Frequently Asked Questions
Answers
What is a MWB Support Club?
A support club is simply a group of people who are interested and concerned for the plight of orphaned and vulnerable children in our world. They are people who want to support the work done by Mothers Without Borders. Typically it is a group of friends and family who come together and decide how, when and where they want to be involved.
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How does a Support Club differ from a Chapter? Why did you change the program?
The differences between the former Family Service Chapter Program and the new Support Clubs Program may be minor, but we think they will make this process of getting involved and supporting our work much more effective.
We found that being a volunteer staffed organization, we weren't able to offer the support that was needed by the increasing number of Chapters being started. This was causing a degree of frustration on the part of wonderful people who just wanted to get involved and help the cause.
As a result we decided to streamline the program and make it less 'structured'.
So if you started a Chapter, you will need to shift over to the new Support Club model. We think you'll find it easier to do what you wanted to do when you got involved with this work!
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How do the Clubs support the work of Mothers Without Borders?
There are three things you can do in your Club to help us serve the children.
- Raise money and awareness for our international projects. We can provide ideas and suggestions.
- Collect items that are listed on our In Kind Donations needs list. We collect items throughout the year and keep a list of needs posted on the web site. Unfortunately we cannot accept items that do not appear on our Needs List, but you may be able to distribute items locally to children in need, so your list of what your club accepts may be different from ours.
- Participate in a volunteer expedition to Zambia where you will learn first hand what Mothers Without Borders does to serve the orphaned and vulnerable children. You can find detailed information on our expeditions on the web site under the Volunteers link.
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What if our club collects toys or other items not on your Needs List?
You can find local outlets to receive these items, battered women's shelters, homeless shelters, foster care programs, etc. Please don't send them to us, we are limited in storage space and can only distribute items approved by the governments in the countries where we work.
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Are the Support Clubs an extension of or a subsidiary of Mothers Without Borders, Inc.? Are they legally connected to Mothers Without Borders, Inc?
No, Support Clubs are completely independent. Their purpose is to support the work done by the organization, both domestically (in the US) and abroad, and to encourage people to nurture and care for vulnerable children in their own communities. This new structure will allow you to take your club in the direction that best meets the needs of your members.
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How do we cover expenses for fundraisers we conduct to benefit MWB projects?
You will need to get your costs underwritten as we have a VERY SMALL budget for fundraising. We can issue a tax exempt donation receipt for donations made to support your fundraising costs, but please note your expenses cannot exceed 5% of the total amount raised by your event (in order to maintain our fundraising/$ spent on projects ratio).
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What if our Club wants to conduct local service projects to benefit children in our own community?
We applaud that decision! Part of the reason we started Mothers Without Borders was to send the message that one person can make a difference, and it's done one person at a time, one child at a time! So go ahead and find the needs in your own community and start making a difference. Your local projects are at your own discretion, and don't fall under the supervision of Mothers Without Borders, so be creative! See below for questions regarding tax exempt donation receipts for local projects.
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Who decides how often a club will meet, the organization structure and what activities the Club participates in?
The members of each Support Club are free to make their own decisions regarding activities, fund raisers, frequency of meetings, officers, local projects, etc.
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Are members required to pay dues to belong to a Support Club?
No! We encourage each club to do a membership drive each year to assist us with much needed funds for our international projects, but it's your club so you decide. We've set membership levels as a guideline only. Any and all donations are appreciated, and all participation is valuable. Some members will elect to donate their time and talents instead of money and that's great too!
We would love to receive a count each year of how many members you have in your club. We use this number when competing for government funding, and it helps us have our voice heard by governments and at the United Nations.
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Can Clubs issue tax exempt donation receipts for funds received?
No, but MWB can issue receipts for funds made out to us, received and disbursed by our headquarters. If you raise money to support MWB international projects, then checks should be payable to Mothers Without Borders and sent to our main office. Donation receipts will be sent to the donor.
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Can MWB, Inc. issue tax exempt donation receipts for funds raised to conduct local projects to benefit children in our own community?
Not usually UNLESS the project is approved by our Board before it is conducted. If you plan to do a great deal of fundraising for local projects, you may want to look into forming a more official organization and applying for 501 (c) 3 status on your own. We would be happy to 'walk' you through the process.
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How can we issue tax exempt donation receipts for in kind donations, such as items that will be distributed to vulnerable children both domestically and abroad, or goods and services donated, or food for a fund raising event?
Again, all tax exempt donation receipts issued in the name of Mothers Without Borders must be issued from our head office. We are happy to do that and appreciate ALL donations!
Please send a list of what was donated, the donor's name, address, phone number and email address to mail@motherswithoutborders.org. Please note, the donor must establish the value of the donation. i.e. bed sheets, $15. We will send a donation receipt, via email to the donor or to the Support Club if we don't have the donor's email address and the Club can distribute the receipts.
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Can Clubs open their own bank account in the name of Mothers Without Borders, or any derivative like MWB Salt Lake Chapter or MWB Denver Support Club?
No, only our head office has the authority to open bank accounts in the name of Mothers Without Borders.
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Can our Club participate in a volunteer expedition exclusively for our members?
Yes! If you have enough members interested in participating in an expedition to fill a team, we will give you priority as we select our team members. Visit the Volunteer link for more information on expeditions.
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Can our Club opt to support a specific project, like the Northern Uganda Child Rescue or Zambia Children's Village?
Certainly! We encourage you to 'adopt' a project if it's captured your heart. You will be more successful in your fundraising as well. Just be sure you let us know which project you are supporting when you send in your donations.
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How can we communicate with other clubs?
We're working on that, as clubs have suggestions and ideas about this we're certain a good solution will present itself! As you start your club, we would appreciate it if you would send your contact information to mail@motherswithoutborders.org. We will create a database that can be emailed to those who are interested in communicating. Please include names and email addresses.
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