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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 middle men. 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, and donors are sent a unique link in their text message. This allows the organizer and participant to track engagement the same as an email address. In addition, the text message will come directly from the participant's phone number, which will further promote the authenticity of the request for the donor. Text message requests will allow donors to be reached if participants don't have their email address or if the donor prefers a text instead of an email. Please note that because the text is being sent from the participant's own phone, automatic reminders cannot be sent via the Fund-Team.com platform. However, the participant can send a reminder in one click from their dashboard.

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 sharable 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.

Are donations secure?

Donors can use their credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal account. All payments are processed by Stripe or PayPal so your donors have the peace of mind that your campaign is legitimate, and their contributions are secure. We also use SSL on our site and do not store any financial information.

When do I get my money?

Immediately if you wish. When signing up for a campaign, you can enter your organization's own PayPal email account. If you choose this option, the funds go directly to you. There is no waiting period for donations, but you will be responsible for handling any returns or charge-backs. Occasional payments will go directly into an escrow account to maintain a per-campaign balance of $100 to cover our costs, returns and commission. Once your campaign has ended, you will receive the full escrow balance via check or PayPal, whichever you prefer.

Do donors need a PayPal account?

No. Most donors donate using a credit card. If you choose to use your team's own PayPal account to receive donations, PayPal is just the credit card processing company. As a convenience for donors, PayPal also allows donors to use their own PayPal account to donate a little faster, but it's not necessary.

What if my team doesn't have PayPal?

You don't need your own PayPal account. If you have one and decide to use it, there are some benefits. First, the donations go straight into your PayPal account immediately as they are made. Secondly, PayPal reduces their fee if you register your account with them as a non-profit.

Even if teams have a PayPal account, most choose not to use it. If you do not use PayPal, we collect the donations using Stripe as our credit card processor. Stripe also supports one-click payments though mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay; PayPal does not. This leads to an easier donor checkout experience. We collect donations on your behalf and pay you once your campaign ends. We send you a check for 80% right away and another check for the remaining 20% after 60 days once all the payments clear.

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 an example donation page specific to your campaign and personalized to your team member who invited that donor.

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 URL (website link) you can email or message directly to your team members. That's it! Once they click on the link, we guide them through adding potential donors on their own personal page for your organization. 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.

What if I need help?

Feel free to contact us at info@fund-team.com. Someone will contact you shortly to assist you with whatever is needed.