Frequently Asked Questions



What is The Give Initiative?

The Give Initiative was created to make it easy for people to give to those in need.  Whether it be one person giving anonymously to a neighbor in need, lots of people giving to a family after a tragedy, or giving to an established charity.


Does my "give" cost anything?

The only costs charged to you (the giver) are the actual fees we incur to process the gift.  All of The Give Initiative's operating expenses come from other sources. 

For example, if you want to send someone a $100 gift, you would be charged for postage and the credit card fees incurred to process your payment.  Rather than reducing your gift, we charge this up front.  So your $100 gift might cost you more like $104.  The person in need gets $100, the post office gets $0.50, and the bank gets $3.50.*  But you get the good feeling inside, and we get to help out with that.  Everyone wins!


How do I contact The Give Initiative?

You want to talk to us?  Great!  Head over to the contact page here.


How does a "give" work?

Help a Friend
In this type of give, you simply tell us how much money you would like to send and where you would like to send it.  After you provide payment, we cut the check from The Give Initiative and send it off as an anonymous gift.  After receiving your gift, your friend can either log in the confirm receipt (which you will receive in an email confirmation) or simply cash the check and use it to meet his or her needs.  

Fill the Jar
In a Fill the Jar give, many people collaborate to give as much money as possible to one recipient.  You log in and provide the donation you see fit, then help spread the word about the donation effort to help the donations grow.  Simple as that!
Now you may be asking, "filling a jar is cool and all, but how do I create one?"  Well, that's just as simple... Instead of clicking on "Fill the jar" (http://thegiveinitiative.org/pages/fill-the-jar), click on "Create a jar" and simply follow the instructions.  It's important to remember, if you are the individual raising the money, we will need to get proof of the actual need.  When the time comes to release the raised funds, we will communicate to you that process.  Until then, get out there and spread the word about your newly created jar (don't forget, a url will be provided for you that you can copy and paste into an email, tweet it, post it on Facebook, share with your circles on Google+, or just simply written down for individuals to use to go directly to your jar).

Support a Cause
If you have a desire to give yet for some reason don't have a desire to "help a friend," or "fill the jar," we have provided a list of reputable charities that you can use as your donation vehicle.  

Who can I give to?

Anyone with a real need.  We reserve the right to restrict the use of this site if we feel it is being abused for any use other than what it was designed for. 


How do I know my money is really going where I want it to?

After you send the money, the receiver will have the option of confirming receipt of your gift.  Once that's done, you will receive a copy of the confirmation by email.  This is how you can be sure it has been received and is appreciated.  

Also, once the check has cleared, we will post the image of the cancelled check for your inspection, only veiwable by you in your account page.


Will my give be tax-exempt?

A "give" would be eligible for a tax deduction only if you simply donated to The Give Initiative or one of the charities we have sponsored.  The anonymous gives to a friend down the street or to one of the "jars" is not eligible because you, the giver, decide how the money will be used.

However, is it really about the tax write-off, or is it about helping someone out?  We thought so.
 
What if my anonymous give is never cashed?  

If you provide some way for us to contact the recipient of your give (phone/e-mail), we will make every attempt to give them a heads-up that it is coming.  We will also issue another check if that is needed.  If we are still unsuccessful, we will return the amount of the gift minus all processing charges .

My company or organization would like to be involved in sponsoring The Give Initiative or participating in a Give Initiative event.  Can we do that?

Of course!  Contact us and we can discuss ways we can collaborate.

*These numbers, while considered reasonable,  are for illustration purposes only.  You will see the actual when we process your gift.