The Annual Campaign builds on the success of Winetasting in years past. We wanted to preserve the identity of our most well-known event, so we made sure that the Annual Campaign giving level names all came from the Winetasting levels: Patron, Host, Partner in Pro Bono, Cote-d’Or, First Growth, Tete de Cuvee, and Grand Cru.  

All donations to the AVLF Annual Campaign are unrestricted gifts. That means that we can use the funds wherever we need them most, and they’re not restricted to a particular program.

The lists of donors at each Annual Campaign level will be updated regularly throughout the year, and will appear on the Annual Campaign Donor Roll, on our social media platforms, and (if applicable) in the Winetasting event announcement, on avlfwinetasting.org, and in the Daily Report post-event Winetasting spread. 

Cumulative giving is a combination of your restricted and unrestricted gifts, made throughout the year. This includes restricted money from event tickets and sponsorships (at PurSHOEing Justice, Beer Tasting, and the Guardian ad Litem Benefit), restricted donations made during fundraising events, donations to the SAFE Fund, and unrestricted donations to the AVLF Annual Campaign.   

No, donations made in support of AVLF’s fundraising events are not counted as gifts to the AVLF Annual Campaign. Event fundraising is calculated differently by the IRS. Annual Campaign gifts are totally unrestricted and have their own set of benefits for donors.

This means that if you purchase tickets to the GAL Benefit, PurSHOEing Justice, or Beer Tasting this year, your gift will not count toward the Annual Campaign (but will count toward your cumulative giving – see above). The same is true if you make any sort of donation at the event.

However, if you donate $350 or more to the Annual Campaign between January and November, you will be invited to attend the Winetasting as a thank-you for your generosity and your commitment to AVLF.

No, donations made to AVLF’s SAFE Fund are not connected to the Annual Campaign. The SAFE Fund is a one-time matched donation opportunity that will only run through September 2019.

Your SAFE Fund donation will be matched dollar for dollar by an anonymous donor, as long as we raise $500,000 by September 2019. Donating to the SAFE Fund does not count toward Winetasting. Your contribution to the SAFE fund will count toward your cumulative giving level.

NOTE: We’re having a one-day fundraising marathon for the SAFE Fund on February 21st. If you donate $40+ to the SAFE Fund on February 21st only, you’ll receive exclusive AVLF-branded swag! Check out our social media toolkit here.

In order for you to receive the full benefits of supporting the AVLF Annual Campaign, we strongly encourage you to donate prior to October 1st. But if you make a gift to our annual campaign after the Winetasting, we will still recognize and thank you for your cumulative giving on our website, on social media, and in the AVLF Annual Report.  

Once the year of fundraising is complete, these cumulative giving levels will appear on AVLF.org, on our social media platforms, and in the AVLF Annual Report. Because this is a new form of donor recognition for AVLF, we have devised a new set of giving level names: Contributor, Benefactor, Sustainer, Advocate, Defender, Guardian, and Champion. 

We understand! There are many different categories for your donations, and it’s a lot of information to digest.

Give AVLF’s Communications Associate Ashleigh Starnes a call at (678) 681-6004 – she can explain.