Question 1

How the Fund Works

Accepted Answer

Participating businesses collect a voluntary, donation, e.g. 1% on the pre-tax gross sales of products and services or a “round up to the next dollar” amount. Businesses send their collected donations to the Tongass Stewardship Fund via our fiscal sponsor, Spruce Root, on a payment plan of their choice. There are no commitments on how much businesses must collect to contribute.

Question 2

Businesses that Fit this Program

Accepted Answer

There is no limit to what kind of business can participate. In other programs of this kind, participating businesses include restaurants, retail shops, realtors, landscapers, construction contractors, hotels and lodging, health and beauty service providers, artists, guide companies, educational institutions, and property managers.

Question 3

Business Set Up Process

Accepted Answer

Participating businesses sign a simple contract establishing a preferred payment schedule. The business adds a line item to receipts, indicating to the customer that a voluntary donation is being collected. Most point-of-sale systems are easily configured to allow this inclusion. Businesses may also configure their system to offer an opt-in selection for customers to accept a donation amount. We will work with you to set up the system.

We provide you with signage to highlight your participation in the program, so your employees do not have sole responsibility of indicating participation or educating the customer about the program or its mission.

Question 4

How it Works for Customers

Accepted Answer

You and your employees are not expected to explain the program to each customer at each transaction. We will provide signs to serve as notification of your participation in the program. These materials will explain that donations to the program are entirely voluntary. With the opt-out option, if a customer does not wish to donate, it is the salesperson’s responsibility to remove the donation line item from the bill, though this rarely happens.

No sales tax is due on the contribution because it is a donation. The customer’s donation is tax deductible for them, not the business. If the business chooses to make a separate donation, the business will then be entitled to a deduction.

Question 5

Sharing Collected Donations

Accepted Answer

The Tonagss Stewardship Fund program does not provide a notification for when your donations are due. You will be notified if your donations are late, according to your preferred payment schedule. If your payment lapses six months or more, your business will be taken off the marking materials offered by the program until full payment bas been made. Once payments have resumed, so will your marketing opportunities.

Question 6

What We Do for You

Accepted Answer

We know signing up is a commitment. As our respected and valued partner, we will work with you to determine how you wish to be acknowledged. You can count on promotional inclusion on our website and at times of program marketing such as grant award announcements, etc.

Become a Participating Business