Rays of Hope Shelter Challenge OFFICIAL RULES

THE SHELTER CHALLENGE is a limited-duration voting contest in which Participants can vote for eligible, registered Organizations each day the contest is active and open to voting. No purchase is necessary to enter the Shelter Challenge as a Participant or Organization. Participants must be 18 years or older.

TERMS:

• SPONSORS include GreaterGood/CharityUSA.com LLC, which is responsible for daily operation of the Shelter Challenge, and additional affiliated Sponsors designated and approved by GreaterGood/CharityUSA.com LLC.

• GREATER GOOD CHARITIES is the 501(c)3 foundation responsible for determining Organization eligibility and for distribution of prizes. 

• PARTICIPANTS are individual users of the Shelter Challenge infrastructure who may vote anonymously or register to vote regularly and otherwise participate in the Shelter Challenge.

• ORGANIZATIONS are 501(c)3 (or comparable international) domestic animal shelters, rescues, and sanctuaries, or official county or municipal shelters, which are registered in and eligible for prizes in the Shelter Challenge.

ABOUT THESE RULES

All participants are subject to and agree to be bound by the Rays of Hope Shelter Challenge Official Rules as stated here and in the Shelter Challenge Terms of Service. The Sponsor reserves the right at its discretion to modify these rules for clarity, context, and correctness.

TIMING

The Rays of Hope Shelter Challenge will begin on June 10, 2026, at 12:00 AM PT and end on August 5, 2026, at 11:59 PM PT.  

PRIZES

No Organization is eligible for more than one (1) prize in the Rays of Hope Shelter Challenge. If an Organization wins multiple prizes based on the number of votes received, the Organization will receive the highest of qualifying prizes. Other prizes will go to the qualifying Organization with the next-highest number of votes. 

Prizes will be awarded in the Rays of Hope Shelter Challenge as follows: 

The Organization with the highest number of verified votes at the end of the Rays of Hope Shelter Challenge will win the GRAND PRIZE of one $5,000 grant to help animals. The GRAND PRIZE may only be won by an organization once per calendar year. (1 GRAND PRIZE will be awarded.)

The Organization with the second highest number of verified votes at the end of the Rays of Hope Shelter Challenge will win the SECOND PRIZE of one $3,000 grant to help animals. The SECOND PRIZE may only be won by an organization once per calendar year. (1 SECOND PRIZE will be awarded.)

The Organization with the third highest number of verified votes at the end of the Rays of Hope Shelter Challenge will win the THIRD PRIZE of one $2,000 grant to help animals. The THIRD PRIZE may only be won by an organization once per calendar year. (1 THIRD PRIZE will be awarded.)

The organizations with the fourth through the eighth highest number of verified votes at the end of the Rays of Hope Shelter Challenge will each win a RUNNER UP PRIZE of one $500 grant to help animals. (5 RUNNER UP PRIZES will be awarded.)

ORGANIZATION ELIGIBILITY & PARTICIPATION

Organizations that are eligible to participate in the Shelter Challenge include animal shelters, rescues, foster organizations, and sanctuaries that house domestic animals (pets) and have 501(c)3 status (or international equivalent), OR are U.S.-based county or municipal animal shelters. To be eligible to win, the organization must be enrolled in the Shelter Challenge and verified and approved by Greater Good Charities. Organizations may enroll at any time during the Shelter Challenge, but will not be eligible to receive votes until approved and activated by the Sponsor at the Sponsor's sole discretion.  Organizations that enroll in the Shelter Challenge agree to allow GreaterGood and Greater Good Charities to periodically send you information on contests, products, services, special deals, and promotions, and can unsubscribe from receiving these emails at any time.  Final determination of eligibility of organizations to receive current and future Shelter Challenge prizes remains at the sole discretion of Greater Good Charities and its staff, and is not guaranteed by past or current enrollment or previous receipt of grants or prizes.

Organizations that sign up for the Shelter Challenge agree to abide by the rules, provide accounting of the use of funds or non-monetary prizes to Greater Good Charities, and provide documentation of their 501(c)3, 990, or charity status upon request. Failure to do so, upon entry into the Shelter Challenge or at any time during or after a Shelter Challenge contest, or prior to being awarded a Shelter Challenge prize, may strip the Organization of current or future eligibility and Shelter Challenge awards, as determined by Greater Good Charities.  Any organization which loses or fails to provide proof of its 501c3 status (if operating in the United States) or charity status (if operating outside the United States) prior to, during, at the end of, or before receiving a prize in the Shelter Challenge will be ineligible for any prize won during the Shelter Challenge.

Organization staff and volunteers are allowed and encouraged to take part in the Shelter Challenge as Participants. Organizations are absolutely welcome to communicate about the Shelter Challenge on websites, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and other media.  Organizations are expected to encourage participation based on the rules of the Shelter Challenge. Encouraging any fraudulent activity, including asking voters to vote more than once per day, is expressly against Shelter Challenge rules. Organizations and Organization staff and volunteers found to have encouraged or participated in fraudulent activity may face penalties up to and including permanent disqualification from the Shelter Challenge, as determined by the Sponsor and by Greater Good Charities. 

PARTICIPANT ELIGIBILITY & PARTICIPATION 

Participants in the Shelter Challenge must be 18 years of age as of the time of voting or registration. Each Participant may vote one (1) time each day between the start of the Shelter Challenge (June 10, 2026 12:00 AM PT) and the end (August 5, 2026, 11:59 PM PT). Participants may vote anonymously or may register for a Shelter Challenge account.  No purchase or payment is necessary to participate, enter, or win. A purchase or payment of any kind will not increase chances of winning. Void where prohibited by law. 

Participants are prohibited from creating multiple accounts, tampering with votes or the Shelter Challenge infrastructure, or otherwise appropriating fraudulent votes - including offering payment, prizes, or other inducements to members of the public. Fraudulent activity can interfere with the performance of the Shelter Challenge program for legitimate Participants and Organizations - and absolutely will not be tolerated. Votes that the Sponsor suspects are generated by script or bot, fraudulent accounts or IP addresses, rigging or purchase, or which otherwise violate the spirit of these rules in order to corrupt the contest voting process may be excluded at any point during or after the contest, and accounts or participants found responsible may be temporarily or permanently excluded from further participation by the Sponsor without appeal.

ORGANIZATION & PARTICIPANT RELEASE

By participating in the Shelter Challenge, Organizations and Participants agree to waive and hold harmless all Shelter Challenge entities and Sponsors, including but not limited to GreaterGood/CharityUSA.com LLC and Greater Good Charities and their staff, from any and all damages, losses, injuries, or expenses of any kind resulting from participation in the Shelter Challenge. 

Organizations and Participants also agree to allow Shelter Challenge Sponsors, Greater Good Charities, and Sponsor Affiliates free, perpetual, worldwide to feature photographs, likenesses, and any information as provided to the Shelter Challenge system or to Greater Good Charities in regard to the Shelter Challenge, in any medium including (but not limited to) the internet, social media, print, radio, and television, without additional notification, permission, or compensation.

ORGANIZATION & PARTICIPANT COPYRIGHT WARRANT 

Participants and Organizations attest and verify that they have the necessary rights and permissions to submit, use, distribute, create derivative works from, publish, and display any materials, including but not limited to photographs, images, logos, written material, and video, submitted to the Shelter Challenge.  Participants and Organizations warrant and guarantee that submitted materials do not infringe on copyright, privacy rights, or any other rights of another person, further if those materials include identifiable information, the person identified (or if under 18 years of age, their legal guardian) has given consent for the Participant or Organization to use the material in the Shelter Challenge. Participants and Organizations are liable for claims or proceedings brought against Shelter Challenge Sponsors and Greater Good Charities for violation of copyright, privacy rights, or other personal rights.

OPERATIONAL FAILURE POLICY

If for any reason the Shelter Challenge is not operating or becomes corrupted as a result of tampering, unauthorized interaction, fraudulent activity, technical failure, equipment failure, service or provider failure, data failure, or attack by malware, bot activity, hacking, or DOS attacks, or any other cause that may corrupt or affect the administration, security, or integrity of the Shelter Challenge as determined solely by the Sponsor, the Sponsor reserves the right to  modify, cancel, suspend, or terminate the Shelter Challenge, with any prizes withdrawn or awarded as determined by the Sponsor based upon activity up to that point and at the Sponsor's sole discretion. The Sponsor and Greater Good Charities assume no liability for incorrect or inaccurate entries or data, votes, or information supplied to the Shelter Challenge, and is not obligated to consider data or information from another source. In the case of system failure, the Sponsor may on its sole discretion consider whether adjustment is needed to fairly compensate for specific failure types that may cause imbalanced results, but the Sponsor is in no way obligated to add or adjust votes for the offline period at the request of Participants or Organizations. 

DISPUTE RESOLUTION

All Shelter Challenge disputes are subject to final and binding resolution by GreaterGood.com/CharityUSA.com LLC. If a dispute arises regarding the Shelter Challenge or compliance with Shelter Challenge Official Rules, the Sponsor may at its sole discretion consider data reasonably available, but is not obligated to consider data from non-Shelter-Challenge sources. 

WINNER SELECTION & PRIZE DELIVERY 

Winner selection is based on votes in the Rays of Hope Shelter Challenge as designated by the applicable contest prize parameters and during the applicable contest time period, designated in the TIMING section of the Official Rules, as verified by the Sponsor and Greater Good Charities.  All final vote tallies are subject to audit and approval by the Sponsor and by Greater Good Charities at their sole discretion.  

Winning Organizations will be selected, notified, and announced within 14 days of the end of the Shelter Challenge contest period. 

Winning Organizations will be contacted by Greater Good Charities, and are required to provide the materials requested to verify eligibility prior to prize distribution within 30 days of being notified. In the case that a shelter is determined ineligible, fails to send required materials, or otherwise fails to claim their prize, the prize may be re-awarded or retracted at the sole discretion of the Sponsor and Greater Good Charities. Distribution of prizes can take up to 60 days after winners are announced. 

MORE INFORMATION

Questions? Please refer to the Shelter Challenge FAQ for more information about the Shelter Challenge.