Financing Ozarks Rural Growth and Economy

Frequently Asked Questions About Donating to FORGE

1. Who benefits from my donation? Who do I help? - FORGE is a diversified rural loan fund. Loans are made to couples starting home based businesses, woman-owned businesses, new immigrants, community-based organizations, low-income individuals as well as ongoing businesses. In addition, you support FORGE. FORGE's overhead cost is 13% of total funds (2001).

2. Can I designate my donation to a specific area or program? Yes! If you want to donate to a specific need, we have these specific needs:

Operating fund - FORGE operating fund is supported by interest from loans, technical assistance funds, and donations. With interest rates so low, FORGE's income from interest has been dropping.
Matching funds - FORGE has opportunities at different times to match charity, foundation and government funds with matching funds. For example, USDA offers a revolving loan fund to agencies like FORGE on a 1-3 match.
Loan Loss fund - Loan losses are a part of doing business. Although our default rate is less than 3%, there are times when the agency must absorb the losses. The loan loss fund helps to meet that need.

3. What other types of donations do you accept? We accept stocks, bonds, other financial instruments, office equipment and supplies as well as real estate just to name a few. Let us know what you have in mind by calling us at 1-800-394-5057.

4. Why would I want to donate to FORGE? If you are interested in sustaining families in the Ozarks, then FORGE is one of the first lines of defense. FORGE works with families and businesses in rural communities across the Ozarks in order to keep jobs in those communities.

5. Will I get a receipt for tax purposes? Yes, you will receive a donation receipt. We are a 501 (c)(3) non-profit agency.

6. Will my name be sold to a mailing list? We don't sell our mailing list. On occasion we do exchange mailing lists with agencies with missions similar to our own. You may choose not to be on an exchange list.

7. How much money may I donate? That is your decision. If you are planning to donate $500 or more you may want to consider making an investment in FORGE. In an investment, you still control the money. You are simply lending it to us to support our revolving loan fund. If you desire additional information, you can go to the investors page on our web site or call us at 1-800-394-5057 and we will discuss your investment interests with you.

8. Will my name be made public? That is up to you. You may choose to be anonymous. We do, however, love to print our donor names in order to encourage others to consider our cause.

9. Do you have an Annual Report available? Yes. If you wish to have a copy mailed to you, go to the on-line sign-up page on our website, click on button beside FORGE Annual Report 2000, fill out your name, address, e-mail address and phone number and we will mail a copy to you. Or, if you have a high speed internet connection, the report is available as a PDF you can download from our forms page.

10. I would like to have a copy of your last audit. How do I get one? - Our latest audit is the 2000 Audited Financial Position. Go to the on-line sign-up page, click on button beside Financial Audit and fill out your name, address, e-mail address and phone number and we will mail a copy to you. The report is also available as a PDF (Portable Document Format) you can download from our forms page.

11. How do I know that FORGE is a credible non-profit agency to give to? Check us out! There are several ways to learn about a non-profit:

The current economic and political climate has put all of us on notice. We have to be careful how we handle our resources. FORGE has chosen to be proactive in this matter by registering with states that accept registration for charitable solicitations within their state boundaries. For a current list of states that FORGE has registered in, go to State Registrations. If your state is not listed, please let us know.