IRS Fundraising Definitions

Fundraising Activities

Activities undertaken to induce potential donors to contribute money, securities, services, materials, facilities, other assets, or time. They include publicizing and conducting fundraising campaigns; maintaining donor mailing lists; conducting fundraising events; preparing and distributing fundraising manuals, instructions, and other materials; professional fundraising services; and conducting other activities involved with soliciting contributions from individuals, foundations, governments, and others. Fundraising activities don’t include gaming, the conduct of any trade or business that is regularly carried on, or activities substantially related to the accomplishment of the organization’s exempt purpose (other than by raising funds).

Professional Fundraising Services

Services performed for the organization requiring the exercise of professional judgment or discretion consisting of planning, management, preparation of materials (such as direct mail solicitation packages and applications for grants or other assistance), provision of advice and consulting regarding solicitation of contributions, and direct solicitation of contributions, such as soliciting restricted or unrestricted grants to provide services to the general public. However, professional fundraising doesn’t include services provided by the organization’s employees in their capacity as employees (except as provided in the instructions for Part I, line 16a), nor does professional fundraising include purely ministerial tasks, such as printing, mailing services, or receiving and depositing contributions to a charity, such as services provided by a bank or caging service.

Fundraising Events

Include dinners and dances, door-to-door sales of merchandise, concerts, carnivals, sports events, auctions, casino nights (in which participants can play casino-style games but the only prizes or auction items provided to participants are noncash items that were donated to the organization), and similar events not regularly carried on that are conducted for the primary purpose of raising funds. Fundraising events don’t include:

• The conduct of a trade or business that is regularly carried on;
• Activities substantially related to the accomplishment of the organization’s exempt purposes (other than by raising funds);
• Solicitation campaigns that generate only contributions, which may involve gifts of goods or services from the organization of only nominal value, or sweepstakes, lotteries, or raffles in which the names of contributors or other respondents are entered in a drawing for prizes of only nominal value; and
• Gaming