Frequently Asked Questions about Giving

If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us or call the Development Department at (505) 266-5915 ext. 1001.

How Do You Use My Gift?

• Membership dues and gifts from individuals like you allow us to carry out much of our important work. Membership dues are not tax deductible, and support the legislative and lobbying work of the ACLU of New Mexico.
• Donations to the ACLU of New Mexico Foundation are tax-deductible and support the legal, public education and communications work of the ACLU of New Mexico.
• Your support is crucial to protecting civil rights and liberties. The ACLU of New Mexico accepts no government support and never charges for representing clients.

Is My Credit Card Safe?

• Yes. If you choose to make an online donation to the ACLU, you will have to provide your credit card billing information.  If you are making a donation, the credit card information that you provide at the time of the donation is used only to process your donation and will not be used by us for any other purposes.
• We use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt all data submitted to and from our site over the web. SSL renders donors’ personal information, including credit card numbers, virtually unreadable to anyone who intercepts it.

What Is the Difference Between Donating and Becoming a Member?

• The ACLU of New Mexico operates as two separate organizations: The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico and the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico Foundation.
• Donations to the ACLU of New Mexico Foundation are tax-deductible and support the legal, public education, and communications work of the ACLU of New Mexico.
• Membership dues to the ACLU of New Mexico are not tax deductible and support the legislative and lobbying work of the ACLU of New Mexico.
• Although both the ACLU of New Mexico and the ACLU of New Mexico Foundation are part of the same overall organization, it is necessary that the ACLU of New Mexico have two separate organizations in order to do a broad range a work protecting civil liberties. This Web site collectively refers to the two organizations under the name “ACLU of New Mexico.”