Third Party Fundraising

Thank you for your interest in becoming a Third Party Fundraiser for the Animal Legal Defense Fund!

Introduction

We are most grateful to the many independent individuals and organizations who wish to host events in support of our mission: to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system.

Please review the complete guidelines for Third Party Fundraising prior to submitting an event application form for approval. If you have any questions regarding Third Party Fundraising at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, please reach out to the contact name and email address on the event application form.

What is a Third Party Event or Activity?

A third party fundraising activity is defined as an activity held by supporters, donors, community members, or businesses unaffiliated with, and in support of, the Animal Legal Defense Fund. The activity does not require the financial responsibility of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and minimal to no support from its staff.

Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Role

Animal Legal Defense Fund can:

• Offer advice on the planning of your event;
• Provide a limited number of support materials, such as brochures;
• Provide an Animal Legal Defense Fund volunteer or staff member to attend your event (depending on event location, advance notice, and availability);
• Acknowledge your direct contribution to the Animal Legal Defense Fund;
• Approve the use of the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s name for your event;
• Provide information on tax deduction guidelines.

Animal Legal Defense Fund cannot:

• Guarantee staff or volunteer support at/for your event;
• Promote your event;
• Share access to donor contact information;
• Apply for licenses for your event.

Terms and Conditions

Approval Process

• To receive approval for your event, please complete an event application form and submit it for review 60 days prior to the event’s date.
• Once submitted, the form becomes an agreement between the Third Party Fundraiser and the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
• Each submission will be reviewed on a case by case basis for approval to ensure each event meets the criteria for successful Third Party Fundraising.
• The Animal Legal Defense Fund reserves the right to decline participation or funds generated from events that were not approved or conflict with the mission or core values of the organization.

Event Promotion

• Third Party Fundraiser events must be approved in advance prior to the promotion of the event.
• Use of any Animal Legal Defense Fund logo is permitted for approved Third Party Fundraising events and requires approval from Animal Legal Defense Fund staff.
• Use of the Animal Legal Defense Fund name is permitted only with explicit pre-approval.
• Events must be clearly marketed as “benefitting the Animal Legal Defense Fund.” No events may claim to be “sponsored by the Animal Legal Defense Fund.”
• All promotional material (including but not limited to brochures, flyers, posters, press releases, advertising, and tickets) whether electronic or for hard copy distribution, must be approved in advance by Animal Legal Defense Fund staff.
• All promotional material must clearly state the percentage of proceeds or portion of the ticket price that will be donated to the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Event Expenses & Liability

• The Animal Legal Defense Fund is not responsible for any event-related expenses incurred from the Third Party Fundraiser. Events must be self-sustaining, and funds will not be provided at any time from the Animal Legal Defense Fund under any circumstances.
• Necessary state registrations, permits, and insurance required for hosting an event are the sole responsibility of the third party fundraiser, not of the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
• All planning, expenses, insurance, and permits are the sole responsibility of the host of the event.
• Depending on which state a third party fundraiser resides in, a contract between the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the fundraiser may be required.

Animal Legal Defense Fund Staff Support

The staff of the Animal Legal Defense Fund may provide event support on a case by case basis. Support may include providing Animal Legal Defense Fund branded merchandise, in-person event support, or event strategy.

Event Income

• Only final net proceeds will be processed by the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Under no circumstances will third party revenue and expenses flow through Animal Legal Defense Fund accounts.
• Final proceeds (based on the percentage of the proceeds stated in the Event Proposal Application Form) generated by the event must be made payable to the Animal Legal Defense Fund and identified as generated from the Third-Party Fundraiser Event.
• If you are deducting expenses before sending net proceeds to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, you should not state or imply to your donors that any funds given to you are tax deductible, and you should not use the word “donation”, because it implies that their contributions are tax deductible.
• Final proceeds must be provided to the Animal Legal Defense Fund within 30 days following the date of the event, accompanied by a detailed financial breakdown of all event expenses and revenue.
• Only donations payable to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and clearly labeled with the donor’s information, will be provided with a tax deductible acknowledgment letter in accordance with IRS and state tax regulations.
• Donations made out to an event organizer or any other source other than the Animal Legal Defense Fund may be sent a general, non-tax deductible acknowledgment letter, with no value attached.
• If the event allows for donations via Paypal, the Animal Legal Defense Fund can provide the required email address for transmitting funds to the ALDF Paypal account. The event organizer must clearly set up their account in a manner that will provide the event name to appear on all donations sent in this manner, and must inform ALDF staff that they are utilizing this option.
• If utilizing any event-related platforms that may remit donations directly to the Animal Legal Defense Fund on behalf of the event, the name of the platform must be provided to the Animal Legal Defense Fund on the event form so that the Animal Legal Defense Fund can confirm the manner and timing in which donations will be submitted.

Prohibited Events and Activities

The Animal Legal Defense Fund does not permit the following types of fundraising on our behalf:

• Events or activities that raise money on commission.
• Events that encourage or involve behavior that is contrary to Animal Legal Defense Fund mission and/or program activities.
• Events involving the promotion or support of a political party or candidate, or those which appear to endorse a political candidate.
• Direct response solicitation, through digital, telemarketing, or face-to-face canvassing.

A PDF version of these guidelines are also available.