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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Friends Policy Overview

Learn about the unique roles of Friends organizations, guidelines for partnerships, liability and insurance needs, nature store management, sales items, and the use of the Service logo. Discover the distinctions between fundraising and solicitation, employee roles, and the implementation process.

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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Friends Policy Overview

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  1. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Friends Policy Implementation

  2. Overview • Policy need and process • How Friends are unique from other community partners • Use of the new Friends Partnership Agreement template • Service employee roles and participation in Friends activities • Difference between certain Friends and volunteer activities • Friends liability and insurance needs on Service property • Nature store management responsibilities • Appropriate nature store sales items • Service logo policy • Policies on lobbying and gambling on Service property • Distinction between fundraising and solicitation of donations on Service property • Friends use of Service property • Existing authorities restricting Friends from charging and collecting recreation fees

  3. Who is the policy written for? Friends, Service employees, Refuge System employees, or Both Friends and Service employees

  4. Friends Policy Includes 4 chapters that are now part of the Service Manual in Part 633 FW 1-4 • Chapter 1. Working With Friends Organizations • Chapter 2. Finance and Administration through Friends Agreements • Chapter 3. Friends Partnership Agreements • Chapter 4. Friends Nature Stores and Other Revenue-Generating Activities

  5. Policy Need • Implement provisions of the Refuge System and Hatchery Systems Community Partner and Volunteer Acts • Friends ability to lobby • Number and complexity of Friends partnerships has increased • Increase in questions and need for guidance

  6. Policy Process • Policy team developed draft 2007-2010 • 75-day public comment period in 2010 • Received and addressed over 500 comments • Multiple solicitor reviews and Chief briefings • Draft Service Donations Policy consistency • 30-day Regional Directorate review 2013 • Cross program policy team formed to assist with implementation communications

  7. Friends are Unique • 501c3 nonprofit status • Mission that supports a Service site, complex of refuges/hatcheries, or a Service program • Partnership formalized in the new Friends Partnership Agreement

  8. NEW Agreement Template • All agreements must be converted within 3 years • Standard agreement for all, supplemental agreement for “Use of Service Property” • Regional Director approved for 5 years, option to modify annually • Must include specific details on roles and responsibilities, fundraising activities, nature store management and sales items • Template populated with common language

  9. Service Employee Involvement Prohibited involvement: • Solicitation of donations • Lobbying • Gambling • Serving on the Friends Board of Directors Must avoid involvement in: • Operation and administration functions of the nonprofit • Managing and moderating the Friends Facebook page • Managing nature stores • Writing and submitting Friends grant applications, IRS forms, etc. • Formally recruiting Friends members

  10. Friends Activities Cannot be counted as Service volunteer hours: 1) Soliciting for donations 2) Lobbying 3) Gambling 4) Operation and administration of a nonprofit organization Question to ask: “Is this official Service business?”

  11. Service Volunteer Activities • Volunteer Services Agreement (VSA) offers individual volunteers tort liability and injury protection while doing official Service business • VSA does not offer a Friends organization liability protection

  12. Friends & Insurance • Strongly recommended for nature stores • Project Leader may require Friends to obtain insurance for certain specialized activities • Friends led kayak tours • Co-sponsored public event

  13. Nature Store Management • Friends are required to recruit and schedule their own volunteers to perform day-to-day operations

  14. Nature Store Sales Items Required sales items criteria: • Educational value • Reinforce the mission/goals of the Service and/or the Friends organization Restricted items: • Prohibits consignment of goods and long-term third party sales • Food and beverages • Randolph-Sheppard Act – priority given to individuals who are blind to operate snack bars and vending machines • Sunscreen and insect repellant • Can’t compete with local community commercial businesses • Items with the Service logo, including all versions of the blue goose are not permitted to be sold to the public (Emblems Policy)

  15. Emblems, Part 041 FW 2 • Service logos are not in the public domain and can only be used for official purposes • Director approval is required for all partner uses • It is Important to maintain a clear distinction between Service and Friends, especially when Friends are lobbying, soliciting for donations,gambling, and managing the nonprofit organization • This is why Friends must not use Service logos on Friends websites, brochures, newsletters, and flyers • Prohibits use of all Service logos and sublogos on items for sale to the public

  16. Lobbying Restrictions on Service Property • Prohibition for federal employees to engage in lobbying • Applies as well to non-federal entities that receive federal appropriated funds What is lobbying?: • Contacting or urging the public to contact members or employees of a legislative body AND expressing support or opposition to a piece of legislation or advocating for the adoption or rejection of legislation • Influencing/asking members of a legislative body for more appropriated funds for the Service

  17. Gambling, 50 CFR 27.85 • Prohibits Service involvement in any Friends “gambling” activities • Gambling = paying for a chance to win something, • Example -- RAFFLE • A raffle cannot be promoted or conducted on Service property and Service employees and volunteers cannot promote raffle • The Service logo cannot be used on any promotional material which refers to the raffle • There cannot be any implied Service endorsement of any business related to the item or service being raffled

  18. Friends Fundraising Activities 1) Sale of Goods and Services • Nature stores • Internet sales • Memberships • Special events (prof. photography workshop, special boat tour) 2) Applying for grants/foundations for project fundraising 3) Soliciting for donations • Indirect donations [no specific ask] (donation boxes, bequests) • Direct solicitation of donations [specific ask] (benefit event, silent auction, special fundraising campaigns)

  19. Fundraising vs Soliciting for DonationsON SERVICE PROPERTY General Friends Fundraising Revenue – Friends Financial Account • Nature store sales • Memberships • Approved special event programs through a Special Use Permit • Approved indirect solicitations - donation box Friends Direct Solicitation Revenue – Service Contributed Funds Account • E.g., silent auction, benefit event, special fundraising campaign • Solicitation must be for a specific Service project • Net funds must be deposited into a Service contributed funds account

  20. Friends Use of Service Property • Friends may only operate Government-owned vehicles while working as an official Service volunteer under an approved Volunteer Services Agreement • Friends are prohibited from using appropriated Federal funds, facilities and equipment to conduct lobbying activities and games of chance • To the extent the Government is already providing the following, the Service may provide Friends with utilities, internet, phone, general cleaning service, trash removal, etc.

  21. Recreation Fees are Regulated • Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) • Recreation Fee Program • Service cannot permit Friends to charge and collect recreation fees • Friends could be approved to charge for a workshop or tour for a special event through a Special Use Permit • No “suggested donations” for recreation programs

  22. Summary • We hope you have a better understanding of the purpose and need for policy • Distinguished that Friends are unique partners • Introduced the new agreement procedures • Clarified Service involvement in Friends activities • Made distinctions between Friends and volunteer activities • Discussed Friends liability and insurance considerations • Identified nature store management specifics, including detail on sales items • Provided reminders about the logo policy • Provided reminders about lobbying and gambling restrictions on Service property • Differentiated between fundraising and solicitations on Service property • Clarified Friends use of Service property • Discussed proper procedures for charging recreation fees

  23. Thank You!

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