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Welcome!
Thank you for accessing the Chapter Resources Page. This page is designed to provide information to Chapters of the MGFA. The Web site is intended for chapter board and committee members only.
In The News
Information About Raffle and Lottery Fundraisers
When planning raffle, sweepstakes and prize drawing activities for your chapter, it is important to make sure that you are following all state, federal, US Postal Service and MGFA requirements. Please note that US postal regulations do not allow for payment or solicitation of payment for raffle tickets through the mail.
MGFA Policies and Procedures [Section IV, Financial Operations, Fundraising] clearly outline the requirements for running a raffle or a sweepstakes. Please review these carefully and note the following:
Before any gambling activities can occur, the written consent of the Executive Committee of the National Board of Directors must be obtained.
If the Executive Committee refuses to consent to the gambling activities, they shall not be conducted. The Chapter may appeal the Committee’s decision to the National Board of Directors. However, no unapproved gambling activities may be conducted while a request is on appeal.
The chapter must request and receive permission for each individual raffle, sweepstakes or prize drawing activity before the activity can take place; approval of one activity does not necessarily indicate that the chapter is approved for another, similar, activity.
To simplify the process to apply for approval, you will find below a template for a board resolution, a sample raffle ticket with the required language, a sample letter the chapter can use when requesting event approval, as well as an approval checklist to keep track of the required steps and documentation for each activity.
Bottom line: Make sure that you are not only maximizing your potential to raise money for your chapter’s programs, but that you are also in compliance with the law and with MGFA’s policies and procedures.
Important - Updated Documents Available
MGFA's Policies & Procedures, Approved January 19, 2008
An updated and revised edition of MGFA's Policies & Procedures was approved by the national board of directors on January 19, 2008. This approval followed a 60-day review period by the chapters. Please make sure to download an up-to-date copy of these important policies today.
Chapter Contact Information and Listings
A list of MGFA's chapters, along with contact information and chair/presidents listed, updated as of February 1, 2008, is available here.
New IRS Requirement -- 990-N (e-postcards)
A new IRS filing requirement has gone into effect as of 2008 that will directly impact the majority of MGFA's chapters. All chapters that regularly receive less than $25,000 per year in gross revenue and do not currently file an IRS 990 or IRS 990EZ will have to annually file a 990-N on or before May 15th of each year. The 990-N will be filed via an on-line form available through the IRS website. Information about filing the 990-N and access to the on-line form is available at www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=169250,00.html.
The information that you will need to have available to file is:
- The chapter's Employer identification number (EIN). The chapter's EIN is NOT the same as the national Foundation's EIN. Please contact the national office immediately if you do not know your chapter's EIN.
- The chapter's legal operating name and mailing address.
- Any additional names the chapter operates under.
- The name and address of one principal officer.
- Your chapter's web site address, if you maintain one independently.
- Confirmation that the organization's annual gross receipts are normally $25,000 or less
If any chapter does not file, it will place our tax-exempt status in danger. Although the majority of MGFA's chapters receive their tax-exempt status through the national Foundation's Group Exemption Listing, every chapter must independently file either a 990, 990EZ, or 990-N with the IRS annually. For more information about Group Exemption Listings, please see IRS Publication 4573 (12-2006), available at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/p4573.pdf.
Financial Counseling & Planning Assistance
MGFA and the Foundation for Financial Professionals have created a partnership that provides access to free, financial advice to members of the myasthenia gravis community. The program provides one-on-one financial counseling for individuals or their families who may be facing financial difficulties due to medical expenses, hostile lending practices, or who need to know how to apply for Social Security or Medicare. In addition to the one-on-one counseling, we also urge chapters to take advantage of these knowledgeable professionals as part of chapter and support meetings.
A memo providing details related to the program is available here. You can also download a program flyer here.
Important Announcement - Inserts for the Clinical News/alert: Myasthenia Gravis
We are now required to add special inserts to any Clinical News/alert: Myasthenia Gravis booklets that we distribute. These inserts thank the American Academy of Neurology for authorizing us to use this publication. You can download a PDF of the inserts here.
Additional copies of the Clinical News/alert: Myasthenia Gravis booklet are available from the national office at no charge (shipping costs will still apply, however). Simply contact the office at mgfa@myasthenia.org or 1-800-541-5454.
WARNING: MGFA Sp*m/Spoof e-mails
Many chapters have reported receiving spoof e-mails that appear to be from the MGFA e-mail domain. What this means is that some nefarious and annoying individual is faking the “@myasthenia.org” e-mail domain name when sending out potentially dangerous messages to our public chapter e-mail addresses. These “spoof” messages often will come from addresses listed as “admin@myasthenia.org”, “webmaster@myasthenia.org”, or something similarly vague. These messages do not actually come from the MGFA domain, and there is little that can be done to stop them from going out. Therefore, vigilance and diligence is important when using e-mail.
In general, the national office will only send out messages from easily identified e-mail addresses that contain specific people’s names (such as mspaan@nonprofitsolutions.com). The only e-mail address that uses the “@myasthenia.org” domain is mgfa@myasthenia.org”. You will never receive a message from any other “@myasthenia.org” address. As an additional precaution, messages from the national office will also contain a “prefix” within the subject line such as “MGFA” to identify it as legitimate. If you ever have a question regarding a message that is supposedly from the national office, make sure to call us to check it out (especially if it contains an attachment).
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