Help Us To Help Our Fellow Veterans
For nearly a century, DAV has fought for veterans. Last year alone we impacted the lives of over 1 million veterans in life-changing ways. We couldn’t assist any veterans without the generosity of caring individuals who share our mission of supporting those who have sacrificed so much to protect our freedoms.
DAV Sonoma County Chapter 48 is an all-volunteer organization, providing services at no cost to veterans and their families. Our services are made possible through the generosity of our donors and volunteers and the dedication of our members. DAV Chapter 48 is entirely funded by gifts from members and local supporters.
Donations to DAV Sonoma County Chapter 48 go directly towards DAV programs that directly assist veterans. Our Chapter serves your family, your friends, your neighbors, your community right here at home. Your gifts will be used to provide direct assistance to Veterans, train our service officers, get the word out to Veterans about our services, operate our Mobile Service Center serving Veterans in outlying areas, and cover our operating expenses. Please give generously and support your local DAV. Every Dollar Counts!
Ways To Give
We are a suborganization of DAV National. We are a 501(c)(4) tax exempt charitable organization, tax ID EIN 94-6173131. No goods or services will be provided in exchange for the contribution.
Our parent organization, Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt charity, IRS EIN 31-0263158. All contributions to DAV are tax-deductible according to IRS regulations.
There are a number of different ways to give. Donations can be given directly to DAV National or directly to our local Chapter 48. Whether it’s money, property, volunteer time, or spreading our message and mission, we greatly appreciate anything you can do to help. Please explore below all the available options donors may choose to give. Contact Chapter 48 to learn how to give electronically.
Give to Chapter 48 By mail
Gifts of any amount are deeply appreciated. Mail us a check or call to arrange a meeting to personally deliver your gift. Please contact us directly to learn other ways to give monetary donations.
We can only accept donations from one of the following 1) people who reside in our Chapter’s local jurisdiction (all of Sonoma County except Petaluma and south of Petaluma); or 2) for Veterans who reside in our local jurisdiction; or 3) from Chapter 48 members and their families.
If you live outside of our Chapter’s jurisdiction please locate the local DAV Chapter in your area and donate to them. The closest Chapter to Chapter 48 is Chapter 117 who share parts of Sonoma County (Petaluma and south of Petaluma) with Chapter 48. If you reside in and south of Petaluma please make donations to Chapter 117. If you reside outside of our territory and you are unable to locate a local Chapter in your area, you can also donate directly to DAV National and specify what and where you want your donations to be used for such as a specific DAV program and/or local Chapter.
You may give to the Chapter 48’s General Fund and/or request that your donation go to a specific DAV program or event.
Please make checks out to:
DAV Sonoma County Chapter 48
Mail to: PO Box 762, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
For those who donate specifically to 501(c)(3), please donate directly to DAV’s Charitable Service Trust via the internet, phone, or by mail. Please be sure to let them know the donation is for Sonoma County Chapter 48. More information can be obtained from this link: DAV Charitable Service Trust
Planned Giving
Make DAV Sonoma County Chapter 48 a part of your financial or estate planning. Talk to your financial advisor about tax savings and other benefits of planned giving, and help us to ensure that current and future generations of Veterans will continue to benefit from your generosity.
Sponsor
Our doors remain open thanks to the generosity of our business sponsors, who help to fund our facility, office expenses and activities with monthly or one-time gifts.
Please contact our DAV Chapter 48 Commander to learn more about business sponsorship
DAV Vehicle Donation Program
DAV national organization works with CARS (Charitable Adult Rides & Services). Through the program, DAV departments receive 25% of all net proceeds generated from the sale or salvage of vehicles donated in their state. For more information, email Cars4vets@dav.org or call DAV at 859-442-2072. Please let them know Chapter 48 Sonoma referred you.
Donors can donate online at dav.org/cars or by calling the toll-free number 833-CAR-4DAV (833-227-4328)
The program strives to accept any vehicle: cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs, boats, airplanes, heavy equipment, farm machinery and most other motorized vehicles–anywhere, running or not. The program provides free pick up and most vehicle donations qualify for a tax deduction.
Ways To Give Via National DAV Website
- Monthly Giving
- One Time Donation
- Memorial/Honorary Gifts
- Gift Planning
- Vehicle Donation
- Corporate Partnerships
- Matching Gifts
- Methods to Donate
- Fitness Fundraising
- Donate Your Birthday
- Stock Gifts
- Qualified Charitable Distributions/IRA Rollover Gifts
- Real Estate Donation
- Commemorative Brick
Volunteer
DAV Chapter 48 is an all-volunteer organization, and we’d be grateful for your help. Become a Service Officer, serve on a committee, help us with fundraisers, non-Veterans or non-disabled Veterans can join the auxiliary, or share your own ideas about how you can help. Whatever your passion, we have a place for you. Call or email us to learn more. DAV national organization also has several volunteer opportunities.
Other Ways to Give
- Help us spread the word by sharing what we do for disabled Veterans and their families on social media. Share by word of mouth, share our website, share our Chapter’s Facebook page, or request our flyer (pdf).
- We accept goods and services for our raffle events.
- Bar and/or restaurant owners: Hold a DAV Sonoma County Chapter 48 event and donate a percentage of the proceeds to our local Chapter. We will help to spread the word to make it a mutually beneficial event for everyone involved.
- Volunteers for Fundraising & Sponsorship Committee
- Teaching older Veterans how to use computer features
- Volunteers to assist with outreach
- Most of all we need physically abled persons to assist with fundraisers & events, such as assisting with hosting events like food feeds. Many of our Veteran volunteers have physical limitations which restricts us in hosting events. Volunteers help make our ideas possible!
- Float for the annual Luther Burbank Rose Parade & Festival, which is held every May in downtown Santa Rosa. Our disabled Veterans would like to participate but we need a float or a similar form of representation and transportation for the parade. roseparadefestival.com/
- “Forget-Me-Not” Fundraiser Campaigns. We need DAV member volunteers to help us reach more people during the 7 days of fundraising. If you can donate 2 or more hours for 1 to 7 days out of the year please contact us. We also would appreciate any local media coverage to let people know where our volunteers will be stationed during the Forget-Me-Not Drives. If you have media contacts please let us know.
- Check out our Events page for more details on our Chapter 48 Wish List
- Membership drives and outreach activities.
"Forget-Me-Not"
Local Fundraiser Campaigns
Held 7 days out of the year
Each Chapter holds their campaign at different times of the year
The first time DAV members ever sold little, blue ‘Forget-Me-Not’ to the public was on February 24, 1926. The first Forget-Me-Not Drive was held to raise funds to support DAV services and assistance desperately needed by veterans disabled in World War I. The DAV wasn’t the first veterans’ organization to support some of its humanitarian work through the sale of artificial flowers. Actually, the DAV was picking up on the idea that later became an international tradition now shared by veterans’ groups in more than 50 countries. The idea behind the ‘Forget-Me-Not’ flower grew out of an image carried home from the First World War in the memories of soldiers who had seen spring flowers growing among the graves of comrades and allies killed in the fighting. The scene, with its promise of new life following the sacrifices of so many, was immortalized in the poem, “In Flanders Fields” by Canadian Lt. Col. John McCrae, thus capturing the hearts of people yearning for peace. The flower soon became the accepted symbol for commemorating those who had fallen in war. This small flower says, “Please, don’t forget me” for those who had come home as well as for those who had given their lives. It’s an appropriate symbol to remind us continually of the service and sacrifice that make our way of life possible. This symbol of living history is a legacy that continues to serve veterans of all eras today as it did in the aftermath of World War I.
This symbol of remembrance has been the staple of Chapter-level fundraising efforts, which provides assistance to your local Veterans. Your support of our mission honors our Veterans and makes our grassroots service initiatives possible.
We need DAV member volunteers to help us reach more people during the 7 days of fundraising. If you can donate 2 or more hours for 1 to 7 days out of the year please contact us. We also would appreciate any local media coverage to let people know where our volunteers will be stationed during the Forget-Me-Not Drives. If you have media contacts please let us know.