FAQ

Virtual Format (if needed):  If gathering restrictions mean that we cannot all come together in person, we will still walk/run for their lives on Saturday, September 10.  We will follow the same format in 2020 with suggested walk routes throughout the city featuring selfie stations, a DIY walk/run kit with race bib, and more! 

Please note that we will ONLY mail out shirts to those who select the "mail my shirt" option when registering, even if we switch to virtual.  This helps us reduce costs so that we can save more animals.  We will have several "drive thru shirt pickup" dates for those who select the "shirt pickup" option when registering.

Cancellation Policy:  By registering for the PAWS 5K Walk/Run, you agree that your registration fee(s) and funds raised help fund both the cost of putting on the event as well as provide funds to help PAWS Chicago’s mission work and therefore cannot be refunded for any reason, including no longer being able to attend the event.  By agreeing to our waiver, you also agree that should the event be canceled for any reason, (including but not limited to inclement weather, acts of God, fire, flood, natural disaster, or recognized health threats as determined by local government authority or health agencies, etc.) that registration fee(s) and any funds raised may not be canceled/refunded.  

If you are feeling ill and/or experiencing any signs of sickness, including but not limited to COVID-19, please stay home.  By registering with the PAWS 5K, you agree to abide by all guidelines set by the CDC, City of Chicago and Health Departments at the time of the event (examples: wearing a mask, etc.).

 

For the safety of all animals and humans, only one dog per human is allowed.

Only non-retractable leashes are allowed at the PAWS Chicago 5K.

YES but dogs must still wear a non-retractable leash in case they jump out.

For the safety of our 1,000+ runners and all pets, no dogs are allowed to run on the route.

You may however, we discourage owners from doing so.  With over 3,000 dogs in attendance, the environment is very stressful for most cats.

Your registration fee covers our costs associated with putting on the event, such a t-shirt and event logisitics. In order to encourage additional fundraising to help us raise funds for homeless dogs and cats, we DO count the registration fee towards your fundraising goal!

Yes, all children must be registered regardless of age. Because our registration includes electronically accepting our event liability waiver, we need every event attendee registered, including children.  Because our event costs are also based on the number of attendees, we do require a registration fee for every attendee, including infant children.

For a step by step guide to register children/spouses, please visit our main event page to download our Website Guide or review the steps below.

There are two ways to do so:

OPTION ONE: If you want to register people to attend AS YOU are registering yourself , you can create a family team. Follow these steps: 1. In Step TWO of the registration process select "Create a Team". Type in your team name and hit enter. 2. On the next page, you will see a box that reads "Add More Fundraisers". Select that box to enter in others' names and what registration type (adult, child, automatic Hero Hangout, etc.). 3. Your total cost of all registrations will be tabulated in the final step for payment.

OPTION TWO: If you want to register people to attend AFTER you have already signed up (use this option if joining a team that already exists), follow these steps: 1. Log in and navigate to your fundraiser dashboard 2. In the fundraiser task list (on the right), click the last option "Add additional fundraisers" 3. Fill out registrant information and when done adding, follow payment instructions

PLEASE NOTE: When you register other people, they will NOT have their own fundraising page and will NOT be qualified for fundraising prizes . In order to have a fundraising page, the participant must register with their OWN email address.

You will NOT receive an email confirmation for their registrations since they are tied to your's.  However, on your Team Page, underneath your name you will see any family members you added listed under.  They will still be included on our list of registered participants and receive an event T-Shirt.

No! Our canine guests are free, but we do limit no more than one (1) dog per registered participant. Dogs must be up to date on all vaccinations and records. Failure to adhere to this policy may result in being asked to leave the event with no refund issued.

Your fundraising page reflects donations submitted to PAWS Chicago so until checks / money orders are received, you will be unable to post these on your page.

You may mail in checks/money orders to our office: PAWS Chicago Attn: PAWS 5K 1933 N Marcey St Chicago, IL 60614 Be sure to include a note indicating if the checks should be credited to you or your team!

Once we receive the checks, we will post them to your page (process takes approximately 2 weeks depending on mail service).

You may endorse the back of the check and mail it in with a completed donation form to PAWS Chicago, Attn:  PAWS 5K, 1933 N. Marcey Street, Chicago, IL 60614.

It is not a good idea to send a cash donation in the mail. Have the cash made into a cashier's check (made payable to PAWS Chicago) and mail it to the Blazer building:

PAWS Chicago
Attn:  PAWS 5K
1933 N. Marcey Street
Chicago, IL 60614

A Tax ID number identifies PAWS Chicago as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Many donors will request this number to validate their donation as tax-deductible. The PAWS Chicago Tax ID number is EIN 36-4219778.

In addition, when a donor makes an online donation, they may use their email confirmation as receipt for tax purposes.

After you log in, visit your "My HQ" page and select "My Fundraising Report".  When you run the report, you will be able to see who donated to you and their contact information, UNLESS they requested to remain anonymous. 

As your donors make a contribution, they have the option of whether or not they want to appear in the Honor Roll.  If a donor requests to remain fully anonymous, PAWS Chicago must honor their request and are not allowed to share that information with anyone, including the participant it gets credited to.

Because this is the donor's contribution, we are not allowed to move any of their donations without written consent from the donor. They should email us at PAWSChicago5K@pawschicago.org and indicate which donation (amount and date made) they want moved and to whom/which team. We will then move the donation.

You are receiving these emails because we would like to keep you updated on your fundraising efforts. If you wish to stop receiving these updates, please login to your headquarters and edit your account preferences.

When we receive the matching gift check, we immediately post it on your page as long as your company notes that it should be credited to you. The length of this process is entirely dependent on your company's matching gifts policy so if you have any questions, you should first go to your company's HR department.

You may send that information to our Matching Gifts Department at matchinggift@pawschicago.org and they will complete the requested information.

Facebook fundraisers work differently from corporate gifts and online fundraising because they don't instantly link to our account. The funds you raise on Facebook go FIRST to Facebook. At the end of each month, Facebook gathers all of the donations made via their fundraisers and sends one large check to PAWS Chicago.  However, Facebook does not give us a breakdown of who ran the fundraisers, the donors' info, or anything that allows us to match these to your fundraising.  As a result, we cannot credit these to your PAWS 5K Fundraising pages.

Because the donations are not coming directly to PAWS Chicago first, we also cannot issue any receipts for tax purposes.  

Instead, your fundraising page through this website for your fundraising efforts.

All donations should be mailed to:
PAWS Chicago
Attn:  PAWS 5K
1933 N. Marcey Street
Chicago, IL 60614

With your donation check, please be sure to include the name(s) and/or team that the donations should be credited to.

Please make all checks payable to: PAWS Chicago.  Please make sure that in the memo it says PAWS Chicago 5K 2023 and who the donations should be credited to.

Click on the home page and begin typing the first or last name. Your options will display as you type.

Any online donation made online should post immediately. If an online donation does not post within 5 minutes, please contact us.

For check donations mailed to us, we process and post them the moment we receive them.  This could take several days after being sent, depending on mail service.

For donations submitted in person, please allow staff 2-3 business days to process and post.

Any donations received event weekend will take up to 2 weeks to be posted due to the high volume.

Yes, all monetary donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Yes. For overseas donations made online with a credit card, the amount entered in the online donation form will be in U.S. dollars.

Any donor who mailed their donation will receive an acknowledgment letter directly from PAWS Chicago.  Please allow up to 3-4 weeks for this.  For those making an online donation, they will receive their receipt within their email confirmation of their donation immediately after it is processed.

A Tax ID number identifies PAWS Chicago as a 501(c)(3) non-profit Organization. The PAWS Chicago Tax ID number is EIN 36-4219778

Please visit our main page for the guide!

A personal URL is a shortened link to your team or personal page that you can send to friends and family in emails. A personal URL will look like this https://my.pawschicago.org/PAWS5K2023/ben  You may change this in your Headquarters page when you are logged in.

Log into your HQ page. On the right hand side click on "Create or Join a Team". You can then create your team from there. If you know anyone else who also registered as an individual but would like to be added to your team, they can follow these same steps to join your team.

Log into your HQ page. On the right hand side click on "Create or Join a Team". You can then move yourself to the team of your choice.

Log into your HQ page. On the left hand side click on "Promote via email". Along the top you can then select to email your team members who still haven't fundraised to encourage them or email your entire team to share updates and announcements.

For the health and safety of both our human and canine guests, dogs are only allowed on the walk route and not the run.

Yes, you may bring strollers and wagons.  However, for the health and safety of our runners these are not allowed on the run route. Please note that the event and portions of the walk route do take place on grass and/or gravel, which could be difficult for wheeled items.

Yes! We have limited handicapped parking and the route is wheelchair accessible, but please note that portions may include grass and/or gravel. We will also have ADA compatible portalets on site.

Only if you selected the "Mail my shirt" option which will be mailed prior to the PAWS 5K.  Otherwise, you will need to pick up your shirt either at our early shirt pick up or at the event. You MAY have a friend/relative pick up your shirt on your behalf. Any unpicked up shirts will not be available after the event.

Cancellation Policy:  By registering for the PAWS 5K Walk/Run, you agree that your registration fee(s) and funds raised help fund both the cost of putting on the event as well as provide funds to help PAWS Chicago’s mission work and therefore, registrations cannot be cancelled/refunded, including if you are no able to attend the event.  By agreeing to our waiver, you also agree that should the event be canceled for any reason, (including but not limited to inclement weather, acts of God, fire, flood, natural disaster, or recognized health threats as determined by local government authority or health agencies, etc.) that registration fee(s) and any funds raised may not be canceled/refunded.