GETTING STARTED AS A WAA VOLUNTEER
Thank you for supporting Wreaths Across America by raising funds for the sponsorship of veterans’ wreaths and/or by taking the lead with coordinating the wreath laying ceremony at your location!
Your Regional Liaison Team is your best point of contact for any questions that you may have throughout the year.
Please reference our Volunteer Resource Page to locate contact information for our Regional Liaison Teams as well as many other helpful resources!
HELPFUL TOOLS
Our WAA Locations and Groups Handbook will give you the tools you need to plan ahead and prepare for a smooth wreath day! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Regional or Assistant Liaisons for help.
The account dashboard is where you will manage your group details for registration, customize the WAA page for your group or location, access reports, create photo albums, and message supporters. To learn how to create your login and make the most of the dashboard, visit the tutorials on our Volunteer Resource Page . If you forget your password or get locked out of your account, please contact your Regional or Assistant Liaison and they will help you get logged back in.
Monthly Educational Webinars are held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 8pm ET for all Group Leaders and Location Coordinators nationwide. If you’re not able to attend, the webinar recording will be added to the Wreaths Across America YouTube channel and you may view it there at your convenience.
HOW TO SPONSOR WREATHS
Donors may sponsor wreaths either online or by mailing a check, written out to Wreaths Across America. Sponsorship Groups will only receive credit for donations made through their registered sponsorship group.
To sponsor wreaths online through a registered Sponsorship Group, use (and share!) the direct link to their group page. If you need help locating this, please contact your Regional or Assistant Liaison. For step by step instructions about online ordering, please visit the tutorial on our Volunteer Resource Page. Online orders will be visible on your Wreath Count Report within 24-48 hours.
To mail donations that you would like credited to a Sponsorship Group and Location, first convert any cash to a check or money order. Then attach a Wreath Sponsorship Order Form to each check or complete a Tally Sheet (in lieu of individual Wreath Sponsorship Order Forms) if you are sending multiple checks in one envelope. Checks must be made out to Wreaths Across America and order forms must include the Group ID and Location ID that you would like to support with your donation. Mail checks and forms to the address below. We recommend making copies of everything prior to sending and getting tracking to confirm the delivery of your funds.
Mail Donations To:
Wreaths Across America PO Box 249 Columbia Falls, ME 04623
Mailed orders will be visible on your Wreath Count Report within 3-4 weeks, once received at WAA headquarters.
All sponsored wreaths are available for the general public to help place during the wreath-laying ceremony on National Wreaths Across America Day. Wreaths are not set aside for individual donors or Sponsorship Groups, unless the wreaths were sponsored online as Grave Specific Requests (available at select locations). If you have a donor who is unable to donate online and must pay with a check, but wishes to have a wreath placed on the specific grave of their loved one, please reach out to the volunteer Location Coordinator for the cemetery and ask if they are willing to accommodate the Grave Specific Request. Once approved by the Location Coordinator, you must manually add the request to the Grave Specific Report, found on your dashboard. If you use sponsorship forms to collect Grave Specific information, include a note stating that these requests have already been recorded. Failure to do this will slow down the processing of the order.
If you selected the $5 Back plan for your Sponsorship Group, you will receive $5 back for every paid wreath sponsorship. Payback checks are issued every 30-45 days, February to November, making this a wonderful way to fundraise for your organization all year round. As a $5 back group you will be asked to complete a brief questionnaire to determine if you will need to provide a W-9.
PUBLIC RELATIONS & SOCIAL MEDIA
If you would like help creating a WAA Facebook page for your sponsorship group or location, you may contact Samantha Gatcomb, our social media pro! She can be reached at sclark@wreathsacrossamerica.org.
If you need assistance spreading the word about your location and events, you may contact Sean Sullivan, our PR expert! He can be reached at ssullivan@wreathsacrossamerica.org.
Our WAA Media Resources will provide you with a wide variety of downloadable materials approved for use.
We are excited to work with you this year and look forward to helping unite your local community as you come together to REMEMBER, HONOR, and TEACH. Thank you for all that you do to support Wreaths Across America and honor your local veterans!
