School Has Begun And So Have Fundraising Campaigns

As those of us with school age children know, along with the return of school, books, and supplies come the colorful flyers and brochures of upcoming fundraising campaigns. As you review the information and develop your plan of attack to get your child that MP3 player or XBOX - the only prizes that your child is interested in - which requires you to sell more candy than you desire to consume in a life time, more magazines than can be read by the most avid reader, or more cookies then the cookie monster can devour, please remember the general rule that employees may not solicit the sale of subscriptions, products, programs, etc. while on the job or in the workplace. Even if you are off the job and away from the workplace, you may not solicit from a DoD employee who is a subordinate. As friends and colleagues, we routinely talk about merchandise, services, and the endeavors of our children. In general, these encounters and dialogues are beneficial to you, as an individual, and to the organization, as a team. However, potential problems arise when Government employees exchange business cards, distribute brochures, or promote goods and services.

As a general rule, solicitation should occur outside of work and off the installation. However, you must act exclusively outside the scope of your official position in the Government, and you may not imply Government endorsement of the fundraising activity. Additionally, you may not solicit from subordinates. In a few cases, there are exceptions where solicitation is allowed in the Federal workplace. Employees may solicit in the Federal workplace -

For an employee for a special, infrequent occasion, e.g., wedding, birth or adoption, and retirement

For the Combined Federal Campaign and Army Emergency Relief

In general with the approval of the commander, DoD employees may fundraise for the benefit of employee organization welfare funds, if the organization is composed primarily of DoD employees or their dependents, and the fundraising is conducted among members of the organization.

DoD employees are reminded that they may not solicit from prohibited sources (including contractor employees). If you are in doubt about a particular situation or action, please discuss it with your Ethics Counselor or the IG before you put things in motion.

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Note: Information extracted from an Ethics Advisory Article, January 2001

From the Desk of the IG