Charity

From WikiFur, the furry encyclopedia.

Midwest Furry Fandom added $10000 to the $5193 raised for Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation by Midwest FurFest 2007 attendees

A charity can be designated by a convention as its official charitable organization. For furry and anthopomorphic organizations, such charities usually support the welfare of wildlife or domesticated animals, but there are exceptions. In 2005, the Memphis-based Mephit Furmeet 9 collected an unrecorded amount in money and resources for victims of Hurricane Katrina, many of whom were staying in the same hotel.

Some conventions may retain an official charity for an extended period of time while others may rotate their designated charity each year.

[edit] Fundraising

A charity auction is now held at most furry conventions. The convention auctions off donated items from the attendees at the convention with the proceeds going to a single or group of designated charities. At larger conventions, the total amount raised in a charity auction can approach or exceed $10,000. Long-running European convention Eurofurence ran their first charity auction in 2007, raising 1814€ (roughly $2628).

See also: Art auction

As popular as such special events are, they aren't always the best source of cash. Many US furry events are run by non-profit organizations claiming 501(c)(3) status, which are both tax-exempt and eligible for tax-deductible donations.^[1] They often run large surpluses, some of which may be donated directly to charity.

Leading such groups is Anthropomorphic Arts and Education (organizer of Further Confusion), which in 2008 made the largest ever recorded donation of $16000. AAE received $41068 in the same year through tax-exempt donations, mostly purchases of sponsor memberships.^[2] In contrast, Anthrocon is a non-profit social club^[3] and does not regularly run a surplus from which grants can be made. Instead, it has run a charity auction for over a decade, raising over $70000 in total.