FAQ

Q. What is Girls Inc. Together?

Girls Inc. Together is an online virtual fundraising day that brings together the national team and affiliates to raise awareness on the Girls Inc. Experience while offering a new funding stream that can benefit all participants.

Q. When is Girls Inc. Together 2024?

Girls Inc. Together is part of Girls Inc. Week and will take place on May 9th, 2024 from midnight to 11:59 PM.

Q. Which organizations can participate?

Hosted by Girls Inc. national, all Girls Inc. affiliates are invited to participate. Affiliates will have their own pages and the donations made to the affiliate will be handled directly between the platform operators, GiveGab, and that affiliate.

Q. Who can donate?

Anyone may donate. Donations through the Girls Inc. Together online portal to charitable nonprofit organizations are tax-deductible and cannot be refunded. Contributions may be made via credit and debit card only. Donations will be received and receipted by GiveGab.

Q. What is GiveGab?

GiveGab, which is becoming Bonterra, is a nonprofit giving platform that helps nonprofits to raise money, engage donors and manage volunteers quickly and efficiently. They are the platform we’ll be using as part of the Girls Inc. Together event.

Q. How will donations be distributed?

Each donation made to a participating affiliate will be disbursed directly from GiveGab via direct deposit into the affiliate’s designated bank account within 5-7 business days.

Q. How much of a donation goes to the affiliate?

GiveGab retains a 3.5% campaign management fee from all donations. Credit Card processing fees are an additional 2.5% + $0.30 for all major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). You are given the option to allow donors to cover the fees. If donors choose this option, 100% of your online charitable gift will go to the receiving organization. All donations are final and cannot be refunded. Any donations processed outside of Girls Inc. Together donation period, through GiveGab.com, or subsequent recurring donations are subject to transaction fees outlined on the GiveGab.com pricing page: http://info.givegab.com/pricing.

Girls Inc. National will receive no percentage of gifts made to affiliates.

Q. Who will receive donor contact information?

The affiliate(s) a donor chooses to support will have access to their name and email address. This information is used solely to send thank you messages, provide the option to receive future notifications, and to notify them of future activities. Affiliate donor contact information will only be for the use of the respective affiliate and will not be used by Girls Inc. National.

Q.Does a donor need to create an account with GiveGab?

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

Q. Can donations be made via a mobile device?

Yes! Donors can simply visit girlsinctogether.org on their mobile device.

Q. Will it be quick and easy to set up my affiliate page?

Yes! Your page will be formatted with clear areas to fill with graphics and content. If your affiliate has limited time and resources, GiveGab and Girls Inc. National will provide you with the resources to create your affiliate’s page easily.

Q. What resources will be available to me to make the most of GirlsIncTogether 2024?

Girls Inc. National will be providing content and graphic resources which will live on your GiveGab dashboard. You will be able to cut and paste these elements to your page. Additionally, you will be furnished with suggestions and templates for announcements, emails and sponsorship requests. GiveGab has multiple resources available for participating organizations as well.

Q. Will there be a theme for GirlsIncTogether 2024?

GirlsIncTogether has been scheduled in order to uplift Girls Inc. Week and so the themes for the two will be the same. Based on conversations that included the Network Wide Fundraiser Planning Committee, the theme will be Celebrating 160 Years of Girl Leaders.

Q. What incentives will there be to attract new donors?

National will be hosting the macro page, where pre-recorded and live programming, with celebrities and spotlighting affiliates, will be updated all day in order to keep the page exciting and attract new donors. National and local sponsors will help to encourage a friendly competition and excitement around giving. Leaderboards on the macro page will celebrate the wins of affiliates and prizes will be given to affiliates who reach certain benchmarks, such as first affiliate to reach 100 donors, affiliate who receives the most during a particular hour, etc. Girls Inc. National and Affiliates will use their voices to reach out to their networks and communities so that the reach will be exponential.

Q. What is the goal of GirlsIncTogether 2024?

As this is our inaugural year, the main goal for GirlsIncTogether 2024 is network wide participation. Our goal is for at least 35 affiliates to be spotlighted. We have learned that the financial success of such crowdfunding efforts grows with time as this website and event happens annually.

Q. My affiliate has registered! What now?

Congratulations and Thank You! You’ll be receiving emails and announcements soon. There will be a zoom on February 15 and a training webinar at the beginning of March. If you have questions or need help, please email Melissa Kalt at mkalt@girlsinc.org

Q. Can a donor pre-schedule a donation for Girls Inc. Together?

They cannot pre-schedule your Girls Inc. Together gift, but may make a donation to a participating affiliate before or after the Girls Inc. Together. In order for your donation to be counted towards prize incentives awarded on Girls Inc. Together it must be made between midnight at 11:59 p.m. on May 9th, 2024. To capture latecomers, donations will continue to be possible for a number of days after May 9, but will not relate to matches and prizes.

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 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 applicable state fundraising requirements in the states in which you may solicit donors using the GiveGab 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:

Q. How can I ensure my affiliate receives its donations?

In order to receive your donations via ACH transfer, GiveGab requires a checking account eligible to receive ACH transfers and withdrawals. Your donations will be deposited within 5-7 business days on a daily rolling basis.

If your organization supplies the wrong type of bank account (such as a savings account), or the wrong account numbers, GiveGab will be in touch! After 30 days, if GiveGab hasn't heard from your organization, they will refund your gifts back to your donors.