Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to register to participate?

No. All we want from you is a simple report mailed to us the first week of May stating how much money your agency raised in March and April from telling your donors about our challenge and how you raised it (with a copy of your mailing piece, flyer, newsletter and copies of any newspaper stories you may have gotten about our challenge) along with a copy of your Federal Tax exempt form (5013-C). Click here to Download the Report.
 
Don't I have to send you copies of my donor checks or the names of my donors?

No. All we want is the above.
 
Where do you make your money from this?

We don't. People give their donations directly to whatever non-profit anti hunger agency they want to help. Just tell that agency to apply your donation to our challenge and report that total to us as stated above.
 
How does your Foundation make money from this?

We don't. Almost all of the money in the Feinstein Foundation is the direct contributions of its CEO, Alan Shawn Feinstein, from his past earnings as a financial writer and advisor. Mr. Feinstein retired in 1996 to devote his full time to philanthropy.
 
Why does Mr. Feinstein do all this?

Because he believes that the best investment he can make is helping others.

How successful has the Feinstein annual giveaway been to date?

In the past 11 consecutive years since Mr. Feinstein has offered it, over 3000 participating agencies nationwide have used it to raise over $800 million. It has become the most successful grassroots campaign to fight hunger ever.
 
Is there some way I can find out who the participants were in my state last year?

Yes. Just click on Last Year's Participants, then your state, and you will see the names of all participants from that state. You will also see the amount of money they each raised from our challenge and how much of our $1 million they each received.
 
What makes the Feinstein Challenge so successful?

Because anti-hunger agencies can tell potential donors that someone from another state will add money to any donation they make to help the needy people in their city or town. Participating agencies say it increases their donations substantially. Both donors and agencies alike are also motivated by knowing that they are now partners in what has become the most successful grassroots campaign to fight hunger of all times.
 
How does Mr. Feinstein divide up his million dollars between the agencies using his challenge?

They each get their percentage of his $1 million that reflects their percentage of the total money raised by all participating agencies.
 
If the challenge raises $40 to $50 million or more, doesn’t that mean that every participating agency will only get a very small portion of Mr. Feinstein's money compared to what they raised?

Yes, of course. But his challenge has proven to be such a successful fundraising tool that it brings in far more donations to participating agencies then they ever got before! See the testimonials about the Feinstein Challenge from all over the country.
 
Is there any reason why the Feinstein Challenge is so successful?

Yes. If someone from the smallest state in the country can give money to help hungry people everywhere else, that’s a great spur for good-hearted people everywhere to make a donation to their favorite agency to get some of the Feinstein money added to it to help the needy in their own community. Also, Mr. Feinstein’s name is obviously Jewish and that is an added spur to hundreds of non-Jewish religious organizations helping the hungry who use his challenge; if someone who is Jewish can give money to help their needy, that opens the hearts of their donors even wider. Besides, Mr. Feinstein has established his leadership and credibility in fighting hunger throughout the country.
 
Why doesn’t Mr. Feinstein just give his money to a Jewish organization like the United Jewish Appeal?

Because he believes we were all put here to help all those in need regardless of their race, creed or color.

Can organizations that don’t know much about fund raising use Mr. Feinstein’s Challenge?

Absolutely! At the beginning of every January we post on this website the full details of out new $1 Million Dollar giveaway / challenge and how simple it is to use. (see news release on home page)

Is there any other reason why this challenge has become so successful?

Donors are further motivated to contribute toward the challenge when they are told it makes them partners in what has become the most successful grassroots campaign of all times to fight hunger.
 
Can you tell us some things about Mr. Feinstein?

He is founder of the International Famine Center at Tufts University and the Feinstein Center for a Hunger-Free America at the University of Rhode Island. There are several schools named for him and he has received many honorary degrees. He has a Good Deeds Program in most public and parochial schools in RI, which encourage youngsters to reach out to help the needy in their communities. His efforts in Rhode Island schools encouraging them to help fight hunger in their own communities has spread to hundreds of other schools throughout the country.
 
Can you tell me about his family?

Mr. Feinstein has been married for over 40 years to Dr. Pratarnporn Feinstein, a psychiatrist and native of Bangkok, Thailand. They have three children Ari, Ricky, and Leila Feinstein and three grandchildren. Though Mr. Feinstein comes from a strictly Jewish background, his family now consists of Christians, Moslems and Buddhists and a mixture of all races. That’s the way he wants it.

 

 

 

To report bugs and errors, please contact us.