FAQ
Q. What is 518 Day of Giving?
518 Day of Giving is an online, regional day of giving, on May 18. The event provides nonprofit organizations with the opportunity to gain exposure to – and start relationships with – new donors and encourage philanthropic giving on one single day.
518 Day of Giving is an initiative of United Way of the Greater Capital Region and is designed to deepen the region’s culture of philanthropy.
Q. When is 518 Day of Giving?
518 Day of Giving will take place on May 18, 2024, from midnight to 11:59pm EST.
Q. Which organizations can participate?
Organizations must have a current 501(c)(3) status and provide direct services in United Way of the Greater Capital Region’s eight-county footprint, or within the greater 518 area code.
Q. How are nonprofit organizations verified to participate in 518 Day of Giving?
Bonterra is an online platform that collects, processes, and distributes money in donations from supporters to organizations. Nonprofit organizations fall under certain regulations and are required to abide by the compliance laws that are part of the Patriot Act.
Bonterra verifies that the individual who is signing up a nonprofit organization to collect donations, is who they say they are and is authorized to do so. Additionally, Bonterra verifies that the nonprofit organization is a legitimately registered corporation. Collecting this information helps streamline donation processing and payouts with the payment processor (Stripe) and the financial institutions that they work with. More importantly, Bonterra has a duty to its users that when they choose to support a cause with a monetary gift, that money is going where they expect it to go! You can read a full explanation HERE, including how this information is stored.
Q. What if I can't find my favorite nonprofit on the website?
If you can't find your favorite nonprofit on the 518 Day of Giving site, they may not be participating in the event this year. After the event, please encourage the nonprofit to contact United Way of the Greater Capital Region so they can be included next year.
Q. Who can donate?
Anyone with a credit card and access to the internet can make a donation on 518 Day of Giving.
Q. Is my donation tax-deductible?
Donations through the 518 Day of Giving portal are tax-deductible. When your donation is received through the website, a receipt is automatically generated for the gross amount of your gift and emailed to the address you provide. Your tax professional can advise you on the tax deductibility of the donation.
Q. Will I receive a receipt for tax purposes?
Yes. You will automatically receive an emailed receipt acknowledging your gift to your designated charity.
Q. Is there a minimum gift?
There is a $5 minimum donation.
Q. Can I make a recurring gift to my nonprofit organization?
No. 518 Day of Giving is intended for one-time donations. If you would like to make a recurring gift, please contact the nonprofit of your choice directly.
Q. May I designate how a nonprofit would use my gift?
All donations made during 518 Day of Giving are considered unrestricted gifts to the nonprofit. However, you may express your desire that your gift be used for a specific program or project (in the notes field of the giving form).
Q. May I pay a pledge with my gift?
518 Day of Giving is designed to generate new support. Thus, we are unable to accept gifts to pay off existing pledges.
Q. What is GiveGab (Bonterra)?
GiveGab is the nonprofit giving platform behind 518 Day of Giving.
Q. Do I need to create an account with GiveGab (Bonterra)?
No. You do not need to create an account to make a donation on 518 Day of Giving. The benefits of creating an account include having your tax receipts collected in one location, tracking your donations, following the charities you support, and engaging in future 518 Day of Giving events.
Q. Is my information secure with GiveGab (Bonterra)?
GiveGab takes the highest security measures to ensure your information is protected. GiveGab partners with Stripe to process payments and underwrite the nonprofit verification process. Stripe is a PCI Service Provider Level 1, the most stringent level of certification.
GiveGab also requires HTTPs to have a secure connection when using GiveGab to donate. Your privacy and security are taken very seriously.
Q. Who will receive my contact information?
The organization(s) you choose to support will have access to your name, address, phone number, and email address if you choose to disclose this information. This information is used solely to send thank you messages, provide the option to receive future notifications, and to notify you of future activities.
Donors can wish to remain anonymous. Anonymous donations will be displayed as “Anonymous” on the nonprofit’s 518 Day of Giving page. The nonprofit you choose will receive your name and email address, but they will be notified that you have chosen to remain anonymous.
Each nonprofit has their own dashboard to review and download their donor information. Donor information will not be used in any other manner by GiveGab or United Way of the Greater Capital Region
United Way of the Greater Capital Region does not share your personal information with third parties unless they are carrying out business activities, operations, or functions on our behalf, and only if they comply fully with our donor privacy policy. United Way of the Greater Capital Region does not trade or sell personal information with third parties. Further, United Way of the Greater Capital Region does not send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations. With your prior consent, we may publish your name to acknowledge your support in our annual report and provide your personal information to an agency you may have designated as the recipient of your generosity.
Q. How will donations be distributed?
Each donation made to a participating nonprofit on 518 Day of Giving will be disbursed directly from GiveGab via direct deposit within 5-7 business days.
Q. How much of the donation will go to the nonprofit?
GiveGab retains a 3.5% platform fee from all donations.
Credit card processing fees are 2.5% + $0.30 for Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover, in addition to the 3.5% platform fee.
ACH processing fees are $3.00, in addition to the 3.5% platform fee. This $3.00 flat fee ensures larger donors are not charged excessively and incentivizes online giving. Please note there is a minimum $100 donation for all ACH transactions.
Donors can opt to cover the fees so 100% of the donation will go to the receiving nonprofit. Any fees a donor covers will increase their total tax-deductible donation.
All donations are final and cannot be refunded.