State Fundraising Policy

Due to the myriad of federal and state laws governing the solicitation and use of charitable contributions, all fundraising efforts for COSA, including for local projects run by state volunteer teams, must be run through and approved by COSA’s National External Relations Office.

Attachment: 3899/StateFundraisingPolicyCOSA1220223.pdf | 





Due to the myriad of federal and state laws governing the solicitation and use of charitable

contributions, all fundraising efforts for COSA, including for local projects run by state volunteer

teams, must be run through and approved by COSA’s National External Relations Office. We

encourage state volunteer teams to seek funding for projects they wish to run in their state but

need to ensure compliance with applicable federal and states laws and ensure appropriate

tracking and stewardship of resources. 

State teams wishing to raise funds for local projects should prepare a summary of their plans

that outlines the nature and purpose of the project they intend to undertake, potential funding

sources for the project, and anticipated expenses related to the project. State leaders should

email their project summary to their Regional Director who will review it and forward it to the

appropriate national staff for approval. 

As you are planning local fundraising activities, please bear the following guidelines in mind: 

1. COSA does not allow fundraising that directly or indirectly benefits volunteer leaders,

such as to raise funds for professional fees where the volunteer 

(or a family member or

associate)

 becomes a paid contractor to COSA.

2. Contributions to COSA must never be deposited into any personal or non-COSA 

business account.

3. Contributions to COSA are not deductible as charitable contributions for purposes of

federal income tax and are not refundable.

4. Formal acknowledgements of donations will be issued by COSA’s External Relations

Office and will include required IRS disclosures. Local volunteers are encouraged to

thank donors for gifts but should also note that a formal receipt will be provided by

COSA’s External Relations Office.

5. Bills related to any project supported by a local fundraising effort must be submitted to

the appropriate Regional Director no later than 14 days after they are incurred. The

Regional Director will review the expenditures and note the project the bill relates to

when forwarding it to COSA’s accounting department.

6. COSA does not move forward with any new initiatives until it has the funding to pay for

them. COSA must receive contributions for a state project before it will pay any

expenses for the project.

5850 San Felipe, Suite 580A

 

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Houston, TX 77057

ConventionOfStates.com

 

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540-441-7227

STATE FUNDRAISING POLICY| —- | Page Metadata || |Login Required to view? |No | |Created: |2023-12-26 15:25 GMT| |Updated: |2024-12-27 00:00 GMT| |Published: |2023-12-26 08:00 GMT| |Converted: |2025-11-11 12:28 GMT| |Change Author: |Eric Greenwood | |Credit Author: | |