American citizen living overseas wants to donate!

[time4change]

Hi, this is my first post here, and I'm hoping somebody can help me out with a question on donating money. I'm an American citizen living overseas who wants to donate to Ron Paul's campaign. It's the first time I've ever cared enough about a candidate to be willing to donate my hard earned money to them!

However, the form at: https://www.ronpaul2008.com/donate/ sure doesn't make it clear how an American living overseas should fill out their address. I tried contacting them at the mail [at] ronpaul2008.com email address at https://www.ronpaul2008.com/contact/ but I'm not sure if it was caught in the junk folder, or maybe they're very busy, cause I haven't received a response for over a month.

In the States dropdown menu, there are 3 options at the bottom (AA, AE, and AP), which after some internet research, I discovered seem to stand for, Armed Forces Europe, Armed Forces Americas, and Armed Forces Pacific. I am not in the military, so don't think these options can apply to me. :confused:

Does anybody have any info on how an American citizen, who's not in the military, can fill out this donation form with a non-American address? As I'm a newbie to campaign donations, I don't want to fill out anything wrong that may get me, or the campaign, into trouble.

Thanks for reading! :)

[garrettwombat]

call there headquarters... someone is usually there until around 8 pm EST

[r3volution]

http://www.fec.gov/law/law.shtml

[steph3n]

Interesting, you can as a citizen legally donate, but if you do not have an address it may be hard, do you have any family in the US that you could add to a paypal account when you donate?

[piotr1]

I'm not sure about that, but if there isn't a way you can always donate to a meetup group.

I know Philly needs all the money they can get for the upcoming rally on November 10th.

[Dan Klaus]

Hiya,
I live overseas as well...I simply put the address in the States that matches the address that the credit card company has on file...welcome to the board - great to have another expat...sometimes I think its easier for us to unplug from the matrix because we aren't so bombarded with media...

[Roxi]

i have seen other people with foriegn addresses on there, try just putting in your address as is?

[Primbs]

I know that people from overseas are donating. I have answered some emails from New Zealand and there are many military people donating from the middle east.

The campaign will respond to the email but it doesn't hurt to send another couple of emails.

You may want to go to the donate page and click on the donate by mail.

[KewlRonduderules]

There is a way. Giuliani did it when he campaigned in London. You can too.

All you need to do is show proof that you are indeed a U.S. citizen.

[RP4ME]

Hi Im just curious since you are new - when did you first here about Paul and what converted you? Thanks and welcome!:D

[Bradley in DC]

The rules are by legal status (citizen or green card holder) not location. You're fine. But if you want to donate to my efforts, PM me! :D

[J Free]

The best way for expats to donate is via check. That way you can include the necessary documentation showing that you are eligible to donate and you don't force the campaign to jump through all sorts of hoops/expenses trying to configure online donations to the miniscule number of expats who will be donating.

[Energy]

Remember to tell your friends overseas about RP. Non-US citizens can still be involved, spread the word, tell their friends in the States, etc. Ron Paul's message of freedom is universal!

[misconstrued]

The best way for expats to donate is via check. That way you can include the necessary documentation showing that you are eligible to donate and you don't force the campaign to jump through all sorts of hoops/expenses trying to configure online donations to the miniscule number of expats who will be donating.

Most foreign countries I have been to (many) do not even really use paper checks. Not like in the US. Also, if they were to, it could take a long time for the funds to clear.

I suggest you call the campaign office and ask them what they suggest you do.

[time4change]

Wow, thanks for all the responses! This forum is really active, and I'm glad to have found it.
Hiya,
I live overseas as well...I simply put the address in the States that matches the address that the credit card company has on file...welcome to the board - great to have another expat...sometimes I think its easier for us to unplug from the matrix because we aren't so bombarded with media...Haha, that's very true. I don't have cable TV, and am forced to get most of my news off the internet. That may be a good thing, and it's what actually led me to Ron Paul in the first place. Unfortunately, my credit card is under my overseas address, so I can't use an American address with it.
Hi Im just curious since you are new - when did you first here about Paul and what converted you? Thanks and welcome!:DI first heard about him just surfing around on YouTube. Came across that video with him on Bill Maher, and thought, 'Who is this guy?!' As I did more research on him, I realized this is the man I want as President of the United States. Americans overseas get an up close perspective on how other countries view us, and I have to say that unfortunately, there is a lot of negativity. To see a man who will make us proud to be American again...well, I can't really think of any words at the moment to describe that feeling.
The best way for expats to donate is via check. That way you can include the necessary documentation showing that you are eligible to donate and you don't force the campaign to jump through all sorts of hoops/expenses trying to configure online donations to the miniscule number of expats who will be donating.As misconstrued mentioned, many foreign countries do not use paper checks, and where I live is no exception. I wouldn't want the campaign to have to jump through any extra hoops for expats, but maybe they could put up a simple link to some info on overseas donations. The number of expats may be miniscule, but no donation is too small, right? You never know, they might even catch a whale!

I guess my best bet will be to call their office, and I'll do that later tonight. Just figured I'd post here first before calling them with questions, as I thought their phoneline might be overloaded as it is. Will post back again in this thread with any info I get, and hopefully it'll be useful to any other expats with the same question. Thanks again for the responses, and I look forward to taking part in this forum in the future!

[freelance]

Welcome to the forum. It's great to know that the Revolution is spreading around the world.

Would you report back on the best way for expats to donate? That way we'll all know and can pass the info along to the next forum member who asks.

[philgest]

Hello, I too am an American citizen residing abroad. For the most part, I have all my banking relationships in the country where I reside. I tried to donate online in Q2, but found that this was not possible using my M/C with my foreign address, so I called the national campaign office and they were able to take my donation over the phone. If you don't have any financial relationships in the USA, perhaps you can do as I did and call the national campaign office. It worked for me:)

[TVMH]

Do you have a drivers license in one of the states?

I'd use that...or your parents' address if that's available.

[Nefertiti]

I have heard it is a good idea to maintain some sort of financial presence in the US or else you will have no credit record if you ever move back to the US and it can take 5 years to re-establish it.

[libertarian4321]

Hi, this is my first post here, and I'm hoping somebody can help me out with a question on donating money. I'm an American citizen living overseas who wants to donate to Ron Paul's campaign. It's the first time I've ever cared enough about a candidate to be willing to donate my hard earned money to them!

However, the form at: https://www.ronpaul2008.com/donate/ sure doesn't make it clear how an American living overseas should fill out their address. I tried contacting them at the mail [at] ronpaul2008.com email address at https://www.ronpaul2008.com/contact/ but I'm not sure if it was caught in the junk folder, or maybe they're very busy, cause I haven't received a response for over a month.

In the States dropdown menu, there are 3 options at the bottom (AA, AE, and AP), which after some internet research, I discovered seem to stand for, Armed Forces Europe, Armed Forces Americas, and Armed Forces Pacific. I am not in the military, so don't think these options can apply to me. :confused:

Does anybody have any info on how an American citizen, who's not in the military, can fill out this donation form with a non-American address? As I'm a newbie to campaign donations, I don't want to fill out anything wrong that may get me, or the campaign, into trouble.

Thanks for reading! :)

You could probably use your last US address- similar to what military folks do when they list their "home of record".

[time4change]

Hey, I just wanted to update that I called the campaign office last week and was told that you need an American address in order to donate online. Unfortunately, my credit card is under my overseas address, so he said I couldn't use that. He said the best way for someone in my situation is to send a check in the mail. Luckily, I still have money in my old bank account in the States, so I'm having them mail me out some checks for that purpose.

[DrRich]

i am using my uncles address in Oklahoma and using my paypal account.

[DjLoTi]

We should move this to the international board for other people who have this question.

[troyd1]

People will do anything to support Ron!

[LibertyEagle]

Hello, I too am an American citizen residing abroad. For the most part, I have all my banking relationships in the country where I reside. I tried to donate online in Q2, but found that this was not possible using my M/C with my foreign address, so I called the national campaign office and they were able to take my donation over the phone. If you don't have any financial relationships in the USA, perhaps you can do as I did and call the national campaign office. It worked for me:)

Then, they damn well should make it possible through the web site. Apparently, on Obama's website it is possible. Why not Paul's?

If the campaign wants money as they say they do, they need to address this ASAP.

[Channing]

Just enter your local address and your correct employer and then select one of the options AA, AE, and AP whichever seems most appropriate. The system does not check if the address fits AA, AE, or AP.

[JohnM]

Just enter your local address and your correct employer and then select one of the options AA, AE, and AP whichever seems most appropriate. The system does not check if the address fits AA, AE, or AP.

None of the above are appropriate for me. I am not in the armed forces. I am a long term expat with no address in the US, and no bank account in the US.

I've just been over to Barack Obama's website and looked at the "Donate" page. (Don't worry, I didn't make a donation :D) They make it easy for people in my situation to donate online, by giving people the option of stating which foreign country they live in. No wonder they have lots of overseas donations coming in.

Why can't ronpaul2008.com do the same? Is it difficult? Does it cost money? I'm sure the extra donations that would come in if it were changed would more than pay for the cost of changing it.

[BrianH]

Some Americans overseas are getting around the problem by just donating to chipins. This isn't part of the official campaign but supports directly very vital grassroots activity which is the heart and soul of this campaign. A website has been set up for this http://www.ronpaulinternational.com . We have a small chipin for our efforts in Iowa - link below. We are spending way beyond the $1200 in our chipin appeal and everybody is really stretched. We buy all our own capaign materials for lit drops and signs and have regular ads in the local paper which we pay for ourselves. We are going to win Iowa, but it takes A LOT of work. Support much appreciated!

[LibertyEagle]

None of the above are appropriate for me. I am not in the armed forces. I am a long term expat with no address in the US, and no bank account in the US.

I've just been over to Barack Obama's website and looked at the "Donate" page. (Don't worry, I didn't make a donation :D) They make it easy for people in my situation to donate online, by giving people the option of stating which foreign country they live in. No wonder they have lots of overseas donations coming in.

Why can't ronpaul2008.com do the same? Is it difficult? Does it cost money? I'm sure the extra donations that would come in if it were changed would more than pay for the cost of changing it.

Supposedly, they are working on it, or at least that is what I was told.

In the meantime, I guess what people can do is phone them up and donate that way. Will that work for you?

[JohnM]

Great news!

The www.ronpaul2008.com donation page has now been changed to enable American citizens living overseas to state which foreign country they live in, and hence to donate online.