Below are standard FAQs. Please use and customize these responses as appropriate for your organization.

Can't find the answer? Contact help@charities.org or www.charities.org/support for additional support.

Campaign Basics

1. What is the Employee Giving Program?

We have teamed-up with America’s Charities to provide employees greater flexibility in deciding which charities to support throughout the year by means of payroll deduction and volunteering.

2. Who is America’s Charities?

America’s Charities, a nonprofit that inspires employees and organizations to support causes they care about, is our employee giving partner, acting as the funds management agent, as well as providing general campaign support and distributing employee contributions to the charities selected by employees during the campaign enrollment.

Campaign Participation

3. When is the Employee Giving Program being held?

You can participate in our Employee Giving Program from [Start Date through End Date]. 

4. Are employees required to participate?

No. However, one of our core values is to give back to the community. For that reason, as a company, we support and provide many opportunities for our employees to give back and we encourage you to give back through whichever manner you choose.

5. Who can participate?

Regular part-time and full-time employees can participate.

6. Is the site open all year?

Our Employee Giving Program site will remain open for credit card, PayPal, and check donations throughout the year.  

Ways to Give

7. How do I find charities to support?

Click "Give." You will see featured nonprofits featured, nonprofits near you (based on the zip code in your profile), and a search bar where you can enter keywords or the nonprofit name to find a charity to support.

If there's a nonprofit you want to support that isn't currently listed in the site, you can request to have it added by entering the nonprofit’s name, website URL, and country of origin under “Request a Nonprofit.”  After you submit your nonprofit request, your request will be processed within five business days.

8. What payent methods are accepted?

One-time Payroll Contribution: Your gift will be deducted one time from your first weekly paycheck for January 2016.

Recurring Payroll Contribution: Your gift will be deducted from your paycheck each pay period for one year, beginning with your first paycheck for January 2016. 

One-time Check Contribution: Please make your check payable to “America’s Charities Fiscal Agent.” All checks must be accompanied by an enrollment pledge form and given to your department campaign coordinator by [DATE]. Checks will be cashed in 2015.

One-time Credit Card Donation: Your gift will be charged to your credit card and processed immediately (1-2 business days by your credit card provider). To cancel a pledge made via credit card, you must contact your credit card provider.

Recurring Credit Card Donation: Your gift will be charged to your credit card and processed immediately (1-2 business days by your credit card provider), and the amount you pledged will recur as you specified during the pledge process. To cancel a pledge made via credit card, you must contact your credit card provider.

9. How do I cancel a donation?

To cancel pledges made by check, please contact [campaign coordinator/America’s Charities Fiscal Agent] by [DATE]. To cancel pledges made by credit card, contact your credit card provider. To cancel pledges made by payroll deduction, select the “Give” tab and click on the “Recurring Donation” option. A list of your payroll deduction pledges will display.  Select the “Stop Deduction” button next to the pledge you would like to cancel.  If the “Stop Deduction” button is not available, please contact your [payroll department/campaign coordinator] to stop contributions.

10. Can I volunteer?

Yes. If you select the "Get Involved" from the homepage you will see recommended opportunities, such as company-sponsored volunteer events. To find other opportunities, visit VolunteerMatch, the link to which is provided on that page.

Payroll Deduction Benefits

11. Why should I give through payroll deduction when I can send a check directly to the nonprofit(s) of my choice?

Payroll deduction is a much more efficient, economical way for a nonprofits to process the gift. It could take more people to process individual checks from many different donors rather than this more aggregated method. Processing individual donations drives up administrative expenses for the nonprofit organization. Our funds management partner, America’s Charities, helps streamline this processing.

In addition, it is easier to make larger contributions through payroll deduction than by check. You can give as little as $2 per pay period through payroll deduction, which most people will find easier on their budgets than writing a check for more than $100. You can give $260 to one of your favorite charities with just a $5 weekly deduction.

12. Are my contributions tax deductible?

Yes, your payroll contributions are 100 percent deductible for the 2016 tax year.

13. How much of my contribution will be donated to the charity(ies) I choose?

Our company funds the administrative costs and therefore 100% of your contribution goes to the charity.

- OR -

A nominal administration fee is deducted from your donation. This fee is x percent of the gross amount of your pledge. If you pledge $100 to the charity of your choice, the charity will receive $x. America’s Charities will receive $x for administrative purposes, and because America’s Charities is a nonprofit organization, 100 percent of your donation is tax deductible.

Affordability

14. What if I can’t afford to give enough to make a difference?

Thousands of employees across the country feel the same, but the majority of giving in the U.S. (approximately 72%) is a result of generous individuals like you.   If 1,000 employees across the country each donate $2 per pay period ($52 total), that equates to as much as $52,000 in nonprofit support that your gift helps make possible.

No gift is too small. Each gift goes a long way to help many organizations and the community. A $2 contribution each pay period can pay for a grocery delivery organization to provide food to a homebound senior biweekly for three months, often at a critical time such as during illness or recovery from an injury. For $25 per pay period, one nonprofit listed in the campaign is able to provide the basic furnishings a formerly homeless family needs to move from a transitional shelter to permanent housing. In some cases, this means children in the family may have their own beds for the first time. So even small amounts add up, along with others from your co-workers and the broader community.

Matching Gifts

15. Does [Company Name] Provide a Matching Contribution to Charities?

(list terms of matching gift program here)