When and how do I receive the donations made to my non profit?
Your first payment from will come via check. The check will be mailed in the middle of the month and include the previous month’s donations. (e.g., in June, you will receive a check for donations made in May.) All checks include the net donation amount less the Firstgiving transaction fee. Once you receive this check, you can sign up for weekly Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for all the payments we make to you in the future..
- If you would like to continue receiving checks, you don't need to do anything else. Each month, we'll mail you a check for the previous month's donations (less transaction fees)
- If the payment is less than $100, we will hold on to it until you reach at least $100 and then we'll mail you the full amount.
- At the end of each quarter, we'll send a check even if it's less than $100.
- If you choose to sign up for EFT, we make despoits every Friday provided the total amount to be transferred is at least $100.
- Although we send the deposit on Friday, the amount may not be reflected in your account until the following Monday or Tuesday
- If the payment is less than $100, we will hold on to it until you reach at least $100 and then we'll process a payment for the full amount.
- At the end of each quarter, we'll make a deposit even if it's less than $100.
Are donations made via Firstgiving tax deductible?
If donations to your organization are tax deductible, then yes, contributions made to your organization via the Firstgiving site are, too. You will want to be sure to customize the thank you paragraph
Firstgiving does not provide tax advice on the deductibility of donations. We encourage nonprofits and donors to consult legal or accounting professionals.
How do we add the Firstgiving button to our nonprofit's website?
Go to http://www.firstgiving.com/Design/1/badges_start.asp and select the button you like best. You or your organization can use the simple code to put the button on your site, just as Scleroderma Foundation did here, http://www.scleroderma.org/development/striders.shtm
Do you have any recommendations for those organizations that don't necessarily have events, but fundraise continually throughout the year?
We have a number of nonprofits that use Firstgiving for year round fundraising. The key thing is to let your supporters know about your Firstgiving page and its flexibility. Promote the page as a way for folks to support your organization as they celebrate a birthday or anniversary; run a marathon or 5K; or for just about any other reason they can dream up.
Premium Account example: http://www.firstgiving.com/amfar
Free Account example: http://www.firstgiving.com/npo/3134
If someone wants to make a general donation to the organization, but not to a specific event or fund raiser's page, can they do that as well?
Absolutely! The general donation button is featured prominently on your Premium or free account page.
How do we get older, computer phobic, folks engaged and excited? Do you have any suggestions?
We love this question. From what we’ve observed working with fundraisers of all ages and computer skill levels, the best thing to do is let folks know that online fundraising doesn’t have to replace the ‘old fashioned’ way of doing things. Many people who consider themselves computer phobic rely on email to keep in touch with family and friends at a distance. Using Firstgiving is as easy as using email; if you have an email account, you can use FG! We find that framing the conversation this way helps people get over any technology fears.
What about security?
Firstgiving is certified for compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) for protecting the credit card details of our customers. All credit card transactions are conducted over secure connections. We are also a member of the Better Business Bureau.
Firstgiving never sells or rents client information to other companies.
Is any technical knowledge required to set up a fundraising page?
No. Firstgiving strives to make its tools as user friendly and simple as possible. If you can browse the web and check your email, you can use Firstgiving. Just in case, our support team is always happy to help (support@firstgiving.com) with any questions at no additional cost.Firstgiving is the US office of the Giving Group Ltd, which has also operated our UK-based company, Justgiving, since 1999. We opened in 2003 in Lexington, MA, and received certification from the Better Business Bureau in 2004. Now in Davis Square, Somerville, we have helped raise money online for over 12,000 different nonprofit organizations. At any given time, there are aver 15,000 active individual fundraising pages, each of which will raise an average of $400 for its cause.
We’re an office of 20 hardworking people dedicated to making online fundraising easy for everybody. Firstgiving’s mission is to make it possible for everyone to raise more money faster and more easily for the causes that are important to them. We share the same core values as our fundraisers - many of us are fundraisers or donors ourselves – and we’re constantly amazed and awed by the extraordinary individuals who fundraise through Firstgiving. We feel very lucky to be able to help make online fundraising easier and more effective for all of them.
Why is Firstgiving a good way to raise money?
Firstgiving was started with the intention to make online fundraising cost-effective and efficient for nonprofit organizations of a wide range of size and income level. The online person-to-person fundraising pages allow your supporters to tap into their individual networks and simultaneously spread the word about your organization and raise money for your cause. Your supporters do your fundraising for you while effectively growing your donor database. Donations made by credit card tend to be larger than offline donations, and you don’t have to worry about the cost and effort necessary in processing checks.Donors automatically receive an email acknowledgement of their donation, which they may use for tax purposes, as well as the necessary paperwork to file a matching donation from their employer. Fundraiser and donor details are easily accessible in your online reporting. We understand you need to spend your time focusing on your nonprofit activities, and of course, promoting Firstgiving fundraising pages to your supporters.
What is the difference between a Firstgiving fundraising page and a general "donate" feature?
Because they make the most of your supporters’ social networks, fundraising pages reach more people than a simple facility to make donations online.
If your nonprofit creates an email campaign asking people to donate to your cause, the response rate may be low because there’s not an immediate reason for people to act. But someone who receives a personal invitation from a friend asking for support in his fundraising is much more likely to make a donation. Even if he has never heard of your organization, he may donate simply because your cause is important to his loved one.
We’ve been analyzing, improving, and perfecting our system for years to help make it as easy as possible for people to fundraise and donate to an online fundraising page.
