What is the Butterflies of America Foundation?
Butterflies of America Foundation is the parent organization of the Butterflies of America website. We try to deliver up-to-date, accurate, detailed information on America’s butterflies to everyone with an interest through multiple displays of images and related information. The project website is free of charge and free of advertising, and is available to everyone with access to an internet connection. Over time we aim to develop additional learning resources and promote new contributors from around the world.

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Why donate to the Butterflies of America Foundation?
The goal of the Butterflies of America Foundation is to provide fast and easy access to information on American butterflies, for everyone with an interest, anywhere in the world. We offer this free of charge, and without advertising. As a non-profit organization, we are dependent on your help to provide this service. Your donations directly support the maintenance, development and improvement of our website, which is already the world’s largest online archive of butterfly images. The Butterflies of America Foundation has 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in the United States. Donations made from other nations may also be tax deductible, depending on national laws.

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Are you a charity?
Yes. Butterflies of America is a non-profit charitable corporation organized under the laws of the State of Texas, USA, and physically located in Dallas, Texas. The Butterflies of America Foundation has 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in the United States. The existence of the Butterflies of America Foundation was officially announced by website authors and Members of the Board of Directors on March 30, 2009. The Bylaws of Butterflies of America Foundation (PDF file, 116kb download size) are available online.

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How is the Foundation run?
The Butterflies of America Foundation currently has a staff of three, Andrew Warren, Kim Davis and Mike Stangeland. The staff maintains and develops the website, incorporating the work of the hundreds of volunteers who contribute content to Butterflies of America.
The Board of Directors articulates the goals and vision of the Butterflies of America Foundation, provides oversight, reviews and assists in the development of long-term plans, and supports the Foundation's fundraising efforts.
We have one office, located in Dallas, Texas, USA, although most Members of the Board of Directors and Staff work remotely. We strive to operate transparently, and will publish key policies and financial information in Annual Reports.

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How is the Butterflies of America Foundation funded?
From its initial formation in January, 2008, to the time of its tax-exempt status in the State of Texas (February, 2009), the Butterflies of America website was funded by the authors. It is our goal for the Butterflies of America Foundation to be funded primarily through donations from private individuals and corporations, as well as through grants and gifts. We are currently not considering advertising as a potential source of revenue.

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How is revenue spent?
Upon completion of our first fiscal year, we will provide an Annual Report to all donors, which will explain our programs and include a summary of key financial information.

Revenue received by the Butterflies of America Foundation will be used as follows: to support the continued operation of the Butterflies of America website by paying for hosting, bandwidth, and operations staff; to improve website content through active site maintenance and equipment upgrades; to acquire specialized, new website content through visits to field sites and museum collections; to respond to requests from our users and volunteers; to pay for financial, administrative, legal, and fundraising expenses.

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How do I donate?
To donate, please visit our “fundraising page”. You can donate using any major credit card (including VISA, Mastercard, Discover or American Express), PayPal, bank transfer (please arrange details with a member of the Staff or Board of Directors), or by sending a check to the Foundation. Our donation options support most (although not all) currencies.

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Where do I send a check?
Send checks to: Butterflies of America Foundation, 5338 Del Roy Dr., Dallas, TX 75229-3015 USA

When possible, our preference is for checks in U.S. dollars, drawn on U.S. bank accounts. Checks in currencies other than U.S. dollars, or from bank accounts outside the U.S., may be very expensive for us to process, which reduces the value of your gift. If you do not have a U.S. bank account, you can maximize the value of your donation by donating via PayPal or wire transfer.

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Are my donations tax-deductible?
The Butterflies of America Foundation, a Texas not-for-profit corporation, may lawfully solicit donations under Texas law. The Foundation has been granted official tax-exempt status (section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code) from the United States Internal Revenue Service. Tax-exempt status was granted in March of 2009 and is retroactive back to the date of creation of the Foundation, in February, 2009. You may deduct donations from your federally-taxable income. Please contact a tax professional for the details of deducting such a donation.
Read our 501(c)(3) status letter Our tax ID# is: 94-3470086

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If I make a donation, how do I get a tax receipt?
Anyone who donates through PayPal or using a credit card will receive an email tax receipt (within 48 hours of the gift), as long as their email address was included with the gift. Donations by check over $25 will receive a tax receipt through the mail if a return address for the gift is known. You may also request a tax receipt for your donation by writing to us at donate@butterfliesofamerica.com (please include your contact information, the method you used to donate, and the amount of your gift).

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Can I give a restricted donation to be used for something specific?
Charities in the U.S., including the Butterflies of America Foundation, are required to honor restrictions requested by donors. Therefore if you indicate that your donation must be restricted for a specific use, either we will honor your request or we will refuse/return your gift. Before you decide to offer a restricted gift, please contact a Staff member or member of the Board of Directors to discuss your intentions and our current needs and priorities.

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What else can I do to help?
You can help by spreading the word any way you can! Tell your friends and family about the website and foundation. Put buttons and banners on your blog. Paste links to images of species you discuss in listserve posts. You could even use the following text on the bottom of your e-mails: Your donations enable the development of Butterflies of America! Support Butterflies of America Foundation today: http://butterfliesofamerica.com/donate.htm

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What is your privacy policy?
We are serious about protecting the privacy rights of all of our donors. We do not share, sell, or trade your email address or other contact information with anyone. We will seek the consent of each donor before their name is added to our Supporters page, to protect anyone wishing to make an "anonymous" gift.

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How can I contact the Foundation?
See the Contact Us page for contact details, as well as photos of the Staff, Board of Directors and Members.

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