Poppy Campaign 2015

Poppy Campaign 2015

The

Guardians of Remembrance

 We, as members of The Royal Canadian Legion, strive to keep the memory alive of the 117,000 men and women who paid the supreme sacrifice in the service of Canada during war and on subsequent operations since Korea. This goal is achieved through our annual Poppy Campaign and the Remembrance Day services organized by this great organization throughout the country and by our fellow citizens who are working far from our shores.

The Registered Poppy Trademark

In

June of 1948 The Royal Canadian Legion was given the responsibility of safeguarding the Poppy as a sacred symbol of Remembrance. Through an act of Parliament the Legion was granted a trademark copyright of the Poppy symbol. The Legion has the obligation to ensure that the symbol will never be used inappropriately or desecrated in any way

. Any and all requests to use the Poppy image must be approved by Dominion Command. Please refer to chapter 7 of your Poppy manual for the proper procedure.

NB Command will send your poppy kits in June. The introductory letter describes the contents of the kit. Make sure you have and understand all forms. NB Command is happy to answer any questions you may have. You may call Kathy toll free at 1-866-320-8387, option 3. “Please note” Poppy manuals are only sent in the kit when there are changes to the manual. They are available for purchase from NB Command on your promotional material order form.

DEADLINESPlease adhere to the deadlines as shown on your Campaign deadlines sheet . These deadlines are set to allow NB Command to place orders, arrange committees, meet their deadlines to Dominion Command etc. If you are late or remiss in completing and sending in the required forms to NB Command it causes everything to be backlogged. Please refer to your Poppy Manual, chapter 6, 610.

2015

Poppy Campaign

Calendar of

Deadlines

Friday, August 14

Final deadline for ordering poppies, wreaths and promotional material from NB Command.

Friday,

September

4

Deliver

Poem, Essay and Poster

to Friday, September

11

material to schools.

Friday

, October

30

Start

of the

2015 campaign

Wednesday,

November

11

Closing

of

2015 campaign

Have you picked up collection boxes or tins from banks, government offices, stores, etc.

Friday, August 14, 2015Please fill in all required information. Be careful with the quantities of your order. Lapel poppies are sold in boxes of 1000. If you need 5000 lapel poppies then order 5 boxes, not 5000. You may end up with 5000 boxes of poppies at your door which would be 500,000 poppies. All other supplies on this form are 1 each. Orders can be faxed to 506-633-4836 or emailed to accounting@bellaliant.com. All phone orders must have a paper backup before the order will be filled.

Order form for promotional material from NB Command. These products are the only products approved as an expense through the Poppy Trust Funds. Should you decide to order directly from the Dominion catalogue the items will have to be paid through your General fund. Valid receipt books are available again but only to the branches that are registered with the government and have charitable status.

What information must appear on an official donation receipt?

All official donation receipts for income tax purposes must contain the following

:

a statement that it is an official receipt for income tax purposes;

name and address of the charity as on file with the Canada Revenue Agency;

charity's registration number;

serial number of the receipt;

place or locality where the receipt was issued;

day or year donation was received;

day on which the receipt was issued if it differs from the day of donation;

full name, including middle initial, and address of the donor;

amount of the gift;

(under proposed legislation) value and description of any

advantage

received by the donor;

(under proposed legislation)

eligible amount

of the gift;

signature of an individual authorized by the charity to acknowledge donations; and

name and Web site address of the Canada Revenue Agency -

www.cra.gc.ca/charitiesandgiving

.

For non-cash gifts (gifts in kind), these additional elements:

day on which the donation was received (if not already indicated);

brief description of the property transferred to the charity;

name and address of the appraiser (if property was appraised); and

(under proposed legislation)

deemed fair market value

of the property in place of amount of gift above.

Friday,

September

4 –

Friday September 11

The

youths that participate in the contest assist the Legion in one of our primary goals – fostering the tradition of Remembrance amongst Canadians.

Please make sure the branch delivers the appropriate material to the schools.

This contest is a great opportunity for all students to learn how important it is to recognize and remember all the men and women who have and continue to insure our freedom.

Kits going to the schools should include:

Youth Education Programs Booklet

200816

Entry Forms 200832

2014 Winners Booklet 200809

The campaign will begin on October

30, 2015.

Wreaths and crosses can be delivered and displayed prior to the start of the campaign.

Under no circumstances are lapel poppies and trays to be on display before

October 31, 2014.

Please ensure that your vendors are aware of this.

The campaign will close on November 11,

2015

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

BETWEEN

THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION NEW BRUNSWICK COMMANDANDTHE NEW BRUNSWICK LIQUOR COPORATION

Commencing in 2013, the Royal Canadian Legion New Brunswick Command

(

and it’s approved designates) shall have exclusive rights for passive solicitation during the scope of the Legion Poppy Trust Fund, in support of the Poppy Trust Fund campaign, at all approved New Brunswick Liquor Corporation retail stores in the Province of New Brunswick.

2015

Poppy Campaign

Calendar of

Deadlines

Friday,

October

30

The

2014-2015

Poppy Trust fund Report is due to

NB Command

Thursday, November 12 Pick up Poem, Essay and Poster contest entries from schools.

Friday, November 20 Branch adjudication should be completed for winners at branch level in Poems, Essay and Poster contest.

Monday, December 28 Deadline for mailing Poems, Essays, and Posters for the Provincial contest. The Registration Form must be signed by the child’s parent and included with each entry. If this form is not fully completed or submitted, the entry will not be considered for the Provincial contest.

Thursday, December 31 Deadline for the 2015 10% Poppy Assessment to

NB Command

Thursday, November 12 Entries for the Poster and Literary Contest should be picked up from the schools. Make sure that all entry forms are completed. Judging at branch level should be done before December 27th and 1st place winners sent to NB Command. Provincial judging will be done in January. Should you give monetary prizes to your branch winners you are able to claim this as an expense on your Poppy Trust Fund Report under E---5, Youth Education Programs.

New Brunswick winners at National level.

The Poppy Manual

The Poppy Manual is your guide to a successful campaign and the management of the funds donated by the general public for the betterment of Veterans and their dependents well being

. It is imperative that the Branch Service Officer be included in your Poppy Trust Fund Committee. He/she can provide guidance to the manner in which funds can be used and

ensure that

regulations are being followed.

All levels of our organization have criteria to follow. These are explained in the manual and must be followed. The do’s and don’ts on pages 22- 30 should answer any of your questions. If not, all it takes is a call to NB Command. It is better to check to see if an expense is allowable before using the funds than to find out after the money has been spent that it is not allowable and will have to be paid back from your general fund.

The Poppy Manual can be found at

www.legion.ca

, under Committee Resources, All Publications.

The DON’TSPlease pay special attention to the DON’TS. They are very specific as to what the Poppy funds CANNOT be used for. We have found that many branches are not referring to the manual prior to giving donations. The results are that the branch must pay back the Poppy fund. It cannot be over-stressed that the money in the Trust Fund is for “Veterans and their dependents”.

CHAPTER

5

501. The following expenditures are not authorized:

a.

assistance to associate members unless these

persons are

residing with their parents, they are wholly

dependent upon

them for support and they are not

receiving welfare

assistance, a pension from any

government source

, or funds from employment insurance, or

similar government

program (there are few, if any,

associate members

who meet this criteria);

b.

assistance to affiliate members;. Also refer to

Sub-subsection 401.a.iv. of this manual;

c.

expenses incurred for Remembrance Day

ceremonies and

Decoration Day ceremonies;

d.

the purchase of floral tributes or wreaths for

deceased Veterans

or their families;

e.

payment for funerals or miscellaneous funeral

home expenses;

f.

the payment for the service of a bugler/piper at

the funeral

of Veterans;

g.

lunches or refreshments related to the funeral of Veterans;

h.

hot meals and alcohol-based beverages for Poppy

Campaign organizers, workers and volunteers;

i

.

the purchase of cemetery plots, flag-poles and accessories;

j.

the purchase of headstones, grave markers, memorial

plaques for cenotaphs and honour roll plaques for schools;

k.

the payment of property taxes for Veterans;

l.

the money for death benefit funds at branches;

m.

home care, housekeeping services or grounds keeping,

such as grass cutting, leaf raking, snow removal, etc.;

n.

donations to community events, schools, youth groups,

public speaking events or Legion oriented programs;

o.

the purchase of equipment for showing Remembrance films;

p.

the provision of loans;

q.

the funding of scholarships;

r.

any expenses incurred at conventions;

s.

renovations of any sort to branch premises except

as outlined in Subsection 402.m.;

t.

general or non-specific donations to charities, registered

or non-registered, that do not meet the criteria listed

in Sections 401 or 402 of this manual

Special Use ExpendituresThis is another area where the criteria is not being followed. Again, all it takes is to read the manual. You may also refer to the General By-Laws, Article XI. If you are still unsure, call Command. We are here to help. All special requests must have prior approval from NB Command. Please keep in mind that the requested amounts are based on your Poppy Fund balance as of September 30 of the previous year. For example, if you have $2000.00 in the account as of September 30 you can use 20%, which is $400.00, as a donation for Cadets after October 1st. You may decide to wait to pay NB Command for your supplies until after October 1st which will make your account balance healthier for your “Special Expenditures”. Enclosed in your package are scenarios of requests that will be of help to you in determining if a request is valid.

The FormIt is extremely important for the “Special Expenditure Form” be filled out completely and all requirements met before submitting to NB Command. The committee cannot make a decision without the proper information. Any requests not complete will not be considered until all the information is made available, which will hold up your donation. All requests require a copy of the minutes from the general meeting where a motion was made and carried to use the funds. No request will be approved without the minutes. Do not combine requests. Each request requires a separate application.

Poppy Trust Fund ReportThis report is due to NB Command by October 31. It is a financial picture of everything that happened during the year. Starting date for this report is October 1st through September 30th. It is a report used nationally for the purpose of monitoring the Poppy Trust Fund account. It is important that the Poppy Chairman, Treasurer and Poppy committee understand how this form is to be completed and where the various “allowable” expenses fit in.

Instructions for Completion of Poppy Trust Fund ReportThere is a copy of this in every poppy kit sent out. It shows the basics of completing the form. We will be discussing each section of the form, line by line.

A—Starting balance as of October 1

st

. This amount is supplied to you from NB Command from the prior years report. It must also be the same as your bank account balance at the same date.

B—Includes any and all monies for the year from October 1 through September 30.C– The total of your starting figure and income.

D-1-- Poppies and wreaths from Dominion only.

D-2-- Promotional material from NB Command only.

D-3– Postage specific to Poppy Campaign, not for the entire branch.D-4– Advertising for Poppy Campaign only.D-5– Stationary, light lunches for campaign volunteers, accounting fees, storage fees, bank fees, Service Officer expenses (rent for office space is not allowable) etc. specific to the Poppy Campaign, again not the entire branch expenses. A detailed list of expenses MUST be provided with the report. Refer to Chapter 4 of your Poppy Manual.D-6– Total of D-1 through D-5If you are not sure of an expense call NB Command.

E-1– Grants to Veterans—IE: Emergency heating oil, a dental bill, emergency home repairs, groceries, none of which can be on an on-going basis. Names of recipients should not be disclosed to anyone.

E-2– Bursaries for the children, grand-children and great-grandchildren of Veterans and Canadian Forces personnel based on financial need.E-3– Donations/Expenses—This is an area where funds are being abused and miss-used. All special expenditures are subject to prior approval by NB Command. The Poppy Manual is specific about this. A detailed list of all donations MUST be provided with the report. Any and all donations that are not allowed or do not have prior approval will have to be paid back to the Poppy Fund. Expenses--- Poster & Essay prizes, comforts for Veterans, etc. Again a detailed list must be providedE-4– This is the 10% assessment paid to NB Command for the prior years campaign. E-5– Please use this line for Poster & Essay winners should your branch give monetary prizesE-6– Total of E-1 through E-5.F---Total expenses (D-7) plus total disbursements (E-6).

G– This is your total of C minus F and should be the same as you bank account balance as of September 30. If they do not balance then there is something missing or recorded incorrectly.

For the branches that do not have a computerized accounting system please make use of the spreadsheet provided in your poppy kit. If used on a regular basis, when it comes time to send in your report all that is needed is to transfer the totals to the report form.Make sure the report is signed by the Poppy Chairman and Branch President.Copies should be distributed as follows, NB CommandBranch copy

The Royal Canadian Legion 20__ 10% Poppy Fund Assessment Please note: The 20__ 10% Poppy Fund Assessment Form is for your 20__ Poppy Campaign only. The purpose of the 20__ 10% Poppy Fund Assessment Form is to record money received from the distribution of your poppies and wreaths. (See line (a) on the 10% assessment form) and any reasonable allowable expenses associated with the cost of distributing poppies and wreaths. (Cost of poppies, wreaths, coin boxes, along with other related local expenses etc. See line (b) of the 10% assessment form.) The Poppy Assessment is 10% of the Net Campaign Revenue figure. See the reverse side of the 10% Poppy Assessment Form which indicates what are not allowed to be claimed as legitimate Campaign Expenses.5% to Service Bureau5% to the “Leave the Streets Behind” (Homeless Veterans) program.  

I

“Other” Poppy Campaign Expenses

******** “Not Allowed” ********

Meals for Veterans at Remembrance Day dinners

Expenses for Church

Services

Expenses for Remembrance Day Dances (including bands and lunch

)

Expenses for Remembrance Day Dances (including bands and lunch

)

Entertainment

Refreshments following Remembrance Day Service (alcoholic or otherwise)

Audit Expenses

Administration expenses

School Bursaries

Poster & Essay expenses and/or prizes

Veteran’s aid (medical, food or other financial needs)

Donations to local charities

Salaries

Cadets

Christmas Baskets for Veterans

NOTE: The

10%

assessment is to be based on “all revenues” (make sure to include any outstanding receivables) received from your 20__ Poppy campaign “less” the “allowable” expenses shown on the reverse side of this form.

LEST WE FORGET