FAQ
Q. What is Fayette Gives?
Fayette Gives is a “day of giving” hosted by the Community Foundation of Fayette County that aims to build a stronger Fayette by engaging the community in philanthropy and supporting local charities. During this fundraising marathon, the public donates to participating charities and special incentives are offered to promote the excitement and impact of charitable giving. Fayette Gives provides an opportunity for charities to gain exposure, and it invites everyone to be a philanthropist in a community-wide effort to give back.
Q. When is Fayette Gives?
Fayette Gives will take place on Thursday, November 7, 2024 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Q. What is the Community Foundation of Fayette County?
The Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) is the host of Fayette Gives. CFFC’s mission is to help define charitable needs, connect donors with causes that matter to them, support nonprofit organizations, and invest charitable assets to make the community a better place to live. CFFC offers personalized donor services, grants to nonprofits, scholarships to students, and leadership in the local nonprofit community. To learn about CFFC’s commitment to philanthropy and efforts in building a stronger Fayette, visit www.cffayettepa.org.
Q. What is GiveGab/Bonterra?
GiveGab/Bonterra is a charity giving platform that helps charities to raise money, engage donors, and manage volunteers quickly and efficiently. GiveGab offers a full portfolio of simple and easy to use products that allows charities to function in a more streamlined manner.
Q. How much of the donation will go to my charity?
GiveGab retains a 3.5% platform management fee from all online donations. Credit card processing fees are an additional 2.5% + $0.30 for all major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). Donors are given the option to cover the fees. If a donor chooses this option, 100% of their online charitable gift will benefit their selected charity/ies. If a donor does not choose to cover the fees, their selected charity/ies will receive the donation less the fees. Offline donations (checks, donor advised funds, IRS contributions, stock transfers) will not have fees.
Q. What are the participation requirements for charities?
To participate, a charity must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and must not be a private foundation as defined in section 509(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. A charity must be located in or providing service in Fayette County, PA. A charity must file the Federal Form 990, 990 EZ, or 990 N annually.
Fayette Gives donors will be able to claim a tax deduction for their gift; therefore, we must ensure that the charities that are the end recipients of these gifts are qualified tax-exempt organizations. The IRS website may be used, among other documents and resources, to verify eligibility.
Q. What if I can't find my charity on the website?
Your charity may not have registered to participate this year or you may not meet the eligibility requirements. Registration timelines and eligibility requirements are posted on the Fayette Gives website. Please contact the Community Foundation of Fayette County with questions at 724-437-8600.
The Community Foundation of Fayette County has the discretion to deny grants and participation in foundation programs to organizations or programs that conflict with the foundation’s values, mission, or the spirit of foundation programs. Determination of such conflicts is subject to the foundation’s interpretation.
Q. Is there a registration fee?
The Community Foundation of Fayette County does not charge any fees to donors or participating charities.
Q. When can charities register to participate?
Charities must register on the Fayette Gives website between June 3, 2024 and August 30, 2024. Charities will receive notifications about their registration status and may be asked for additional information to determine eligibility.
Q. Is there a minimum gift?
Yes. There is a $25 minimum donation per charity. There is no maximum donation; however, a donor may need to contact their credit card provider before a large transaction will be accepted.
Q. Who can donate?
All donations must be from individuals or businesses. Charities are not eligible to make donations to themselves. Supporting organizations that directly support or fundraise for a participating charity are not eligible to make donations to that charity. No collected donations will be accepted.
Q. What is a "unique donor"?
For the purposes of awarding prizes, a unique donor is one individual or company. Multiple donations from one donor to the same charity will count as one gift. Charities cannot donate to themselves.
Q. When can donors make their gift?
Online donations are available during the 12-hour period on Fayette Gives day. Offline donations, however, are available prior to Fayette Gives day. The required Check Contribution Form will become available on the Fayette Gives website in the month of October and will be shared with participating charities. (Offline donations include checks, donor advised funds, charitable IRA, and stock transfers.)
No donations will be accepted before the official announcement of offline donations in October.
Q. When will I know how much my charity raised?
Participating charities will have a GiveGab account, to which they can login and view their donations in real time. Charities can track fundraising on their dashboard and export reports.
Preliminary results are posted on the Fayette Gives website during Fayette Gives. The Community Foundation of Fayette County will notify participating charities of their totals once all donations are finalized and reconciled.
Q. When will my charity receive the donations?
Charities will receive their Fayette Gives distribution via ACH transfer once all donations are finalized and reconciled. Additional monies from prizes and incentives will be included in your charity’s total. The distribution will be made by December 31 of the Fayette Gives day's current year.
Q.How will donations be distributed?
Final payment is issued by the Community Foundation of Fayette County to each charity via ACH transfer. Payment will include the amount of total donations received during the giving day, net of GiveGab platform use fees and credit card transaction fees, plus the charity’s share of prizes. The charity is responsible for providing the information necessary to make the ACH transfer.
Q. How can I check the status of donations to my charity?
Each participating charity will have a GiveGab account where they can login and view donations in real time, helping you to track fundraising progress. Your donations report can be exported from your GiveGab dashboard.
Q.How will my charity know who made donations to us?
Unless a donor marks themselves as “Super Anonymous”, charities will see a donor’s name, address, email, phone number, and donation amount on their charity dashboard. Please make sure to maintain the anonymity of donors who mark themselves as “Super Anonymous” and do not wish to be publicly acknowledged.
Q. Can my charity use the Fayette Gives logo in promotion/outreach?
Yes. Charities are encouraged to use Fayette Gives logos, graphics, and branding to create consistency across all messaging and build familiarity with the event.
Q. Are there guidelines for how my charity can use Fayette Gives donations?
Yes. Participating charities must confirm that all Fayette Gives monies will be used to benefit Fayette County, PA. Monies are otherwise unrestricted.
Are training resources available for participating charities?
Yes. Charities will be invited to participate in training sessions and given access to a number of online resources. This year, charities will be offered two webinars: “Getting Ready” and “Final Steps to Success.” Details will be posted on the Trainings page. The Fayette Gives website provides Nonprofit Resources and FAQs. GiveGab also has a chat bubble to provide support to charities and donors.
Registered charities will be added to the Community Foundation of Fayette County’s “Fayette Gives Charity Newsletter” to receive ongoing updates, tips, and important documents related to Fayette Gives. Please be sure to check your spam/junk folder if you are not seeing these emails, or contact the foundation at 724-437-8600 x203.
Q. What forms of donations are accepted?
Acceptable donation methods include credit card, check, donor advised fund, charitable IRA, and stock transfers. Credit card gift cards will not be accepted. Cash will not be accepted. Money orders and counter checks will not be accepted.
Q. How do prizes work?
Prizes are an exciting way to encourage donations throughout Fayette Gives. A variety of prizes will be offered to incentivize donors and award additional money to participating charities.
The prize criteria and rules will be posted on the Prizes page, once available.
Q. How do you donate online?
Credit card and debit card donations are accepted through the Fayette Gives website during the 12-hour event. MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express donations are accepted. Credit card processing fees and platform management fee apply.
Q. How do you donate by check?
Check donations are accepted at the Community Foundation of Fayette County office, located at 5 South Mt. Vernon Ave., Uniontown, PA 15401. Check-writing donors can support one or more charities by submitting one check payable to “CFFC” for the total amount, along with a completed Check Contribution Form to specify the selected charity(ies). The Check Contribution Form will be available for download on the Fayette Gives website. Check donations will be accepted in October once the Check Contribution Form is available.
Q. Can our charity edit the Check Contribution Form?
No. Charities may not modify the Check Contribution Form. This is used as an official document for consistent and efficient data entry.
Q. Can donors give through a donor advised fund, IRA charitable transfer, or stock transfer?
Yes. Donor advised fund donations, charitable IRA distributions, and stock transfer donations will be accepted in October once the Check Contribution Form is available.
Please allow extra time for processing, as these transfers may take several weeks to verify and process. The Community Foundation of Fayette County is not responsible for coordinating such donations. However, donors should call the foundation at 724-437-8600 with any questions regarding these giving methods and/or ACH transfers.
Donors are encouraged to submit a completed Check Contribution Form to ensure the delivery of donation details.
Q. Are donations tax-deductible?
Yes. When donations are submitted, a tax receipt is automatically generated for the gross amount of a donor’s gift and emailed to the address they provide. Their donation is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. To claim a donation as a deduction on U.S. taxes, donors should retain the donation receipt as an official record.
Donors who do not provide an email address will not receive a receipt unless they request a printed copy to be mailed or if their donation is $250 or more.
Fayette Gives donation acknowledgements are sent on behalf of the Community Foundation of Fayette County. Participating charities should not send donors an additional tax receipt, but charities are encouraged to send thank-you communication.
Q. Is there a way to resend donation receipts to donors?
Yes. Donors who provide an email address with their donation can be re-sent their email receipt. The Community Foundation of Fayette County can re-send a donor’s receipt, or a charity can re-send a donor’s receipt from their GiveGab account dashboard.
Please note that donation receipts are separated by charity. If a donor gives to five charities, the donor will receive five separate donation receipts. Your charity will only be able to re-send receipts for the gifts to your charity.
If a donor did not provide an email address with their donation and would like a receipt, they may call the Community Foundation of Fayette County at 724-437-8600 to request one.
Q. Why are donations recorded as gifts to the Community Foundation of Fayette County?
As the host of Fayette Gives, the Community Foundation of Fayette County processes all donations and distributes the final amount to participating charities after Fayette Gives day. This streamlines the processing and reporting, by providing each charity with one payment for their Fayette Gives total.
Q. May my charity use Fayette Gives as an opportunity to collect payments for sponsorships, event registrations, or membership dues?
No. Donations may not be used to pay for anything that might be perceived as a material benefit to the donor, advisor, or other disqualified person - including dinner tickets, membership fees, golf fees, admission tickets, or other gifts.
Donors will receive a receipt confirming that their gift is fully tax-deductible, so we cannot accept quid pro quo contributions (meaning a payment made partially as a contribution and partially for goods or services provided to the donor or by the receiving charity). Please contact the Community Foundation of Fayette County if you have questions.
Q. Can my charity use raffles or other games of chance to encourage contributions through Fayette Gives?
No. The IRS rules stipulate that raffles and other games of chance are not eligible for tax deductions, so they are not permitted to be used in relation to Fayette Gives donations.
Q. Can my charity host an event to promote Fayette Gives?
Yes. Charities are encouraged to make Fayette Gives an exciting and engaging day for supporters. Be sure to follow guidelines about avoiding quid pro quo contributions – no goods or services can be provided, or partially provided, in exchange for Fayette Gives donations. All Fayette Gives donations must be made directly from individuals and businesses – collected donations are not accepted.