Frequently Asked Questions

How long has your organization been operating? My Friends Care Bone Marrow Transplant Fund was incorporated in the State of Michigan in 1989 as a 501(c) non profit. Why should I use your organization? My Friends Care has many years of experience helping people to raise money, so we know what works and what doesn't. This experience is valuable in making your efforts the most productive they can be. Because we are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, people making donations can take a charitable deduction for their contributions. Finally by joining My Friends Care you have the credibility of a registered non-profit organization that reports to the IRS and State Attorney General. How much do you charge for your services? We do not charge family groups registered with us for our services. We also do not take a percentage of moneys raised by our family groups. Every dollar raised by a group will be used towards the patient's medical expenses. If you don't charge family groups, how do you receive money to operate? By keeping administrative expenses to a minimum, we are able to operate with a small budget. We receive those funds through direct donations to our organization from individuals. We are also able to raise much of our budget through investment interest. Lastly, if a patient passes away and there are funds left in that patient's account, after one year they are transferred to our general fund. These funds are then used to help other families and to support bone marrow donor drives. How is the money we raise handled and accounted for? Each family group has a treasurer. Your treasurer collects the donations and forwards them to the My Friends Care office. My Friends Care deposits these funds and provides a monthly family financial statement to the group's treasurer. As funds are required for bills, the family group's treasurer forwards the bills to the My Friends Care office for payment. How do I register to become a family group? There are a number of ways to register: by mail, phone, fax, or email. At some point, either before you fill our the forms or after, you need to talk to a staff person. They will talk with you at length about our program and arrange to meet with your group to discuss policies and procedures of the organization, how much money needs to be raised, and how to raise it.