Marathon K-12 to revisit crowdfunding policy

By Kevin O’Brien

Marathon School District Superintendent Rick Parks expressed concerns to the school board last week about outside groups conducting fundraising activities on behalf of the distinct without seeking board approval ahead of time.

The district has a policy in place that requires groups who want to work with online “crowdfunding” groups to fill out a form and submit it to the board for review and approval, but that has not been enforced in recent times, Parks said.

The number of crowdfunding websites has grown significantly in recent years, going beyond wellknown sites such as GoFundMe and DonorsChoose, which were listed in the district’s original 2019 policy as the only two sites designated to run “district-affiliated” campaigns.

Many of these organizations will do all of the fundraising work – such as soliciting donations from businesses and individuals – and take a cut of whatever money is collected, he noted.

“I think it defeats the purpose of what our intent actually was,” he said, referring to the policies put in place to deal with crowdfunding.

Parks said the district recently put a stop to one such crowdsourcing event, but another one is going forward that will reward students who are looking to attend a national competition in their organization.

Some of the third-party crowdsourcing activities have “crossed the line” into areas that used to be handled by students and parents or the district itself, he said.

“Because it’s gotten muddied enough, I think it’s good for us to revisit it,” he told the board, noting that none of these recent event organizers have filled out the form and submitted it, as required by the policy. Parks said a lot of the organizations simply ask for donations, rather than trying to sell something as a fundraiser. He noted that the district struggles to find enough people to work at its concession stands, which are used to raise money for a variety of sports and activities.

“It’s tough to get people in to do that part of it, but it’s easy for us to say ‘Hey, would you share 20 bucks’ to 100 different people,” he said. “It just doesn’t feel good in my heart right now. I just don’t think it goes along with the purpose of crowdfunding that the board had talked about.”

Local businesses are being asked for donations by people and organizations the district doesn’t even know about it, he said, which goes against the past practice of having sanctioned fundraisers and avoiding multiple requests for money.

“I don’t want to create bad blood with our businesses and our community. That’s not what we’re about,” he said. “We have had great support from our businesses, in a lot of ways, for the school.”

Board president Jody Debroux said she has a problem with groups cold calling businesses and residents and asking them for money without getting the go-ahead from the district.

“That, to me, feels weird, wrong and inappropriate,” she said.

Board member Ted Knoeck said years ago the booster club started going to local businesses in person seeking donations for multiple sports clubs at once, rather than having each one come back individually throughout the year.

“Now, all of the sudden, they have to pick and choose because they only have so much,” he said. “Businesses in this town have been amazing, and now we’re going away from that?”

Parks said the sales pitches by outside groups can sound appealing when they’re offering to raise additional revenue to meet increasing expenses, but he believes the board needs to revisit its policy and make sure teachers, coaches and other staff are aware of what is required.

To help the board address the issue, Parks said he would bring in some policies from other school districts for discussion at a future meeting.

Rick Parks