Thank you for your interest in hosting a fundraiser for Operation Underground Railroad, Inc. (“O.U.R.”). By clicking the “Accept” button at the end of these Third-Party Fundraiser Guidelines + Policy (the “Guidelines”) you acknowledge that you have read, understand and agree to be bound by all of the terms and conditions of these Guidelines. If you do not agree to all of the terms of the terms of these Guidelines, the button indicating “Reject” should be selected in which case you will not qualify to host a fundraiser for O.U.R.

Any volunteer, individual, or organization (outside of O.U.R.) that hosts an event, promotion, sale or donation drive benefiting O.U.R. is defined as a “third-party”. Third-party fundraisers must be financially self-sustaining without contribution from or financial risk to O.U.R.

These guidelines are provided to ensure that you are aware of O.U.R.’s requirements regarding third-party fundraisers using our name and logo, and to assist you in your efforts. Please review them carefully.

Approval to use the O.U.R. name and logo will only be granted once these guidelines have been signed and approved by your O.U.R. liaison.

Thank you for your patience during the approval process. An O.U.R. team member will respond within two weeks of receiving your completed forms.

• Operation Underground Railroad assumes no legal or financial liability associated with third-party events.
• The use of the Operation Underground Railroad name, logo, or mission, may not be used in any way without written approval from your O.U.R. liaison.
• Fundraisers benefiting Operation Underground Railroad must reflect positively on its mission. O.U.R. has the right to stop or deny collaboration with any group that does not comply with these guidelines. O.U.R. will incur no liability for any such disapproval or the removal of existing approval.
• Third-party fundraising efforts must be fully planned, executed, and operated by the third-party fundraiser(s). O.U.R. staff is able to provide limited fundraising support and recommendations during your planning process. You acknowledge that your third-party fundraising activities do not make you and agent, representative or contractor of O.U.R. and that you remain responsible alone for all of your actions and activities.
• O.U.R. only sanctions individual organized fundraisers where 100% of net proceeds (gross proceeds less all related expenses) are donated to O.U.R. This does not apply to fundraisers hosted by an organization.
• Third-party fundraisers must fully and truthfully state the portion of net proceeds being donated to O.U.R. in all advertising, promotions and in all contact with donors, sponsors and participants. Potential donors must be informed whenever less than 100% of net proceeds will be donated, as may be the case with some organization led fundraisers. (For example: 90% of net proceeds will benefit O.U.R.)
• Per current BBB guidelines, please clearly disclose how O.U.R. will benefit from the sale of products or services that state or imply that O.U.R. will benefit from a consumer sale or transaction. Such promotions should disclose, at the point of solicitation: a) the actual or anticipated portion of the purchase price that will benefit the charity (e.g., 5 cents will be contributed to O.U.R. for every xyz company product sold), b) the duration of the campaign (e.g., the month of October), and c) any maximum or guaranteed minimum contribution amount (e.g., up to a maximum of $200,000).
• Third-party fundraisers must comply with all federal, state and local laws governing charitable fundraising, gift reporting and special events and are responsible for obtaining all required permits, licenses, and insurance certificates necessary for their fundraiser.
• Raffles, drawings, and other games of chance are governed by a variety of state municipal and federal laws, and must be licensed and permitted. If you will be holding a raffle, drawing, or other game of chance as part of your fundraiser, it is your responsibility to check your local rules and regulations regarding these activities.

• You may not produce any materials, including, but not limited to advertisements, announcements, promotional banners, programs, etc. suggesting that O.U.R. is conducting the fundraiser, directly or indirectly, but such materials should instead identify O.U.R. only as the beneficiary of the fundraiser. For example, an event cannot be named “The O.U.R. Walk-A-Thon”, and a product cannot be called “O.U.R. Wristbands.” The event should be promoted as the “XYZ Walk-A-Thon Benefiting Operation Underground Railroad.” The word gala cannot be used in any event title unless approved by O.U.R.
• Any material that includes the “Operation Underground Railroad” (“O.U.R.”) name, O.U.R. copyrighted information, logos, or photos, may only be published, produced, or distributed after approval by your O.U.R. liaison. This includes but is not limited to promotions, tickets, programs, brochures, flyers, press releases, signs, banners, literature, apparel, and other printed or digital materials.
• The O.U.R. logo may not be altered in any way. Approved logos will be sent after fundraiser approval is given. All logo use must be used in conjunction with supportive wording such as “We Support”, “Proud Supporter of”, or “Benefiting” O.U.R.
• When abbreviating Operation Underground Railroad to “O.U.R.”, all letters must be capitalized and periods should appear after all three letters.
• O.U.R. is able to provide digital files of O.U.R. literature for you to print. We encourage you to follow our social media channels @ourrescue. You are welcome to take images from our posts.
• If you plan to make a video/podcast, please send a detailed shot list and script/talking points to your O.U.R. liaison for approval.
• If you would like to use an O.U.R. video, please let your O.U.R. liaison know which video you plan to use from our YouTube channel. You may not alter any clips, images or other material without the prior consent of your O.U.R. liaison.
• Use only appropriate images when associating with the O.U.R. name or logo. Please do not use graphic, frightening, sensational, or offensive images to portray child trafficking. For example, O.U.R. avoids dark imagery of children in chains. We encourage you to look at our social media channels to get an idea of our hopeful tone and imagery. As stated above, all items must first be approved by your O.U.R. liaison.
• Third-party fundraisers are responsible for all marketing, including writing and distributing press releases, PSA’s, Facebook postings, invitations, ads, etc. Except in rare circumstances, O.U.R. does not communicate or advertise third-party fundraisers through our social media channels.
• O.U.R. cannot assist in securing sponsors or public figures for your event.
• A list of O.U.R. partners/ambassadors are found on our website. We ask that you do not approach any of these individuals or companies who already provide significant support to O.U.R.

• All money raised on O.U.R.’s behalf must be obtained through legal means. See Form B for instructions on submitting all cash and check funds raised for O.U.R.
• When possible, we recommend collecting and submitting donations and fundraiser proceeds through our YourRescue Campaign platform at https://my.ourrescue.org. These personalized online crowdfunding campaigns allow users to make donations directly to their campaign as well as track exactly how much has been raised through their efforts. This resource also includes a Text-to-Donate and QR code option upon request to [email protected].
• No bank accounts or holding accounts may be opened under the Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) name.
• The not-for-profit tax exempt status of O.U.R. may not be used to purchase items and materials for any third-party fundraiser; and, O.U.R. will not be liable for any costs or expenses incurred.
• The organizer agrees to minimize expenses related to their fundraiser by having goods/services donated where possible, and to provide O.U.R. with a fundraiser plan and budget if requested.
• Funds raised must be sent or presented to O.U.R. along with the Donation Deposit Slip (Form B) within 30 days of the fundraiser’s conclusion. Please inform your O.U.R. liaison once this has been done.
• Fundraising and event organizers shall not retain any portion of their fundraising proceeds as personal profit or compensation. (This does not apply to fundraisers organized by a business or organization.)
• Organizers are responsible for maintaining a detailed accounting for their fundraiser.
• Check donations are to be made payable directly to: Operation Underground Railroad or O.U.R. Checks should also include the fundraiser/event name and date on the check’s memo line.
• Credit Card donations can be taken through the Square App. The official O.U.R. Square account is only used by official O.U.R. teams and pre-approved and trained event leads. Please contact your local Volunteer Team Leader (via your O.U.R. liaison), for Square information. If you do not have a Volunteer Team near you, this does not apply. (Note: An e-receipt for a Square donation must be provided at the time of donation. Square does not collect donor information which means receipts cannot be provided in the future.) All square cash and check donations should be deposited with Form B within 24/48 business hours.
• All third-party fundraising expenses are the responsibility of the third-party fundraiser and must be paid before the proceeds are given to O.U.R. Refunds or reimbursements will not be permitted once O.U.R. has received the donation.
• O.U.R. does not reimburse for services rendered or for hours worked by any third-party fundraiser employees, independent contractors or volunteers unless a pre-existing contract is in place.

• Donations made directly to a third-party fundraiser can be used to cover the fundraisers expenses but, unless you are a registered 501(c)(3) organization, they are not tax deductible.
• You may have obligations to register with the government in connection with your fundraising activities in order to comply with charitable solicitation permitting laws in the jurisdictions within which you will conduct such activities. O.U.R. shall have no obligation as it relates to your registration and legal compliance in this regard.
• Donations to O.U.R., whether the donation is an item or cash, is fully tax deductible only when it is made directly and entirely to O.U.R. In-kind donations will only be given receipts if they are first approved by your O.U.R. liaison.
• All cash/check donations made payable to and received by O.U.R. along with the Cash/Check Receipt Form (Form C) will receive an official receipt for tax purposes outlining the tax-deductible portion of the donation. The name on the check received by O.U.R. will be used for receipt purposes and that individual, corporation, foundation, etc. will be the eligible party for tax benefits received as a result of the donation.
• If a single sum is sent in to O.U.R., only the individual, organization, etc. whose name appears on the check will receive tax benefits for the donation. Donors contributing in this circumstance should be made aware that their gift will not be acknowledged as a tax-deductible donation to Operation Underground Railroad.
• Any checks received must represent an outright donation and cannot be used as an exchange for product.
• This is the legal and proper language to use when discussing tax deductions:

“Donations to Operation Underground Railroad are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.”

We are available to answer your questions and provide support as we are able. You can contact us at [email protected]. Please remember that our bandwidth is limited. We may be able to provide services subject to availability and commitment level. This includes media resources and volunteer support.

WE ARE DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO YOU FOR PROPOSING THIS FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT OPERATION UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. IT IS BECAUSE OF GOOD PEOPLE LIKE YOU THAT WE ARE ABLE TO BRING HOPE, LIGHT AND A NEW LIFE TO SO MANY CHILDREN ALL OVER THE WORLD. THANK YOU FOR JOINING THE FIGHT!

THE O.U.R. TEAM