Giving Wallet FAQ’s

Why do we fundraise this way on Spotlight?

The current charitable fundraising model is clunky. There has been this mashup of a traditional checks and grant-writing cycle sprinkled over with experimentations in online giving and crowdfunding campaigns. The result is a disconnected, decentralized space for giving. Additionally, the nonprofit space is ripe with fraud and deviant players. The good nonprofits are often overlooked due to algorithms and ad manipulation. This noise holds impact back. 

So, we determined that a sustainable approach to fundraising is the best course forward. We make giving expressive so that people can increase their social capital within a focused social experience for advocacy and social good. By clearing the path for people (and brands) to be active fundraisers, nonprofits can spend less time and money raising funds, and instead focus on the betterment of their communities. Wallets make it easier for everyone to transfer money.

Your donation is safe, secure, and private, and helps support the issues and causes you care most about.

How many nonprofits do you have to choose from? Are they legit organizations?

We have over 1.7 million nonprofits in our directory. We vet nonprofits in our directory across 1200 different safety lists to ensure a trusted giving experience

Your Giving Wallet is like a Venmo for philanthropy. Unlike Venmo, donations are tax-smart and you can give to any nonprofit (not just the few in their directory).

What makes this different than other fundraising websites?

What makes it unique is that:

1. You can load funds to give $1 at a time instead of having to pay processing fees on microdonations

AND

2. You can receive funds directly from people and brands by wallet-to-wallet transfers. Your Giving Wallet allows you to be in control of these deposited funds to then direct grants to receiving nonprofits or retransfer the funds to another person - all with zero tax liability

Note: Your donation will be made to a donor advised fund at the American Online Giving Fund (AOGF), registered in the United States. You will be able to provide donor advice to direct all, or a portion, of your donation, to the recipient cause of your choice within the Spotlight app. AOGF disburses donations to recipient charities once a month. Recipient charities will receive your donation, minus transaction fees.

It is special because you can have a centralized home for your giving, making it easier, safer, and quicker to give to the causes and organizations in need. It will also allow everyone to make giving habitual, which grows our individual and a collective sense of purpose. These actions raise our emotional IQ and make us healthier and happier. There's a bit of science to the whole thing, plus it saves us time and is simply more efficient.

Your Giving Wallet has the perfect qualities of a good mate.

Smart

Impact doesn't always happen in silos. Sometimes you want to give to one charity, and other times you might want to group charities into your idea of a coalition fund. Within the wallet, and with one donation, you can make flexible decisions with one click to one or multiple organizations.

Efficient

The words simple and taxes used together might seem like an oxymoron, but the Giving Wallet makes it easier to give to the charities and causes close to your heart. As soon as you make a donation, you are eligible for an immediate tax deduction. You can budget how much of the discretionary funds you want to earmark for giving and then be ready to act when needed. 

Organized

You don't have to keep track of every gift acknowledgment from every charity you support—just the receipts from your Giving Wallet donor-advised fund contributions. Our one-stop setup will save you time from having to search for tax receipts in emails.

Trustworthy

The nonprofits listed in your Giving Wallet directory are vetted across 1200 lists to ensure that you give to trustworthy organizations. You do not have to worry about fraudulent container organizations or organizations that may have ties to terrorism. The public charity sponsoring the account conducts all the due diligence to ensure the funds will be used for charitable purposes. 

Friendly

Your wallet also lets you send funds wallet-to-wallet making it easy to send money to your philanthropic friends and support their charitable interests. Those charitable birthday or wedding day gifts can now be transferred in-app to a friend's wallet. Employers can do the same and make charitable gifts directly to your wallet. Tax-wise, you won't be on the hook for money received for fundraising campaigns because it is not income, and you can accept funds to donate to the charities you have in mind freely. 

Note: that we do not support campaign financing or PAC donations per our Terms of Use.
By opening a wallet, you agree to the terms of the Fundraising Policy, Terms & Conditions, and Privacy Policy.

What is our end goal?

We want adaptive change. To improve social deficits, we need brands, nonprofits, and modern advocates to have a platform that amplifies their voices around good causes. 

Is there a minimum donation amount?

Spotlight reserves the right to attempt to process all donations according to your settings based on Spotlight's standard donation processing procedures. That means, for example, if you set up recurring donations then we will automatically process your donation according to your time table.

Note: Spotlight’s minimum donation is $1. We do not charge individual users any fee to maintain an active donor account or Giving Wallet.

In order to pause or cancel your donations, please log into your account and update your settings. We do charge organizations like nonprofits and brands and certain users who have upgraded their accounts to a premium account to access additional features and that requires a subscription, a setup fee, yearly maintenance fee, and other charges as outlined in subscription for Organizations.

How do we make money?

Individuals do not pay for account activation. It is free to setup a Giving Wallet on Spotlight for personal use. 

For-Profits and Nonprofits pay us a subscription fee and a transaction to be a member of the Donor Advised Fund and to use our fundraising tools. Fees are laid out in the pricing page for Organizations. 

We also charge a convenience fee on all funds (personal or from an organization) moving into a wallet and transaction fee on commerce sold including campaigns.  

Note: We charge these fees so that we can build a supportive platform and service community for our modern advocates. This includes providing marketing and technology (hosting the app requires some bankroll) on their behalf—all to provide you with a radical way to move the needle for the causes you live to shape.

How do we manage fees and distributions?

When you donate for any purpose like a direct donation, sticker campaign, or the chance to win something special, approximately 94% of your donation goes to the identified nonprofit beneficiary, via a grant from AOGF. 

Note: That disbursement looks like this: 2.9% AOGF Cause Support Fee + 2.2% – 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee by Stripe per donation. See our pricing page.

Your contribution is irrevocable and cannot be canceled or refunded. AOGF did not provide any goods or services in consideration for this donation. Donations made via the “Donations Functionality” feature we provide as software as a solution are collected and held in escrow by Spotlight as an agent for the American Online Giving Foundation. Spotlight remits such donations to the AOGF on a monthly basis upon receipt of a Donation Report which includes such donations.

Spotlight will make reasonable efforts to deliver donations to designated organization partners by processing these donations via a Donor Advised Fund. We will exact a convenience fee for processing and handling the donation from you. This fee can vary, without notice to you, based on market conditions and size of donation. Your donations are not in exchange for any goods or services provided to you by the organization.

Are my donations tax-deductible?

Generally, the full amount of the donation gift expressed above is deductible as a charitable contribution to the extent permitted by law. If you are a citizen or taxpayer of a jurisdiction outside the United States, your donation may not be deductible. Only under particular circumstances can a non-U.S. taxpayer take a deduction for a contribution to a U.S. charity.

Note: Spotlight does not provide tax consultation. Please consult your tax advisor to determine deductibility or tax treatment.

When will the nonprofit receive their donation?

The AOGF typically distributes funds to receiving nonprofits at the end of each month and no later than thirty (60) days after the end of each accounting cycle in which AOGF has received the donation.

What’s your fundraising policy?

For further terms, conditions, and additional information, please consult our Fundraising Policy.