Thursday, May 17, 2012
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Our ability to serve the well over 2,000,000 warriors and families in our military community impacted by combat stress and PTSD depends on YOU. We are funded solely through individual donations and corporate support. Join us in this fight to serve and empower ournation’s warriors and their families in their life after war.

Warriors and their families need your help. NOW.

WAYS TO DONATE

FUNDRAISING WITH NOT ALONE

Ways to Donate

Cash/Credit Card Donations
Corporate Giving & Sponsorships
Matching Gifts
Memorials and Honorariums
Wills, Trusts, and Life Insurance
Real Estate Gifts

 

Cash/Credit Card Donations

You can either donate directly to Not Alone online by clicking here, or you can use a print-friendly form and mail your
donation to:

Not Alone, Inc.
P.O. Box 92371
Nashville, TN 37209

If you have any questions please contact us at donorservices@notalone.com.

 

Corporate Giving and Sponsorships

We welcome inquiries from companies who support our mission of serving warriors and families impacted by combat stress and PTSD through the programs and resources of Not Alone. For more information on how your company can get involved with Not Alone, please proceed to the Fundraising With Not Alone section of this page, contact us at 888.497.0379, or via email at sponsorships@notalone.com.

 

Matching Gifts

Many companies encourage their employees to make charitable contributions by matching their philanthropic support. To find out if you work for a company who matches, consult your human resources office, which will provide you with a matching gift form. For further details contact us at: 888.497.0379 or donorservices@notalone.com.

 

Memorials and Honorariums

Donations made in honor or memory of a loved one is always welcome. If you wish to make your memorial or honorary donation online, please click here. The "Comment" box on the form allows you to enter in the necessary information. If you wish to mail in your memorial or honorary donation, please be sure to include the necessary information with your check or credit card information. If you wish, you can use a print friendly form and mail this form with your donation. Not Alone will notify the family or individual of your gift. If you have any questions please contact us at 888.497.0379 or via email at donorservices@notalone.com.

 

Wills, Trusts, and Life Insurance

Bequests are donations that are made through a will or a living trust. You can donate to the Not Alone through your estate planning by naming the Not Alone in your will for a specific amount or a percentage share in your estate or name the Not Alone to be the beneficiary of your estate after the payment of bequests to others. The process is very simple for most bequests. Please refer to the Not Alone Sample Bequest Language below. As always, we strongly encourage consulting a legal advisor when drafting a will.

Sample Bequest Language

The following are suggested forms for bequests that may be used by a testator or lawyer when writing a bequest to Not Alone.

A Specific Legacy

“I give and bequeath my collection of military memorabilia to Not Alone, a 501(c)(3) Tennessee non-profit corporation.”

An Unrestricted Gift

I give and bequeath to the Not Alone, a 501(c)(3) Tennessee non-profit corporation, the sum of $ (or % of my estate; or the property described herein) for its general purposes.”

A Restricted Gift

(The Not Alone requires a minimum gift of $25,000 for a restricted bequest) “ I give andbequest to Not Alone, a 501(c)(3) Tennessee non-profit corporation, the sum of $ (or % of my estate) to be used for (specify purpose). If in the opinion of the Board of Directors of the Not Alone, the income or principal cannot be used for the purposes described herein, they may
use the principal or income or both for a different but related purpose which best serves the intent of the bequest.”

Important: Not Alone urges you to consult with your legal advisors in the drafting of your will. The above information is to serve as a guideline only and not as a substitute for professional legal counsel. Your legal counsel can advise you on the most appropriate way to remember the Not Alone in your will.

Another way to donate to the Not Alone is to name our organization as the beneficiary of an existing or new life insurance plan. This is low-cost, and your premium payments may be tax-deductible. The Not Alone must be named as the owner and beneficiary of the insurance policy for it to be tax-deductible. If you have any questions please contact us at 888-454-0950 or via email at donorservices@notalone.com.

 

Real Estate Gifts

Not Alone accepts gifts of real estate subject to the approval of our Board of Directors.

There are several benefits to making a gift of real estate, such as receiving a charitable income tax deduction for the fair market value of the property, bypassing the capital gains taxes that would be due upon the sale of the property, and removing the property from your taxable estate. If you have any questions please contact us at 888-454-9050 or via email at donorservices@notalone.com.

 

Fundraising with NOT ALONE

Thank you for your interest in fundraising for Not Alone. We rely on individuals across the country to spread awareness and raise funds for our nation's warriors and families impacted by combat stress and PTSD. With your help, warriors and families across the country are making the transition to a new normal and living a more fulfilling and successful life.

You can support warriors and their families by doing what you love! From golf tournaments and galas to car washes and bake sales, Not Alone believes you know your community best and what will work to raise funds and awareness in your area. Don't feel limited by what you can do, or think will be the most successful. Sometimes the most creative ideas are the most effective.

The team at Not Alone wants to make it very easy to get involved with us and support our nation's warriors and families. Therefore, we will be constantly adding additional resources for you to use. So please keep checking back to the site for new resources. Coming soon, you will have access to resources and tools to help in your planning. They will include:

  • NOT ALONE Logo and guidelines
  • Personal NOT ALONE donation page
  • Flyers
  • Letter Templates
  • Timelines
  • Sponsorship Templates
  • And More!

In the meantime... Let's get started!

How You Can Get Involved

COMING SOON!! Personal NOT ALONE Website (PDF Example)
Walk/Run/Swim or Cycle For the Warriors
Banquet/Dinner or Cocktails to Honor Warriors & Families
Golf Tournaments
Company & Employee Events and Fundraisers
School, Organizations, and Individual Fundraisers
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

As much as we would like to, it is not within our capabilities to plan, organize, or handle the logistics of your event. We will work with you and provide as much support as possible but are unable to facilitate the marketing, PR, sponsors, participation, or finances of your event. We sincerely apologize and appreciate your understanding.

Please also note that Not Alone does not endorse nor promote any events of political, sexual, or derogatory nature.

Thank you for supporting Not Alone. For questions, please read the Fundraising FAQs. If your questions are not answered, please email us at events@notalone.com.

Walk For the Warriors (or Run, Swim, or Cycle)

Many military supporters are avid runners, walkers, cyclists and/or swimmers who take our suggestion... and run with it, literally, to support our nation's service members coping with combat stress.

Whether you're a beginner or expert, you can participate in 5ks, half marathons, marathons, triathlons and cycling events to raise funds for Not Alone. As an individual or team, you can also use the Not Alone logo on a shirt or jersey, collect donations or sponsors with Not Alone's donation forms found in the online resources, or create an online fundraising page for your race.

For the experienced fundraisers and event planers, you can organize your own walk, run, swim or cycling event. You will find letter templates and forms in the online resources to help.

Banquet/Dinner or Cocktails to Honor Warriors

From a few couples getting together for pizza and each bringing a check, to a Black-tie affair with tickets at $1,000 a plate, getting together to support our nations service members is a cause that everyone can get behind, and have fun while doing it.

Where and with Whom...

  • Your home
  • A restaurant
  • A hotel
  • A club house
  • School group (PTA or class parents)
  • Church group (study group or whole church)
  • Community clubs (Alumni group)
  • Small neighborhood group (bike club)

The key to a successful dinner is to ask that food, drinks, entertainment, etc. be donated. Therefore, there are less expenses to cover from the beginning. In addition, Not Alone can not cut a check back for the expenses of the event. See the FAQ's for more information. You can ask guest to give a flat donation or give what they would like.

Golf Tournaments

Golf tournaments are a popular fundraiser! Most people who inquire about them have either planned a tournament before, work for a golf course, or are avid golfers.

If you have an annual tournament, and would like Not Alone to be a part of it, register the tournament with us and feel free to use any of our online resources. Email us at events@notalone.com with any questions of successful tournaments we've been a part of.

Plan of Attack Tips...

  • Develop your plan - goals, number of golfers, etc.
  • Put together a committee of experienced and connected people
  • Create a budget - fees, sponsorship costs, etc.
  • Timeline and individual responsibilities
  • Find the golf course
  • Choose the format of tournament (see below)
  • Marketing and Public Relations
  • Selling sponsors
  • Finding golfers
  • Games, contests, make more winners
  • Gifts and prizes
  • Outside services (entertainment, printing, on line registration, etc.)
  • Signage
  • Photos
  • Awards Ceremony - Fun and Upbeat
  • Auctions (if decided) can raise considerably more funds
  • Don't forget little things (registration tables, volunteers, bags, drink tickets, rules sheet, company brochures, sponsor items for bags, etc.)
  • Wrap up - Thank you letters, secure golf course for next year, sell sponsors
  • multiple year agreements, etc.

Types of Tournaments...

  • Scramble
  • Best Ball
  • Modified Scramble
  • Pro-Am
  • Celebrity
  • Night Golf
  • Golf-a-thon
*ask the golf shop for details on each


Company and Employee Events and Fundraisers

Companies are often looking for ways to bring their employees together to give back as individuals or a company. We appreciate the support of every business and company program that wants to get involved.

If your company would like to discuss becoming a Not Alone program or event sponsor, please contact us at sponsorships@notalone.com.

If you are a company or business that wants to hold a fundraiser, either within the company or in the community, please move forward with Start my Fundraiser, to access the resources you will need for your event. Picnics, bowl-a-thons, walks, and luncheons have all been done with company employees.

Individual opportunities for employees to raise funds are great ideas to raise awareness without organizing a fundraising event. Examples include:

  • Corporate matching gift
  • Casual day (or week) for a $10 donation toward the company's gift
  • Company BBQ for a $10 donation
  • Corporate Holiday Cards to employees asking for donations
  • Co-Branding with Not Alone in existing corporate sponsorships

Unfortunately at this time, we do not have individual volunteer opportunities for employees but welcome any ideas on ways to increase awareness of the services provided by Not Alone.

If you are a company or business that would like to donate a portion of the proceeds from your over-all sales, we appreciate your support! You can make the donation on the website, or send a check, made payable to Not Alone, to Not Alone, Executive & Operations Offices. 200 Business Park Circle, Suite 117, St Augustine, FL 32095.

To donate proceeds from a specific product or retail item, please first email a full scope of your intended promotion to sponsorships@notalone.com.


School, Organizations, and Individual Fundraisers

School fundraisers are common among students, faculty, and parents in all grades and at all schools. Whether a graduation requirement, or instilling values of giving back in future generations, school fundraisers are a big part of every school year!

It is the perfect time to educate elementary, junior high, high school, and college age students on current events happening around the world and let them be an active part of making a difference. Every fundraiser is a success! It's not about the amount of funds raised but that something is being done for this young generation, which so often times isn't that much older than the students helping them! Below are some ideas that other schools have done:

  • Donate your lunch money
    (Bring your lunch for a week and donate your lunch money. The Class who raises the most gets a pizza party)
  • School Concert/Talent Show/Battle of the Bands
    ($10 ticket, can show WWP 3-minute DVD at beginning or end to show parents and guests what the fundraiser is for; also have donation bowls outside)
  • Step-Up for a Solider
    (Students, teachers, and parents can purchase or "sell" a cut-out boot-prints for $1. At the end of each day, the boot prints are laid out in the walking pattern throughout the school halls (other schools have let the kids place them down). There is a start point and end point and the goal is to get enough boot prints to get to the end point. There are so many different things you can add or change to make it work for your school. One teacher said her students looked forward to coming to school to see how far they got and all the while teaching them about giving, goals, and our military service members. The fundraiser can be kicked off with an assembly.
  • Lunch BBQ on school lawn
  • Sports Games
  • Bowl-a-Thon
  • Bake sale

Be creative!

Fundraising Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the guidelines to have a fundraiser for Not Alone?

Not Alone believes you know your community or organization best and can determine what will be successful for your event. Therefore, we don't want to put many guidelines or restrictions on what you can do.

However, our only true guideline is that our name and logo be used in the best of light. In order to meet our standards, we ask anyone wanting to use our logo, to sign an agreement and strictly adhere to the guidelines of that agreement.

The agreement states that if you choose to use our logo, or any representation of Not Alone thereof, in any of your advertising, banners, flyers, websites, etc., it must remain unaltered, in black or white, and that we can require approval the use before your material prior to its use.

The logo is representative of the Not Alone brand and we are strict about its use.

What percent of the proceeds go directly to the programs of Not Alone?

We take the responsibility of being stewards of donated funds very seriously. Therefore, we strive to use the funds entrusted to us as effectively as possible. We also understand that we are a direct representation of our donors. We want our supporters to be proud of their association with Not Alone. That is why we have adopted the Donor Bill of Rights. That is also why we are completely transparent with regards to our financials and are proud to share them.

We will do all we can to maintain a high level of programmatic expenditures while minimizing administrative and fundraising costs. However, it is more important that we be as effective as possible in our program delivery being that we are truly dealing, often times, with life and death and the well being of warriors and families.

Do I need to get permission to do a fundraiser for Not Alone?

You do not need permission to do a fundraiser, however, we like to be aware of events, whether using our logo or not, so that we can assist and support you the best we can. We can also add your event to our calendar of events to aid in attendance/participation.

You do, however, need permission to use our name and logo in any advertising including flyers, posters, banners, website, etc. To get that permission, please email us at sponsorships@notalone.com with a plan of how you wish to use the Not Alone logo and/or we will send you the agreement that must be signed.

How do sponsors or donors receive a tax-deductible acknowledgment?

Both sponsors and donors can receive a tax-deductible acknowledgment through Not Alone's 501(c)(3) only if the check is made out directly to Not Alone. However, it is not a practice of Not Alone to have fiduciary responsibility and/or oversight for events not managed solely by Not Alone. We understand that this can cause some problems in having the initial funds to get the event going and to be able to provide a tax-deductible acknowledgment to your sponsors. What we recommend is the following:

If you are looking for sponsors to cover the costs of food, entertainment, facilities, t-shirts, etc. suggest instead that the food provider, entertainer, or location would donate their services as a donation-in-kind. Upon receiving an invoice from them on the value of their services, we can send them a tax-deductible acknowledgment for their donation-in-kind.

Often times, companies and stores can claim a sponsorship check made out to the event or event coordinator as an advertising cost since the event will typically put up sponsor banners, logos on signs, etc. However, please have them contact their tax advisor.

We would like to have a warrior/Not Alone representative attend our event. How do we do this?

While we are so thankful for everyone who holds a fundraiser for Not Alone and would like to have a warrior or Not Alone representative at every event, unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate every request.

Many of the warriors and families we serve are currently dealing with issues of combat stress and acclimating to a life with memories and thoughts they didn't have before. Ultimately, however, we will respect their time and commitments to their families and other personal endeavors.

We do have a very impactful DVD as well as other collateral materials that we are more than happy to send you to keep and show at your event, meetings, or conferences.

Can you send me a list of warriors or families that you have served in my area?

By the simple nature of the anonymous online community, it is a possibility that we will not have any personal data other than a state of residence and/or email address. Regardless, the confidentiality of any warrior information we receive or have is paramount.

How many individuals have benefited from Not Alone?

Since Not Alone began 2008, thousands of warriors, military family members, and others have participated in the online community. As well, Not Alone has provided via the online community and face to face over 5,000 session hours to veterans, active service members, and their families.

What events do you have in my area?

Thank you for your interest in attending Not Alone events in your area. Please refer to our calendar of events for all upcoming fundraising events.

How can I volunteer at an event?

Thank you for your interest in volunteering! At this time, Not Alone does not have any volunteer opportunities directly with the organization or those it serves. For volunteer opportunities at fundraisers in your area, please refer to our calendar of events.

How will donors at my event receive their tax-deductible receipt?

Not Alone will provide a tax-deductible acknowledgment for any gift, service and/ or donation made directly to the organization. Therefore, only donations made directly to Not Alone are tax-deductible.

Donations, in the form of cash, goods, or services, given to the event or in the event name, are considered sponsorships of the event. Please contact your tax advisor on issues of deductibility.

For an auction, how do companies or individuals who donate item(s) receive their tax-deductible acknowledgment?

There are two ways an individual or company who donates an item to an auction can receive their tax-deductible acknowledgment:

First, if the item was auctioned and won, (a) the company or individual who donated the item can receive an acknowledgment from Not Alone in the amount of the value of the item at the time of the auction or (b) they can receive an acknowledgement for the amount received for the item at the auction.

Second, if the item was not auctioned, (a) the individual or company can receive a tax deductible acknowledgment for the value of the item at the time of the auction and the item must be sent to Not Alone to be auctioned in another auction, or (b) the company or individual certainly has the option to take their donated item back. However we hope the donor will consider making the item or service available for future auctions.

How do I donate the funds raised from my fundraising event?

Thank you for your generous donation and support! Please provide details and information about the event and include them with your check(s). Checks must be made payable to Not Alone and sent to our donor services at:

Not Alone
Attn: Donor Services
P.O. Box 92371
Nashville, TN 37205

Not Alone's 501c3 certification letter