Is my donation tax-deductible?
Yes. Nightingale is a registered 501(c)(3) public charity. Our EIN is provided on every receipt. Consult your tax advisor regarding deductibility limits for your circumstances.
How do I know 100% really goes to hotel stays?
The Nightingale board personally covers all operating costs — bookkeeping, software, processing fees, and travel. Our annual independent financial review will be posted to this page. Operating expenses are raised separately, through the One Night benefit concert and underwritten sponsorships, never from donor dollars.
How are hotel partners vetted?
Nightingale partners only with properties that meet a confidential safety review by our board's hotel liaison. We use alias placement (a protocol shared with regional rape crisis centers) so no survivor's name ever appears on a hotel registry. Properties known for trafficking or unsafe management are excluded entirely.
Why $87? Where does that number come from?
$87 is the current blended cost of one safe night at our vetted partner hotels across Placer, Sacramento, and Nevada counties — including the negotiated room rate, the booking and alias-placement administrative cost, and the payment processing fee. This number is reviewed quarterly and published on this page.
Can I give anonymously?
Always. Your donor wall recognition is opt-in. You can choose to be listed by name, by initial, or anonymously at the time of your gift, and you can change that preference at any time by contacting us.
Can I give in honor or in memory of someone?
Yes. Tribute gifts can be made in honor or in memory of a person, with optional notification to a family member. We never disclose the gift amount in tribute notifications.
How do you spend recurring monthly gifts?
Monthly gifts are pooled into the Nightingale Hotel Fund. Recurring donors let us pre-commit a baseline number of nights every month to partner advocates, who can then promise a survivor a room without waiting for fundraising. It is the single most useful gift you can make.
How do you respond to a survivor in crisis right now?
Nightingale does not work directly with survivors. We work through partner agencies — rape crisis centers, district attorney victim advocates, and law enforcement victim services in our three-county region. If you or someone you know needs help right now, please contact RAINN at 1-800-656-HOPE or your local crisis line.