Tag Archives: Nonprofit Services

Featured FAQ: Can donors make recurring donations through our JustGive donation page?

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Question

Can donors make recurring donations through our JustGive donation page?

Answer

Yes, as long as you are using JustGive’s nonprofit services, your donors have the option to set up a monthly recurring donation to your organization.

How do recurring donations work?

Recurring donations, also known as monthly giving, are donations that are automatically processed on the first business day of each month. Donors are only required to enter their payment information once – upon set up of their recurring donation – which makes this an easy and convenient way for them to increase their impact on charity.

The option to give monthly allows you to break down your total ask, giving donors a practical alternative to a one-time gift that might feel out of reach for their budget (ex: $25/month instead of a one-time gift of $300). This allows them to contribute the same larger amount spread out over several months.

How do donors set up a recurring donation?

Donors can set up a recurring donation by visiting your custom donation page and following the steps below:

  1. Select the amount recurring-checkboxto give monthly
  2. Just below the amount, check the box that says “Make this a monthly recurring donation”
  3. Click Proceed To
    Checkout     to get to the checkout screen and, under “Monthly Recurring Donations Terms”, select the month and year to begin the recurring donation
  4. Complete the donation

Note that donors are required to create an account on JustGive when they create a recurring donation so that, if needed, they can log in and modify their recurring donation at any time. Donors cannot indicate an end date for their recurring donation.

TIP: Make it even easier for your donors to give monthly by pre-checking the recurring donation box on the donation page for them with a custom donation button link.

When donors click the link, they will land on your donation page with the “Make this a monthly recurring donation” box already checked. Donors can easily uncheck this box if they do not want to make their donation recurring.

How do I track recurring donations to my organization?

When your organization collects donations through JustGive, we provide detailed reporting for each donation you receive. When you log in to your account and run your donation report you can see recurring donations marked with “Yes” in the Recurring column.

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Click to view larger

Monthly giving is an easy and convenient way for donors to make a difference throughout the year. In addition to providing reliable donation levels, monthly donors don’t need to receive regular appeals. This opens up communications to the real-life impact of their donations, keeping your donors connected and engaged.

-Amanda Chun
Account Development Manager

Don’t miss out on other helpful tips and tools: To automatically receive an email when we post more, subscribe to our Nonprofit Blog.

Turn engagement into donations

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We’ve already shown you how to customize your donation page to present a compelling message- check out 5 ways to customize your Donation Page for a refresher – but now take a look at how a donation button can help turn donor engagement into donations.

If there’s one important feature of all successful nonprofit fundraising campaigns, it’s effective donor engagement.  The simple truth is that donors support causes and organizations they feel connected to. As we discussed in our livestream with the Foundation Center, Doubling-Down on Virtual Engagement with Online Donation Platforms, online donation systems offer opportunities for increased engagement through social sharing and easier editing if something isn’t working. Additionally, as people spend more time online, it’s important to provide donors with the tools that allow them to make donations online.

How a donation button can help

Whether it’s Facebook, a website, or email, nearly all nonprofit organizations use at least one digital fundraising channel to tell their story and engage with supporters. By including  a free and easy-to-implement donation button like JustGive’s in these channels, you can provide direct access to your donation page while conserving your resources. This leaves more room in your budget for programs and other mission-based work.

Ways to use a donation button

Versatility is one of a donation button’s greatest assets. Justgive’s Donate Now button is customizable, easily integrates and allows you to maximize donor access to your donation page, setting your organization up to generate more one-time or monthly recurring donations.

  1. Include it on each page of your website – Your website messaging should be clear and compelling, letting donors know where they fit into this story. Once they’ve connected with your story, make it easy for them to show their support.
  2. Add it to your email signaturesignature-button
    – Adding a donation button directly to your email signature opens up the opportunity to engage with your organization and donate to anyone you’re in direct communication with. Whether it’s a previous donor, board member, potential volunteer, or friend, you never know who your next fundraiser or advocate will be.
  3. Include it in e-newsletters or other communications –  Even if it’s not your communication’s main call to action, providing donation access is crucial to increasing online donations. According to a recent M + R benchmark study, 27% of online donations are coming from email appeals.

To maximize the effectiveness of your online fundraising, add a Donate button to all of your virtual communications – the more opportunities a donor has to give, the more likely they are to give.

-Amanda Chun
Account Development Manager

Don’t miss out on other helpful tips and tools: To automatically receive an email when we post more, subscribe to our Nonprofit Blog.

Year in review: A look back at 2016

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Thanks to your support and dedication to making a difference, JustGive sent $32,494,501 to charity in 2016.

This year $6,828,513 was donated through a Donate Now button – up 13% since 2015. Other nonprofit accomplishments include:

  • a new payment report for nonprofits, making it easier to keep records and donor lists up-to-date by searching check numbers to find corresponding donation details
  • our very first webinar to introduce new nonprofits to our Donate Now button
  • newly designed Donate Now buttons:

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Our support from corporate partners remained strong with 45% of donations coming through social responsibility programs.

Take a look at some of the impact we made together in 2016.

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We look forward to continuing our important work with you and growing the world of giving for an even more impactful 2017!

Amanda Chun
Account Development Manager

Don’t miss out on other helpful tips and tools: To automatically receive an email when we post more, subscribe to our Nonprofit Blog.

Introducing our NEW “Donate Now” buttons

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Featuring quick, easy implementation, our “Donate Now” buttons are the perfect tool for last-minute year-end fundraising and beyond. With four different color schemes to choose from, our new donation buttons integrate seamlessly with your website and email communications designs.

Donate buttons

Download a “Donate Now” button to use on your website, in emails or in social media to generate more one-time or monthly recurring donations.

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How it works

  1. Right click on a button above and choose “Save Image As…” or “Save Target As…” to download the file to your computer.
  2. Add the image to your website through your site builder tool or your web-developer.
  3. Hyperlink the image with your unique donation page URL found on the Donate Buttons page of your JustGive account

Example:rebuilding

TIP: Want to customize your donation button for particular programs, amounts, or for recurring? Check out our blog that details how to add specific text to your donation button link. These customizations let you pre-populate fields when your donor arrives at your page.

Amanda Chun
Account Development Manager

Don’t miss out on other helpful tips and tools: To automatically receive an email when we post more, subscribe to our Nonprofit Blog.

Featured Nonprofit FAQ: Updating your mailing address

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Question

How do we update our organization address on our JustGive account?

Answer

JustGive’s comprehensive database of more than 1.8 million public charities is provided by GuideStar to make it easy for donors to find detailed information about charities that match their interests. JustGive uses the address information listed in GuideStar, making it crucial to keep your GuideStar Nonprofit profile up-to-date to receive donation payments without delay.

To update your address:

  1. Sign in at guidestar.org with your registered email address and password
  2. Once logged in, click “Update Nonprofit Report” in the top bar of the home page
  3. Click on your organization’s name to begin updating your organization’s profile
    • Note: If you don’t see your organization’s name, enter your organization’s EIN and click  the Request Permission button to update your profilegc-ein
  4. Once in your organization’s profile, click “Basic Information” in the task bar on the left side of the page
  5. Update each section of the profile as necessary – be sure to click the Save button at the bottom of each page after you have added or changed information in the form
  6. Once you have completed all required fields on the form, click the Publish changes now button at the bottom of the page to get to “Program Terms”
  7. Click the Finish and Publish button there to complete your updates. Your information will be posted on GuideStar within 48 hours and will automatically update on JustGive.

To further increase visibility and funding opportunities for your organization, see Guidestar’s “5 Steps to a Stellar GuideStar Nonprofit Profile.”

-Amanda Chun
Account Development Manager

Don’t miss out on other helpful tips and tools: To automatically receive an email when we post more, subscribe to our Nonprofit Blog.

A look at our #GivingTuesday 2016

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Thanks to your hardwork, JustGive recorded a 64% increase in donations to our participating organizations this #GivingTuesday. The biggest increases were seen in donations coming through donation buttons. When compared to 2015:

  • Donation totals increased by 47%
  • Average donation amount increased by 72%

Our favorite highlight: an amazing 92% of donors chose to cover donation processing fees allowing us to pass through 99.4% to charity.

Here’s a glimpse of our nonprofits’ impact on #GivingTuesday 2016.

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Although #GivingTuesday is over, our work  is not done yet!  Engage past donors and turn new donors into long-term supporters by maintaining communication and asking them to give again before the year ends. Learn more about how JustGive can help.

– Amanda Chun
Account Development Manager

Don’t miss out on other helpful tips and tools: To automatically receive an email when we post more, subscribe to our Nonprofit Blog.

Offer your donors an additional way to give: Loyalty rewards points

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A look at how two of our corporate partners, PointWorthy and American Express, can help your donors turn loyalty rewards points into cash donations for your cause.

These days nearly every consumer earns rewards points through loyalty programs with their preferred credit card carriers, retailers, or hotel chains. If they’re anything like me, the majority of their points earned go to waste because the points go forgotten (oops) or expire before there’s a reason to redeem them. Luckily, PointWorthy and American Express offer charitable redemption options to make sure loyalty points never go unused again.

What is PointWorthy?pw-logo

PointWorthy’s website enables participants of select loyalty programs to redeem their rewards points for cash donations to charity. According to co-founder Mario Margolis, “PointWorthy was born from simple frustration: We’re successful technology entrepreneurs who had accumulated a lot of loyalty points and wanted to use the loyalty points we had stored to help fund different causes we believed in, but we couldn’t! Turns out there are $50 Billion worth of loyalty points distributed every year. Yet, even though close to 30% go unredeemed, there was no easy way to convert them to cash for any of the charities that we wanted to contribute to. Combining our social entrepreneurial zeal and the fact that consumers like to partner with socially responsible companies, we saw an opportunity to create a great business and to make the world better at the same time!”

How can this program benefit my organization?
Since 2014, over 4,000 nonprofits have benefited from donations through PointWorthy. By covering the processing costs with their loyalty provider partners, Citibank and Hilton, PointWorthy ensures 100% of each donation reaches the intended charity. This means that like the Fordney Foundation, who has received $4,000.00 in Citibank ThankYou points donations though the program, and Smile Train, who has raised $3,011.00, your organization can benefit from a new source of funding at no cost to you or your donors.

How do I get my organization involved?
If you’re an IRS approved 501(c)(3) organization that has maintained good standing for over 12 months, you’re already eligible to receive donations through PointWorthy. Simply follow the steps below to get started:

  1. Visit PointWorthy and use the search box at the top of the home page to find your organization
  2. Click on your organization’s name in the search results to view your donation page
    1. Note: Learn how you can update your page with custom text or images by contacting Poinworthy support
  3. Share the link to your donation page on your website and in donor communications to let them know they can use their Citibank ThankYou or Hilton HHonors points to donate to your organization

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Once a points donation is made to your organization, PointWorthy converts those points into dollars that are then disbursed by JustGive in the following month.

What is Members Give?

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Developed by American Express, Members Give provides American Express Cardmembers a convenient way to donate dollars or Membership Rewards Points to charity while providing nonprofits with a low-cost solution for accepting donations online. In partnership with GuideStar, Members Give offers donors a comprehensive charity list of over one million 501(c)(3) organizations in the United States to select from.

How can this program benefit my organization?
Similar to PointWorthy, there are no transaction fees on Membership Rewards points redemptions through Members Give providing the opportunity for an additional, cost-effective source of funding for your organization. Since signing up with Members Give and sharing their donation page with supporters, Food for the Poor has received 141 Membership Rewards points donations totaling $13,015.00.food-for-the-poor

Young Adult Institute, promoting their donation page with a Members Give banner, has received 2,000,000 points or $20,000.00 in donations since signing up.

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How do I get my organization involved?

Members Give uses the same nonprofit database that is maintained by GuideStar. If your 501(c)(3) organization is already listed in GuideStar, you are likely already in the Members Give database as well. To start collecting donations:

  1. Create an account on Members Give using your organization’s Employer Identification Number
  2. Once your account is created click “Collect Donations Online” in the Manage Nonprofit Account box on the right-hand side of the page
  3. Follow the steps listed to retrieve your donation page url and add a donation banner to your website, email campaigns, and other communications to make it easy for your supporters to donate

For a donation of Membership Rewards points there is a waiting period of 6-8 weeks, as the points are processed and converted into a dollar amount, before a check is mailed to your organization.

Offering easy implementation and proven results, PointWorthy and Members Give programs are a simple and cost-effective way to bring in additional funding to your organization. Visit PointWorthy and Members Give to sign up and start receiving loyalty rewards points donations today.

– Amanda Chun
Account Development Manager

Don’t miss out on other helpful tips and tools: To automatically receive an email when we post more, subscribe to our Nonprofit Blog.

Featured Nonprofit FAQ: Customizing your donation button

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Question

Can I customize my donation button for specific programs, amounts or for recurring?

Answer

Yes, you can add specific text to your donation button link so that program, amount, or recurring options are prefilled when your donor arrives art your page. Here are some examples using the sample donation button link https://npo.justgive.org/nonprofits/donate.jsp?ein=94-3331010.

Program designation

If your organization is running a campaign, has multipleprogram chapters, or is a fiscal sponsor, customizing your donation button link with a specific program ensures donations are easily and correctly designated. To specify what program is selected when the donor arrives at your donation page, add “&designation=Program+Name” to the end of your donation link.

Example: https://npo.justgive.org/nonprofits/donate.jsp?ein=94-3331010&designation=Children’s+Literacy

Custom amount

To ask for a particular amount for events or programs, prefilling the amount for your donor adds convenience and ensures accuracy. Add “&amount=x” where x = the dollar amount to the end of your donation link to prefill a specific donation amount.

Example: https://npo.justgive.org/nonprofits/donate.jsp?ein=94-3331010&amount=50

Recurring donations

Make it easy for donors to support your cause monthly by including a custom button link with the recurring donation option preselected on your website, recurringsocial media, and in email communications. To prefill the recurring donation checkbox, add “&isRecurring=true” to the end of your donation link. They can uncheck it if they prefer not to make their donation recurring.

Example: https://npo.justgive.org/nonprofits/donate.jsp?ein=94-3331010&isRecurring=true

Multiple items

The above appends can be combined to prefill more than item. For example, if you want to encourage donors to set up a recurring, $20 donation, you would set up the donation link like this:

https://npo.justgive.org/nonprofits/donate.jsp?ein=94-3331010&isRecurring=true&amount=20

Perfect for ongoing programs, you can even combine all three customizations to ask for recurring donations of a specific amount for a specific program:

https://npo.justgive.org/nonprofits/donate.jsp?ein=94-3331010&isRecurring=true&amount=20&designation=Urban+Homelessness

When your donor visits a link like the one above, they will see the amount, recurring and program designation prefilled as in the highlighted screenshot below:

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Note: If your organization is using a custom shortcut url like https://npo.justgive.org/justgive, the first symbol of the appends above should be changed from “&” to “?”. For example:

To preselect the recurring option, add “?isRecurring=true”: https://npo.justgive.org/justgive?isRecurring=true

The offer donors a recurring, $20 donation link, add “?isRecurring=true&amount=20”: https://npo.justgive.org/justgive?isRecurring=true&amount=20

Don’t miss out on other helpful tips and tools: To automatically receive an email when we post more, subscribe to our Nonprofit Blog.

Amanda Chun
Account Development Manager

Featured Nonprofit FAQ: Personalized Donation Receipt

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Question

Can We Customize Our Donation Receipt?

Answer

Your donation receipt can be customized with your organization’s logo. If you uploaded a logo when you customized your donation page, that same logo will be used in your donors’ email receipts. To upload your logo and customize your donation page, visit our nonprofit resources: Edit your Donation Page

Below is an example of a donation receipt email.

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All donations made to your Organization through the Donation Site are processed and disbursed through JustGive’s DAF. If goods or services are provided, you shall provide the donor with the estimated value of goods or services provided in return for their donation.

Don’t miss out on other helpful tips and tools: To automatically receive an email when we post more, subscribe to our Nonprofit Blog.

Andrea Lloyd
Business Development Director

Are you taking advantage of JustGive’s free nonprofit services?

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Increase online giving, support your mission and increase donor outreach with our free, self-service donation services.

Through your free nonprofit account at www.justgive.org/nonprofits, you have immediate access to a Donate Now button, a mobile-optimized customizable donation page, secure donation processing, and a simple online experience for your donors.

What makes JustGive’s Donate Now button different?

We provide a cost-effective way to collect online donations that includes free sign up, no monthly or annual fees and a low 4.5% processing fee. Since JustGive waives the $0.35 flat charge for each donation made from your Donate Now button, you automatically save when donors give through the button.

What are the key features of the Donate Now button and how can my organization benefit from it?

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  • Branding and personalized messaging – Add your logo and personal message on your page, giving your supporters a smooth user experience as they transition from your website.
  • Support for monthly recurring donations – Make it easy for donors to increase their impact with monthly giving while only providing their payment information once.
  • Custom donation amounts and program impact statements – Connect donors to your organization’s needs by providing custom donation amounts and program impact statements on your donation page. In our 15+ years of online giving, we’ve found this is key to securing funding.
  • Donor paid fees – Let your donors cover the processing fees and receive 100% of their intended donations. When this option is given, over 80% of donors opt to cover the fees.

How do I get started?

  1. Log in to or create your Nonprofit Resources account – be sure to subscribe to our nonprofit newsletter to stay up-to-date on news and trends.capture
  2. Select the Edit Your Donation Page link to easily update your custom donation page with your organization’s logo, custom donation amounts and more (Check out 5 ways to customize your Donation Page.)
  3. Click the Donate Buttons link to add the Donate Now button to your website, email signature, e-newsletters and social media campaigns and start collecting online contributions today!

– Amanda Chun
Account Development Manager