GivingGrid

Donor Help

1 How do I make a donation?

Any square that doesn't have a photo or name is available. Just click on the available square you want, fill out the short form, click the "Donate" button and you're on your way!

With our new Fund-icons, you may see a heart, happy face, paw print, flowers or even a company logo. That's what you'd click on to make a donation. Most campaigns also have a donate button.

2 What are my payment options for a donation?

We use PayPal for all payment and credit/debit card processing on GivingGrid.com. Everyone knows PayPal and they are safe and secure. You can easily use Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express. You do not need a PayPal account.

If you have a PayPal account, you can also donate with the money in your account.

We do not accept checks, wire transfers or ACH payments at this time.

3 Do I need an account to donate?

No you don't. We don't even offer accounts, so you can make a donation in about two minutes.

4 Is your site secure?

Rest assured that GivingGrid.com and the donation payment process through any of our payment processing partners is secure. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology is used by all to make sure your information is safe.

In addition, GivingGrid never touches the funds you donate. They either go directly to the fundraisers PayPal account (or through PayPal Giving Fund first and then to the fundraiser), depending on the type of campaign. GivingGrid never stores any of your credit card information either. Only PayPal sees that during payment processing.

5 How do I contact the fundraiser?

Go back to their campaign and then scroll down the page and look for "About the organization" and click "Email."

6 Is my donation tax-deductible?

Your donation to a US-Based 501(c)3 charitable organization through GivingGrid.com is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. You'll automatically receive an email receipt from the payment processor for a record of your donation.

Donations to personal fundraisers that aren't going to a US-Based 501(c)3 charitable organization are generally not tax deductible. Please check with your tax professional to be sure.

7 Can I donate more than the amount on the square?

Absolutely and please do! If you're donating on a GivingGrid campaign with preset amounts in the squares, after you click on the square you want and the form comes up, right next to the amount of the square there's a box labeled "Additional Donation." Just enter the additional amount you want to donate and it will automatically be added.

8 Can I buy more than one square?

Absolutely and please do! You'll need to do separate donations for each square. Remember, the objective for the nonprofit is to fill all the squares. That's how they'll reach their goal.

9 Can I donate anonymously?

Yes you can! On the donation form, right next to where you enter your name, there's a checkbox that says "Hide my name." If you check the box, instead of your name, it will say "Someone who cares."

10 Do I have to upload a photo with my donation?

No you don't, but you can upload any photo you want. It doesn't have to be of you. It could be your dog or cat, your car or boat, a photo from your favorite vacation or anything else you want. But not to worry, if you don't have the time or just don't want to bother, we'll put your name or whatever you put in the name field on the donation form in your square. If you donate anonymously, it will simply say "Someone who cares."

11 Why won't my donation go through?

Sometimes a donation is rejected for little typos or a wrong address. Be sure to enter the name and billing address (if requested) that's on your credit card statement and be sure you entered the payment info (card number, expiration date and security code) perfectly. If you've tried again and are still having a problem, you might also want to try another credit card or even a different computer.

If all else fails, please don't give up. It's for a good cause, so just click contact us and we'll help you figure it out.

12 Are there any fees?

The only fees charged to the fundraiser on donations are the credit card processing or PayPal fees. Those are about 3% and charged directly by the payment processor. Unlike most other fundraising sites, we do not take a percentage of what you donate. We do charge a 65 cent transaction fee to the donor.

13 When does my credit card get charged?

Your credit card is charged right away when you successfully complete your donation. The fundraiser will typically receive your donation within 1-3 business days (typically one day).

14 Why does a square show it's on hold?

Someone clicks on a square and gets this message:

"This square is currently on hold for another supporter for X MORE MINUTES. Please pick another square or if this is the square you've got to have, you can check back in a little bit. Maybe they won't take it before their time is up? You can also keep clicking the check again button. Maybe they'll cancel it before their time is up?"

GivingGrid works just like when you buy theatre or event tickets online with reserved seating. When someone clicks on a square we hold it for them for 15 minutes to complete the donation. If they don't complete their donation in 15 minutes or if they click on another square, that square becomes available again.

15 What if the fundraiser's goal isn't met?

While the fundraiser will certainly make every effort to reach their fundraising goal, your donation will be provided to the fundraiser even if they don't achieve it. Remember, it's still for a good cause.

16 Does the fundraiser have to use all the money raised for the purpose outlined in the campaign?

While the fundraiser always has every intension of using the funds raised from their campaign for the purpose outlined in the campaign, they may at their discretion reallocate all or part of the funds to support other urgent needs, most commonly if they exceed their goal.

17 How does GivingGrid make money?

We do not charge the fundraiser any fees, so your entire contribution goes to them (minus 3rd party credit card fees).

Our only source of income are optional small extra contributions that donors provide beyond their donation to the fundraiser. We need this funding to help cover all the costs associated with providing this site for free to all the wonderful causes we support. Think of it as a small tip. It will be displayed to you during the donation process as a separate line item, so you can clearly see the small amount we're requesting. You will be given the ability to edit the amount up or down or even make it zero if you don’t think we’re deserving. Hopefully you won’t think that…

18 What do I do if I believe a campaign is fraudulent?

Only give to people or organizations you know or trust. If you suspect a campaign is making false claims and may be fraudulent, please contact us right away.

Make sure you include the GivingGrid website address and/or the exact name of the campaign, in addition to any proof or supporting information you might have. We take these claims very seriously, but we will not consider or pursue any claims without specific information to support your claim.

After receiving this information, we will normally contact the fundraiser promptly to learn more and ultimately make a determination as to whether or not the campaign is legitimate. If we do not hear back from the fundraiser in a reasonable period of time with a satisfactory response, we will suspend that campaign indefinitely or until such time as we receive a satisfactory reply.

19 What is PayPal Giving Fund (PPGF)?

PayPal Giving Fund is a grant-giving IRS-registered 501(c)(3) public charity (Federal Tax ID: 45-0931286) that aims to inspire a new wave of philanthropy by making giving part of everyday life. They do this by enabling donors to support their favorite causes across a number of platforms. PayPal Giving Fund receives donations from users as charity of record on GivingGrid and provides the donation receipt to donors. We then grant the funds to donor-recommended charities, pursuant to their policies.

20 Are there PayPal Giving Fund disclosures?

a) Your donation, which is typically tax-deductible in the US, will be made to PayPal Giving Fund, a 501(c)(3) charity, and is subject to PayPal Giving Fund’s policies and terms of service for donors.

b) Donations are subject to PayPal payment processing fees, and PayPal Giving Fund makes grants to benefitting charities net of those fees.

c) The charity you recommend will typically receive the funds within 15-45 days of your original donation.

d) This doesn’t happen often, but if, after reasonable efforts, PayPal Giving Fund cannot deliver donations to the charity you recommend, it will whenever possible seek a new recommendation from you, and if no recommendation is given, will reassign the funds to another charity, which has been vetted by PayPal Giving Fund.

21 How can I know when my donation through PPGF is granted to the charity I intended to benefit?

Click the “Track your donation” link in your donation receipt email to see whether your donation has been granted to the charity you intended to benefit. You can also enter the Transaction ID from your donation receipt into our donation tracker. It normally takes a minimum of 15 days for a donation to be re-granted to an enrolled charity.

22 When I make a donation to PPGF, how and when does the charity get the money?

PayPal Giving Fund is the receiving charity of record for any donation made through its programs. PayPal Giving Fund then attempts to make a grant to the charity you recommend when you make your donation. Whether a charity is enrolled in PayPal Giving Fund determines the method and speed at which funds are granted. Pending distribution of grants, PayPal Giving Fund holds all donations in a secure, dedicated bank account.

PPGF ensures all charities have met the eligibility requirements in the Nonprofit Certification Policy before including them in their programs. You can learn more about how PPGF grants funds to enrolled and unenrolled charities by reviewing the Donation Delivery Policy.

23 Will I receive a tax receipt for my donation through PPGF?

Yes. You should get a tax receipt from PayPal Giving Fund for each donation you make. By default PPGF sends tax receipts to you by email.

24 Why does my donation go to PayPal Giving Fund?

As the charity of record, PayPal Giving Fund receives the donations and then grants them to the charity you recommend at the time of your donation, in accordance with their Donation Delivery Policy.

PayPal Giving Fund is an IRS-registered 501(c)(3) charity and donations you make through our programs are generally tax deductible in the US.

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