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If you know the exact name of the charity simply type it in the 'charity search' on the home page and click GO. You can also type in a part of the name and the search will return results with that 'keyword'. For example, if you are looking for the charity 'food for poor' but can not remember the entire name, simply type in the word 'poor' which will display all charities with 'poor' in the title.
Since there are over 1.5 million charities we have broke them into 9 convenient categories for those that do not know exactly what charity they are looking for. To browse by charity you can click on the category listings from the menu to the left under 'find a charity now.' Each subsequent category you click will narrow your results.
How often does DonationNetwork send a check to individual charities?
DonationNetwork sends a check to charities quarterly provided that the charity has accumulated at least $100 in donations. These donations do not have to come just from you. They are totaled from everyone participating in the Donation Matching Program.
Not all charities are registered with the federal government. (a good example would be most churches) Therefore our online listing might not include the cause you are interested in donating to.
Adding a charity not only allows you to donate, but also allows the thousands of other DonationNetwork members to donate as well. We encourage you to add any charity not currently listed, plus adding a charity to our site is easy. 1) Go to the area where the charity would be listed. I.E. for a Christian church you would go to religion/Christianity.
2) Click the 'add a charity' link located on the left of the page.
3) Follow the online instructions for adding a charity and you're done.
It's that easy!
Can I go to a charity's website from DonationNetwork.org?
We try to make the information provided as comprehensive as possible with the most important information easily listed for better understanding. However, if we are not able to provide you with the information you are seeking we do provide the web address to the most popular charities. If we have this information simply click the 'website' link located on the left of that charity's page. If we do not have that information but you know that it exist, please update that charity's page through the 'charity edit' link. We thank you in advance for helping us keep the most up-to -date information.
Choosing a charity is usually personal. If you or a loved one has experienced something that a particular charity supports then you may choose that one. If you want to pick a charity based on your hobbies such as white water rafting, then you can choose a charity that focuses on nature preservation. There are over 1 million charities to choose from so we suggest you pick something that is close to your heart. Additionally, in the area of your interest, you can view our ratings, financial data, and more to pick a charity in which your donation might provide the most benefit.
How do I get involved in a charity if I want to do more than just donate money?
Involvement in a charity beyond donating money is always beneficial. To get more involved with a specific charity you will need to contact that charity directly. Each charity is different and is in need of a variety of help.
Can I choose to let DonationNetwork allocate my donations?
Yes, you can choose this option in your My Charities section. When you sign up through our site you may choose a charity or you select a charity fund. There are several charity funds available. Many of the funds DonationNetwork.org manages, and many are managed by other members. You can select any fund to send your donation to. It's all up to you and you can change your mind at any time.
Can I put 'in memory of' or 'in honor of'' and attach it to my donations?
Yes, when DonationNetwork mails out quarterly checks to charities, there will be a letter attached containing the names of all those who chose to put an "in honor of" or "in memory of" name. To do this simply fill out the 'in memory of' or 'in honor of' fields when making your online donation.
Can my donation be divided between multiple charities?
Yes, donating to more than one charity is done through charity funds. Charity Funds are an exclusive Donation Network feature. Setting up a charity fund allows you to split your donations from 2 to 100 different charities.
If I choose to split my $50 donation between two charities, does that count as my $50 for the month or only $25?
Each donation has to be $50.00 in the Donation Matching Program. You can specify different amounts to different charities through the use of charity funds, but it still counts as your full $50 monthly donation.
Is it better to donate a little to several charities or a bigger amount to a select few?
Either way is great as long as you're donating to a charitable cause. There is really no difference either way. All charities are thankful for whatever amount of funds you provide.
Once I choose a charity am I required to donate to that charity for any particular length of time?
If you are on a recurring program, the donations to the charity will not be changed until your next cycle. Otherwise if you are donating semi-annually and you want to change charities the day after your semi-annual date, you can do so but it would be your next donation before the funds go to your new charity. Cycles can be monthly (requirement for the donation matching program), quarterly, semi-annual or annual. The choice is yours. You can opt to change charities or even change the percentage that is allotted to that charity. These changes can be made in your 'My Account' section.
What if the charity I would like to donate to is not listed on this site?
There are literally millions of charities and unfortunately not all are listed with the government. If there is a charity you would like to donate to, but is not listed on our site, then you have two options. First, for those in the Donation Matching Program you may choose to have your matching fundsdirectly deposited into your account. This way you can donate to a local cause not listed. Second, you can add the charity to our site. For instructions see 'How can I add a Charity Not listed?'.
If you have had experience with a certain charity and would like to give them a rating then you may do so on the charity's page. You can choose to type something about them or you can give them a 'rapid rating.' You can do this by simply going to the 'Rapid Rating' box and give them a quick score of 1-5 with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. You have to be a member of our site to use this feature.
There is no perfect way to measure how 'good' a charity is. Our star rating system is based on a charity's financial page and the information we have. However, many more factors help determine the solidarity and value of a charity. For more information than we provide about a charity, you can click on the charity name and it will take you to that individual website, if they have one.
When looking at a charity's information page what key items should I be looking for?
The main item to look for is the percentage of donations actually going toward the program and how much goes toward their overhead/processing fees. Although, this is not enough to determine whether you should choose a particular charity. Each charity must be looked at and evaluated based on what kind of specific charity it is and your belief in that charities work.
To locate a charity's contact information you first need to click on the name of the charity. Then if you look in the column to the left, you will see the middle box says 'Contact Information.' Listed there will be the name and address of the charity. For more information, a lot of the charities listed have websites and if you click on the name of the charity it will take you directly to their website.
Any business must have an IRS identification number to even open a banking account. This number is assigned by the IRS and used during tax time. This number does not represent nor affect a business in a positive or negative way.
On a charity's information page, 'fund raising expenses' refer to the amount of money it costs to do anything relating to fund raising to benefit the charity. These may include: newspaper ads, mailings, cost of printing, television ads and telemarketing.
What are 'overhead expenses' on a charity's information page?
Overhead expenses refer to the amount of money it costs to run the organization. These costs may include but are not limited to: rent for the organization, heating, lighting, salaries for those who work for the organization, etc... Usually the lower this percent the more efficient the charity is.
What are 'Program Expenses' on a charity's information page?
Program expenses refer to the amount of money it takes to run the programs related specifically to the charity. The higher this number the better. This is the money that is used to achieve the mission and goal of the charity.
What does 'ruling year' mean on the individual charity information pages?
Scope of Operation means how far a charity's work can reach. There are three choices for the scope of operation: local/regional, national, or international. You can think of this as where the charity spends it's money. A museum is usually local as it funds are spend locally for benefit of the museum. A national charity would be one such as Red Cross who supports efforts all across the county.
What does Publication 78 verified mean on the charity information page?
Publication 78 is a publication put out by the IRS every year and lists those charities that have a non-profit, tax-deductible status. There are many charities that you can donate to but you need to make sure that they are tax-deductible if you want to write your donation off on your taxes.
Affiliate expenses can be located on the charity's information page and are those monies passed on. An example of this would be a national chapter sends money to a state chapter. The National Chapter would log this as a affiliate expense. Typically, the lower this cost, the better.
Typical uses for a Charity Fund:
* To group charities that have a common mission.
* To group charities that are in my local area.
* To group charities so that I can share this group with others.
* To group charities so I can make one donation that goes to several charities.
Once created, a Charity Fund is just like any other charity:
* You can define the title, mission, and description of it.
* You can donate to it.
* You can review it.
* You can add it to your favorites.
* You can even add it to another Charity Fund
Your charity fund is created by you and is personal. If you would like others to be able to view it and even donate to it then you can choose to make it 'public.' You can make this selection in "My Charity Funds." If you make a charity fund public you can not change it back to private.
Can someone change the charities in my charity fund if I make it 'public'?
