When disaster or tragedy – such as earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires, hurricanes, and civic unrest – strike, it can bring out the best in us.
We at ConnectionPoint meet some of the most amazing people on the planet, doing what they can to help those in need. So thank you, first and foremost, for reaching out and wanting to help those in dangerous or tragic circumstances.
Unfortunately, some take advantage of such situations.
This can happen in many different ways. Perhaps someone pretends they are a victim and need money for medical bills or evacuation, or they work with an organization providing aid. Even if a campaign is run with all the best intentions at heart, sometimes the owner isn’t sure how to get funds to those who need them safely.
There is also the matter of location. Some regions are heavily monitored or directly unsupported by our payment processors or local governments.
And finally, as we are a Canadian company, we must adhere to our government’s crowdfunding regulations.
And so, we work within strict parameters and monitor what types of campaigns can and cannot run with our system.
There are two scenarios where we allow fundraising on our platforms for disaster/tragedy relief. #
Important: Any campaigns created for disaster relief that do not fall under either of these scenarios may be suspended without notice. PayPal and/or Stripe may be notified regarding the account being used to accept contributions through that campaign. This may result in the funds in that PayPal and/or Stripe account being frozen and funds either being held or returned to the senders or further action.
Scenario 1: You’re collecting contributions as an Authorized Officer of a registered Non-Profit Organization with 501(c)3 status (or equivalent if outside the US).
If you fall under this category – Your campaign must be created as a Non-Profit Organization campaign. Personal campaigns will not be accepted, even if you are an Authorized Offer of a registered non-profit/charity.
If you are from a For-Profit organization, you must ensure that your group can send funds to the region in question. Many countries do not allow support from groups without a registered charity number due to taxation and government policies. For ease, we recommend that for-profit groups raise funds independently, then direct them to a registered charity so the funds can be managed safely.
Scenario 2: You are helping someone you know personally, AND you can prove your connection.
Your campaign must be created as a Personal campaign, and your campaign page must name the person or group of people you’re raising funds for.
Upon request, you must provide us with information and/or documentation that proves that you have the authority or have been granted authority to raise funds on behalf of this individual. We may also ask for information and/or documentation that clearly shows how the funds collected will be transferred to or used to benefit this person or group.
“Documentation” can be as simple as a string of emails between you and them discussing the campaign, as long as the emails clearly identify the person or group of people and clearly show the person or group of people authorizing you to raise funds on their behalf.
Please DO NOT simply copy & paste the conversation into your reply. We need to see the original conversation.
- If the conversation happened via email, simply forward the email to support@connectionpoint.com and reference the Support Ticket number from the message we sent you.
- If the conversation happened via another method (Facebook Private Message, WhatsApp, etc.), then you will need to send us a screenshot of the conversation.
- If you cannot do either of those things, then the person or group of people you are raising money on behalf of will need to contact us directly at support@connectionpoint.com and reference the Support Ticket number from the message we sent you.
For those of you who do not fit into one of these categories and still want to help, please think carefully about this question:
If you don’t know any of the victims and are not part of a non-profit organization, how will you ensure the money you’re raising reaches the victims you’re trying to help?
You’ll need to figure out the answer to this question if you want to keep using our platforms to help them. You’ll need to contact a Non-Profit Organization that is already helping with relief efforts and arrange to provide FundRazr with a Letter Of Subordination from them authorizing you to raise and collect money on behalf of their Organization.
You’ll also need to make sure your campaign’s Story names the Non-Profit Organization you wish to support. If your campaign’s story already names them, then all we need is the Letter Of Subordination.
Important: Any campaigns created for disaster relief that do not fall under one of these two categories may be suspended without notice. PayPal and/or Stripe may be notified regarding the account being used to accept contributions through that campaign. This may result in the funds in that PayPal and/or Stripe account being frozen and funds either being held or returned to the senders or further action. As we want to be open with you, we’re saying this twice!
Your kind and generous nature inspire us. We set these parameters to protect you and your supporters, ensuring your generosity is guided to where it was intended to go.
