Views expressed here are our opinions. We are not lawyers. You should talk to your state authorities or lawyer to determine whether Jordan's Way is compliant with your state laws.

Our story: In 2020, Jordan's Way (Kris Rotonda) said our rescue was "nominated" for a fundraiser. Wow! We were so excited to be "chosen"! But, our doubts began when we were told it would require a portion of the proceeds (25%) even though our existing audience/donors would be the main donors, a hotel room, and supplies... and there was no paperwork provided for that. What would bring a "national nonprofit" to our small town after all? Googling caused us to be concerned about multiple past failed business ventures and fundraisers. The Facebook page was very odd. Something seemed wrong and we reached out to our lawyer, who works with most of the animal rescues in our state, to check it out. She couldn't find Jordan's Way registered with the IRS and he didn't respond to her request for an EIN, so we asked him for more details, and he sent an email with a 501 approval letter. We discovered that letter was a fake (photoshopped from the approval letter for "Max and Molly Charities") and then he later falsely claimed to be validly registered as a charity as our state requires.

The Jordan's Way "charity" was also not validly registered in Florida where it was based at the time. He had a lot of excuses and even sent one of our rescue friends a screenshot of a charitable registration to prove he was registered.... but it was just a screenshot of the application being filled out and not of approval. He was wishy washy about how he just started a for profit LLC, couldn't bear to use the name "Jordan" so he was using Max and Molly, and the charity wasn't collecting donations anymore. He even told our lawyer he wasn't sure why anyone would think the 501 letter was forged and it just looks that way because of his "terrible scanner"....... but when that excuse didn't work, he then claimed to a different rescue that he had never seen that document before and blamed it on a random volunteer (like rescues don't talk to each other). It was NUTS. He had a lot of excuses and none of them involved having his proper paperwork in order. Our lawyer also found records with the Pinellas County Sheriff Department. Word spread fast among the other rescues and shelters that were "nominated" here that there were problems. After we cancelled our fundraisers, Jordan's Way had no shame and tried to conduct fundraisers in our state again this year without first having required registration as a solicitor approved. Groups cancelled again, and even had to ask for their $250 back (sometimes more than once). Our lawyer reported him to the IRS and she let us know recently that there's an agent investigating. We believe "Jordan's Way" misleads rescues, shelters, and donors about its business structure. Jordan's Way LLC is a for profit Florida business. Jordan's Way "Charities" is a nonprofit Florida business. Shelters on the "Jordan's Way Tour" pay Jordan's Way LLC, the for profit business, $250 plus 25% of all donations received. The website, social media page, etc. collect "donations" and represent "Jordan's Way" as a "nonprofit." Per 2021 filings, the "board" of Jordan's Way "Charities" is Kris Rotonda and a family member, Joseph Rotonda, as treasurer. Florida requires a nonprofit organization to have at least 3 independent directors. Jordan's Way is not conducting "charitable" fundraisers for shelters and rescues out of the kindness of their heart as their requests for donations suggests ("Join our $1 a month club!"). Again, $250 plus 25% is paid to a for profit business for each fundraiser. Money that donors think is going "directly" to a charity or the shelter or rescue and is instead going into Jordan's Way's pocketbook. This also begs the question: where do the donations go? Even worse than this confusion between the two businesses is that many states have rules about fundraisers for pay (INCLUDING OURS).... and many require contracts and approval before the fundraiser.... and the sponsor charity (the shelter/rescue) can get in trouble for not having that. It pisses us off that someone who supposedly loves dogs is so reckless about possibly hurting the rescues and shelters he's allegedly helping, all while lining his own pocketbook. We've done the research... these registrations aren't that expensive, but the after fundraiser reports probably have some tax implications...... All we know is what happened during our experience with Jordan's Way and we can't recommend it or agree with supporting paying 25% to a shady for profit when that money should be going to pets. Others have contacted us, including former employees/contractors and groups that have "worked" with Jordan's Way and had negative experiences too. Bottom line is that we think the whole thing is shady and he's a schmuck for putting shelters/rescues at risk and pretending he's doing all of this because he's such a nice guy who loves animals. If you do one of these fundraisers, definitely make sure the paperwork is in order and don't mislead your donors into thinking their whole donation goes directly to supporting your pets like it normally does from Facebook fundraisers. Donate directly to the shelters and rescues you support rather than padding this guy's pocketbook. Research charities here: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations Research Florida corporations here: https://dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz/search/ Research Florida charities here: https://csapp.fdacs.gov/CSPublicApp/CheckACharity/CheckACharity.aspx Research Pinellas County Court records here: https://www.mypinellasclerk.org/Home/View-Records Research professional solicitor and charity registrations with your state's Attorney General office.

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