The State of Florida requires raffles to be registered with the
Dept. of Agriculture before the ticket sales begin. The
cost of registration is minimal, and based on the amount of money
you expect to raise. Most guilds, having no paid officers and
raising less than $5, 000; or less than $25, 000, will pay $10 (
two different categories, same fee).
Several years ago, when asked whether raffles were legal, SSQA
found out that they can be...if conducted properly.
SSQA made a deal with the State of Florida and paid a one-time
fine to cover all its member guilds at that time. This
protected each member guild from any past liability of
being charged with illegally running a raffle.
From that time on, it became each guild’s responsibility to be
recorded with the state and keep up their own “Permission to
Solicit” certificate.
Those who have continued registering, and printed tickets with
the mandatory message, are operating in a legal manner. They are
safe from being closed down and paying a major fine.
It is up to each guild to see to their own legal issues.
Information about raffle quilts and the wording required to be on
your tickets can be found elsewhere in this article. It should
include the 800 number a person may call and check if the raffle
is registered. Guilds only need to register in years when they are
selling tickets, and the registration is good for one year. The
annual renewal paperwork is very minimal.
For the registration form and info on how to fill it out:
http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/onestop/forms/10100.pdf
You may also want to review the law that covers these matter:
Florida Statutes, Chapt. 496, Solicitation of Contributions.
A helpful place to find this is:
http://www.800helpfla.com/pdfs/StatuteSOC.pdf
(the following page numbers refer to that source).
Most of it concerns regulating the hiring of professional
fundraisers. If you don’t do that, the parts to read are 496.405 (
on page 3: who has to register...you do if you are not a church or
official school) and 496.411 ( on page 9: what your requirements
and duties are).
As we go to press, your newsletter editor is trying to pin down
a few more issues about raffle tickets. There will be an update in
the next issue of the SunRays.
What the State of Florida has to say:
This letter is to inform you of recent changes to the
Solicitation of Contributions Act, Chapter 496, Florida Statutes,
enacted during the recent 2001 Florida Legislative Session.
Effective Oct. 1, 2002, all charitable organizations and
sponsors will be required to include the following information in
each printed solicitation, written confirmation, receipt or
reminder of a contribution:
1. The registration number issued by the Department;
2. The percentage, if any, of each contribution that is
retained by any professional solicitor that has contracted
with your organization; and
3. The percentage of each contribution that is received by
your organization.
If your organization retains a professional solicitor or
professional fundraising consultant, please note that it is your
responsibility to notify these contractors of these Legislative
changes and that this additional information must be included in
any solicitation materials used after October 1, 2001.
If you should have any questions, please contact the
Solicitation of Contributions section at (800) HELP-FL
(435-7352) or (850) 488-2221 if calling from outside Florida.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Charles H. Bronson, Commissioner
Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services
From s. 496.411…...
“….(3) Every charitable organization or sponsor which is
required to register under s. 496.405 must conspicuously display
in capital letters the following statement on every printed
solicitation, written
confirmation, receipt, or reminder of a contribution:
"A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL
INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER
SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES
NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT,
APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE."
The statement must include a toll-free number for the division
that can be used to obtain the registration information. When
the solicitation consists of more than one piece, the statement
must be displayed prominently in the solicitation materials.
4) A charitable organization or sponsor must establish and
exercise control over its fundraising activities. “
The toll-free number to add is: (800) HELP-FL
(435-7352)
Can raffle tickets be counted as a tax
deduction?
The answer to this often asked question is NO. The IRS is very
clear and specific about it.
If there are questions, you should refer the person to their
own tax expert for advice.
If someone wants to make a tax-deductible donation, they
may give money, or an appraised item, and it must be given to an
IRS section 501 approved organization ( such as SSQA, which is a
501(c)(3)).
There are some new IRS regulations about donating items for a
tax deduction. Those will be reviewed in the next issue of the Sun
Rays.
...SunRays May 2007
