Check an advertisement that uses your organization’s name

Verify the claim before passing it along

1. Note what the mailer claims: the vendor, the organization named, and the implied relationship, such as sponsor, partner or approved supplier.
2. Search your agreement records and board minutes for a contract or approval involving that vendor. Use contact details you already have, not the ones printed on the mailer.
3. Ask the officer who handles sponsorships whether they know the vendor.
4. Keep the mailer out of newsletters, websites and member emails until you have an answer.
5. Record the result and who confirmed it so the next person who sees the mailer does not have to search again.

What a logo does and does not prove

A logo on a mailer does not show whether the vendor has permission to use it, where it got your organization's name, or whose list it mailed from. Do not guess at any of these. The FTC tells small businesses and nonprofits to verify purchases and invoices against approved records. Apply the same rule to a sponsorship claim and look for the evidence in your own files.

This check confirms whether an agreement exists. It does not tell you how a particular vendor handles opt-out requests.

Choose the next person to ask

If your records show nothing, send the question to the officer who signs sponsorship agreements and give them a reply date. If they confirm there is no agreement, they decide whether the organization contacts the vendor about using its name.

Official source

• FTC: Scams and Your Small Business