Friends of El Refugio

Friends of El Refugio


Friends of El Refugio Hogar Animal Costa Ballena Inc (or simply “Friends of El Refugio”) is a nonprofit organization that was established in the United States to raise awareness of and promote the charitable activities of El Refugio Hogar Animal Costa Ballena in Costa Rica, as well as to provide financial support when possible. Friends of El Refugio is a public charity with tax-exempt status under IRC Sec. 501(c)(3). Donations can be made from anywhere in the world! Donations may be tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers.

(Note: Click here to view the Letter of Determination from the IRS granting tax-exempt status to Friends of El Refugio.)

Ways to donate

You can donate to Friends of El Refugio in many different ways:

Donate using a credit card

Friends of El Refugio partners with GivingFuel to process our credit card donations.  Click the Donate Now button below to complete the form directly on GivingFuel’s website at https://elrefugiocostaballena.givingfuel.com/donate-to-el-refugio.

Donate using PayPal

To use your PayPal account to make one-time or automatic monthly donations, click the yellow Donate button below:

Become a monthly donor

Want to make the most of your donation? Take one minute to set up an automatic monthly donation, and become an Angel for Animals! It’s easy!  Just click the Become a monthly donor button below, fill out the short form, and your donation will then be processed automatically every month.  That’s it!  (And don’t worry, you can always change or cancel your donation by just emailing us.)  Whether it is $10 per month or $1,000, every single donation counts. One minute today will make you feel warm and fuzzy all year long!

Become a monthly donor now!

Donate by bank transfer or wire transfer

Donations may be made to Friends of El Refugio’s Bank of America account by direct deposit, electronic or wire transfer. For details and account information, please contact us at friendsofelrefugio@gmail.com.

Matching donations from an employer

Double your donation using matching donations!  Many companies will match charitable donations made by their employees.  Turn your $50 donation to El Refugio into $100 at no extra cost to you and help twice as many animals! If you are donating from our credit card donation page, you can select the Would you like your employer to match? check box and follow the instructions.  If you are donating another way or do not see your company on the list, contact your company’s human resources department or email us at donations@elrefugiocostaballena.com.

Create a fundraiser on Facebook

You can create a fundraiser on Facebook for Friends of El Refugio Hogar Animal Costa Ballena, and you can share and invite people to donate to your fundraiser right on Facebook.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/fundraisers/ for more information on how to get started!

Donate from a donor-advised fund

Do you have a donor-advised fund?  Click the link below to look up your fund and donate!

Click here for additional information that you may need to complete your donation, including legal name, address, EIN number, and IRS letter of determination.

Include Friends of El Refugio in your will

You can make a bequest by including Friends of El Refugio in your will to leave a specific amount or percentage of your estate to help animals in need. This is a wonderful way to use your legacy to help animals for generations to come.

Donate to El Refugio’s account in Costa Rica (For Costa Rican taxpayers)

Are you a Costa Rica taxpayer? El Refugio Hogar Animal Costa Ballena is a registered nonprofit association in Costa Rica.

Friends of El Refugio is a public charity with tax-exempt status under IRC Sec. 501(c)(3).