Cover your ears...here comes a Primal scream!!!!!!

M

marilynfl

Moderator
Just spent every waking moment during the last 6 days making a new gingerbread house for our Toys for Tots fund raiser here at work. Donations are seriously down from other years and I thought we could raffle off the house at $10 a ticket, hoping to raise at least $500. The TFT team loved the idea and so I hunkered down and reduced construction time from 5 weeks to 6 days, putting all the problems I ran into last year to good use. Used the same pattern as last year, different entrance, not so many insane snowmen. Of course, this year I came up with NEW problems.

Science Lesson #1: Sugar molecules are hydroscopic (which means they love comingling with water molecules.) The new entrance was RE-designed late yesterday afternoon after the second fondant-covered gingerbread awning collapsed due to humidity problems.

Science Lesson #2: A Dremel cutting through a 1/2" thick candy cane at low speed will not only caramelize the sugar at the cutting surface, it will create spun sugar.

Did a 110 mile round-trip in the rain at 9:00 last night to deliver it so it would be here this week.

Just found out legal is not going to let us raffle it off as that is considered gambling. All that work and it's not going to help raise a dime.

I'd cry right now if I wasn't so shocked and disappointed.

 
OMG, then our school partake in gambling because they raffle theme baskets every year. I'm sorry NT

 
Yikes! Can they silent-auction it? All those Catholic school raffles...didn't know it was a vice.

 
Ask legal if there's a way around it. What if the ticket is also payment for a purchase, such as a

piece of candy? But then, what do I know, lol.

 
How about come up with a price, and have TFT committee members suggest

individual dept collections to make the price. They could draw a name from a hat, or alternatively, colectively enjoy it. You have done a great thing! Don't worry that it is not "auctioned" or "raffled" You can do a grass roots effort to have individuals contribute to their dept fund....
It can work, may not be $500.00, but will be a nice contribution to TFTs.

What a special gift you contributed!

((Sorry, I know you are disapointed...I think "Legal" should be focused on other areas. It is not like you are coordinating a football pool!!))

 
Maybe "legal" would allow...

what do they call it when there is a piece of paper with lines on it...Someone starts by suggesting they would pay $1.00; next person (line 2) beats the price to $2.00; etc.....

I would think that it is not gambling. I would hope that Legal is working with TFT on how to make it work.

 
UPDATE: Our TFT coordinator put out the word that anyone buying a bike ($100) gets a chance

to win the house--this week only. A name will be picked out the bike tags.

So no raffle tickets, no "game of chance", no gambling....you buy a bike out of the goodness of your heart and just maybe end up with enough sugar to put the entire population of Enid, Oklahoma into insulin shock.

Now...if only I could glue the two parts of my splitting head back together.

 
Marilyn, non-profits are permitted to hold raffles per Chapter 849.0935 of the...

The 2008 Florida Statutes. It is considered gambling and there are, of course, disclosures and stipulations involved. I have done many raffles for the different non profit organizations I've worked for. We once raffled off a Steinway piano.

That being said, Toys for Tots may have an internal board rule that does not allow gambling.

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?mode=View%20Statutes&SubMenu=1&App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=849.0935&URL=CH0849/Sec0935.HTM

 
Careful with this. If you include the "chance" the purchase of the bike is not tax deductible.

 
The problem is L-M can't hold the raffle. If we had a Marine here, he could raffle it off

since it's HIS organization. We, as employees of L-M can't offer the raffle. We can only collect money and buy the bikes/toys for the Marines.

 
Can you raffle it outside of work then donate the money? Like at church or another function?

Raffling is not really gambling any more than lottery tickets, but it's understandable that your company needs to protect themselves ~ just in case.

I feel so much for your frustration. Hopefully you are able to raffle it somewhere to get the money for Toys for Tots.

 
I'm not believing this: Legal wants to buy the GBH!

TFT coordinator:
Can we take the tack that the gingerbread house was donated to the USMC TFT campaign (a 501©(3) org), and that the Marines will do the drawing at the holiday luncheon?

One of our volunteers spent a great deal of time on this with the thought in mind of generating donations. I'm looking for a way to be able to use it.

Thanks, D

Lawyer talk:
The Marines aren’t the ones actually selling the bikes/tickets.

While I appreciate the time and effort in making the gingerbread house, I can’t change the application of Florida’s gaming statute.

Just out of curiosity, how much additional $ do you think it would have generated?

TFT coordinator:
As with all charitable campaigns, it's hard to predict what can be raised through a particular avenue. We thought it might help boost donations with the economy and the shortened campaign impacting the numbers.

I'll cancel the gingerbread house giveaway.
Thanks,
D

Lawyer talk:
The reason I asked because I admired it in the Spine earlier today. Can you sell it outright?

(Name changed)
(title changed, but pretty high up there)
(company name)

* Licensed in Colorado and Michigan; Authorized House Counsel in Florida

 
They're lawyers, tell them that they can buy it for $1,500.00 which, at $250.00 per hour,

is about half what they charge.

My apologies to any of you who happen to be lawyers. Some of my best friends....

 
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