Section 2650.15  Annual Drive

An annual SECA drive shall be held to include all Qualified Charitable Organizations under the following conditions:

a)         Employees:

1)         solicitations for contributions may commence no earlier than September 1, must end no later than November 30, and must be conducted within a period of eight consecutive weeks;

2)         equal access and promotional opportunity time shall be allowed for each Qualified Charitable Organization by the agency coordinator;

3)         there shall be no lessening or disruption of work in the work place;

4)         employees shall be informed regarding any Qualified Charitable Organization as charitable alternatives;

5)         qualification of any charitable organization by the Office of the Comptroller shall occur by December 31 prior to the annual drive whose authorized withholdings are to be effective the following January 1 as provided in Section 2650.20.  Organizations shall submit the required designations and certifications to the Comptroller two weeks before the December 31 deadline;

6)         one combined brochure and payroll deduction form will be prepared and printed.  This brochure will include all charities qualified as of the date specified in subsection (a)(5) to participate in SECA and will be distributed to all State employees covered under this Part by the Executive Coordinators and their liaisons;

7)         during the campaign period, employees may attend on their own volition presentations of each or any Qualified Charitable Organization, such time totaling not more than 1 hour in the aggregate annually.  Agencies, in cooperation with the Qualified Charitable Organization, shall endeavor to schedule presentations to permit all interested employees to attend such presentations.

b)         Annuitants:

1)         qualification of any charitable organization by the Office of the Comptroller shall occur in the manner set forth in subsection (a)(5);

2)         solicitations of annuitants may be made by brochures or other printed campaign material approved by the Advisory Board or its designee;

3)         it is not necessary that all annuitants be solicited for contributions for any given annual SECA campaign.  The Advisory Board, or its designee, shall consider on an annual basis which annuitants should receive solicitations through SECA.

(Source:  Amended at 29 Ill. Reg. 2244, effective February 1, 2005)