We're a 100% volunteer-run effort — no paid staff, no office, no administrative overhead. Every dollar you give is earmarked for the memorial itself.
There is no paid staff, no salaries, and no office overhead. Austin, Michael, and the volunteers of American Legion Post 38 run this project on their own time because they believe in honoring those who served.
The Memorial never takes a percentage, an administrative fee, or a processing markup from any gift. We're not a middleman — we're the memorial itself.
Funds go toward the initial cost of construction, the American flag and its upkeep, and future upgrades to the memorial grounds — not toward anyone's paycheck.
When you donate by card, our payment processor (Stripe) charges a standard card-processing fee — the same small fee every business and nonprofit pays to accept cards online. We don't mark it up, and we don't keep a cent of it.
To make sure that fee never eats into what the memorial actually receives, every donation page includes a checked-by-default option: "Add a small amount to cover processing fees, so 100% of your gift reaches the memorial." Leave it checked and your full intended gift goes to the memorial, dollar for dollar. You're always free to uncheck it — we'll just receive slightly less than the sticker amount on that gift, and that's okay too.
Give by check, cash, or in person and no payment processor is involved at all — 100% of your gift reaches the memorial with zero fees of any kind.
We're a small, local, volunteer effort — if you ever want to know exactly how a gift was used, just ask.
We're recognized under Section 501(c)(19) of the Internal Revenue Code. See Contact for documentation.
American Legion Post 38, Fair Grove, Missouri.
Every dollar, minus only what a card network itself charges, goes toward honoring those who served.