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Frequently Asked Questions

Why use Fund-Team.com?

With most fundraisers, far less than half of the money raised actually goes toward your organization. The majority goes to pay for expensive products or high commissions for the middlemen. Why not let donors give directly to your organization?

What is the cost to my organization?

There is no setup cost or a minimum. We only charge a small 5% commission on donations received. Credit card processing fees are about 3%. The remaining 92% goes directly to your organization.

Are SMS (text messages) supported?

Yes, participants have the ability to enter phone numbers when adding donors in order to send a text message request for donations. Fund-Team.com will compose the message for the participant, containing a unique link to track donor engagement. Donations are credited to that participant's account.

Is sharing on social media supported?

Yes, each participant is given their own unique link. They can and are encouraged to share this via social media or other means. Any donations made with that link will be credited to that participant. In addition, the organizer is given a shareable link for the team as a whole. Donations made with that link will be credited as a general team donation and not attributed to any one participant.

Can I see an example?

Here is an example email that would be sent to your donors. Once your donor clicks on the link in the email, they will be taken to this donation page (example) specific to your campaign and personalized to your team member who invited that donor.

Can I add other administrators?

Yes, you can invite other administrators such as assistant coaches or booster club treasurers to share the organizer responsibility or give visibility.

Are donors charged an extra checkout fee or asked to tip?

No. If a donor chooses to donate $100, they are only shown and charged $100.

We provide an option where you can choose to show a checkbox asking donors to cover the credit fees (of about 3%) but it is entirely up to you whether you want that feature enabled for your campaign.

Are donations secure?

Donors can use their credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal account. All payments are processed directly by Stripe or PayPal so your donors have the peace of mind that your campaign is legitimate, and their contributions are secure. We cannot see or store any donor financial information.

Does my team need a Stripe or PayPal account?

No, you don't need any external accounts. Even if teams have a PayPal account, most choose not to use it. Most teams let us collect the donations using our Stripe account as the credit card processor.

Do donors need a Stripe or PayPal account?

No. Most donors donate using a credit card, debit card, or mobile wallet.

Is there a minimum, quota, or set-up fee?

No, never. We charge a flat 5% commission regardless of how much you raise and how many team members participate. We give you the tools, instructions, and advice to make it as easy as possible for team members to join.

How easy is administration?

All you have to do is fill out the new campaign signup form. We then give you a unique join URL (link) you can email or message directly to your team members. That's it! Once they click on the link, we guide them through personalizing their page and adding potential donors. For best results, we recommend the organizer follows these sign-up instructions.

How do I see how well it's going?

As the campaign organizer, you have access to the overview page that shows details of every transaction including date, donor, amount, which team member requested the donation, etc. We supply a live up-to-the-minute detailed audit page that you can view in your browser, on your mobile device, or export to a .csv file (spreadsheet for Microsoft Excel) at any time. We provide full transparency to you at all times.

How do I know what my donors will see?

From each participant's personal page, there are links that show a sample email your donors will receive as well as the donation link they will see. We also send them an automated thank you email and receipt. However, we encourage each participant to seperately email, text, or call their donors to thank them for their donation -- it is the right thing to do!

Do you support Spanish speaking donors?

Yes, you can optionally allow your team members to select "Use Spanish" when adding individual donors. Here is an example Spanish email those donors would receive. If you select this option, we recommend you also include bilingual translations for all the text you enter for your campaign.

Are donations tax-deductible?

Often, donations to non-profit organizations are tax-deductible. However, each case is different, and we cannot give tax advice. If the organizer includes a tax ID number when starting a fundraiser, we will include that in the emailed receipt sent to donors. We suggest you contact a tax professional if you have any questions.

How are donations processed?

Most donors pay with credit card, debit card, or mobile wallet. We use Stripe, a large third-party payment processor to process donations. Payment details are entered via secure connection between Stripe and the donor's browser so we never see or store any donor financial information.

Optionally a small minority of teams choose to use their own PayPal account to receive donations. Below is a list of pros and cons for each option:

    Stripe (Recommended)
  • Supports one-click payments through mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
  • Easier donor checkout experience (less information required)
  • Allows you to enable an optional checkbox for "Donor covers processing fees."
  • We collect donations on your behalf and pay you via check or ACH once your campaign ends.
  • No external (Stripe) account needed for your team.
  • Typically slightly lower card processing fees (2.9% + 30 cents per transaction)
    PayPal
  • Donations go straight into your PayPal account immediately as they are made. We never touch the money.
  • No one-click mobile wallet payment support. Donors must enter their full credit card info.
  • Donor checkout experience is more tedious (requires: name, address, phone, email, etc.)
  • PayPal-hosted checkout page confuses some donors into thinking they need a PayPal account to donate.
  • Requires a team PayPal account to use this option.
  • Typically slightly higher card processing fees (2.9% + 49 cents per transaction) *
    *PayPal will reduce their fee if you register your account with them as a non-profit/charity. Discounts vary by organization.

When do I get my money?

We send you a check or ACH for 80% the day your campaign ends and the remaining 20% after 60 days once all the payments clear. This way, you don't have to worry about chargebacks or returns.

If you choose the PayPal option for payment processing, each donation goes directly to your PayPal account as it is made. There is no waiting period for donations, but you will be responsible for handling any returns or chargebacks.

What if I need help?

Feel free to contact us at info@fund-team.com or call/text 512-522-1338 for assistance.