The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department has seized charitable donations from a group of nonprofits which it has designated as supporters of terrorism. Some of the funds have been held for four years. A group of charitable organizations, including TSNE, have called on Treasury to develop policies which would allow the funds to be used for charitable purposes instead of sitting idly while humanitarian problems grow.

It is important to each of us, as nonprofits, that government policies affecting us and the charitalbe funds we receive are fair.

As a nonporifit organization, you can help ensure that funds provided by donors for charitable causes are used for the purposes intended. Here are some ways you can make a difference and some sample text to help you draft your communications:

• Send your local newspaper a letter to the editor:

Nonprofit organizations rely on funds raised from donors to serve our constituents and improve our communities. However, outdated policies of the U.S. Department of Treasury have left almost 14 million dollars in charitable funds sitting in limbo.

The funds were seized from a host of charitable organizations designated as supporters of terrorism by Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. The groups say the funds were raised to cope with natural disasters, hunger and extreme poverty.

While taking no position on whether these designations were appropriate, (your organization) supports a call to Treasury by a group of nonprofits to release the frozen funds to trustworthy aid agencies that can ensure the funds are used for their intended purposes. Members of the group have volunteered to meet with Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. to ensure Treasury’s policies address this issue now and in the future. We hope Secretary Paulson makes this a 2007 priority.

• Contact your local elected official, sending your letter to their district office:

As a nonprofit organization, (your organization) relies on funds raised from donors to provide service to our constituents and improve our local community. Our donors expect no less from us. This is true also for our nonprofit colleagues around the country. However, outdated policies of the U.S. Department of Treasury have left almost 14 million dollars in charitable funds sitting in limbo, some for over four years.

As you know, the funds were seized from a host of charitable organizations, including five U.S. charities, designated as supporters of terrorism by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. The groups argue that the funds were actually earmarked to assist areas of the world affected by natural disasters, hunger and extreme poverty.

While taking no position on whether these designations were appropriate, (your organization) is joining with other nonprofit groups in calling for Treasury to update its policies to facilitate releasing the frozen funds to trustworthy aid agencies that can ensure the funds are used for their intended purposes. A number of our nonprofit colleagues have volunteered to meet with Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. to discuss such a proposal.

Please let the Secretary know that he should make this a priority for 2007.

• Write a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr.:

Henry M. Paulson, Jr.
Secretary of the Treasury
Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20220

Dear Secretary Paulson,

Nonprofit organizations rely on funds raised from donors to provide service to our constituents and improve our communities. Our donors expected nothing less. However, (your organization) is concerned that almost 14 million dollars in charitable funds seized by the Office of Foreign Assets Control is sitting in limbo.

It is our understanding that Treasury has designated the groups from which the funds were seized as supporters of terrorism. While taking no position on whether these designations were appropriate, (your organization) is asking the department to meet with a group of our nonprofit colleagues to discuss releasing the frozen funds to trustworthy aid agencies that can ensure the funds are used for their intended purposes.

We hope that you will make this a priority for 2007.

Feel free to send a copy of your letters to info@TSNE.org.