We wanted to address something that’s been coming to our attention lately…
A bunch of different fans are doing their own fundraising efforts and we think it’s awesome! More and more people have become inspired to do good things and pull together – that’s exactly what we were hoping for when we created Wishlist Foundation. To see the community exposed to such a wide variety of causes is profound, and the motivation and passion that comes from participating in fundraising for a cause is something everyone should be proud of. It’s been an amazing seven years watching the grassroots efforts of fans develop from just a seedling idea to a forest of action and passion.
Unfortunately, over the last year or two there have been a few incidents with some people hosting their own contests and money collections under the guise of ‘fundraising’. They weren’t accountable for the items that were donated to them or the money they collected from our friends and fellow fans. Some were dishonest about the cause, skimmed off the top, lied and worse.
Because of this we do not get involved with or promote or acknowledge any fundraising activity that we don’t have an active role in.
Our goal with Wishlist Foundation was/is to create an organization that serves the Pearl Jam fan community. We went through great expense, time and effort to legitimize our fundraising efforts. We did all this to make sure that our friends and community feel safe when they donate to us, because they know we are a legal nonprofit. We’ve worked hard to earn everyone’s trust and we feel very responsible to the community to make sure that who and what we back or promote is legitimate.
You can feel secure that any pre-party, online auction or event promoted by the Wishlist Foundation is a 100% valid fundraising situation. Early on we knew we had to make sure everyone’s donations are safe and secure since you all trust us with your hard-earned money. Wishlist Foundation is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) organization. Our tax ID number is 20-5497732 and we run everything through our business bank account. We hold both directors insurance and liability insurance too, just as any other business and nonprofit would. As a federal recognized nonprofit, we have the ability to provide tax receipts and have to disclose all of our accounting. All of our information is at https://wishlistfoundation.org/
We are a 100% volunteer organization and we guarantee you that none of us is taking any money off the top, bottom or anywhere in between Other than the production cost of the items we create and event expenses, we donate all proceeds to beneficiaries we support. We do this out of love, and we certainly have no intention of screwing over our friends.
There are lots of fans out there who host their own private fundraisers. We believe that 99% of them are genuine and honest – but you should always be careful when donating to a person or organization that isn’t registered. It’s that whole “buyer beware / donor beware” situation.
Unfortunately there are a few people out there who would take advantage of how giving our community is and withhold information or even money. That can be said of any community, business, place, or time. Think twice about donating to any organization that is afraid to disclose their business practices or structure.
If you’re a fan looking to host a fundraiser, please let us know. That’s what Wishlist is here for – a vehicle to help you do great things in the world for great causes.
If you have any questions about the validity of a specific fundraiser or if it’s ‘Wishlist approved’, feel free to email us at info (at) wishlistfoundation.org
Thanks for your time,
Wishlist Foundation
