FAQ


Q. What is The Great Give?

The Great Give 2024 is the fifteenth major community-wide giving event benefiting Greater New Haven's nonprofits and occurring over an intense 36 hours from 8:00 a.m. on May 1 to 8:00 p.m. on May 2, 2024. The Great Give was created by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven through its online resource known as giveGreater.org® to strengthen nonprofits serving Greater New Haven by advancing knowledge about their work and increasing giving to their organizations. More than $24 million has been raised since The Great Give began.


Q. When is The Great Give?

The Great Give runs from May 1-May 2, 2024 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.. Advance gifts can be made for The Great Give beginning at 8:00 a.m. on April 26, 2024; advance gifts will count toward match calculations, but will not be counted toward hourly prize incentives. Donation pages will remain open until 8:00 a..m. on May 6.  No prizes or matches will be awarded on gifts made after 8:00p.m. on May 2.


Q. Which organizations can participate?

Organizations that are verified 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofits or have a 501(c)(3) sponsor and that are headquartered and/or provide services in at least one of the twenty towns served by The Community Foundation (Ansonia, Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, Derby, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Wallingford, West Haven, Woodbridge) can participate. As The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and the Valley Community Foundation actively seek to promote equity among all peoples and groups and end discrimination based on any factors by which people are unfairly excluded, participating organizations are eligible to receive matching funds and prizes if they adhere to a policy of non-discrimination in all aspects of organizational operations including hiring, leadership and service provision.


Q. Who can donate?

Any individual with a valid credit card, bank account or mobile wallet (Google Pay, Apple Pay, Microsoft Pay) and access to the internet may donate; individuals must be responsible for the credit card, bank account or mobile wallet used and be authorized to use it. 


Q. What forms of donations are accepted?

Contributions may be made via MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express credit and debit cards; mobile donors may use Apple Pay, Google Pay or Microsoft Pay.  Donors may also input banking information for electronic transfer for funds.  Credit and debit card gifts as well as mobile wallet gifts and electronic transfers are eligible to receive matching funds (see Terms of Service for details).

Gift(s) of $500 or more received from a private or family foundation, or donor advised fund, or by check or electronic transfer from a personal account will be eligible for The Great Give prize and matching pool only if the gift is donor-directed for a matching gift incentive. To qualify a check of $500 or more as eligible to be included in match and prize calculations, an organization must log on to the organization’s administrator dashboard on www.thegreatgive.org and publish details about the match challenge under “Manage Matches and Challenges" below the main listings on the dashboard. "Add Match" Commitment before 12:00 p.m. on May 2, 2024.  If the published information does not include the donor's name, the organization must submit a copy of the check and the donor's confirmation that it is to be used as a match to The Community Foundation by 12:00 p.m. on May 2, 2024.


Q. How will the donations be reported on my credit card statement?

All gifts made during The Great Give 2024 are gifts directly to the designated organization. Your credit card statement will reflect a gift to the organization(s) you have chosen.


Q. Is there a minimum gift amount?

Yes, a minimum donation of $5 is required; donors are encouraged to give at least $25 to benefit their chosen nonprofits.


Q. Is there a fee charged for the online credit card gifts?

Credit card transaction and third-party processing fees will be deducted from each donation during The Great Give 2024 as follows:

  • 4.5% plus $.30 on all credit card gifts

The Community Foundation does not receive any revenue from the transaction or processing fee and provides the online giving day platform and training to nonprofit organizations as a free service.


Q. Are donations tax-deductible?

Donations through The Great Give online portal for the benefit of charitable nonprofit organizations are 100% tax deductible and irrevocable and will be for the unrestricted use of your chosen charity. A donor cannot receive any goods or services in exchange for their gift. Donations will be received and receipted by the organization(s) you choose.


Q. Are there restrictions on the use of money raised for nonprofits as a result of The Great Give?

The Great Give gifts are considered unrestricted gifts; therefore, all gifts are for general operating support.


Q. How will donations be distributed?

Each donation made to the benefit of a participating nonprofit will be disbursed directly from GiveGab/Bonterra, net of fees, in approximately four days via direct deposit.


Q. How much of my donation goes to the nonprofit?

Credit card transaction and third-party processing fees will be deducted from each donation during The Great Give as follows:

  • 4.5% plus $.30 on all credit card gifts

  • a flat rate fee of $3 plus 2% for gifts of $100 or more made from an ACH checking account

The Community Foundation does not receive any revenue from the transaction or processing fees and provides the online giving day platform and training to nonprofit organizations as a free service.


Q. Who will receive my contact information?

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and the organization(s) you choose to support will have access to all of the contact information you provide when you make a donation. This information is used by the organization(s) receiving gifts to send tax credit information and news about the impact of your gift. You may choose to remain anonymous to your chosen organization by selecting the ‘anonymous’ option on the donation form, but you will still receive a donor receipt email with tax credit message.  Your name, address and email will also be added to The Community Foundation’s mailing list. You may opt out at any time but we hope you’ll stay to learn more about philanthropy in Greater New Haven.


Q. Do I need to create an account with GiveGab/Bonterra?

No. You do not need to create an account to make a donation. The benefits of creating an account include having your tax receipts collected in one location, being able to track your donations, follow the charities you support, and engage in future donations. Your tax receipt is emailed immediately upon processing your donation. To claim a donation as a deduction on U.S. taxes, you should retain the donation receipt as an official record.


Q. What is Give A Little More?

Give A Little More is an opportunity to provide returning donors with the ability to see which organizations they gave to last year and paves an easy path to consider increasing their generous donation by a percentage.


Q. Can I make my donation over the phone?

No, but if you have a smart phone that allows you to connect to the internet, go to www.thegreatgive.org to donate from your smart phone during the 36 hour giving event which starts 8:00 a.m. on May 1.


Q. Can I make a donation before The Great Give starts?

Yes! Advance gifts can be made for The Great Give beginning April 26, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. Advance gifts will count toward matches and grand prize calculations, but will not be counted toward hourly prize incentives.


Q. What is an "individual" or "unique" donor?

For the purposes of awarding prizes, a unique donor is one person with a unique name and a unique email address. Multiple donations from one email address to the same nonprofit will count as one unique donor. Multiple donations from one person with multiple email addresses will count as one unique donor. To be considered a unique donor, the donor must provide first name, last name, full mailing address and email address (one donor using multiple "display names" will count as one unique donor). Organizations cannot donate to themselves. Donors are encouraged to make gifts to multiple organizations.


Q. What if my preferred organization is not listed?

Please send an email to info@thegreatgive.org to request that we contact your organization of choice. To participate in The Great Give, organizations must complete registration by 11:59 p.m. on April 23, 2024.


Q. What is GiveGab/Bonterra?

GiveGab/Bonterra is a nonprofit giving platform that helps nonprofits to raise money, engage donors and manage volunteers quickly and efficiently. It offers a full portfolio of simple and easy to use products that allows organizations to function in a more streamlined manner.


Q. What is state charitable solicitation registration?

Nonprofits are held to a high standard of government regulation and public scrutiny. And that is with good reason! Eligible 501(c) nonprofits are exempt from federal corporate taxes and have access to public funding. These benefits are not typically available to for-profit businesses, so laws are in place to protect the public and ensure nonprofits do not abuse their financial advantages. The IRS and states all have requirements for nonprofits.


Q. Why is state charitable solicitation registration compliance important?

While 501(c) nonprofits receive key financial benefits, the penalties for noncompliance can be serious. The IRS can revoke a nonprofit’s tax exemption and impose fines that can accrue daily. The states can administratively dissolve a nonprofit corporation and levy steep financial penalties. Perhaps worst of all, an organization can lose out on a grant or large donation because it has not kept itself in good standing.

Taking a proactive approach to compliance helps ensure the sustained success of the organization. The cost of staying compliant is small in comparison to the much larger costs of noncompliance. The saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” could not be more true in this context.


Q. What are the key aspects of state charitable solicitation registration compliance?

The IRS provides tax exemptions to eligible nonprofits under IRC 501(c). Public charities and private foundations receive 501(c)(3) tax exemption. The IRS scrutinizes organizations when they apply for 501(c)(3) but also ensures that those organizations meet the ongoing obligations to remain eligible. Nonprofits must file a 990 tax form each year with the IRS to disclose their financial data for the year.

Each state has their own set of requirements. Nonprofits are typically incorporated in a given state as a nonprofit corporation. The state in which the nonprofit has incorporated will impose requirements on the nonprofit, and those responsibilities typically span across multiple state agencies. Usually nonprofits must submit an annual filing to the corporations division of the secretary of state, maintain its license to fundraise (charitable solicitation registration), file for a state business license, and maintain state-level tax exemption with the revenue department. As nonprofits expand outside of the state or operate nationwide, they must comply with the same items in each other state as well.

In addition to IRS and state filing requirements, nonprofits must keep adequate records. Keeping accurate and complete records is critical in the event that an organization is audited. It is also common that board members or donors request information from the organization. Finally, records are necessary for submitting applications and renewal filings with various government agencies.


Q. When I check the box on GiveGab/Bonterra to declare state charitable solicitation registration compliance, what am I attesting to?

When you check the box you are attesting (defined as "declaring that something exists or is the case") that your organization is compliant with the state fundraising requirements in the states in which you may solicit donors using the GiveGab/Bonterra platform.


Q. Do you have additional resources to reference about state charitable solicitation registration?

Yes! Here are a few more resources from Harbor Compliance to help you: