Donor Information

If you have any questions about donating or our donor program, please contact our Executive Director, Aaron Silverman, at info@arifossfoundation.org.

Financial Responsibility and Transparency

We are committed to being good stewards of the money that is donated to us.  We are transparent with where and how donations are used, which is why we support and publish The Donor Bill of Rights.

When donors donate, they can select which program their money goes to.  If a donation is made during a specific fundraising campaign, those funds will be used in the manner the campaign states.

Donations to the Cremation and Funeral Financial Assistance Program are only used within that program to pay for Cremation and Funeral-related expenses.  A big caveat to this is the credit card processing and platform fees on donations.  These are taken out by the donation platform and credit card merchant.

If a donor wants to avoid those fees, a check can be mailed to our office.  Checks should have the program designation written on the memo line or in an accompanying letter; otherwise, the donation will be applied towards our greatest need at that time.

Operating Funds are paid by grants, specific fundraising campaigns, donors specifically donating towards the Operating Funds, general use donations and Aaron Silverman’s company, Bluewater Property Management, LLC.

Donor Recognition Levels

We value all of our donors.  Without them, we would not be able to help families when the unthinkable happens.  During our 2024 Giving Tuesday Fundraising Campaign, we developed a tiered donor level for recognition.  Donor level is determined by the total amount donated in a calendar year, and a donor’s level can change if additional donations are made during the year.

Donor level recognition will be published in our annual report and on our website.  Recognition will be given for the year the donation(s) is made and throughout the next year.

$100 – Supporter
$250 – Bronze Level
$500 – Silver Level
$1,200 – Gold Level
$2,500 – Platinum Level
$5,000 – Diamond Level
$10,000 – Ari’s Level

The Donor Bill of Rights

The Donor Bill of Rights was created by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and the Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits. It has been endorsed by numerous organizations.

Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the not-for-profit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:

I. To be informed of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.

II. To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization’s governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.

III. To have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.

IV. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.

V. To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.

VI. To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.

VII. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.

VIII. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.

IX. To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.

X. To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

https://afpglobal.org/donor-bill-rights

Note from Ari Foss Foundation:  We do not use hired solicitors.  That is listed in The Donor Bill of Rights, and we republish The Donor Bill of Rights verbatim.