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General operations

Give where it's needed most

Our named programs each fund something specific. This option is different. It supports Folklore's general operations, the everyday and less-visible costs of keeping a small literary nonprofit running, and we put your gift wherever it's most useful at the moment.

What your gift covers

An honest breakdown. A gift to general operations might touch any of these in a given month.

Event operations

Bar supplies, venue rentals when a space isn't donated, the signage and setup behind a Folklore night. The unglamorous half of every event.

Licensing and compliance

Each Special Occasion License runs about $90 per event. Add annual state filings and nonprofit registration renewals. None of it is optional.

Insurance

The liability coverage that lets Folklore run events responsibly, including the liquor liability policy that serving a bar requires.

Website and software

Domain and hosting for this site, plus the tools that run our fundraising and bookkeeping. Small monthly costs that add up.

Print materials

The printed pieces our programs depend on: Shelf Life bookplates, Dedication labels, programs and signage for events.

A flexible reserve

For something good that doesn't fit a named program. A new book club that needs a little underwriting, or a sponsorship that comes up at short notice.

Why flexible giving matters

Most giving comes with a label. Donate to the Author Fund and the money brings a writer to town. Vote in Shelf Life and it buys a book for a free library. That clarity is good. You know exactly what your gift did.

But a nonprofit can't run on earmarked dollars alone. The insurance premium comes due whether or not there's an event that month. A license fee has to be paid before an event, not after. Folklore needs a pool of funding that isn't already promised to something else.

That's what this is. A gift here gives Folklore room to move. It might cover a compliance cost one week and underwrite an unexpected opportunity the next. It's the least glamorous kind of support, and it's the kind a young nonprofit needs most.

Put your gift to work.

A donation to general operations goes straight to the costs that keep Folklore running. We process every gift through Zeffy, which charges no fees, so all of it reaches us.

Give to general operations

Looking for a specific program? See all four ways to give.

Common questions

Folklore Society is a Washington nonprofit corporation pursuing federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Once that status is granted, donations may be tax-deductible retroactive to our date of incorporation, including gifts made now. We send a receipt for every donation. For what a gift means on your own taxes, check with a tax professional.
The Author Fund is earmarked. Every dollar goes toward bringing authors to the Tri-Cities. A gift to general operations isn't tied to one program. It covers the shared costs underneath all of them, and Folklore directs it wherever it's most useful at the moment. If there's a program you care about, give there. If you'd rather Folklore decide, give here.
To operating costs: event supplies and venue rentals, licensing and compliance fees, insurance, this website, print materials, and a small reserve for opportunities that come up. None of it pays a salary. Folklore's board is unpaid, and the organization has no payroll. We report on general operations activity alongside our programs, so supporters can see where unrestricted gifts went.
Yes. Zeffy offers a monthly option at checkout. Recurring gifts are especially useful for general operations: a steady $10 or $20 a month helps Folklore plan against costs that recur whether or not there's an event that month.

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