Donations

Retroactive to MAY-2012, Freeside is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit. Approved donations are tax-deductible - please refer to our donations policy to understand how we process and accept donations. Please contact the Treasurer for more details, and to obtain a receipt.

Anyone can contribute time and energy towards Freeside and its projects, but such contributions cannot be claimed as donations for tax purposes.

Membership dues are not tax-deductible.

Equipment, Materials, and Goods

The next best way to help us out is by helping us procure items on our Wishlist, especially if you're not sure what to get us.

Certain equipment or materials are never accepted as donations in any circumstances, such that they may be explicitly communicated to all Freeside members and visitors. This list will be maintained by Freeside operations, and is not considered to be exclusive. Some restricted items are listed below.

In general and notwithstanding forbidden materials, small value donations (under $250) may be donated with simple notification to the Safety and Risk (SR) team, and claims and issuance of a receipt are at the sole discretion of the donor.

Donors with large value donations (over $250) must contact the SR team for approval. A receipt will be issued to the donor. If the donor wishes to remain anonymous, the donation record will be changed to make the donor anonymous, after issuance of the receipt.

If a receipt is issued for the donor, the fair market value shall be the average of a search for a minimum of three similar items, and the search shall be kept on record and noted on the receipt issued. For most donations, this method or similar valuation should suffice. For larger value donations (over $1000) and where it may be difficult to locate comparables, a signed affidavit of an appraiser must be presented in lieu of fair market value search, and be kept on record.

Separately, the donation of large equipment or materials (in terms of dimensions, volume) where placement is a concern and may interfere with Freeside operations or projects requires the pre-approval of the SR team.

Certain equipment or materials must always be pre-approved by the SR team, such that these items may be explicitly communicated to all Freeside members and visitors. This list will be maintained by Freeside operations, and is not considered to be exclusive.

If a member drops off or facilitates a visitor to drop off unapproved equipment or materials, the member shall be tasked with its removal from the space, and may be subject to removal costs or fines at the discretion of the SR team.

Restricted Items

Forbidden Items

• Stand-alone CRT displays are strictly forbidden, such as TVs and non-LCD computer monitors.
• Animal carcasses are strictly forbidden, even if hidden in sealed buckets. Professionally rendered taxidermy or taxiderpy, treated hides, etc. are exempt.

Approval Required

While you may be allowed to bring some of these items to Freeside, approval is required to donate to, or leave the following at Freeside:

• Gasoline
• Furniture
• Paint and Chemicals
• Propane and other pressurized tanks and bottles
• Batteries larger than D cells
• Medical equipment
• Food and alcohol
• Non-functioning equipment