Proposal: Q1 Fundraising Drive

[Brett Neese]

I'd like to propose running a Q1 fundraising drive.

The concept: A raffle-based competition (credit to Landon for the competition idea). Every dollar raised = 1 raffle entry. This keeps it fun and competitive without purely advantaging those with deeper pockets. Drawing at end of Q1 2026; winners pick prizes in order, one prize per person. I'd like enough prizes that nearly everyone who participates wins something.

What counts as fundraising: Anything net-revenue-positive— the lab’s revenue from classes you teach, membership upgrades, grants, employer matches, equipment sales, new member referrals. Existing dues don't count, but upgrading or converting from community member to full member does. No cash to give? Help fundraise by hosting events, selling stuff, etc and you'd still be in the running.

Tracking: We'll maintain a leaderboard on the new site from our financial data (names optional). Donations under $25 won't count (assumed to be snacks/materials), but ticket revenue does. We'll rely on participants to flag anything we miss.

Donor recognition: Anyone contributing $350+ (cash or in-kind labor like making prizes—board to determine equivalency) gets invited to a spring donor dinner at HSL.

Goal: $10K, stretch $15K. Audacious, yes—but achievable. Worth noting: we reduced our deficit in 2025 partly thanks to a couple surprise $1K+ donations early in the year. I’m hoping this drive could ignite that kind of momentum.

Timeline: January 1 – April 30. Kick off the new year by rebuilding some of our chest.

What I need: A small team to drive enthusiasm (I'm terrible at asking for money) and prize donations/creation. There is a Slack channel and we can create one in Discord too.

Kickoff: I'm upgrading my membership to $100/month (paid annually) and buying Sofia a $50 membership = $1,200. I'm told someone's ready to match up to $1K, and their employer will match that. So we're already at $1,200 and potentially $3,200 before we even announce this.

Final note: I am not an accountant, but I understand that recent changes to tax laws have made it advantageous to donate $1K for singles and $2K for couples filing jointly starting in tax year 2026 even if you take the standard deduction. In my personal case, Uncle Sam will knock about $200 off my tax bill for 2026, effectively making that $1200 something like $200. (Consult your own financial advisor.) 

Thoughts, feedback, volunteers—all welcome. I'd like to finalize and announce at the next HYH (I don’t think it technically needs a vote but if people dislike it we won’t do it, obviously.)

Brett 

[Tim M]

Are we supposed to be getting written notices for donating more then $250 a year? I've been donating $1200 a year for almost a decade?

From the linked article:

Before you make a donation you plan on deducting, check the IRS’ search tool to make sure the organization is tax-exempt. And be sure to get a receipt for your donation; the IRS generally requires written acknowledgement of any donation in excess of $250.

Regards,

Tim Moffat

---

From: heatsy...@googlegroups.com <heatsy...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Brett Neese <br...@brneese.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2025 8:06:28 AM
To: heatsy...@googlegroups.com <heatsy...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [HSL] Proposal: Q1 Fundraising Drive

 

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[Darrell Wertz]

This would get a little complicated. All consistent $50 members technically donate $300/year. It would trigger a donation statement for practically every paying member. And then there is the non monetary donation….

Darrell Wertz

717-578-9884 Mobile

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[Darrell Wertz]

My math is off but you get the idea. $25 members donate $300.

Darrell Wertz

717-578-9884 Mobile

--

[Robert Bushman]

TL;DR: Donation receipts won't save you in an audit. Print out or store
a digital copy of your payment processor's records if you're itemizing.


HSL has donation receipts available. They used to be near the self-harm
waivers. They are boilerplate forms that you can fill out. You can also
have someone sign one, if you want, but a signature is not going to add
much weight in the IRS's eyes.

The receipts are not - as far as I have seen at HSL, BSBC, Goodwill, and
Habitat for Humanity - a substantial legal document. They are a shred of
evidence that will be referenced if you get audited.

If you donate an air fryer to Goodwill, they give you a blank tax
receipt. You fill it out on your own. If the IRS challenges your
deduction, Goodwill is not going to help you. *You* need to provide the
evidence. (I took photos of all the stuff I donated this year, since I'm
itemizing)

Similarly; if you get audited regarding your monthly donation to HSL,
your best bet will be the records from PayPal or your credit card or
whatever.

If you're itemizing, print out or store a digital copy of whatever
statement you get from your payment processor, showing each donation.

On 12/31/25 18:41, Darrell Wertz wrote:
> My math is off but you get the idea. $25 members donate $300.
>
> Darrell Wertz
> 717-578-9884 Mobile
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Dec 30, 2025 at 9:06 AM Brett Neese <br...@brneese.com
> <mailto:br...@brneese.com>> wrote:
>
> I'd like to propose running a Q1 fundraising drive.
>

> *The concept:* A raffle-based competition (credit to Landon for the

> competition idea). Every dollar raised = 1 raffle entry. This keeps
> it fun and competitive without purely advantaging those with deeper
> pockets. Drawing at end of Q1 2026; winners pick prizes in order,
> one prize per person. I'd like enough prizes that nearly everyone

> who participates wins /something/.
>
> *What counts as fundraising:* Anything net-revenue-positive— the

> lab’s revenue from classes you teach, membership upgrades, grants,
> employer matches, equipment sales, new member referrals. Existing
> dues don't count, but upgrading or converting from community member
> to full member does. No cash to give? Help fundraise by hosting
> events, selling stuff, etc and you'd still be in the running.
>

> *Tracking:* We'll maintain a leaderboard on the new site from our

> financial data (names optional). Donations under $25 won't count
> (assumed to be snacks/materials), but ticket revenue does. We'll
> rely on participants to flag anything we miss.
>

> *Donor recognition:* Anyone contributing $350+ (cash or in-kind

> labor like making prizes—board to determine equivalency) gets
> invited to a spring donor dinner at HSL.
>

> *Goal:* $10K, stretch $15K. Audacious, yes—but achievable. Worth

> noting: we reduced our deficit in 2025 partly thanks to a couple
> surprise $1K+ donations early in the year. I’m hoping this drive
> could ignite that kind of momentum.
>

> *Timeline:* January 1 – April 30. Kick off the new year by

> rebuilding some of our chest.
>

> *What I need:* A small team to drive enthusiasm (I'm terrible at

> asking for money) and prize donations/creation. There is a Slack
> channel and we can create one in Discord too.
>

> *Kickoff:* I'm upgrading my membership to $100/month (paid annually)

> and buying Sofia a $50 membership = $1,200. I'm told someone's ready

> to match up to $1K, and their employer will match /that/. So we're

> already at $1,200 and potentially $3,200 before we even announce this.
>
> Final note: I am not an accountant, but I understand that recent

> changes to tax laws <https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/03/trumps-budget-
> bill-includes-a-new-tax-break-worth-up-to-2000-dollars.html> have

> made it advantageous to donate $1K for singles and $2K for couples
> filing jointly starting in tax year 2026 even if you take the
> standard deduction. In my personal case, Uncle Sam will knock about
> $200 off my tax bill for 2026, effectively making that $1200
> something like $200. (Consult your own financial advisor.)
>
> Thoughts, feedback, volunteers—all welcome. I'd like to finalize and
> announce at the next HYH (I don’t think it technically needs a vote
> but if people dislike it we won’t do it, obviously.)
>
> Brett
>
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[Robert Bushman]

I should add: By "have someone sign one", I mean you can ask someone.
But nobody is tasked with that - HSL has no employees.

But my main point is that it doesn't matter. You need your payment
processor's records. If you have those, the IRS won't care about the
signature. If you don't have them, the signature won't help.

[Brett Neese]

I should add that regardless of the fundraiser I propose, one thing we do need to do is work on our internal bookkeeping (especially now that we have so many ways to get paid.) Right now we'd have to generate it by hand, but you should be able to get a receipt, if you want one. The same infrastructure I'd need to put in place for tracking donations for a raffle would enable this, too.

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[David Lang]

you are, we need to set this up

David Lang

On Wed, 31 Dec 2025, Tim M wrote:

> Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 05:58:26 +0000
> From: Tim M <valky...@gmail.com>
> Reply-To: heatsy...@googlegroups.com
> To: "heatsy...@googlegroups.com" <heatsy...@googlegroups.com>
> Subject: [HSL] Re: Proposal: Q1 Fundraising Drive

>
> Are we supposed to be getting written notices for donating more then $250 a year? I've been donating $1200 a year for almost a decade?
>
> From the linked article:

> Before you make a donation you plan on deducting, check the IRS’ search tool<https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/tax-exempt-organization-search> to make sure the organization is tax-exempt. And be sure to get a receipt for your donation; the IRS generally requires written acknowledgement<https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/charitable-organizations/charitable-contributions-written-acknowledgments> of any donation in excess of $250.

>
> Regards,
> Tim Moffat
> ________________________________
> From: heatsy...@googlegroups.com <heatsy...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Brett Neese <br...@brneese.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2025 8:06:28 AM
> To: heatsy...@googlegroups.com <heatsy...@googlegroups.com>
> Subject: [HSL] Proposal: Q1 Fundraising Drive
>
>
> I'd like to propose running a Q1 fundraising drive.
>
> The concept: A raffle-based competition (credit to Landon for the competition idea). Every dollar raised = 1 raffle entry. This keeps it fun and competitive without purely advantaging those with deeper pockets. Drawing at end of Q1 2026; winners pick prizes in order, one prize per person. I'd like enough prizes that nearly everyone who participates wins something.
>
> What counts as fundraising: Anything net-revenue-positive— the lab’s revenue from classes you teach, membership upgrades, grants, employer matches, equipment sales, new member referrals. Existing dues don't count, but upgrading or converting from community member to full member does. No cash to give? Help fundraise by hosting events, selling stuff, etc and you'd still be in the running.
>
> Tracking: We'll maintain a leaderboard on the new site from our financial data (names optional). Donations under $25 won't count (assumed to be snacks/materials), but ticket revenue does. We'll rely on participants to flag anything we miss.
>
> Donor recognition: Anyone contributing $350+ (cash or in-kind labor like making prizes—board to determine equivalency) gets invited to a spring donor dinner at HSL.
>
> Goal: $10K, stretch $15K. Audacious, yes—but achievable. Worth noting: we reduced our deficit in 2025 partly thanks to a couple surprise $1K+ donations early in the year. I’m hoping this drive could ignite that kind of momentum.
>
> Timeline: January 1 – April 30. Kick off the new year by rebuilding some of our chest.
>
> What I need: A small team to drive enthusiasm (I'm terrible at asking for money) and prize donations/creation. There is a Slack channel and we can create one in Discord too.
>
> Kickoff: I'm upgrading my membership to $100/month (paid annually) and buying Sofia a $50 membership = $1,200. I'm told someone's ready to match up to $1K, and their employer will match that. So we're already at $1,200 and potentially $3,200 before we even announce this.
>

> Final note: I am not an accountant, but I understand that recent changes to tax laws<https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/03/trumps-budget-bill-includes-a-new-tax-break-worth-up-to-2000-dollars.html> have made it advantageous to donate $1K for singles and $2K for couples filing jointly starting in tax year 2026 even if you take the standard deduction. In my personal case, Uncle Sam will knock about $200 off my tax bill for 2026, effectively making that $1200 something like $200. (Consult your own financial advisor.)

>
> Thoughts, feedback, volunteers—all welcome. I'd like to finalize and announce at the next HYH (I don’t think it technically needs a vote but if people dislike it we won’t do it, obviously.)
>
> Brett
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "HeatSync Labs" group.

> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to heatsynclabs...@googlegroups.com<mailto:heatsynclabs...@googlegroups.com>.
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>
>

[David Lang]

I'll note that when you donate at goodwill, they give you a form with a date on
it, but nothing else filled in. We can probably get away with creating a similar
form and sending it to all members, but we should do more (to protect both sides
of the donation)

David Lang

On Wed, 31 Dec 2025, David Lang wrote:

> Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 17:02:41 -0700 (MST)
> From: David Lang <da...@lang.hm>

> Reply-To: heatsy...@googlegroups.com
> To: "heatsy...@googlegroups.com" <heatsy...@googlegroups.com>

> Subject: Re: [HSL] Re: Proposal: Q1 Fundraising Drive

[Brett Neese]

The conversation about receipts has already been forked into another thread. What are our thoughts on doing a fundraiser like this? 

Brett

[David Lang]

Brett Neese wrote:

> What are our thoughts on doing a fundraiser like this?

Sounds good to me.

We will need to do some accounting tracking so that we don't forget that many
people are paying for the year as a lump sum (a straight quickbooks report will
show us doing really well for the beginning of the year and progressivly worse
the rest of the year, so we will want to do 'stupid spreadsheet tricks' to track
who paid this way and what the overall correction factor is for each month)

David Lang

[Brett Neese]

Agreed! Building the tools to track all this is the next item on my agenda for this project at least 

Incidentally, those same tools will allow us to generate things like donation receipts on demand

Bret