COMMUNITY FUNDRAISER GUIDELINES AND FAQs
 
A community fundraiser is typically a one-day event with proceeds benefiting K9s For Warriors, but the sky’s the limit! We’ve had supporters set up “ongoing” fundraisers over the course of several days or weeks. Fundraisers are not promotions, partnerships, or marketing campaigns. All fundraisers must reflect positively on K9s For Warriors and must abide by all local, state, and federal laws. Lemonade stands, 5k races, car shows, golf tournaments, motorcycle memorial rides – you can do anything!

REGISTERING THE FUNDRAISER
To receive our K9s For Warriors fundraising toolkit, register your fundraiser. You will receive items such as our Proud Supporter Logo, flyer templates, approved photos and videos, social media content, and press materials. After registering your fundraiser, K9s For Warriors will keep in touch with you to help track your fundraising efforts and offer you additional assistance as needed. Registering your fundraiser helps K9s For Warriors protect itself as well as protect you.

NAMING YOUR FUNDRAISER
“K9s For Warriors” can be used for your fundraiser when explaining that we are the beneficiary; however, it cannot be used as the primary in the title of your event. For example, we cannot approve a name like: K9s For Warriors 5K Race because this alludes to the fact that K9s For Warriors owns this event and is the host. The alternative and correct way would be: 5K Race Supporting K9s For Warriors.

EVENT DESCRIPTION
Please provide as much detail as possible when describing your fundraiser on the request form. For example, “I am hosting a 5K fun run/walk, and all proceeds will go to K9s For Warriors. We will have vendors, food trucks, live music, etc.” If a portion of proceeds, specify how proceeds will be split and donated. 

AFTER THE EVENT IS COMPLETED
All proceeds from your fundraiser should be submitted within 30 days after your event date. We always appreciate any great stories or photos from your event that we may post or refer to in the future. By sending us stories and photos, you are giving us permission to post publicly unless you state otherwise. Please send submissions to events@k9sforwarriors.org.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO RAISE MONEY AND GET THE WORD OUT?
We want you to have the best success, so the first step is to get registered! K9s For Warriors has an online portal available to you to register and share your fundraiser details, obtain a donor page specific to your fundraiser that you may personalize. Directing your participants to donate via the link allows funds to come directly to K9s For Warriors without having to personally manage donations. Note that K9s For Warriors cannot reimburse you for costs. Sharing your event information and link utilizing social media is a terrific way to get the news out about your event and help boost efforts!


WILL K9S SEND ME MARKETING MATERIALS, POSTERS, ETC.?
K9s For Warriors does its best to be as fiscally responsible as possible to ensure donations go where they are intended - directly into our program, so we will not be able to provide you with brochures or swag. Upon registration, we will send you a K9s’ toolkit including printable and shareable marketing materials. Be sure to also visit our website shop Here for potential swag to use as giveaway items only. These items should never be sold for donations. Should you order in bulk, let us know so we can track and possibly offer a discounted rate. You can also create your own swag using our Proud Supporter Logo. All marketing/advertising for the event, including swag creation layouts, should be submitted to K9s For Warriors for approval before it is printed or distributed.
You may not use the K9s For Warriors logo unless granted explicit permission.


HOW WILL K9S FOR WARRIORS SUPPORT MY FUNDRAISER?
In addition to sending to you the K9s toolkit link plus listing your fundraiser on our website, we are happy to acknowledge your fundraiser by tagging it in one of our monthly thank you posts from our K9s’ official Instagram platform. It is important to let the K9s Community Relations team know your specific tag information for the fundraiser. Be sure to also tag us @K9sForWarriors in any posts you may create related to the fundraiser. We do not have the bandwidth to share all social media third-party event posts but our Content Manager is monitoring socials and will acknowledge whenever possible. If you have a special social media post you would like shared to our story, please send notification to events@k9sforwarriors.org with the details.


CAN A K9S FOR WARRIORS STAFF MEMBER, WARRIOR, OR DOG ATTEND MY EVENT?
We would love to attend every event, but unfortunately that is not logistically possible. We rely on our amazing hosts to be our voice to help raise awareness and funds where we cannot physically be. We evaluate requests for attendance on a case-by-case basis and we cannot guarantee to have a K9s representative or Warrior Ambassador with Service Dog at your event. Our Warrior graduates with their Service Dogs are not required to attend events or participate in any way.


CAN A BUSINESS OR INDIVIDUAL SPONSOR MY FUNDRAISER TO HELP COVER COSTS?
Having a sponsor or sponsors is a great way to offset your fundraising costs. By request, K9s For Warriors can provide you with an event verification letter confirming your fundraiser that you can present to potential sponsors; however, we cannot provide the sponsor with a tax receipt for their donation made to your fundraiser. All tangibles such as silent auction items, gift certificates, food/beverage donations, etc. are required to be sent directly to the host of the third-party fundraiser. K9s cannot accept those items in-house. If you are not with an organization that claims 501(c)3 status, please do not promise a charitable-tax receipt.


CAN I USE K9S FOR WARRIORS’ SALES TAX EXEMPTION TO PURCHASE MATERIALS FOR MY EVENT?
We are not legally permitted to provide our sales tax letter for third-party events.


CAN I USE K9S FOR WARRIORS’ 501(c)3 FEDERAL TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER?
Your third-party event cannot use our charitable 501(c)3 identification number.


CAN K9S FOR WARRIORS SEND TAX RECEIPTS TO MY DONORS?
We will send tax receipts to donors whose checks or online donations are made directly to K9s For Warriors. Should you choose to send us a single combined donation check from your event and would like the donors included in that check to receive tax receipts, we would need the breakdown details of who donated, the amount donated and their mailing address and contact information. We cannot issue a tax receipt to both you and your donor(s).


DO I NEED TO CREATE A 501(c)3 (non-profit) ORGANIZATION TO HOST A FUNDRAISER FOR K9S FOR WARRIORS?
No. Anyone can host a fundraiser for K9s For Warriors. We ask that any fundraiser hosted by a third-party is registered with us to receive approval prior to getting started.


HOW DO I COVER EXPENSES FOR MY FUNDRAISER?
We understand that fundraisers incur expenses; however, K9s For Warriors cannot fund or financially support third-party community fundraising events. Third-party organizers are responsible for covering all expenses and will not be reimbursed for costs. Sponsors are a great way to offset costs. Costs for your fundraiser’s swag, for example, can be pulled from the overall total prior to sending the final donation. Pre-planning your event budget is an important first stage detail of hosting.