Is Fast Funds Factory FERPA Compliant?
Yes!
The information requested to build our unique fundraising websites only uses directory information as defined by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, which has to be approved by the School administrator or or Principal. The administrator or Principal has to have complete control and access to the internal workings of the participant websites, which includes our communication strategy.
The fundraising websites are designed to be transparent, and is completely customizable for the group. There is also no inter-communications from the donation websites created. The only thing to do from a pledge-drive.net website is to share or donate!
Per COPPA, the participant websites are basic by design, and do not collect personal data from students. The websites are created from Directory information (with FERPA as the guideline), and are simply a way to give credit for donations to a partictular participant or group of participants. The parents and students to not have an “online account”, they only have a website they can use to get the credit for their donations when the website is shared.
For more information on the definition of directory information, Please look here:
Note: Per 34 C.F.R. § 99.37(d), a school or school district may adopt a limited directory information policy. If a school or school district does so, the directory information notice to parents and eligible students must specify the parties who may receive directory information and/or the purposes for which directory information may be disclosed.]
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that [School or School District], with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, [School or School District] may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised the [School or School District] to the contrary in accordance with [School or School District] procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the [School or School District] to include information from your child’s education records in certain school publications. Examples include:
A playbill, showing your student’s role in a drama production;
The annual yearbook;
Honor roll or other recognition lists;
Graduation programs; and
Sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team members.
Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent’s prior written consent. Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish yearbooks. In addition, two federal laws require local educational agencies (LEAs) receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with the following information – names, addresses and telephone listings – unless parents have advised the LEA that they do not want their student’s information disclosed without their prior written consent. [Note: These laws are Section 9528 of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. § 7908) and 10 U.S.C. § 503(c).]
If you do not want [School or School District] to disclose any or all of the types of information designated below as directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the [School or School District] in writing by [insert date]. [School District] has designated the following information as directory information: [Note: an LEA may, but does not have to, include all the information listed below.]
Student’s name
Address
Telephone listing
Electronic mail address
Photograph
Date and place of birth
Major field of study
Dates of attendance
Grade level
Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
Weight and height of members of athletic teams
Degrees, honors, and awards received
The most recent educational agency or institution attended
Student ID number, user ID, or other unique personal identifier used to communicate in electronic systems but only if the identifier cannot be used to gain access to education records except when used in conjunction with one or more factors that authenticate the user’s identity, such as a PIN, password, or other factor known or possessed only by the authorized user
A student ID number or other unique personal identifier that is displayed on a student ID badge, but only if the identifier cannot be used to gain access to education records except when used in conjunction with one or more factors that authenticate the user’s identity, such as a PIN, password, or other factor known or possessed only by the authorized user.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve been successfully doing our own event. Why should we switch to having a pledge-drive authorized distributor do it for us?
That’s an excellent question, and usually the first one we are asked! There are two reasons you should let pledge-drive customer care mentor handle your event: time and profit.
It’s true you can do your own event and keep up to 100% of the profits depending on your costs; but if you’ve ever actually planned, executed, and wrapped-up a fun run, read-a-thon, or donation drive yourself, then you’re probably also very aware of the enormous amount of time and work that entails! For many, the load is simply unbearable and that’s where our network of professionals come in.
Why should we work with a pledge-drive mentor vs. other online donation companies?
While some online donation platforms tout low fees and high average-per-student donations, what they don’t mention is that they do not engage with your students, parents, and faculty, offer student prizes, or even do the actual event! It’s up to you to do the advertising, come up with incentives, motivate your students and teachers, and ultimately plan, manage, and execute the event itself.
At plege-drive, we not only give you a powerful yet easy-to-use donation platform, but we use our network of professional service companies to engage your students and faculty daily to keep the motivation level high and we also manage the event at the end of the fundraiser! What does this mean for you compared to the other companies? Less work. Less stress. And more than likely a lot more money! Compare our average-per-student donation return to other companies who only solicit and collect money for you and you’ll see that partnering with a pledge-drive mentor as your full-service event provider is the right choice!
Does the event’s chairperson have online access to monitor the fundraiser?
Yes! Pledge-drive platform gives the event chairperson access to their own online portal through which they can monitor donations and the fundraiser’s progress.
How do teachers keep track of their class’s donations?
They don’t! Pledge-drive platform does this for them and each teacher/coach will have their own online portal to see the status of their class’ progress.
What forms of payment from donors does pledge-drive accept?
Pledge-drive Fundraisers accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, as well as checks and cash (optional).
Can donors living outside of the U.S. support our fundraiser?
Yes! The reach of our program is as far as you want it to be, and if that means contacting potential supporters living outside the United States, we’re ready to help! The donor simply pays with a credit card or payment service (like PayPal or Venmo) and our processor converts the foreign currency into US Dollars. At the time of this publishing, we do not charge for this service even though Let’s Go! does incur foreign currency conversion expenses.
How does the optional donor tip work?
Like other popular online fundraising platforms, pledge-drive incorporates a voluntary, no-pressure tip function for donors to participate in if they wish to. Something as small as a $1 tip from every donor can significantly reduce the costs of administering the fundraiser, in turn increasing your final profit! We use the tipping function in lieu of charging manditory processing fees.
Do donors receive a receipt for their contribution?
Yes! Donors who pay online immediately receive an emailed receipt for their donation.
Who do the parents and donors contact if they have an issue?
Your pledge-drive mentor handles any questions or issues from parents and donors so you don’t have to! They simply contact them directly and they take it from there. Excellent customer service is just one of the many reasons why so many schools return to work with pledge-drive mentors year after year!
What kind of record-keeping is provided by pledge-drive!?
Upon completion of the fundraising program, the pledge-drive platform can provide the school with excel reports showing each student’s collected donation totals as well as classroom totals.