Any approved Department-wide support foundation, community-based foundation, nonprofit organization, booster organization, or support group may wish to support the Sheriff’s Department and its employees through fundraising activities. While the Department recognizes the value in partnering with the community and charitable organizations, the Department must maintain control of its image and reputation. No such organization may use the name of the Department (or the name of a Sheriff’s station, other unit of the Department, or any name, acronym, or logo that would lead the public to believe the organization is associated with the Department) to seek donations or otherwise raise funds without the express written approval of the Department.
Any foundation or entity desiring to support the Department and its employees must be approved by the Department pursuant to this section and sign a Board of Supervisors-approved (BOS) Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). The entity must be registered with the Internal Revenue Service, the California Franchise Tax Board, and the California Attorney General as a tax-exempt, charitable organization. The entity must remain in good standing as such, and file all required forms and reports.
Each Department station, bureau, or unit may partner with no more than two unit-specific BOS and Department-approved foundations or support groups. Additional pre-existing unit-specific foundation or support group partnerships may be exempted from this limit of two if they meet all criteria applied to newly formed entities, including a BOS-approved Department MOA within 90 days of the effective date of this policy.
Effective immediately, any station, bureau, or unit seeking to partner with or form an affiliation with a charitable organization or community-based support group, shall adhere to the following:
The unit commander shall submit a memorandum of “Registration for Department-Associated Support Group” to the Director, Fiscal Administration Bureau, providing all pertinent information, including but not limited to:
A legal description of the entity;
A mission statement;
A description of the types of activities, events, or other manners by which the organization intends to provide support to the Department;
The organization’s Employer Identification Number (EIN) number;
Documentation of the organization’s by-laws for operating procedures;
Proof of the organization’s filing a 501(c )(3) once per tax year and it’s compliance with all the requirements;
A listing of all board members, and whether any County employees are/will be on the board;
Identity of the executive/managing director; and
The planned procedure for receipt of all funds and donations, including recordkeeping, bookkeeping procedures, and review of records by the board members.
If approved by the concerned division chief/director, concerned assistant sheriff, the Director of Fiscal Administration Bureau and the Director of Administrative Services Division, the assistant sheriff over Fiscal Administration Bureau will provide final approval. Upon such approval, the entity must execute a BOS-approved Department MOA.
No Department member may serve on the Board of a Department-affiliated 501(c) or be in a decision-making position within such an organization without obtaining prior written approval in the following manner:
Obtain the approval of the assistant sheriff over Fiscal Administration Bureau;
Once approved, Financial Programs Bureau will prepare a letter to the Board of Supervisors; and
Written approval is granted by the Board of Supervisors.
The unit commander is responsible for maintaining a working relationship with the support group, once it has been established. The unit commander shall keep apprised of the activities of the support group and shall bring any inappropriate or unauthorized activity to the attention of their respective chain of command and the Fiscal Administration Bureau. The unit commander shall brief their successor and provide all relevant information regarding the support group upon any transition in command. The unit may assign an employee to attend board meetings unless a Department employee has been approved by the Board of Supervisors to serve on the board. An employee who is only assigned as an attendee of the board meetings (not as a BOS approved member) shall not have any decision-making authority but shall serve as a Department liaison with the group.
The unit commander shall review County Fiscal Manual section 16.1.0, “Departmental Foundations/Support Groups,” and shall ensure that all requirements set forth therein are adhered to. Further, prior to July 1st of each year, the unit commander shall ensure that all documentation needed for compliance with section 16.1.0 are submitted to the Director, Fiscal Administration Bureau.
No Department member, in their official capacity, shall form, participate in, or act in support of any organization that operates in violation of this policy.