Grassroots Fundraising Guidelines

Thank you so much for your commitment to the World Society for the Protection of
Animals (WSPA). We are extremely grateful for the support of donors like you who
want to fundraise to help animals and to spread the word about WSPA’s work and
mission!

The following provides some guidelines to not only help you in your
fundraising efforts but also to keep us informed of all of the good works that are
happening on our behalf.

What is a Grassroots Fundraising Event?

WSPA defines a Grassroots Fundraising Event as any fundraising activity by an individual or a group (third party) that meets the following conditions:

1. The individual or group has no formal affiliation with WSPA (i.e. they are not an
agent or an employee of WSPA)

2. WSPA has no fiduciary or financial responsibilities to the individual or group

3. There is no involvement by WSPA staff in your fundraising event

Here are some ideas for the types of events that you might conduct where a portion of the proceeds can be donated to WSPA:

• Bake sale
• Car wash
• Yard sale
• Craft Sale
• Silent Auction
• Baby or Pet Sitting
• Lemonade Stand

Or – ask friends and family to sponsor you in an activity, such as walking, swimming, even running a marathon!

Consider planning your fundraising to coincide with a particular event, such as World Animal Week (every year, October 4-10), or to raise awareness of an animal welfare issue you are particularly passionate about.

Getting Started

Once you have decided what you want to do, let us know! You can do this by having the event organizer fill out and submit a Fundraising Event Information Form. Completed forms can be submitted to wspa@wspausa.org, faxed to 617-737-4404 or mailed to WSPA, 89 South St, Suite 201, Boston MA 02111. In addition to the details about your event, please indicate what your expected donation amount will be. We understand that all details for your proposed event may not be available at the time of your submission, but please fill out the form to the best of your knowledge.

Fundraising

All funds received from this Grassroots Fundraising Event will be considered unrestricted unless requested otherwise in writing. To facilitate your fundraising process, we would recommend that the organizer collect all monetary gifts and submit them all together to WSPA. There are several ways that donors can make a gift. They are as follows:

• Checks made payable to WSPA
• Credit Card donation through our website (www.wspa-usa.org) or phone: 800-883-9772
• Cash donation (in order to meet IRS guidelines for tax-deductibility, please indicate the name, address and amount each individual has given using the donation form.)

All donations to WSPA are fully tax deductible and may be sent to:

WSPA USA
89 South Street, Suite 201
Boston, MA 02111

Marketing Materials

If you develop advertising or promotional materials for your event, it is OK to state that the proceeds of an event will benefit WSPA, but you should not imply or state that WSPA is the host, sponsor or endorser.

Please note that WSPA owns the registration for the World Society for the Protection of Animals name and logo; unfortunately, use of the WSPA name, logo, or any of its licensed marks is prohibited by third parties.

Depending on the nature of the event and number of participants involved, WSPA may be able to provide materials for distribution. Give us a call at 800-883-9772 and we can help you determine what is most appropriate for your event. If possible, once your event is complete, send us pictures and a description of your event, and your story might even be featured in WSPA’s magazine or website to motivate and inspire others to follow your example!

Legal Responsibility of Event

Because your fundraising event is not sponsored or promoted by WSPA, we are unable to assume any risk, expense or liability for your event.

For more information

Thank you again for your interest in joining the movement and for supporting the critical work of WSPA through a Grassroots Fundraising Event. If you have any questions about these guidelines, please contact us at wspa@wspausa.org or 800-883-9772.

Download Grassroots Fundraising Guidlines and Forms (PDF) >>