If you don't find the answer to your question here, call 415.561.7807 or email support@groundspring.org.

• How are nonprofits selected for the DonateNow program?
• How much does the DonateNow program cost?
• Are Groundspring.org transactions safe and secure?
• Does my nonprofit need a merchant account to receive online donations using Groundspring.org?
• Does my nonprofit need to comply with State Registration requirements in order to accept online donations?
• Are donors names kept confidential?
• What credit cards can donors use when giving through DonateNow?
• Are online donations tax-deductible?
• Do online donors get receipts for contributions made through our DonateNow button?
• How are online donation dollars granted out to nonprofits?
• How does DonateNow integrate with EmailNow?
• How can donors make recurring donations to my organization with DonateNow?
• How can our organization offer "thank you gifts" or "premiums" to donors that give over a certain amount?
• What kind of credit card fraud protection is built into DonateNow?

To apply for the DonateNow program, complete an online application. In reviewing applications, we look for socially conscious nonprofits whose missions' align with the Groundspring.org vision of a healthy, just and environmentally sustainable society.

Organizations pay a one-time set-up fee for the DonateNow service, a flat monthly fee that is based on organizational budget size, as well as a percentage of each donation to cover administrative costs and credit card processing charges. Please visit our pricing page for details.

Yes. We use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt all data submitted to and from our site over the web. SSL renders donors' personal information, including credit card numbers, virtually unreadable to anyone who intercepts it. SSL is supported by all major browsers, including Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. (To find out if your browser is connected to a secure transaction server, look for a solid gold key in the lower right-hand corner of a Netscape browser. For a Microsoft browser, look for a locked padlock.)

No. Groundspring.org processes all online credit card transactions for nonprofits who use the DonateNow service.

Internet regulations are being debated throughout the fifty states and at the national level. At present, more than forty states require nonprofits to be registered. Nonprofits that solicit donations in a given state may be required to register as a charity in that state. Groundspring.org is a registered charity in all requiring states. By processing your donations through the Groundspring.org DonateNow service, you can save your organization time and thousands of dollars each year.

Groundspring.org never sells, trades, or rents donor information, and our site has security measures to prevent the loss, misuse, or alteration of donor and donation data. Additionally, you can give your donors the option to give anonymously to your organization.

Groundspring.org currently accepts donations made using Visa, MasterCard or American Express.

Groundspring.org is a 501(c)(3) charity and all contributions made through the Groundspring.org DonateNow program are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

When a donor makes a contribution and the credit card is verified, a tax receipt is automatically emailed to the donor acknowledging the contribution for tax purposes. This email also thanks the donor for their contribution and includes your thank you message.

At the end of each month, Groundspring.org will send your organization a single check for the aggregate amount of your monthly donations (if you haven't received $50 in donations, we'll send the check at the end of the quarter) as well as a print out of all your donor information.

Combined together, DonateNow and EmailNow allow a nonprofit to create an online fundraising campaign, send email appeals to supporters, and drive traffic to your web site where credit card contributions can be collected. Tracking between DonateNow and EmailNow is seamless, so you can track how many donations are collected as a result of an email fundraising campaign.

DonateNow 2.0 gives nonprofits additional options when conducting fundraising appeals with individual donors. Donors will be able to select a monthly or quarterly gift schedule, and will be able to log into the DonateNow system to modify credit card information or their gift schedule. We offer some code so that nonprofits can add a link from their Web site to the Groundspring site so that donors can modify their recurring donation.

DonateNow 2.0 will handle all the details of setting up a premium, and sending the correct receipt to donors. DonateNow 2.0 will also allow you to display images of your thank you gifts.

With DonateNow 2.0 we've improved the fraud protection at the time the donation is made. This is in response to our concern about credit card fraud which continues to grow in the Internet. In particular, we'll now verify credit card donations by requiring the "Card Security Code," a three-digit code on the back of most cards.