Door-to-door soliciting is NOT allowed on post

By Sarah Pacheco, Hawaii Army Weekly, U.S. Army Garrison-HawaiiMarch 18, 2014

soliciting
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii (March 14, 2014) -- It's that time of year again, when pesky annoyances threaten to invade our homes.

Yes, March often signals the start of allergy season, but with spring flowers and showers also come door-to-door solicitations for money to help send Jimmy Jr. to space camp or Little Susie to a dance competition on the mainland.

And while on-post fundraising is allowed by U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii's Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, unauthorized soliciting on any Army Hawaii installation is strictly prohibited.

"Island Palm Communities' policy is there is no door-to-door solicitation, regardless of if it is little girls and little boys selling treats for their scout troop or adults selling vacuum cleaners," said Sheryl Ferido, community services manager, IPC.

"All of our community centers know this, and we send out emails to everyone as a reminder," Ferido noted. "We abide by the policy, and the residents understand."

"Any door-to-door fundraising or door-to-door sales is not authorized," reiterated Rhonda Hunter, chief, Nonappropriated Funds Support Management, DFMWR.

"If we were to let that happen, then we allow an opportunity for people to prey on our Soldiers and families without having to prove their business is legitimate," Hunter explained.

Though commercial soliciting is a strict no-no, according to Hunter, Soldier units and family readiness groups can fundraise on Army property; however, the fundraiser must comply with the following:

•Have a specific purpose/identity,

•Have an informal funds account created in which to deposit monies raised, and

•May only take place at designated locations on base.

"You can't just stand out and ask for money; you have to be selling something, and (the price) has to be voluntary donations," Hunter said. "There are regulatory restrictions on fundraising, and each request that comes in, we do a complete overview on and run through the (USAG-HI) Legal department."

"(The rules are in place) to limit fundraising, because otherwise it?'s just endless," said Stephanie Caires, operations assistant, DFMWR.

"(The rules) are meant to establish good order and discipline so that you don?t have fundraisers popping up all over, and to ensure that they're authorized," Hunter added. "There are many instances where people are fundraising, and it's for personal gain, and that's not something the Army wants happening on its installations.

"We're not in the business of saying no," Caires added. "We want people to fundraise and support their causes. It's just protecting everyone involved."

If you would like to schedule a fundraiser on a U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii installation, contact (808) 656-0129 or email usarmy.wheeler.imcom-pacific.mbx.fundraising@mail.mil. Allow a minimum of 10 business days for approval of basic requests, such as car washes.

For additional information about installation fundraising policies and procedures, or to download a fundraising request form, go to the "Fundraising" page under the "Support Services" tab on himwr.com.

Related Links:

Approval for Fundraising