On the city’s streets, we can often encounter people offering crosswords or magazines for sale, supposedly with the proceeds to be donated to charitable causes. In Bolesławiec, magazines and crosswords are offered for sale near Sierpnia '80 and Prusa streets. The sellers convince passers-by that the money from the sales will be donated to a charitable cause, most often to treat sick children.
"Public collections whose proceeds are donated entirely to charitable causes require authorization from the competent authorities," says Sylwia Nowak from the Bolesławiec district office. In Bolesławiec, authorization for a collection is issued by the mayor; in municipalities, by the commune heads; and in the district, by the starosta. Crossword sellers do not have such authorization. They only have a permit to trade. Almost all the profit therefore goes into the publisher’s coffers. Only an insignificant portion may be donated to one of the associations.
The second group of people who supposedly work for charitable organizations are door-to-door sellers offering certificates to support the treatment of sick people. In most cases, they are ordinary fraudsters. "Permits are not issued for door-to-door collections," explains starosta Krzysztof Konopka. "And if they are, it is only in exceptional cases, for example, when collecting clothing, food products and money for flood or fire victims. If someone offers us a certificate, we should not let them into our home or buy anything. It is very unlikely that what we give will reach a charitable cause," adds the Bolesławiec starosta.
Every association and organization with legal personality may apply for permission to conduct a money collection. Permits are issued by city mayors, commune heads, starostas and voivodes, depending on where the collection is to take place. An application for a decision authorizing the collection should identify the entity applying for the permit. The application must state the place and date of the collection, the method of conducting it, the intended use of the funds raised and the costs of carrying out the campaign. After the collection, a report must be submitted to the authority that issued the permit. There is one month to do so. The amount collected should be made public, preferably through the media.
(information from the Bolesławiec District Office)