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1. Where can I obtain a copy of my tax receipt?For Workplace Giving Donations:

   If you made a donation through your employer’s workplace giving program, log into your employer’s online giving portal.  Once you are logged in, you can view your pledge history and view a tax receipt to print. For step-by-step instructions on accessing your tax receipt, please reference the login instructions and FAQs listed on your employer's giving site. If you do not remember the link to your employee giving site, click here to submit your question to America’s Charities' Donor Services Team (be sure to include your employer’s name with your question so they can provide you with the correct link to your employer's giving website).

   For Donations Made on this Website www.charities.org:

   If you made your donation to America’s Charities or supported one of our Cause Funds featured on our website (www.charities.org), click here to log into your Give Lively user account. Once you have logged in, you can find a copy of your donation receipts on the main landing page or at the top of the “Payment history” page. Print the documents from that page for a copy of your receipt. You can also find other answers and "how to" steps for other questions you might have about your donation here. If you need assistance with your donation, please contact America's Charities Help Desk Team at help@charities.org.

1. When will a payroll deduction contribution start coming out of my paycheck?

If you choose to donation to charities through one-time or recurring payroll deductions (the payment method offered depends on your employer’s offering), payroll deductions typically begin with the first pay period in January and continue through the last pay period in December. For example, if you make a recurring payroll deduction pledge during your company’s 2025 giving campaign enrollment period, the recurring payroll deductions for that pledge would begin in January 2026 and stop by the end of December 2026.

2. How does my charity receive its contribution?

Donations are distributed monthly or quarterly (depending on the employer’s contract) either by check or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). While EFT may not be an option for all organizations, it is a convenient way to send money electronically and we highly encourage organizations to sign up for EFT. EFT transactions will allow an organization to receive funds more quickly and avoid the hassle of lost or uncashed checks. If you are in contact with your organization(s), please encourage them to sign up for EFT at https://www.charities.org/CharityInfoForm.

3. I made a contribution through my employer, when will my charity receive the funds?

America’s Charities aggregates funds from multiple donors from multiple companies, operating on a monthly disbursement model (unless a client has chosen a different frequency). Throughout the month, all donations, corporate matches, and other incentives/awards are aggregated and are typically disbursed to the designated organization approximately 7-9 weeks from the date in which the donation or company matching grant occurred. For example, donations made in January will be disbursed at the end of February.

4. It’s been longer than 7-9 weeks since I donated and the charity I donated to has not received my donation or the matching funds, why?

A delayed disbursement could be the result of a client’s program or disbursement model. For example, some clients may disburse on a quarterly basis rather than our standard monthly model, or they may require additional reviews before a donation or match is approved. Additionally, if payroll deduction-based donations are involved, reconciling between what a donor pledged and how much has actually been deducted from his/her paycheck can sometimes lead to delays.

Likewise, a charity that has opted to receive funds via check instead of EFT may experience delays receiving funds due to USPS delivery delays.

5. How can I verify that my charity received my contribution? Will they know the gift came from me?

You can contact the charity you donated to directly to inquire about your contribution. However, keep in mind a charity will only know a donation is from you based on the acknowledgement option you selected when you made the donation.

When organizations receive the disbursement, they won’t specifically see that the charitable contribution is coming from you as an individual. Instead, the check stub will display “America’s Charities” as the payee. However, the check stub does include instructions for the organization to access the Online Payment Report. This report allows them to view donor and donation details based on what acknowledgement option you selected when you made the donation.

6. I have retired or changed employers. How can I get the tax summary of my donations when I’m no longer an employee? 

America’s Charities can send you a summary document directly. Send your request to help@charities.org with your pay stub and W-2, which can be used as donation receipts for tax purposes.

1. How do I give through the charities.org website and who should I contact for help?  There are a few different ways to donate through the charities.org website:
   • To make a donation supporting America's Charities, click the "Donate" button located at the top of the website. You can make a donation via credit card, through your bank account, via DAF, Stock, or Crypto. We also encourage you to provide a recurring payroll deduction gift to us through your workplace giving campaign.
   • To make a donation supporting one of our nonprofit members, select "Nonprofits" from the navigation menu on our website and choose "Charity Search" from the dropdown list. From there, you can view information about each of our members, including a link to donate directly to them through their nonprofit's website. We also encourage you to provide a recurring payroll deduction gift to sustain our members' missions through your workplace giving campaign.
   • To make a donation to a cause that supports one or more America's Charities nonprofit members, select "Nonprofits" from the navigation menu on our website and choose "Cause Funds" from the dropdown list.
2. I would like to donate an item (e.g., pop tabs, furniture, clothing, etc.) to a charity.

• • America's Charities DOES NOT collect any goods or items (e.g. furniture, cars, or clothing). However, some of our member nonprofits do so we encourage you to reach out to those nonprofits directly. When donating items, it’s important to make sure the items you’re donating align with what the nonprofit actually needs. The best way to donate an item is to connect directly with the nonprofit you’re supporting to find out what type of donations would be most helpful. Nonprofits typically have a “wish list” on their website for you to reference (usually this list is under a section labeled, “Ways to Give/Get Involved”).

1. I need financial assistance, help with medical issues, or other services. Can you help?

   America's Charities is not legally set up to provide direct financial assistance to individuals, however, we work with many partner nonprofits that do. Click here for a list of our nonprofit members to find an organization that might be able to assist you. We also encourage you to contact your employer to see if they have an employee assistance fund set up. Based on your employer's unique employee assistance policy, you might be eligible to apply for assistance to help you with your financial hardship.

1. I keep hearing about how most of the funds donated to charities go for administrative costs and very little to the services to help people or advance a mission. What charities have the highest percentage that actually goes towards programs or to help advance a cause?

   The percent of charity expenses that go to administrative and fundraising costs (AFR)—commonly referred to as “overhead”—is a misinterpreted measure of a charity’s performance. That is not to say that overhead has no role in detecting fraud or gross mismanagement, and shouldn’t be considered along with a range of other metrics. However, when you judge a nonprofit solely on this financial ratio, you are missing what really matters: a nonprofit’s impact. Instead, focus on true indicators of nonprofit performance: transparency, governance, leadership, and results.

   In fact, focusing on overhead without considering other critical dimensions of a charity’s financial and organizational performance —such as costs incurred for expansion of programs and investment in organizational infrastructure--does more damage than good. Click here for more on this subject to understand how focusing on the “Overhead Myth” affects our shared goal of creating a better world.

1. Is America's Charities rated by Charity Navigator, BBB Wise Giving Alliance or GuideStar?

   America's Charities is proud of our record of accountability and transparency. We have met BBB Wise Giving Alliance's stringent and comprehensive 20 Standards for Accountability--see our report here. We are also committed to full transparency and reporting our results and impact, indicated by reaching the GuideStar Platinum level. See our profile here. When it comes to charity ratings (of America's Charities and our members), we encourage you to visit the following websites: BBB Wise Giving Alliance, GuideStar, and GreatNonprofits. Each of these 'charity validators' uses its own unique set of criteria and guidelines to review and assess charities. When visiting a nonprofit's website, if you do not see one or all of these charity validators promoted, that does not mean the charity hasn't been assessed. Many charity validators require the charities they review to pay a fee to promote/mention that charity validator's name, so not all nonprofits pay for that privilege. America's Charities provides a comprehensive list of our most recent financial reports and auditor reports, and we encourage you to review those reports anytime on our website by clicking here.