Donor FAQs

Click on the category below to view answers to common questions we receive from donors:

Tax Receipts

  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).

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

    If you made your donation through America’s Charities website (www.charities.org), select the green “My Account” button from the top navigation menu and log in. Click the “Donations” button and click on your order number. Print that page for a copy of your receipt. If you have any questions about your donation, please contact America’s Charities’ Donor Services Team at help@charities.org or (703) 957‑7888.

Participating in my employer’s workplace giving campaign

  1. ​My employer uses America’s Charities for its workplace giving campaign. I’m not sure where to go to search for charities or make a donation.    

    America’s Charities offers two primary ways to give:

    • Through your employer’s workplace giving campaign website (for which a custom website URL is provided), or

    • Through our website at www.charities.org.

    Donations made through your employer’s workplace giving campaign website cannot be accessed at www.charities.org. To participate in your employer’s workplace giving campaign, visit the custom URL for your company’s giving campaign.  If you are unsure of that site’s URL, please contact your campaign coordinator or click here to submit your question to America’s Charities’ Donor Services Team (be sure to include your employer’s name when you submit your question). Additionally, our website (www.charities.org) only lists America’s Charities 130+ nonprofit members. Your employer might offer additional nonprofits as giving choices through your workplace giving campaign. To view a list of nonprofits available to support through your workplace giving campaign, you must log into your employer’s workplace giving website. 

  2. I am trying to donate through my employer’s workplace giving campaign. I know my username and password, but they don’t work. What should I do?

    There are a couple of things you should try:

    ​If you have tried the steps above or would like further assistance, please contact your campaign coordinator or click here to submit your question to America’s Charities’ Donor Services Team.

    1. Confirm that you are using the correct password. Visit your company’s online giving website and click the “Forgot Password” button. You may also contact America’s Charities’ Donor Services Team by calling 703-957-7888 or visit www.charities.org/support. 
    2. Create a new account. In accordance with your company’s security procedures, you may need to “Create a new account” at the beginning of a new workplace giving campaign season (even if you participated in a previous year’s campaign). For step-by-step directions, click here.

Donating items or giving through America’s Charities www.charities.org website

  1. How do I give through the charities.org website and who should I contact for help?  

    To donate through www.charities.org click “Find a charity” and then select “Give Now” once you have found the nonprofit you would like to support. For step-by-step instructions and information about giving features offered, please click here.

    If you have questions about your donation, please contact America’s Charities’ Donor Services Team by calling 703-957-7888 or visiting www.charities.org/support. 

  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”). Some reputable nonprofits that collect furniture and clothes include, A Wider Circle and Goodwill. If you have professional clothing to donate, we encourage you to support Dress for Success. If you are collecting pop tabs, we suggest you start by connecting with Ronald McDonald House Charities®. If you visit our “Find a Charity” webpage, you can use our search tool or click on the “Cause” button to narrow your search to a specific nonprofit and cause. If you would like to donate furniture or clothing, we suggest starting your search by looking at charities listed under the following cause categories on our website: “Hunger and Poverty,” “Education and Training,” and “Disaster Relief.”

I need financial assistance or help with a medical issue

  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.

What percentage of donations go to nonprofits

  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.

Is America’s Charities accredited or rated by charity evaluators?

  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. 

If you did not find an answer to your question in our FAQ above, please contact America’s Charities’ Donor Services Team by calling 703-957-7888 or visiting www.charities.org/support.