1. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
NOTE on language: Asha or ASHA?
We are "Asha" and not "ASHA". We are not an acronym for anything - rather the reason for choosing Asha was that it means "hope" in most Indian languages. There are also many organizations in the US going by ASHA, most commonly the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.
Fundraising Basics
Team Asha’s training program is a fundraiser for supporting Asha for Education sponsored basic educational initiatives and projects across India. By training for a race (bike ride, marathon, triathlon), we spread awareness about Asha for Education. Donations are made directly to Asha for Education and not to the training athletes. Training costs and race registration fees are paid for by the athletes themselves.
Every organization has a focus. Asha for Education is committed to bringing hope into lives of underprivileged children in India by providing much needed education and in some cases, basic amenities also. In fact, Asha for Education often works with other organizations, jointly funding projects or referring and receiving ideas for projects from them.
Charity Navigator, an independent charity evaluator in the US, ranked Asha for Education as the top charity operating on less than $2 million a year. More details can be found here: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=7630
Asha for Education financial records are available on www.ashanet.org.
Fundraising Goals & Deadlines
Each athlete is required to raise a minimum amount depending on how many seasons they train with Team Asha.
Fundraising targets and deadlines:
Donation Information
How can a donor contribute to my fundraising?
Donations can be made in three ways: Credit Card, Personal Check or Company Check. In addition, most companies match the donation.
Credit card Donation
Your runner webpage will have a link for credit card donations.
When a donor successfully donates using the credit card link, you fundraising account will be updated immediately.
No further action required from the athlete unless Matching is requested. See the section Company Matching below.
Check Donation
Personal checks from Donors should be logged as Check in runnernet.
Login to runnernet and go to "My Funds" tab.
Use Add Check/Company Check button to add Check.
Information for Donors
Checks should be payable to “Asha for Education - Silicon Valley”.
Write athlete's Name & Athlete-ID (e.g. 2017TASVR1234) in the memo field on the check.
Ensure the donor address on the check is correct.
Mail the checks to Asha for Education - Silicon Valley, PO Box 398080, San Francisco, CA 94139-8080
The checks will be deposited in the order they are received. You can track your check, cash and credit card donations on your "My Funds."
No further action required from the athlete unless Matching is requested. See the section Company Matching below.
Please note:
Checks will not be accepted without an entry in your “My Funds”. All checks must be mailed directly to PO box.
If there is company matching, please submit the Matching form along with the check. Please check if the company will match donations made by check.
If a check “bounces”, the resulting penalty / fee charged by the bank will have to be paid by the runner.
Company Check Donation
Funds supposed to be released by Employers should be logged as Company Check in runnernet. This includes direct payroll deduction, special programs like bike-to-work etc. Matching Gifts should not be logged as Company Check. Please see the Company Matching section below.
Login to Runnernet and go to "My Funds" tab on the top.
Use Add Check/CompanyCheck button to add Company Check.
No further action required from the athlete unless Matching is requested. See the section Company Matching below.
Receipts
We encourage credit card donations since receipts are sent immediately for successful transactions.
For check donations, the runner enters all the required information of the donation and donor in “My Funds” tab.
It will take us about two weeks to send out the receipts. Please note that checks must be cleared before the receipt is issued.
We issue e-receipts for all donations, therefore, please get your donor's email address.
Are donations to Asha tax-deductible?
In the United States, donations to Asha for Education are 100% tax deductible under IRS code section 501(c)(3).
Asha for Education tax status
Organization name: Asha for Education
Federal Tax ID #: 77-0459884
Donations from outside US
Donors outside of the US can donate using credit card on the runnernet page. This works as long as their credit card allows dollar conversion. Also note that in this case, donors will not be able to get any tax exemption in their local country as they are donating to Asha for Education, which is registered as a non-profit in the US.
Company Matching
What is company matching?
Some companies match monetary contributions made by their employees to certain charitable organizations A company may match the entire or a portion of the donation made by the employee.
What should I know about company matching?
Please check the company matching policies with your donor. In particular, please obtain the following information:
Does the company match donations made to Asha for Education?
What is the matching ratio?
Is there a minimum / maximum limit on matching contributions?
Should the donor donate in a particular manner to avail of the company’s matching policy?
Some companies require donations to be made only by check or credit card, while others require their employees use a third-party channel, e.g., Easy Match, Giving Station, etc.
Asha for Education maybe identified as “Asha for Education, NY” in case of third-party channel.
Company matching & fundraising goal
Whatever amount is received by Asha for Education through company matching will count toward your fundraising goal.
How is matching done?
Matching can be done in two main ways:
Through matching forms -- Once the donation is made, donor fills out a matching form of the company they work for, and provide a copy to the Team Asha athlete. The athlete enters the original donation as well as matching information in the “My Funds” tab before handing the matching form to fundraising team. Information required to fill the matching form is available in this FAQ. If you have any questions about Asha for Education, please write to treasury@sv.team-asha.org. Most companies have a third-party matching website that handles this and submitting matching forms should not be necessary.
Through website(s) – ex. Giving Station, Easy match etc. The donor goes to the website through the company-provided www link and enters the information about his/her donation to Asha for Education. He/she should also enter the NAME and ATHLETE ID of the athlete for whom he is donating the funds.
The field to submit the NAME and ATHLETE ID would differ from company to company. It is usually the project or memo field. This should be a field which is transmitted by the website to the Asha. The runner should get the website confirmation number from the donor and enter it along with the amount and other information in the fundraising section of his “My Page”. Please ask the donor to forward the donation-confirmation email to treasury@sv.team-asha.org
Information for filling out the matching forms
Asha for Education is a registered 501(c)(3) organization in the US. (https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=7630)
Organization name Asha for Education
Federal Tax ID# (FIN#) 77-0459884
Street Address 340 S Lemon Ave Ste 2742, Walnut, CA 91789
Donations Address P.O. Box 398080, San Francisco, CA 94139
Email treasury@sv.team-asha.org
Purpose / Cause Education
Companies which have matched Asha donations in the past
Many companies match donations made by their employees.
Detailed information about company matching can be found here.
How do I log matching funds?
Log matching funds on your MY FUNDS page of Runnernet. See the Runnernet User Guide on how to do this.
I work at Google. How do I log extra matching funds from Google?
Example: Joe Donor works for Donation, Inc. He donates $100, and Donation, Inc., matches the $100. Since you are a Google employee, Google matches with another $100. Here is how to log this in Runnernet:
On your MY FUNDS page, you will see the donation for $100 from Joe Donor. Add the matching company as Donation, Inc. and the matching amount as $100.
Now on the same MY FUNDS page, add a new donation as follows: The donor is "Joe Donor"; Donation Type is "company check", Donation Amount is "$100," and choose company name "Google." In the Donation Comments section, please write that this donation is a matching amount from Google for funds donated by Joe Donor.
Timeframe for Asha for Education to get the matching amounts from companies
This varies from company to company. Some companies match funds from their employees once a quarter. It can take anywhere from one month to a year for Asha for Education to get matching amounts from companies. Runners should submit the matching forms to Team Asha by the fundraising deadline. Also, the donation needs to be logged in the company website and runnernet by the fundraising deadline.
What happens if the matching amount from the company is not received by Asha for Education?
If you have not met your goal and Asha for Education has not received the balance from a donor’s company by the end of the next year, we will intimate you of the fact. You are liable for paying the difference between your target amount and what was received by Asha for Education.
Fundraising Teams
Teams of up to 4 people can be formed to raise funds together.
The fundraising goal of the team will be the total of the individual fundraising goals of the team members.
You must officially state that you are raising funds with another person(s) during the recommitment process or by sending email to the fundraising team
You cannot form a team AFTER recommitment.
Example 1:
A & B combine to form a team. Their team fundraising commitment is $2000. If A raises $800 then B should raise $`200.
More Questions
If I exceed my minimum fundraising goal, can I carry forward the excess amount to the next year’s marathon program?
No. The aim is to raise as much money as possible this year.
What happens if I get injured?
We will certainly work with you to help you train for your desired marathon (full or half). In case an injury expressly forbids you from accomplishing your running goal, you can drop out of the current year’s program, with the following conditions,
You will have to meet your fundraising commitments for the current year, and,
next year, you can come back and train with Team Asha next year without the fundraising commitment.
Why should we spend our money to educate children in India while Indians are taking away our jobs?