TRANSPLANT FUNDRAISING PROGRAM

GTF does not do the fundraising for you; you and your volunteers will conduct the actual fundraising campaign. GTF will serve as a consultant by providing ideas, a personal webpage, resources, procedures and additional support.

Fundraising Workshops are taught monthly by GTF Staff at our office in Atlanta, as well as in areas around the state in conjunction with our Trends in Transplant (TNT) Conferences.

If you are enrolled in a MATCHED Account, you will have one (1) year from your application approval date to raise funds that will be eligible for GTF match.

Once accepted into the TFP Program, your account is opened and ready to be used.

There are three ways to deposit money into your matched or unmatched account:

1. Blue Envelopes from the Client: Once your fundraising account is set up, we will provide you with Blue Deposit Envelopes to use when you mail-in funds raised. These blue envelopes are only for you, as the TFP client, to use, not to give to people making donations in your honor. GTF will not mail acknowledgement (thank you) letters to the people that donated the checks/money orders included in the blue envelopes since these should only be coming from you, we assume you’ve already seen the donation and thanked the donor yourself.
2. From a Third-Party Mailing: All money sent (not in a blue envelope) in your honor to GTF, will be deposited in your GTF account. All checks should be written to “Georgia Transplant Foundation” with “In Honor of (your name)” in the memo section of the check, and mailed to: GTF, 2201 Macy Drive, Roswell, GA 30076. For all checks and money orders mailed in your honor to GTF directly, you will receive a notice of the donation and we will mail an acknowledgement letter to the contributor.
3. Personal GTF-Based Fundraising Webpage: After being accepted into the program, you will be given information to set up your personal GTF-based fundraising webpage where you will be able to receive online donations by credit card. When an online contribution is made, the donor will receive an email acknowledgement confirming the transaction and thanking them for their gift. Please note that gifts made online by credit card will be subject to a minimum processing and credit card fee of 5.25% per transaction.

Deposits can be made by check, money order, or online by credit card. No cash will be accepted. GTF charges a 3% administrative fee for each deposit made to your GTF account. It is your responsibility to inform the TFP program administrators of any change in contact information i.e. phone number, address, change of transplant center, etc.

In deciding if the program is right for you, it is important to understand what transplant-related expenses can and cannot be reimbursed depending on the type of TFP account (matched or unmatched) you enroll in. Please note that the matched account is to be used primarily for post-transplant prescription medications and health insurance premiums.

The following are considered reasonable transplant-related expenses for which funds can be used as outlined in Transplant Fundraising Program guidelines:

Specific transplant-related costs outside of the guidelines listed above may be considered, but must be requested in-writing at the time you submit the Transplant Fundraising Program application for review. This request must be pre-approved. GTF specifically reserves the right in its sole discretion to only pay the expenses it deems appropriate. You must seek reimbursement and utilize coverage under all insurance plans and government programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, before utilizing the funds in your GTF account.

These items are not considered transplant expenses and will not be reimbursed (this is not a complete list):

• Automotive repairs and maintenance.
• Health club memberships or exercise equipment.
• Rehab therapy not administered by a licensed therapist.
• Personal products.
• Tobacco products or alcoholic beverages.
• Non-prescribed medicine.
• Entertainment items (videos, toys, etc.).
• Treatment outside of the US.
• Clothing.
• School expenses, learning aids, tuition or camp fees.
• Postage.
• Interest or finance charges.
• Loss of income.
• Any taxes due.
• Legal fees.
• Expenses unrelated to transplant.

The final decision on eligibility rests with the Georgia Transplant Foundation staff and the Transplant Fundraising Program Advisory Council. Please refer any questions regarding eligibility and reimbursement to TFP@gatransplant.org or 770-457-3796.

• All refund requests must be sent in with a filled-out TFP Reimbursement Request Form, and should include the original itemized receipt for each expense submitted. A detailed receipt must accompany credit card receipts.
• Receipts must be submitted within three (3) months.
• All requests must be submitted in a neat and organized fashion.
• All payments are contingent upon the amount of money in the client’s account at the time of the request.
• The turn-around time for reimbursement is approximately thirty (30) business days once GTF receives the completed request with all accompanying documentation.
• The client, client’s contributors, and the Georgia Transplant Foundation have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure that the money raised/deposited is used in the manner in which it was solicited.

To avoid having to pay upfront for your prescription medications, and then needing to get reimbursed by GTF, we have set-up partnership with specialty pharmacies enabling us to offer you a direct bill pharmacy option. With the Direct Bill option, these specific GTF-approved pharmacies provide you with your prescription medications, then they bill your insurance or Medicare/ Medicaid, and then they bill your TFP account directly through the Foundation. If you are interested in taking advantage of this direct bill option, please indicate it in your application and once you are transplanted, make sure to let your transplant team know your pharmacy preference.

GTF has no obligation to pay more expenses than it has money available in the specified account.

GTF maintains audited financial records assuring fiscal accountability for money received and disbursed. These funds will be disbursed by GTF for your transplant-related expenses as they are described in the application packet. GTF staff oversees the deposits, administration and disbursements of all contributions. In order to help defray the cost of its services, GTF will retain the interest earned on funds deposited.

GTF maintains complete and accurate records of all funds raised and, upon request, will provide a quarterly statement of all funds donated to GTF in honor of a client, all funds disbursed and any applicable bank fees. Please note that a quarterly statement will only be received if it has been requested by the client. Account balances will not be given by telephone.

We acknowledge that all funds raised for the transplant have been donated by the patient, family, friends and/or the community, and that both the patient/client and GTF will be held strictly accountable by the public for all funds raised.

UNTRANSPLANTABLE

In the event that a TFP client is not transplanted, becomes too sick to transplant, or recovers, any money in the account will be transferred to an unmatched account. Unpaid, legitimate medical expenses, including prescription medication/co-pays, hospital deductibles/co-pays, doctor’s co-pays, COBRA payments and insurance premiums, will be reviewed for payment with the remaining funds. These reimbursements are not matched by GTF funds. 

DECEASED

• Should the TFP client pass away, all remaining money will be transferred into an unmatched  account. The person authorized to the account on behalf of the client, as indicated in the original TFP Client Agreement, may submit a request no more than three (3) months after the client’s death, for eligible medical expenses to be paid with any of the remaining funds.
• The GTF Advisory Council may disburse up to a maximum of $5,000 towards funeral expenses, to be paid directly to the funeral home. This disbursement is based on funds available in the client’s account and it is not matched by GTF.
• After the death of a client, GTF will consider paying one (1) month of mortgage or rent for the client’s primary residence that is on file with the Foundation, based on review of need. This request must be made in-writing and proof of financial need must be demonstrated. This is not matched by GTF.
• If any funds remain in the TFP client’s account following the above disbursements, the Advisory Council will authorize the transfer of funds to support GTF. These funds shall remain the property of the Georgia Transplant Foundation.

Funds disbursed under these guidelines are taken from the balance of your TFP account and are not eligible for GTF match. The above items are only payable to the extent there are funds in your TFP account.