Frequently Asked
Questions.
Everything you need to know about face-to-face fundraising, PFFA membership, and how we work.
The PFFA offers alternatives to full membership through supporter participation programs for Nonprofit organizations and Fee for Service programs for commercial entities that wish to use resources but are not eligible or do not wish to become members.
A representative of a non-profit organization (NPO) engages with a member of the public in a public street, at their front door, in a retail environment or other private site, and asks whether they would like to support sustainable solutions for a particular cause by becoming a “Sustainer,” someone who makes an automated, regular donation to an NPO.
Regular, long-term donations, often called sustaining gifts, are contributions made on a recurring basis, typically monthly, quarterly, or annually. These donations are usually set up through secure payment methods such as credit card, debit card, electronic funds transfer, or digital wallet.
Each year, nearly one million people in the United States choose to become recurring donors through face-to-face fundraising. By creating direct, one-on-one connections, face-to-face fundraisers help individuals discover causes they care about and make a lasting commitment to support them through ongoing monthly giving.
NPOs using face-to-face fundraising include organizations that deliver services locally, nationally, and internationally. Ongoing support ensures sustainable funding for critical mission-related work in the U.S. and abroad for humanitarian, social justice, environmental, animal welfare, and health organizations.
The generous gifts made by Sustainers and their ongoing pledges can be relied upon long-term, providing NPOs with a predictable source of funding for their impactful programs. This allows NPOs to fund services or projects needed to deliver and maintain their essential work.
More than 50 NPOs have used or are using face-to-face fundraising as an important part of their fundraising multi-channel strategy. As proven through decades of successful campaigns, grassroots fundraising is the original community outreach method. With heavy reliance on the power of human interaction and infinite scalability, it has proven both effective and scalable for NPOs.
Guard the Good™ is a public-facing transparency tool that helps individuals, retailers, and communities verify face-to-face fundraising activity.
By bringing publicly available information into one place, it enables users to identify participating campaigns and make informed, real-time decisions, reducing confusion in shared public spaces and supporting a more transparent fundraising environment. Users can easily access this information by scanning a QR code, allowing for quick, on-the-spot verification of fundraising activity.
For media inquiries related to PFFA members, non-members, or the broader face-to-face fundraising sector, we welcome the opportunity to provide information, context, and support.
PFFA serves as a neutral, information-driven resource for understanding how face-to-face fundraising operates in communities across the United States. We encourage journalists, researchers, public stakeholders, and others with questions or feedback to reach out.
Please contact us at info@pffaus.org, and a member of our team will respond as promptly as possible.
All direct response fundraising methods require an upfront investment by the NPO. Face-to-face fundraising is one of the most efficient forms of fundraising as well as brand and awareness building. Programs are most commonly remunerated based on positive results, making it an excellent tool for NPOs to balance risk and reward.
As NPOs strive to provide reliable solutions for 21st century challenges they have had to rely less on volunteer availability and invest more in full-time dedicated staff. These fundraisers are trained, licensed and registered in accordance with municipal, county, and state requirements, and adhere to a comprehensive Code of Conduct self-regulated by PFFA members.
Based on available internal resources or other challenges, NPOs often decide that outsourcing fundraising activities will deliver the best result. This is the case for most direct response fundraising worldwide, and especially face-to-face fundraising in the United States, where more than 90% of services are provided by Professional Fundraising Agencies.
Face-to-face fundraising is regulated by state and local governments. These regulations ensure NPOs and PFAs comply with a range of licensing requirements, which may vary by municipality, county and/or state, based on state laws rather than federal law.
The PFFA is a registered tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Annual filings and documentation can be found on the IRS website. Search by our full name (with hyphens) or EIN 82-1519942.
PFFA members participate in a collaborative, self-regulatory framework, committing to a shared Code of Conduct developed by and for member organizations. These guidelines promote professional, ethical fundraising practices alongside applicable laws and regulations, supporting a transparent and positive donor experience.
PFFA provides several tools and resources available to both members and non-members, particularly where they support transparency and coordination.
These include access to territory schedules, ATMS coordination tools (where appropriate), Guard the Good™, and public resources on the PFFA website, along with newsletter communications and occasional Work Group invitations.
Get in Touch.
Have a question not covered above? Reach out and a member of our team will get back to you.
