How to Setup a Donation Fund Through Your Bank

Visit your local bank branch. Working with your local bank, especially if you already have an account with them, is the easiest route to go. When you arrive, ask to speak to an account specialist, or, better yet, a bank manager. While the bank has surely worked with donation account set-ups before, a missing child case may require some special attention, and involving the bank manager can help you set up the donation fund properly.

Bring along personal documents. If you are not the parent or guardian of the missing child, you should bring a parent along with you, or encourage them to head to the bank to set up the fund; the bank will need the child's Social Security number, date of birth, and possibly even a birth certificate. You should also bring along a police report and other documents, like newspaper clippings discussing the matter, to prove that the donation fund is being set up for a legitimate cause.

Appoint someone to control the donation fund. While the obvious choice may seem like the parents in the case, some parents may actually opt that a friend or relative control the donation fund instead. With a third party controlling the donation fund, contributors may feel better knowing that someone else is controlling where the money is being spent. You can also ask if your local branch offers third-party control through the bank itself, meaning, someone from the branch (like the bank manager) is actually responsible for the fund. Not every bank will offer you this option, but to ensure the money isn't mishandled in any way, this may be a good option to utilize for banks that have this type of service.

Ask to have the account set up so that donations can be accepted from everyone. Donation accounts can have varying statuses, but if you want anyone to be able to contribute financially, ask the bank to set up every form of depositing from individuals and entities alike. This way, any person or business can deposit money into the donation fund, from anywhere in the country. Specifically, ask for direct deposits, bank transfers, online donations and mail-in donations to be accepted. If your bank can support it, also ask that every single bank branch in the nation accept walk-in donations by cash or by check, so that anyone from around the country can head to their nearest bank branch to make a deposit into your donation fund.

Appoint someone to be in charge of keeping track of where the money is coming from and where it is being spent, once the donation account has been set up and word has spread about how to donate money. Again, select a third party who has no interest in the account to perform this task, if possible. A close friend or family member can be appointed to handle this task, so that someone neutral is able to keep track of where the money is going and catch any potential issues with how the money is being spent.