Fundraising Guide

The Westchester Medical Center Foundation can set up a customized webpage for your fundraising success!

Click here to schedule a consultation with our Foundation representative to establish and best utilize your own fundraising page.

What you’ll need:

• Name of fundraiser
• Fundraising goal
• A short story on your purpose and goal to encourage donors

The Foundation representative can assist with best practices.

• Form a planning committee
  • It can be as small as a one-man team or as large as a football team.
• Identify your audience
• Brainstorm ideas
• Select type of event: in-person vs. virtual
• Determine date and time for event
• Establish goals
• Set a budget
• Promote/Publicize event
• Delegate workload:
  • Finance
  • Publicity
  • Location
  • Entertainment
  • Decorations
  • Refreshments
  • Prizes/giveaways
• Collect all funds
• Send all checks made payable to “Westchester Medical Center Foundation” to the Westchester Medical Center Foundation within 60 days of the event to ensure donors receive tax receipts.

• Once you have picked your committee, create shared drive such as a Google Drive or Dropbox of basic materials that members can refer to in every meeting. Encourage them to use the drive to take notes and store all material they have been working on in preparation for the event.
• Depending on the size of your event and committee, you may want to delegate tasks. This can be a great time to ensure all of your planning is covered by appointing coordinators for the following purposes: Publicity, Event Day, Sponsor/Donor, Entertainment, etc. Coordinators can report on their progress at every meeting.
• Create your action plan. Determine how much money you hope to raise, how many attendees you will need to hit your goal, and the time commitment necessary to ensure everything is set. The more you plan, the more likely you are to succeed! To help make your event a success, remember to keep expenses to 50% or less.
• Make a planning calendar and timeline. Do this as early as possible. Set regular meeting times for your committee members and meet often to ensure your communication lines are strong.

Event Application and Approval

• Please review our Third-Party Fundraising Guidelines [LINK HERE] for Westchester Medical Center Health Network. After reviewing the guidelines, please complete and submit for approval the attached Third-Party Fundraiser Application and return it to: Third Party Fundraising, Westchester Medical Center Foundation, 100 Woods Road, Taylor Pavilion, Suite C-3, Valhalla, NY 10595 or e-mail to Foundation@WMCHealth.org. 
• Approval by Westchester Medical Center Foundation must be obtained before you advertise or hold your event.
• Annual events should be registered with Westchester Medical Center Foundation each year.

Marketing and Promotion

• Third-party events may not be represented as events sponsored by Westchester Medical Center Foundation.
• Promotions for the event should reflect Westchester Medical Center a beneficiary, and not conducting the event (i.e. “proceeds from XYZ Golf Tournament will benefit Westchester Medical Center Foundation”).
• All promotional materials related to an event benefiting Westchester Medical Center Foundation must be reviewed and approved by the Hospital’s Development Office prior to distribution (e.g. flyers, press releases, tickets, brochures, posters, etc.).
• The use of the Westchester Medical Center logo, trademark or photos is reserved for events conducted by the Foundation itself. Therefore, any requests for the use of the Foundation logo or trademark must undergo approval. No use of Westchester Medical Center photos and/or logo will be allowed without specific request and agreement.
• All references to Westchester Medical Center Foundation in publicity and promotional materials for the event or promotion should refer to “Westchester Medical Center Foundation, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital Fund or MidHudson Regional Hospital Fund.”

Event Expenses

• If you must buy goods or services for the event and expenses will be incurred, please consider the following:
  • Expenses incurred for conducting the event are the responsibility of the hosting volunteers and the Sponsor of the event. Westchester Medical Center Foundation will not be liable for any costs or expenses.

• Westchester Medical Center Foundation will not reimburse Sponsor for the purchase of goods for a third-party event. No goods may be charged to Westchester Medical Center Foundation for any reason.
  
  
• Suggestions to reduce event expenses:
  • Secure donated goods and services.
  • Negotiate reduced costs.

• The event Sponsor is responsible for opening and maintaining his/her own bank account for the event. Bank accounts may not be opened in the name of Westchester Medical Center Foundation for any reason.
• Any check payable to Westchester Medical Center Foundation must be sent directly to the Foundations’ Development Office at 100 Woods Road, Taylor Pavilion, Suite C3, Valhalla, NY10595.
• Only checks payable to Westchester Medical Center Foundation will be provided with a tax-deductible acknowledgement letter in accordance with IRS and state tax regulations. Donations made out to an organizer or other source may be sent a general acknowledgment letter with no value attached.
• If you are deducting expenses before sending net proceeds to Westchester Medical Center Foundation, you should not state or imply to your donors that any funds given to you are tax deductible, and you should not use the word “donation” because it implies that they are tax deductible.
• Sponsor agrees to inform Westchester Medical Center Foundation of any effort to recruit major financial underwriters to ensure there is no duplication of underwriting efforts already underway by the Foundation.
• Kindly submit appropriate documentation from individuals and/or businesses regarding their financial donations.
• Kindly submit raised funds, payable to Westchester Medical Center Foundation, within 60days of the event or contact us to have a check presentation in our Hospital.

• Sponsor is responsible for obtaining any necessary permits and clearances required by local and state government and complying with all applicable laws. Sponsor must also obtain appropriate insurance coverage as necessary.
• All third-party events should ideally be accessible to people with disabilities. Ideally the event should take place at a venue that meets ADA regulations. Sponsor is expected to promote and make arrangements for any special accommodations and needs by participants.
• The Westchester Medical Center Foundation cannot be held liable for details associated directly or indirectly with the event, including, but not limited to, expenses, purchases, insurance or liability coverage.

• As a responsible steward of public funds, Westchester Medical Center Foundation hold to the standard set forth in the Better Business Bureau guidelines. Events held to benefit Westchester Medical Center Foundation are expected to keep expenses to a minimum.
• If sponsor represents to the public that proceeds will benefit other organizations in addition to the Foundation, sponsor should be prepared to provide access to an accounting of revenues and expenses. If so requested, an accounting and fund distribution will be expected within 60 days after the conclusion of the special event or promotion.
• Sponsor is responsible for complying with all IRS regulations registrations applicable to the event.
• Federal tax laws disallow third-party events from using Westchester Medical Center Foundation Sales Tax Exemption number or Federal Employer Identification number when purchasing any goods or services from suppliers or vendors. Westchester Medical Center Foundation benefits from many types of third-party events and promotions. Picking an event that interests you and that you have a passion for will make the planning process enjoyable. All events are open for individual creativity. If you have questions about the details of a particular event, or have any suggestions for fundraisers, please contact us at Foundation@WMCHealth.org or (914) 493-2575.