You're probably asking yourself, "How can I donate more money to the non-profit organization I support without spending one extra cent?" It's a logical question, and we believe we have a very logical, four-step answer:
1. Visit the GiveByShopping.com Online Fundraising Portal
Before you buy anything online, visit the GiveByShopping.com Online Shopping Portal for the organization you support to see if the Merchant you intend to shop with is listed.
2. Click the Merchants' Links to Visit Their Websites
Make sure that you click the links for the Merchants you want to shop with on the GiveByShopping.com Online Shopping Portal of the organization you want to support rather than logging on to their websites directly. Clicking the link on the Portal shortly before you buy allows GiveByShopping.com to track the dollar amount of your purchases.
Please note: GiveByShopping.com receives no information about what pages you visit on Merchants' sites or what goods or services you purchase from them, and we never have access to your credit card number or other personally identifying information. We only know the total amount that you spent with them.
3. GiveByShopping.com Contributes to the Organization You Support
Approximately 90 days after you make your purchases, GiveByShopping.com will donate based on the dollar amount of any purchases you've made that have not been returned. GiveByShopping.com will contribute as much as 20% (twenty percent) of each purchase you make to the non-profit organization whose Portal you used to shop. See our Merchant List to find out the minimum percentage of purchases we will donate based on how much you spend with each Merchant.
4. Enjoy Your Purchases, and the Knowledge That You've Helped
Enjoy your purchases knowing that - simply by adding the step of clicking on the Merchant links on the GiveByShopping.com Online Shopping Portal of the organization you support - you have given them more money without spending one extra cent!
How It Works for Participating Non-Profit Organizations
1. Enroll Your Organization in the GiveByShopping.com Online Fundraising Network
Read the GiveByShopping.com Participant Agreement, Terms of Service, and Privacy Policy and then visit our Enrollment Page and provide us with the requested information.
2. Link to Your Organization's Customized GiveByShopping.com Portal
Once your organization has been approved, GiveByShopping.com will send you a customized text link to your Online Shopping Portal. (Click here to see a "Sample Portal".)
The link will look something like this:
Support Our Organization when you shop online through this link
Graphic buttons and banners will also be made available.
We'll help you develop a greeting message explaining how your supporters can donate more money to your organization, without spending one extra cent, simply by shopping through your GiveByShopping.com Online Shopping Portal. Your greeting will include contact information for your organization -- an email address and physical address are required -- so that visitors can confirm that you have partnered with GiveByShopping.com to sponsor your work.
We recommend that you establish a new email account with the address "GiveByShopping.com@yourwebsite.org" and configure that address to respond to inquiries automatically confirming your participation in the GiveByShopping.com Online Fundraising Network. We can help you with the language for this auto-responder email. This is a quick and easy way to confirm to your supporters that you are partnering with GiveByShopping.com without creating any additional work for your staff or volunteers. We really do want GiveByShopping.com to be no cost fundraising for your non-profit organization.
Your Portal will list more than 250 Merchants your supporters can buy from, thereby donating more money to your organization without spending one extra cent!
Complete Step 2 by placing the link to your GiveByShopping.com Online Shopping Portal on the homepage of your website (and anywhere else on your site you'd like).
3. Promote Your GiveByShopping.com Online Shopping Portal
Let your supporters know about this exciting new opportunity for them to donate more money to your organization without spending one extra cent. (Are you noticing a pattern here?)
Most non-profit organizations already have a great promotional network consisting of their website, printed and emailed newsletters, magazines, podcasts and blogs; some even have radio and television programs. Use these tools, along with any face-to-face meetings with your supporters, to remind them about your GiveByShopping.com Online Shopping Portal. Click here to see a sample GiveByShopping.com Online Shopping Portal.
We'll send you emails at least once a month suggesting specific language to encourage your supporters to ... ahem ... donate more money to your organization without spending one extra cent! (Remember: Repeated reminders are the key to getting your supporters to remember and use your GiveByShopping.com Online Shopping Portal!) You are under no obligation to use this language or to engage in any promotional activities. We'll contribute the same per-Merchant percentage of purchases made through your Portal to your organization regardless of how much or how little you promote your partnership with GiveByShopping.com. (Portals that do not generate enough revenue to cover operating costs will, however, be suspended after 90 days. So, promote that Portal!)
4. GiveByShopping.com Will Donate to Your Organization
GiveByShopping.com will donate as much as 20% of the total purchases made through your Portal to your organization. Check our Merchants List to see the per-Merchant percentage of each purchase we will dontate to your organization. Our goal is to operate GiveByShopping.com as a "reverse tithe" ministry, returning as close as possible to 90% of revenue back to our Participants.
See, it really is that simple. You post your GiveByShopping.com, promote it to your supporters, and we will donate a portion of the revenue generated through your GiveByShopping.com Online Shopping Portal to your organization.
But Wait, There's More...
We've always wanted to say that and now, we can! Legally, we can't use the term "rebate" to describe this benefit, but you might. Anytime your organization makes a purchase through your own GiveByShopping.com Portal, you will receive the same contribution from GiveByShopping.com that you would normally receive as a result of purchases by your supporters. With every purchase your organization makes through your Portal - from copy paper to a choir robes - you'll be saving money!
But That's Not All...
We don't want this to sound too much like an infomercial, but there is an additional bonus that we think is really neat! After a quick review and approval process, you can receive permission for other websites to display a link to your GiveByShopping.com Portal. Maybe the members of your association have started a blog. Perhaps those who listen to your non-commercial radio station have created a chat room, complete with its own website, to talk about your programming. Or, maybe one of your supporters has a commercial website visited by large numbers of people who might want to (say it with us) donate more money to your non-profit organization without spending one extra cent.
As long as the secondary website meets our minimum standards, it can display a link to your GiveByShopping.com Online Shopping Portal, pootentially multiplying the number of people who will donate more money to your non-profit organization without spending one extra cent exponentially! (Okay, we know that phrase is getting old, but we are really excited about this opportunity to help your non-profit organization increase its financial resources!)
The catch...
You knew there had to be one, right? Well, here it is: Read and make sure you agree with our Participant Agreement, as well as our Terms of Service, and our Privacy Policy. When you participate in the GiveByShopping.com Online Fundraising Network by posting a link to your GiveByShopping.com Portal on your website or otherwise promoting the address of your GiveByShopping.com Online Shopping Portal, you are agreeing that you and your organization will be bound by the provisions of these three documents.
Okay, you're right, that's not much of a catch. Sorry, but it's the best we can do on short notice. After all, it really is that easy for your supporters to donate more money to your non-profit organization without spending one extra cent! (Last time on this page, we promise!)
Visit our Enrollment Page now and submit the requested information to get started!