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Fundraising

Training and Procedures

Steps to Follow

To fundraise for an OUSD school site, please follow these steps:

  • Submit the "Authorization to Fundraise Packet" to Business Services at the District Office.
  • Obtain district approval to fundraise.
  • Request "Use of Facilities" online through Facilitron.
  • Hold the fundraiser.
  • Deposit the funds into the organization's bank account.
  • Donate the funds or goods to the school site. The site will then report the donation to the Board of Education according to the donation procedure.
  • Inform families of the amount raised and how it was spent.

Note: Fundraising activities may not commence until the authorization packet has been submitted and approved.

Training for PTO, PTA, Boosters and ASB

The 2024-2025 Fundraising training was held virtually on Monday, August 26, 2024, from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Please follow this link to access the presentation.

Attendance is strongly encouraged for:

  • School PTA/PTO presidents and treasurers
  • Booster group presidents and treasurers (e.g., athletic boosters, band boosters, drama boosters, etc.)
  • Foundations involved in fundraising for OUSD schools
  • All principals and assistant principals
  • All ASB advisors and ASB clerks
  • All athletic directors

Please reach out to LeiLoni Graham at leiloni.graham@oside.us  or call 760-966-4016 for details. Please follow this link to access the 8/26/24 presentation

Authorization to Fundraise

An "Annual Authorization for School Affiliated Organizations to Fundraise" packet is required every year from PTO, PTA, Booster, Foundation, and other parent organizations in order to raise money for Oceanside schools.

The packet includes the following:

  • Organization's information and required signatures
  • Organization's officers for the current school year
  • Fundraising events for the year
  • Bank information
  • Treasurer's report from prior year showing income, expenditures, and ending balance in June 2024
  • Certificate of Liability Insurance maintained by the organization for the current year
  • W9 and verification of tax-exempt status

Additional attachments, if necessary:

  • Changes in Organization's governing documents
  • New bank account or modification made to banking permissions
  • Change in state or federal tax exempt status

The 2024-2025 packet is now available.

As a reminder, organizations may not fundraise until their packet is submitted and approved.

Authorization to Fundraise Packet Elements

Online Use of Facilities Requests

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many uses of the District's facilities are prohibited under state and county public health regulations. While the District will continue receiving applications for facilities use, the District will only accept those applications that are deemed safe and lawful uses of the facilities. Acceptance of any facility use application will be contingent upon the applicant’s certification of compliance with all federal, state and local regulations as well as compliance with pertinent health guidelines. The District reserves the right to limit the number of accepted facilities use applications or to deny use of any district facility if in its discretion the facility cannot be used for the requested use in a safe and legally compliant manner.

Facilities Use Information

Best Practices and Q&A

When will fundraising packets be available for completion?

Will the entire slideshow presentation be available on the website for future reference.

  • The entire presentation is now available on the district's fundraising website.

Since 5th Grade Camp is about $400 per student, how would you phrase or tell parents they need to pay for this amount in order for your student to attend? Also how would you phrase a statement for parents who can't afford to pay the fee and to raise money for their student?

  • Please see the 5th Grade Camp Information below. 

Is a foundation or booster required to have their donations approved by the Board of Education?

  • Donations from the organization to the district must be approved by the Board of Education.  Donations from the community to the outside organization need not be approved by the Board of Education.  However, the organization should consult with the district regarding any donations it accepts which it expects to then provide to the district.

Often boosters/parent groups use district vendor accounts and customer numbers to place orders.  This has been a problem in the past.

  • Office Depot is available for approved parent organizations to receive the corporate discount.  Information regarding placing Office Depot orders is available on the Fiscal Services webpage.

What if we don’t have dates yet for fundraisers since we don’t know when we will be allowed to do the fundraisers.  Do we just list the fundraisers we have in mind & maybe the month we plan to do it in?

  • Yes, please list any potential fundraising events on page 5 of the Authorization to Fundraise packet.  Additional pages may be added if needed.

Does ASB need to submit the authorization form?

  • The authorization packet is required every year from PTO, PTA, Booster, Foundation, and other parent organizations in order to raise money for Oceanside schools.  ASB is not required to submit the fundraising authorization packet.  Instead, site clubs operating through ASB submit all fundraising activities, funds and approvals through their site ASB office and then through the district ASB account.

What is needed so that we are able to have students order school merchandise online and it be sent directly to them to decrease cost, time, and extra handling of the merchandise?

  • While this is a viable option, it is dependent on the vendor’s requirements and options available to authorized organizations.

Can a school use an ordering company that makes merchandise on demand so we do not have inventory overflow? 

  • This would be dependent on the governing entity (ASB, PTO, PTA, etc.) investigating the vendor’s requirements and options available, then taking appropriate action.

Can an outside company be connected to a school account only to deposit funds from merchandise purchased (no withdrawal)? 

  • Unfortunately, outside companies may not be connected to a school financial account.  A better option would be for the outside company to be connected to the authorized parent organization to deposit funds.  Then the authorized parent organization can make a monetary donation to the school site for official acceptance and deposit into the school’s donation account.

May we frame it as the following, “We kindly ask for a donation of $35 but any donation amount is greatly appreciated.”

  • This language may be permissible, but we would recommend revising the sentence to focus on program needs.  For example, “We will now be accepting donations to facilitate the purchase of [ITEM] for our [PROGRAM]  We estimate that the cost for [ITEM] will be covered by a $35 donation from each participant family, but donations are optional and any amount you can give is greatly appreciated."

Do we have to go through Facilitron for ALL fundraising activities?

  • Yes.  All on-campus fundraising activities require a facility request through Facilitron.  In the comments section, please list the agencies involved for insurance verification.  This includes, but is not limited to, carnivals, food trucks, movie nights, evening and weekend events, etc.

Facilitron charges a 10% service fee.  The charges for facilities are concerning.  What charges should I expect for choir/band concerts?  

  • For school events, there will be no fee.  For events hosted by authorized parent organizations, please select the “pay by mail” option instead of paying online.  This will allow district staff to review the information entered and adjust fees depending on the type of organization.

For facilities use, what is the deposit amount based on?  Is it a flat fee?

  • The deposit is based on the facility requested, the dates requested, and the requester itself (school site entity, authorized parent organization, outside community requester).

Can our organization choose to not have site staff present at our on-campus event?

  • Any on-campus event will require an OUSD staff member to be present (i.e.: custodian, security, etc.).  This is not an option for organizations to decline.  Staff costs will be billed to the organization and/or added to the facility use cost.

Do we need to fill out a facility request for crowdfunding?

  • The facility requests through Facilitron are required for on-campus fundraising only.  An organization is not required to fill out a facility request for a crowdfunding campaign, but will need to submit the fundraising packet.

Do outside vendors need to have insurance coverage for both the fundraising group and the district?

  • Yes.  It needs to meet OUSD requirements and be on file with the Use of Facility Office a minimum of 2 weeks prior to the event.

What happens if we don't use Facilitron?  Are there consequences or additional fines?

  • If Facilitron is not used, Oceanside Unified School District is in violation of a contractual agreement and will result in cancellation of the event, as well as fines assessed.  The organization will need to pay the fines incurred.  In addition, if there is a double-booking of a facility due to not using Facilitron, the organization who did not submit a Facilitron request will be removed from the calendar and bumped out of the facility in question.

Best Practices

Here are some tips and best practices for successful fundraising:

  • Emphasize fundraisers that support the whole group, student body, grade level
  • Be inclusive of all students and families
  • Spend the current year's funds on the current year's students
  • Ensure the fundraising activities are voluntary and not required for student participation in school activities
  • Governing board members should be the designated receivers of cash payments during activities
  • Have a governing board member collect funds and another governing member count funds
  • Avoid carrying over large amounts of funds from one year to the next, unless approved for use for a large project
  • Remember - it is about the students!

Not permitted...

The following are not permitted:

  • On-site car washes due to storm drain requirements and regulations
  • Potentially dangerous activities (i.e.: dunk tanks, pie-in-the-face, etc.)
  • Food sales between the hours of midnight and 30 minutes after site dismissal
  • Door to door sales by students under the age of 16 unless part of a team and supervised by an adult
  • Mandatory participation in activities, events, or fundraisers
  • Alcohol, tobacco, and smoking (including vaping) at any on-site events

5th Grade Camp Information

Here are suggestions and recommendations for 5th Grade Camp fundraising and planning:

  • Include language in the parent letter explicitly informing parents that participation is always voluntary.  This is to ensure that parents and student understand that the trip is an extracurricular activity that will not impact the student's grade or participation marks.
  • Add a box to the letter giving parents the option to decline to provide permission for their child to attend.  Again, this will indicate that participation is strictly voluntary.
  • Add language to the letter stating that no student will be excluded from the trip due to the inability to pay.
  • Provide contact information for the site administrator (instead of the teacher) in the section for questions regarding the inability to pay.


Here is a sample letter to send home to parents.

Inflatables: Jumpers, Slides, Bouncers

There are serious guidelines on the use of inflatables at school events:

  • Review the rules for participation with students and strictly adhere to those rules
  • All participants should complete a permission form, Inflatable Activity Permission Slip (English/Spanish)
  • The equipment should be thoroughly inspected prior to each use
  • The structure should be firmly attached to the ground to prevent from toppling
  • The inflatable should never be used in windy or rainy weather conditions
  • All participants should be under direct adult supervision at all times
  • Closely follow the manufacturer's directions and guidelines in regards to proper set up and use of the inflatable:
    • Follow weight recommendations
    • Anchor ropes, tethers, and tie-downs should be sufficiently strong to resist breakage or slipping
    • Use anchoring pegs that have constructed with a restraining hook or collar at the top of the peg to prevent the attaching ropes from sliding up and being released
    • Ground stakes should be driven at 40 inches into the ground
  • Vendors should:
    • Provide the District with a Hold Harmless Contract - a waiver of all liability claims against the District
    • Provide the District with a certification naming the District as additionally insured on the vendor's insurance policy

Presentations from Fagen, Friedman and Fulfrost

Board Policies, Administrative Regulations, CA Ed Code