Charities booking on behalf of others

1

I just had an instant book from a charity for a family to stay one night. Anyone had any experience with this?
Technically it is a third party booking, but if I joined the Open Homes scheme would it make the booking legit and Air waive their booking fee? Or is it too late since the booking’s been made?
I’ll ask Air but thought I’d check here first. The charity is Make A Wish.

I found this comment on the internet but the link does not work:
Airbnb hosts can also sign up to host Make-A-Wish families at discounted rates, which will help the Airbnb community serve more wish kids.

2

It certainly sounds like a 3rd party booking. Personally, this seems full of risk and unknowns and might even be a scam, especially since you are not a member in their program. I would call airbnb and have them cancel at no penalty to you.

I am all for helping people but keep my businesses and charity separate, unless I have full control. With airbnb involved, I would not do it at all.

https://www.google.com/search?q=make+a+wish+airbnb&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS846US846&oq=make+a+wish+airbnb&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.3367j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

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3

This. Why would a legitimate Make A Wish family need to book in this convoluted way, if there is already a program set up for them? I would need some kind of proof that this is really a Make A Wish family before I gave discounts or even accepted the booking.

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4

I just looked this up for my own edification. The hosts participating in this are not offering discounted stays. It’s offering FREE stays.

https://wish.org/airbnb

Open Homes hosts are invaluable in ensuring every child who wishes to go on a trip has a comfortable place to stay. As an Open Homes host, you can show your generosity by temporarily offering your space for free to wish families during their trip. We hope you’ll join this community of generous hosts today.

5

Is this a social service finding emergency housing for a group in need (such as those experiencing homelessness or escaping domestic violence)?

I wonder if AirBnB is getting the tax-write-off for the donated free stay.

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6

I doubt it in the u.s.
I can’t write off my pro-bono professional work. I can write off the direct expenses (my out of pocket) only, but not the professional fees.

7

It’s a charity helping sick kids fulfill a dream to travel.
After they booked I signed up to Open Homes so I could try and make it officially not a third party booking. Air sent an automated message saying they would send an email about Open Homes today. It’s after midnight now so I’ll check in the morning.