’s election to political office or for the promotion of or opposition to any ballot proposition.
E. Responsibility for Promotional Costs. All promotional costs associated with the campaign related to city employees shall be the responsibility of those charitable organizations and federations designated by the employee committee to participate in the campaign. It shall be the obligation of every federation, or charitable organization with more than one funding program, to provide a brochure for each city employee to specify intended division of donations among member organizations or programs.
F. Voluntary Participation. City employees’ participation in campaigns shall be strictly voluntary. No city employee shall be coerced to participate in any campaign presentation or coerced to make any donation to a charitable organization or federation. No city employee shall be penalized for failing to participate in a campaign or for failing to donate to a charitable organization or federation. (Ord. 3336-13 § 4, 2013: Ord. 2756-04 § 4, 2004)