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Confusing Fundraiser for NASA Planetary Science

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
May 3, 2012
Filed under , ,

Carwash Will Help Raise Funds, Awareness.Professional Carwashing & Detailing, Carwash.com
“Across the country, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will be holding charity carwashes on June 9 to help restore cuts to NASA’s Planetary Exploration Budget, according to the Planetary ExplorationCar Wash& Bake Sale website.” It also is being used to “raise awareness” on the effects of the cuts. The publication asks, “Will a nationwide charity carwash raise enough money to restore NASA’s programs?”
Keith’s initial note: This item was contained in today’s ‘Bulletin News’ which is circulated within NASA. No one seems to have tried to correct this. Note that the bake sale website says “Funds collected by each event sent by event organizers to House or Senate Appropriations – dozens of letters with cash.”
Keith’s 3 May 7:19 pm update: The website at SwRI has been changed. This is what it originally looked like – note wording in lower right hand corner. Now the site says “recommend token pricing, e.g.: $2 for a carwash – the purpose of collected funds is just meant to cover the cost of soap, towels, etc, required to host the event.” So … what’s the point? Its sounds like virtually no money will be raised by this event. As far as I can tell this webpage talked about giving Congress “letters with cash” for several weeks. Then it is mentioned here on NASAWatch and suddenly the event’s organizers drop the overt fundraising – which seems to have been the core purpose in the first place? Why not donate the proceeds to NSS or the Planetary Society?

Original Post:
This rather naive. It is not a particularly smart thing to send a current member of Congress or their staff “letters with cash”. If you do try to give it to them personally it could be considered a campaign donation – and the names of the donors have to be reported. These funds could also be construed as lobbying since the donors and couriers who hand the money to members of Congress could be in a position to receive NASA funds.
You really cannot just give cash to anyone who works on the Hill as a donation. Who is it actually from? Is it collected via a non-profit or registered charity? The IRS and FEC like details like that. If a member of Congress or a staff employee did let you leave the cash on their desk – or opened an envelope filled with cash – they’d just have to forward it on to the Treasury Department. Funds given by the public to the U.S. Government as donations cannot be earmarked for any specific task and are deposited into an account called “Gifts to the United States” which rolls into the general fund. The only way that Congress can cause NASA to get specific amounts of money is if they agree to a budget via the formal appropriations process – and the President signs the legislation that results.
If the organizers had done a little homework they’d know this. The smart thing to do would be to give the money to the National Space Society or the Planetary Society where it will actually help promote the issue of space exploration. Throwing the money in an envelope and then donating it into an obscure general account at the Treasury Department does nothing in that regard. If the organizers (or Hill staffers) beg to differ, there is a comment section associated with this post.

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.

13 responses to “Confusing Fundraiser for NASA Planetary Science”

  1. Anonymous says:
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    Well, this is embarrassing.
    I hope it shames Congress at least a bit, but I doubt that it will. I think their blush reflex must be stone, cold dead by now.
    BTW, no cash to Congress people! Set up a visible account at some place like Riggs Bank in DC; deposit all money raised in that and get a CPA to volunteer to police the funds.
    I doubt we are talking about very much money — this being more of a psychological ploy — but whatever is raised should go directly to planetary science with no stopovers in the back pockets of Congress critters.

    • Joseph B. Gurman says:
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      “Shame” and “Congress” in the same sentence — my best laugh at the end of a long week. Thank you, oldscientist.

  2. Doug Mohney says:
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    Give the money to the Planetary Society? really?
     

  3. Anonymous says:
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    Dripping with tasty sarcasm. Gives new tang to the old saying that “The average Congress person is pretty stupid. And the other half are dumber.”

    http://arstechnica.com/scie

    • Steve Whitfield says:
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      OS,

      Good line.  It reminds me of a speech by President Reagan when he said that he wanted every American to have an above-average income.  That was the same speech in which he he was trying to explain his proposed spending plans and he kept coming up with a pie that had three halves.  Truth if often sillier than fiction.

      Steve

  4. dogstar29 says:
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    How much cash is in the envelopes they and their superpacs get from the SLS contractors?  Trick question. They only give checks. If it was cash it wouldn’t even fit in an envelope.

    • kcowing says:
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      Good point: “The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) may accept and utilize monetary gifts, donations, or bequests given as cash, check, or money order, provided they are unsolicited and offered without conditions on their use. The acceptance and use will be in accordance with the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, as amended, this directive, and all other pertinent NASA directives, policies, procedures, and requirements. These monetary gifts will not be attributed to or associated with any contractual or other legal instruments for performing work or services for the donor or for the donor’s interest.”  But then again there is that “donor’s interest” issue.

  5. Jacques91 says:
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    It may be helpful to donate funds to an organization that has one or more reimbursable Space Act agreements in place with NASA. This way, donated funds may be used to sponsor NASA scientists and engineers. I believe the Planetary Society does this to a limited extent.

    • kcowing says:
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      Yes, this would be good – at least this way it could get to an organization that can do something to actually aid NASA.

  6. Steve Whitfield says:
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    the Mars exploration program received a 38 percent budget cut for the 2013 fiscal year“I wonder how the President himself would feel about getting a 38 percent pay cut next year.On a more serious note; if they can do this car wash/bake sale, or similar events, I don’t think they’ll raise a whole lot of money, but what they do raise, in any given city, might well be a useful indicator of the relative NASA/space interest levels across the country.  That, in turn, may indicate good/bad locations for future events (promotional or fund raising).Steve