Donation Policy
JRF Giving Circles
Circles are encouraged to attempt to raise a minimum of $500 per year. All Circles raising $500 or more will be acknowledged by JRF at its Annual Dinner in late June. A Circle which raises $2500 or more during an award year may name a scholarship, either for itself or to honor a particular person (all names subject to approval by JRF.) Amounts less than $2500 or over $2500 support the work of JRF and may, at the discretion of JRF, be accumulated with other donations in order to fund a scholarship. Circles raising $5000 or more should contact the Executive Director to discuss the allocation of funds.
JRF announces its awards to recipients and the public in late June of each calendar year. If your Circle plans to raise $2500 or more to fund a scholarship for 2007, JRF must receive no later than May 1, 2007 a verbal or written commitment to raise such funds, and must receive all monies no later than June 1, 2007.
Reimbursements
JRF staff and Giving Circles Committee members will endeavor to provide helpful ideas and support for Circles fundraising efforts though personal contact, online contact, and newsletters. However, fundraising and the costs associated with fundraising efforts and events are entirely the responsibility of Circle members. JRF will not reimburse a Circle for any event costs, postage, or other expenses, except in extraordinary circumstances as approved in writing in advance for a specified amount by the Executive Director.
Contributions
Individual contributions to a Circle may be made in cash, by check, or by credit card. It is essential that all monies donated to a Circle on behalf of JRF be properly identifiable so that JRF may 1) properly credit the Circle raising the money and 2) thank and provide a tax deduction receipt to the individual donor(s). To that end, JRF has established the following policies regarding receipt and forwarding of monies:
- All checks and money orders should be made out to the Jeannette Rankin Foundation, with the name and identifying number of your Circle noted in the memo line.
- Individual checks should be forwarded, within a week of receipt by your Circle, directly to JRF together with an enclosure noting the name and identifying number of your Giving Circle, as well as the name of the individual donor.
- Cash donations from identified donor(s) may be accumulated and converted to a personal check from a Circle member or to a money order. The check or money order should be sent to JRF within a week along with an itemized list of the cash donor(s) names, addresses, and amount of donation, as well as the name and identifying number of your Giving Circle.
- Anonymous cash donations may be accumulated and converted to a personal check from a Circle member or to a money order. The check or money order should be sent to JRF within a week along with a notation that the donations were given anonymously to the Circle, as well as the name and identifying number of your Giving Circle.
- Credit card donations may be made online. To ensure that proper credit goes to your Circle, please ask online donors to make a notation in the comments section of the online donation form that includes the name and identifying number of your Giving Circle.
If an individual or entity wishes to give another form of donation to your Circle or to JRF for another purpose, such as stocks or bonds, please contact the JRF office at 706-208-1211 to make arrangements for the donation.
In Kind Donations
Circle members are encouraged to seek in kind contributions for fundraising events from local businesses and other supporters in order to defray or eliminate the expense of such events. In kind contributions may include food, beverages, printing, use of a site, items for silent auctions, etc. Within a week of the conclusion of an event, the Circle should forward the name, address, and a description of the donated item and its approximate value to JRF so that the donor may be properly thanked. Please note that such donations may not be tax deductible.