What about raffles, auctions, merchandise, and other more complicated contributions?

Some contributions are more complicated to handle than others. Please be aware of how the following types of contributions are handled:

1. Auctions - Projects can hold auctions. Learn more about how to handle the proceeds from auctions.  
   
   
2. Advertising versus sponsorship - Projects are not able to raise money through ad sales, but projects can enter into sponsorship relationships.
   
   
3. Dinners and other special events - If you plan to host a fundraising dinner or other special event, please follow these steps before organizing the event. 
   
   
4. Raffles, lotteries, casino nights, and bingo - In general, raffles in all their forms are illegal unless you have complied with special State of California regulations. Please review this article to learn more.
   
   
5. Gifts with significant strings attached - Donations to projects of Community Partners are charitable trust funds restricted for the projects’ purposes, but are not (and cannot be) earmarked for the use or benefit of any specific person or entity. Further, Community Partners cannot accept gifts with any written or oral “side agreements” that contradict Community Partners’ exclusive discretion over the use of the gift.
   
   Community Partners cannot accept a gift of cash, tangible property, or services that is interwoven in any way with financial gain for the donor, a relative of the donor, the Project Leader, a volunteer, or project staff. For example, if a donor makes a gift with the requirement – or even the suggestion – that the donor or the donor’s business be retained as the exclusive provider of those services, Community Partners cannot accept the gift. However, it is acceptable if a donor who provides services to a Community Partners project wants to make a separate and unrelated gift of cash or services.
   
   
6. Gifts of services - Community Partners will not issue a tax receipt for gifts of service, although we can issue tax receipts for tangible non-cash gifts.  
   
   
7. Government grants and contracts (“public funding”) - Public funding is a great way to support your project, but can be complicated to apply for and process. Please review this article to learn more about government grants and contracts.
   
   
8. Real estate - Because gifts of real estate often come with certain risks, possible hazards (including toxics), hidden encumbrances, tax liability, and other obligations, Community Partners’ staff must review them on a case-by-case basis before accepting on behalf of your project.
   
   
9. Merchandise - Community Partners strongly discourages fundraising through the sale of merchandise that is not directly related to your project’s charitable mission. To learn more about selling merchandise, please review this article.
   
   
10. Stocks, bonds, and other securities - Community Partners can accept these types of gifts for your project.
    
    
11. Mass-mailing solicitations - Here are instructions to mail fundraising solicitations to people outside of your network.
    
    
12. Telephone solicitations - Community Partners prohibits all projects from engaging in this form of mass solicitation, particularly when done by third-party "boiler room" contractors. Call-a-thons to current active donors or known friends of the organization are permissable. 
    
    
13. Pledges - Community Partners can accept pledges for the purposes of your project.