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WHERE DOES MY MONEY GO?
5) Is my donation tax-deductible?
Yes, when you make a donation to the International Association of Women without receiving goods or services in return, you can deduct it from your taxes. We will provide you with a letter showing the amount of your tax-exempt donation. We are non profit 501-c3 in the united states.
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6) How much of your income goes to grants & programs?
78% of the money we raise each year goes to grants and program services. That includes funds that we put directly into the hands of women's groups abroad. It also includes costs for translations of proposals (to ensure that all applicants get a fair shake), travel to underserved regions to learn about emerging groups and the salaries of program staff conduct thorough grant reviews and make recommendations. We invest in due diligence to ensure that your donor dollars are well spent.
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7) Where does the rest of the money go?
Of the remaining 22% of our budget, 7% is costs for overall administration and 16% are costs for fundraising. We invest resources in fundraising so that we can raise more money each year to award more grants. We have succeeded in awarding more and more grants every year since our founding. The last two years in a row we have increased our grantmaking by 15% annually. We limit our costs by maintaining only one office rather than setting up offices all over the world.
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8) Can I designate my donation to a specific organization?
According to US tax laws, you may not designate your donation to be given to a specific women's organization abroad. You can, however, restrict a donation of $1,000 or more for an interest area of your choice, such as women's economic independence, stopping violence, advancing girls' education, etc. We will ensure that your donation goes to women's groups working on that issue. You can also designate your donation to go to a specific population or region. Restricted gifts must be outlined in writing. International Association of women allocates 15% of the gift for programmatic and administrative costs.
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9) Why doesn't all of your income just go to grants?
Giving small grants takes a lot of effort. If we had $1 million and gave it all to one group, we would only work with one program, review one budget and write one check. At the International Association of women Fund, $1 million will provide about 90 grants! (Our average grant size is $8,800). That means our staff will have reviewed about 350 proposals, contacted dozens of advisors, prepared 90 contracts, written checks or wires for 90 organizations and checked to see if the money arrived in 90 countries! We can't give grants in a respectful way without the infrastructure to do so. Program services constitute the many activities we engage in to get the money into the right hands in faraway places.
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10) Is all that extra work worth it?
Small grants to grassroots groups working for equality and justice prove to be one of the most effective uses of financial resources. They deliver support to the people who know how to solve their own problems at the community level. Small grants are given directly to local women leaders who know how to get things done. International Association of women to award grants in a timely and flexible way.
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11) Isn't your overhead rather high?
No. Our program expense to total expense ratio is 78%. Within the field of philanthropy, certain standards exist and we exceed the standards. These institutions recommend that the program expense to total expense ratio be between 60 and 65%. Also, America's largest independent evaluator of charities, Charity Navigator, gave the International Association of women top rating for being "exceptional" in fiscal management.
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12) Do you pay your Board of Directors?
No, they volunteer their time, as do the 120 volunteer advisors located all over the world.
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13) Why should I give when you get money from big foundations?
We couldn't do this work without individual contributions like yours. Donations from individuals account for nearly one third of our annual income. When we work together small donations add up. $10 will purchase a textbook for an Afghan girl once denied an education under the Taliban. $50 will enable a women's cooperative in El Salvador to purchase industrial cookware for their new restaurant. We believe that real philanthropy means each and every one of can make a difference.
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14) I don't have money to give. What else can I do to help?
You can get involved by educating your friends and family about the status of women's human rights and the work of the Global Fund for Women. Wherever you live, on any day of the year, you can host a house party or event - click here for more information.
If you live in Youngstown ohio, and know a foreign language, you can translate proposals or correspondence from prospective grantees or do administrative tasks in our offices. Go here to learn more.
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