Support Center

Latest update: April 8 2024

 

Welcome to the Painted Circle Fundraising Program!

 

This documentation describes the scope, parameters, and workings of our Fundraiser Program. The intent of this document is to keep you informed about how our Fundraiser Program works, what you can achieve with it and how, and to describe the few requirements we have for participation. This document is not a contract - it is, however, a document that defines how our program works and what’s required for you to use it.

 

Basic terminology in this document

 

In this document we will cover topics of the fundraiser program operated by Painted Circle, a registered brand of Creatures of the Forest, LLC. We will sometimes refer to Painted Circle, Creatures of the Forest, LLC, and paintedcircle.com interchangeably and as “our,” “we,” “us,” and “the/our platform” within the terminology of this document. We will sometimes refer to you and your organization as “you” and “your organization” within the terminology of this document.

 

This Fundraiser Program document describes aspects of our Fundraise Program that are not part of our general terms, and pertain to you and your organization as a fundraiser.

 

While there is no contract established by this document, we encourage you to read it thoroughly so that the workings of our Fundraiser Program are clear. If you have questions, you can reach out to us any time at info@paintedcircle.com.

 

Scope of our Fundraiser Program

 

Painted Circle established its Fundraiser Program so that local communities and nonprofits have a way to receive funds from Painted Circle in a clearly defined manor. This arrangement is not a partnership, employment, or joint venture. By participating with our Fundraiser Program you agree that you and your organization are not partners of Painted Circle, nor does this arrangement constitute any form of employment, right to ownership, or right to benefits.

 

How the Fundraiser Program works

 

As Painted Circle works around the world to create a directory of travel providers, we are also welcoming nonprofit organizations to join our platform. We are focused on growing our audience organically and with the collaboration of partners around the world. As such, we have developed a unique affiliate program (referral program) that allows our partners to receive money from us when they help connect us with new members.

 

Our Fundraising Program was developed so that nonprofits have a way to also participate, even if they are not able to promote our platform to travelers directly. The options available to nonprofits for earning funding from us are:

 

Direct promotion

Best for organizations that want to actively share Painted Circle with their audience

You will receive a promo code (coupon) from Painted Circle that is unique to your organization. This coupon is used by travelers to receive a discount on a Painted Circle Radius Membership. Any time your organization’s coupon code is used to purchase a Radius Membership we track the sale to your organization and a donation is generated. Your organization will receive 15% of the purchase amount.*

 

Passive earning

Great for organizations that may not have contact with travelers, or who are not able to actively promote Painted Circle

We know that some organizations are limited in the ways they can promote third-party or for-profit companies. As part of our initiatives on inclusion, and because we want to support local communities, our “passive earning” option is a great option for your organization. Because our affiliate program allows all the travel businesses on Painted Circle to earn money by promoting our platform, your organization can be linked to their earnings. For example, travel companies in your city who are listed on Painted Circle can add your organization to their affiliate program - this earns them a slight increase in their earnings rate, and it additionally earns funds for you. In our passive earnings option, your organization will earn 10% of the purchase amount* from the sales attributed to the referring partner, provided they have linked to your organization in their affiliate program setup.

Note: Each business listed on Painted Circle can link to one nonprofit partner, but there is no limit to the number of businesses that may link to you. This means that you may have multiple businesses all passively earning funding for your organization.

 

Coordinated promotion

Best for organizations that are conducting an active fundraiser or outreach campaign

Your organization will coordinate with Painted Circle to define a time-range within which we will increase our donation percentage to you. This is a great option if you have a big email campaign or in-person event. The goal of coordinated promotion is to take advantage of times your organization has a captive audience where we can increase the impact of your fundraiser. Please contact us in advance of your event or outreach at info@paintedcircle.com to set up this option and define the earnings rate.

 

Gifted earning

Painted Circle’s fall-back for our Community Commitment

We expect most travelers who purchase our Radius Membership will do so through a referral from a business partner or nonprofit. However, we know that some travelers may find us and purchase their membership without a coupon. In these cases, Painted Circle still sets aside 10% of the purchase amount* that we will donate to a nonprofit of our choice. While this may or may not be donated to your organization, it is one way that we will allocate funds that are not already attributed to a specific organization by use of an affiliate coupon code.

 

*Purchase Amount: The purchase amount is the amount the traveler pays for our Radius Membership, minus the coupon discount, and minus any sales tax or VAT.

 

Special notes regarding all fundraising options:

As a nonprofit member of Painted Circle, you are able to use all options to generate funds for your organization. You are not under any obligation to use one method or another, nor are you limited to using just one method. We encourage you to use any methods that align with your organization and your audience. Please note, however, that we may limit the number of times we do a coordinated fundraiser with you based on our discretion. Also note that Painted Circle makes its own decisions about where to gift non-attributed funds (these are from the sales where no coupon code was used and thus not linked to any organization).

 

Receiving funds generated for your organization

 

Before sending funds to your organization we will contact you using the email you provided in your fundraiser account on Painted Circle. We will contact you to verify the method and location to which we will send your funds to your organization. In most cases, funds will be transferred to your organization’s publicly listed bank account.

 

Please note that Painted Circle is unable to transfer funds to organizations that are registered in countries that are financially sanctioned by the United States of America or by the European Union. Painted Circle also reserves the right to prohibit use of our Fundraiser Program by organizations that are in violation of our commitment to inclusion, as well as organizations that we feel are acting contrary to our values.

 

Timing of funds transfer

 

Fundraiser funds are calculated annually for each calendar year. We aim to process and transfer funds by 15 February each year for earnings made during the previous calendar year. Coordinated fundraising is treated differently, and we will aim to process and transfer funds within 45 days of the conclusion of the fundraiser time period.

 

Periodic independent review

 

Painted Circle has developed a system for tracking and calculating donations through our Fundraiser Program. However, to make sure our calculations are correct and the process is transparent, we partner with independent accountants who verify our donation calculations. While we contract work with accountants and accounting firms of our choice, these accountants and accounting firms are independent from Painted Circle. Please note that while we will work with our accountants to share with you relevant information regarding the calculation of your organization’s donations, under no circumstances will we disclose personal or personally identifiable transaction data from our members.

 

Your responsibilities when using our Fundraiser Program

 

We want our Fundraiser Program to be easy for your organization to use. As such, the program is designed so you can use it in multiple ways that match your organization’s culture and abilities. We do have some basic requirements for using our Fundraiser Program:

 

Keep information up-to-date

Within your Painted Circle account you have access to the information you supply about your organization. Please keep this information current as it helps us to make responsible and timely decisions that can benefit your fundraiser. Additionally, you must inform us by email at info@paintedcircle.com if your organizations nonprofit status changes.

 

Data protection

Painted Circle will never send you or your organization customer details or data. We take data privacy seriously, and all reporting and donations made to your organization will be made without any disclosure of specific transaction details or customer details that may have been used to process transactions on paintedcircle.com. Furthermore, Painted Circle does not require any disclosure from you or your organization about any of your members, and we prohibit you from sending us any specific member data or details. If either party receives or gains access to customer/member data we agree to disclose that access to the other party and immediately and permanently delete any corresponding data.

 

Fundraiser origination by authorized agent

When you sign up as a nonprofit and as a fundraiser participant on Painted Circle, you are doing so as an authorized agent or representative of your organization. By acknowledging receipt of this documentation you are affirming that you are authorized to be seen by Painted Circle as a nonprofit and as a fundraiser participant organization.

 

Documentation

 

There are no documents needed to start using the Fundraise Program. However, we may need to collect certain documentation from you in the future if the donation amount we generate for your organization exceeds certain amounts. These documents may include certification of your nonprofit status, and/or tax information about your organization’s tax home and registration.

 

If we require documentation and you are able to supply it, our fundraiser arrangement will continue unaffected.

 

If we require documentation and you are not able to supply it, we will discuss options for continuing our fundraiser arrangement with you. If we are not able to continue, we will end our fundraiser relationship. When we end our fundraiser relationship we will transfer any funds already raised for your organization to you. We will also continue any coordinated fundraiser already planned or ongoing.

 

Disputes

 

We intend for our Fundraising Program to be a great value add for your organization and one that is easy and rewarding to participate with. Should disputes arise from either you or us, it is agreed that any disputes be notified to the other party immediately. We agree that both parties will exercise our best efforts to resolve any disputes quickly and amicably. Should litigation be required, as a brand of Creatures of the Forest, LLC registered in Transylvania County, NC in the United States of America, all litigation will be subject to the laws of and occur in the state of North Carolina. You agree that any fees associated with or resulting from any legal proceedings due to disputes you raise with us will be paid by you, and that any settlements you may receive or seek from us are limited to no more than the amount of open funds due to your organization from unpaid qualifying funds.

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Ending a fundraiser relationship

 

Both you and Painted Circle are free to cancel our fundraising relationship at any time. We will retain your account information in case you wish to restart your fundraiser relationship. Our goal is to be able to provide a long-term and mutually-beneficial fundraising relationship with you and your organization. We encourage you to let us know if there are changes we can make in order to preserve the fundraising program for your organization. If your fundraiser relationship is canceled by you or by us, we will specify the termination date and continue to calculate donations for qualifying sales up to and on that date. Following the termination date, we will no longer generate donations to your organization, and we will no longer issue discounts for your organization’s coupon code. When you request to end your participation with our Fundraiser Program, we will process any funds raised for your organization and transfer to you any remaining funds within 45 days. 

 

 

Updates and modifications

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From time to time we may make changes to this document. Any changes or modifications will take immediate effect and apply to your account and your relationship with us. When we do make changes or modifications, we will notify you by email to the email associated with your fundraiser account. You agree that this email will suffice as notice of updates to this document.