FAQ

Q. How do I find the ministry that I want to donate to?

For more information on how to search for and find the school, parish, or ministry that you would like to donate to -  check out this support article. 

Q. What is #iGiveCatholic?

#iGiveCatholic is a giving day that provides our Catholic parishes, schools, and nonprofit ministries the opportunity to connect with their current donors and establish relationships with new donors.

It is also an opportunity for Catholics to affirm our faith as disciples of Jesus Christ by sharing our gifts out of love for God and one another. The goal of #iGiveCatholic is to inspire the Catholic community to come together as faithful stewards and to "Give Catholic" on #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back.

You can see our most recent 990 here.

Q. Who can participate in the #iGiveCatholic Giving Day?

All 501(c)3 parishes, schools, and Catholic-serving ministries listed in the Official Catholic Directory and/or affiliated with a participating arch/diocese or Catholic foundation are eligible to participate in the #iGiveCatholic Giving Day. Please consult your arch/dioceses’ point person for more information, or Julie Kenny at julie@igivecatholic.org.

Q. When is #iGiveCatholic?

This year, #iGiveCatholic takes place on Tuesday, December 1, from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM  with our Advanced Giving Day Phase beginning at 12:00 AM on Monday, November 16 and running right through the Giving Day.

Q. How does it work?

#iGiveCatholic uses a giving platform with specific features for Giving Days, including searchable profiles of participating parishes, schools, and nonprofit ministries from participating dioceses to accept online donations. All online donations will be processed through iGiveCatholic.org, and offline gifts of cash or checks can be mailed or taken directly to the organization the donor chooses to support during the giving period. Anyone can donate to his or her favorite ministry during the giving period, and can track the progress of their favorite organization through the online leaderboards at igivecatholic.org.

Q. Why host a Catholic Giving Day on #GivingTuesday?

We have a day for giving thanks, or Thanksgiving. We have two days for purchasing gifts for loved ones – Black Friday and Cyber Monday. And now we have #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back out of gratitude for all we have received.

On Tuesday, December 1, 2020, individuals and organizations around the world will come together for one common purpose: To celebrate generosity, live generously and to give.

For Catholics, generosity and giving have a profound meaning. As we reflect with grateful hearts on how blessed we are, we naturally want to give back to God from our deep sense of gratitude. Compelled to action by our grateful compassion, we unite on this #iGiveCatholic giving day, sharing what we have to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless, and preserve our Catholic heritage for future generations.

Q. How can I stay up to date on what's happening?

You can see our totals on December 1 here. News and updates will be posted regularly to #iGiveCatholic’s social media sites:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iGiveCatholic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/iGiveCatholic
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igivecatholic/

Q. Are there sponsorship and funding opportunities?

Yes! If your organization would like to join us as a global #iGiveCatholic Giving Day sponsor or funder, contact julie@igivecatholic.org for more information. Or, if you would like to sponsor a local arch/diocesan or foundation effort, you can contact the point person listed at the bottom of the arch/diocesan or foundation landing page. We have several great opportunities for organizations to get involved! 

Q. What organizations are eligible for #iGiveCatholic?

All 501(c)3 parishes, schools, and nonprofit ministries affiliated with a participating diocese are eligible to participate in the #iGiveCatholic Giving Day. Please consult your arch/diocesan or foundation contact person for more information.

If you are a member of a Catholic university, health care organization, or national ministry, you may participate under our National Ministries page. Contact Julie Kenny at julie@igivecatholic.org for more information.

Q. Does a parish/school/ministry/not-for-profit within a participating diocese have to pay a participation or set-up fee for the #iGiveCatholic Giving Day?

No, participation in the #iGiveCatholic Giving Day is a gift to the community from the sponsoring arch/diocese or Catholic foundation.

Q. How do I register my organization to participate?

Eligible organizations in participating arch/dioceses should contact their arch/diocesan or foundation point person to ensure they receive the invitation email on August 17, the day registration opens. Once you receive the email, it will contain a link to the arch/diocesan or foundation landing page where you will click "Apply Now", search to find your organization (if your organization has participated before), or "Add My Ministry" if you are new. You will need to answer several registration questions, and then your application will be "pending" until approved by the arch/diocesan or foundation point person within a few working days.

The organization MUST be approved to participate before registration closes at 11:59 PM on October 30, 2020.

No organizations will be permitted to register after October 30.

Once registered, the organization can begin customizing their #iGiveCatholic Giving Day profile page, and enter their bank account information for gift acceptance.

Questions?  How-to articles on registering and completing your profile are located on the Resources page under the Menu option of the website. We also recommend entering your question by clicking on the blue chat bubble in the bottom right-hand corner of the web page!

Q. Do organizations receive training?

Yes! Two live training webinars will be held on August 18 and November 4 at 2:00 pm CST. We will record these sessions and make the links available on our website. Additionally, you can find a series of pre-recorded training webinars on our website, along with other recordings, here.   We strongly suggest that you participate in or view these recorded webinars as they will help guide you and your organization to having a successful giving day. Additional training might be offered by participating arch/dioceses or foundations. Please consult your arch/diocesan or foundation contact person for more information.

Q. When will my organization receive its donations?

If you enter the banking information in your online registration profile, and your account is verified, your organization will receive all donations via ACH distribution within five (5) business days of the gift. If your organization is being fiscally sponsored by your arch/diocese or foundation, meaning you do not have a viable bank account with which to receive funds via ACH or your arch/diocese or foundation has indicated that it will accept donations on behalf of its participating organizations, you will be sent your donations from the arch/diocese or foundation within 60 days of the Giving Day.

Q. Does my organization need to send letters to donors for their tax deduction?

No. Donors immediately receive an email from #iGiveCatholic confirming their gift. Note that all donations must be 100% tax deductible (no additional benefits.) However, this tax deduction form is not a "thank you." By registering to participate in #iGiveCatholic, organizations agree to thank donors within seven working days, and may extend their gratitude through any medium they like, including thank you letters, phone calls, or social media “shout outs.”

Q. Will my organization receive donor information for acknowledgements?

Yes. You will have access to donor information during the Giving Day and afterward for a period of time via a donations table that can be accessed from your GiveGab “Admin Dashboard” and downloaded to a .CSV file that will be emailed to your organization email address on file, for security purposes. To log in to your Admin Dashboard, go to iGiveCatholic.org and click “Menu” in the top right hand corner of the page. A drop down menu will appear. Click “Log In” to enter your email and password. For more detailed step-by-step directions, click to read the support article here.

Organizations should thank all donors within seven business days of the Giving Day.

Q. How can I stay up to date on what's happening?

News and updates will be posted regularly to #iGiveCatholic’s social media sites:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iGiveCatholic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/iGiveCatholic
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igivecatholic/

Q. I have questions - who can answer them?

#iGiveCatholic has partnered with the giving day platform, GiveGab. On the iGiveCatholic.org website, click on the blue chat bubble at the bottom right-hand corner of any page and enter your question. You can also email your question to questions@igivecatholic.org.

Giving/Donor FAQs

Q. Who can donate?

Anyone can donate! Because it is so much easier for people to give online to their favorite ministry from wherever they are in the world, most people will donate by this method. However, donors are welcome to bring a donation of cash or check to their parish, school, or nonprofit ministry and the gift can still be entered and included in the leaderboard totals viewed online. Ministry administrators are responsible for adding offline donations to their totals as they are received. Donations via check or cash can be manually entered by organizations in their Admin Dashboard either as an offline gift or as a matching fund. Donor-Advised Fund holders at participating diocesan foundations may recommend grants from their funds as their #iGiveCatholic donation. If an email is entered for an offline donor, they will also receive the automated tax receipt from #iGiveCatholic.

Q. What forms of donations are accepted?

MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express donations will be accepted through the #iGiveCatholic website on #GivingTuesday, December 1. In addition, donors giving $100 or more will have the option to pay by bank account debit (ACH).

Q. I will not have access to the internet on #iGiveCatholic giving day. Is there another time I can give?

Yes. For the convenience of donors, gifts may be made in advance for #iGiveCatholic. Between November 16 at 12:00 AM through November 30 at 11:59 PM, a donor can go to iGiveCatholic.org to make a gift during the Advanced Giving Day phase. Advanced gifts will be charged at the time of donation and credited to the participating organization's leaderboard during the giving day.

Q. Are gifts tax-deductible?

Yes. All donations are tax-deductible and irrevocable and will be for the designated use of your chosen charity.

Q. Do donors receive a tax receipt from the school, parish, ministry, or not-for-profit?

Donors immediately receive an email tax receipt from #iGiveCatholic confirming their gift amount and organization designation. Note that all donations must be 100% tax deductible (no additional benefits.) Donors will be thanked by the organizations they supported within one week. If you do not receive an email tax receipt, check your email “spam” folder. You can also go back into your account and resend a receipt, or ask the organization you supported to resend you a receipt.

Q. Is there a minimum gift?

The minimum online donation is $25. However, gifts of check or cash in any amount are gladly accepted offline by our participating organizations, and can be mailed to them directly, or dropped off!

Q. Is there a maximum gift?

No, there is no maximum donation.

Q. Can a donor give to multiple organizations?

Yes! Donors have the option of visiting the different profile pages of the organizations they wish to donate to and can make separate donations all in one transaction through the Gift Basket option.

Q. How can I find my favorite organization on the website?

You can search for your organization during the Advanced Giving Day phase or on the Giving Day using the Search feature. For more information on other ways to find an organization, click here. If you can't find them on the iGiveCatholic.org website, they may not be participating in #iGiveCatholic this year, and we suggest contacting them directly.

Q. May I pay a pledge with my gift?

No, the #iGiveCatholic Giving Day is designed to generate new, one-time gifts.

Q. May I designate how a school, parish, ministry or not-for-profit uses my gift?

#iGiveCatholic Giving Day donations are considered unrestricted gifts to the chosen school, parish, or ministry, unless the participating organization has specified a particular project for this year’s #iGiveCatholic campaign.

Q. Are there fees associated with donations to #iGiveCatholic?

The convenience of donating through a Giving Day platform (with special features and extra security measures) means there are fees. The fees cover tech support, marketing materials, training, and other behind the scenes components allowing the organizations to focus on their mission. All donations will be paid to the chosen ministry net the platform, ACH, and/or credit card transaction fees. ACH fees total 4% plus $3.00. Credit card transaction fees total 6.2% plus $0.30.  Donors have the option to cover these fees at the time of donation, and they will receive a tax deduction on the full donation amount.

Q. Can I make my donation using my cell phone?

Yes. The platform is mobile friendly! You can use a smartphone that allows you to make a credit/debit card purchases through the Mobile Wallet feature of the Giving Day platform. Launch the web browser on your phone and visit iGiveCatholic.org to donate.

Q. May I use my #iGiveCatholic Giving Day donation to buy event tickets, museum memberships or other things that provide me a benefit?

No, donations may not be used to pay for anything that might be perceived as a material benefit to the donor including dinner tickets, membership fees, golf fees, admission tickets, raffle tickets, event sponsorships, or other benefits.

Q. What if I notice a transaction error?

Donors who notice a credit card transaction error must notify #iGiveCatholic by emailing questions@iGiveCatholic.org within 30 days of the Giving Day.

Q. I have questions - who can answer them?