The Basics

What is Collabogive?

Collabogive is an online fundraising platform that allows individuals and groups to raise money and awareness for their cause in a secure, easy to use environment, by leveraging the power of social connections and crowdfunding.

Who can create a campaign on Collabogive.com?

Anyone who wants to raise money for a good cause and has a US bank account can create a fundraising campaign on Collabogive.com. Your organization does not have to be registered as a 501(c)3 to use Collabogive.

You must also be 18 or older to create a campaign, or have permission from a parent or guardian.

What can you fundraise for?

Every campaign on Collabogive must be cause related with a clear purpose to do good. Most people use Collabogive to raise money for themselves, a friend or loved one for things like medical expenses, education costs, community programs, mission trips, youth sports, funerals and memorials - even their pets.

To learn more about our acceptable campaign types, visit our Campaign Guidelines for more information.

What does it cost?

One of the best parts of fundraising on Collabogive is that there are absolutely no costs or fees associated with starting, sharing or contributing to a campaign. You will never pay a monthly maintenance fee or any extra feature access fees. We enthusicaly want you to have access to and make use of all the amazing features on our site.

The only cost associated with running a campaign on Collabogive is when you are successful in raising funds through your campaign page. Any time you receive a donation to your campaign, Collabogive will deduct a 4% fee automatically, so you'll never need to worry about being billed or owing us any money. A credit card processing fee of 2.9% + 30 cents will also be deducted from each transaction by our payment processor Wepay. All fees are paid by the campaign owner and are never passed onto donors.

Simply put, you will receive about 93% of every donation made to your campaign.

Accounts

Can non-US based individuals or organizations use Collabogive.com?

For fundraisers, campaigns must be able to receive donations into a US-based bank account and have US forms of identification (Social Security Number, Drivers License, Employer Identification Number) for bank verification.

For donors, Collabogive accepts international donations as long as the donation is made by MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or Discover. Donations are collected in USD, so the donor will receive a receipt from Collabogive in USD and see a charge on their credit card statement converted to their country's currency.

How do I reset my password?

You can reset your password here by entering the username/email address you signed up with.

Do I need to have a Collabogive account to make a contribution?

Joining Collabogive is not required to contribute to a campaign, although it's a great way to track your donation receipts or to create a campaign of your own. It also makes it much easier to donate to causes in the future. Plus, we'd love to have you as part of the Collabogive Community :)

Running a Campaign

How does fundraising on Collabogive work?

Fundraising on Collabogive is easy and effective! After you sign up you can quickly create an attractive, social fundraising campaign page, share it with your friends and family, and start collecting online donations directly into your payment account.

Collabogive helps you build a network of supporters and removes the friction between getting inspired and giving money, making it easy for supporters to donate when they read a moving story, view a personal photo, or watch a powerful video.

Your campaign page can accept donations from any credit, debit or gift card that carries a Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express logo and is optimized to process payments on any device including mobile phones! All donation details and fundraising progress is available to review in your account profile. Campaign pages have social sharing tools built in to them so supporters can share your cause with their friends and motivate them to give as well!

How do I start a campaign?

Simply give your campaign a title, brief description, goal amount, deadline (if you have one) and add a photo or video. Submit, and you're on you're way!

Can I raise money for a friend or family member?

Yes. In fact, many Collabogive campaigns are managed by a friend or loved-one on behalf of the recipient. You can also easily request a check in your friend or family-member's name during the withdrawal process.

How do I add photos or a video to my campaign page?

Photos: For the best results use a campaign image with a 16:9 ratio. We recommend a landscape photo with an image size of 745px by 400px with a resoulution of 150dpi. You may also add additional images to your campaign story by clicking 'Add Media' and uploading your photos or graphics. Adding a photo can increase your odds of reaching your goal by 500%!

Video: Campaigns with a video are SEVEN TIMES more successful than those without one! Simply paste your YouTube or Vimeo link in the appropriate field when setting up your campaign. Because Collabogive is a secure site, you will need to make sure that your video url begins with https://

How do I promote my campaign?

Once your campaign is active, the most important thing you can do is to share it with your friends, relatives, and anybody else that would love to hear about it! You can easily share your campaign directly from your campaign page by using the social share features on the top of the page, from within your account profile, or by visiting the Spread the Word page and using the share tools found there.

Here are some sure-fire ways to make sure your campaign reaches as many people as possible:

Send Individual Emails: People who get a personalized message are 80% more likely to donate, so be specific and genuine. Mass emailing your entire contact list may work for some, but we have found that personalized emails are far more effective.

Share on Facebook: Update your status with all the details and your campaign link and tag the friends you hope will contribute. Your contributors can share your campaign this way as well.

Tweet: Over the course of your campaign, use Twitter to spread the word and share updates and encourage your contributors to tweet it out. Don’t be shy about it — we suggest tweeting 4-5 times a week.

Post Updates: Tell supporters what you’re fundraising for. Be specific. Be descriptive. Get personal. Supporters are more likely to give an online donation if you post photos, videos, and progress updates. Supporters believe in what you’re doing, so keep them updated by posting updates frequently on your campaign page.

Embed a Widget: Help build support by placing your personalized Collabogive campaign widget on your website or info. Your vistors will be able to see your campaign's progress in real-time and be able to click to donate all from within your site.

Call and Text: There is nothing more personal than reaching out with a phone call or personalized text message. Connect with your most personal contacts by simply calling them and telling them what you are up to.

How do I post an update to my campaign?

Reach out to your supporters and let them know how your campaign is doing with a campaign update. Simply login to your account profile, go to your 'Campaigns' tab and select the campaign you wish to post an update by selecting its 'Edit' icon. Once inside the 'Edit Campaign' view, select the flag icon 'Progress and Updates' and enter your details, photos, etc. When you're finished just hit 'Update Campaign' and your campaign will automatically be updated with your new information.

How long can I run a campaign?

With Collabogive there are no campaign time requirements. You can choose to run an ongoing campaign with no end date, or you can create a campaign with a set deadline to run for up to 90 days. Short campaigns are perfect for individuals and small groups with a specific goal and are usually time sensitive, while organizations may benefit from a ongoing donation page to continually raise funds and awareness for their cause.

Can I re-run a campaign that has ended?

Yes. Just send us an email letting us know how long you want to extend your campaign and we will get you squared away. Once your campaign is reinstated, you will want to make sure you edit your campaign description and post an update to let your supporters know why you are re-running the campaign.

Can I run multiple campaigns at once?

Of course! You can create as many Collabogive campaigns as you like and manage them all seamlessly from your account profile.

How do I edit my campaign?

Whether you’re fixing a minor typo or updating a major detail, making edits to your campaign is quick and painless. Simply login to your account profile, go to your 'Campaigns' tab and select the campaign you wish to edit by selecting its 'Edit' icon.

Can I embed my campaign on another site?

Yes! Just go to your campaign page and select 'Embed' link from the share icons on the top of the page. From here you will be able to get the embed code for your campaign widget to add to your website or info.

Can I accept donations from outside the US?

Yes. You can accept international donations to your campaign as long as the donation is made by MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or Discover. Donations are collected in USD, so the donor will receive a receipt from Collabogive in USD and see a charge on their credit card statement converted to their country's currency.

What is the minimum/maximum donation amount that I can accept?

You can receive a minimum donation of $1.00 up to $2,000.00 per individual transaction. There is no limit to the total amount you may raise.

How do I know when someone contributes to my campaign?

Everytime you receive a donation, comment or direct message, we will automatically pass the good news along by sending you an email to let you know.

How do I receive funds collected from my campaign?

Once your Collabogive campaign begins receiving online donations, you can easily request a withdrawal at any time. If you haven't done so yet, you will need to set your disbursement preferences in your WePay account. To get set up, login to your Collabogive account profile, go to your 'Payment Account' tab and select the 'Go to WePay' link. From there you will be able to choose to withdraw your balance directly to your bank account or request that a check be mailed to you. After you have completed this step, all funds will be automatically sent to your bank account on a regular basis at a frequency you set (daily, weekly, or monthly).

How do I access my supporter’s contribution information?

Simply visit the 'Campaigns' section in your account profile and click the 'Export' link for the campaign you wish to export the data from. All donation activity can easily be exported via CSV and will contain every donor’s name, email, contribution amount and contribution date, plus address if you have set you campaign to collect this information.

How do I issue a donation refund?

If at any time you need to issue a refund, you can do so by loging into your WePay account and clicking on the donation you would want to refund under Transactions. On the checkout page, click the transaction you'd like to refund. There, you'll see a pop up to click on that says 'Issue Refund.'

What about taxes?

While we are not legally able to advise you on your taxes nor is this by any means a guarantee, most donations on Collabogive are simply considered to be 'Personal Gifts' which are not taxed as income in the US. Additionally, only donations made to a legally registered non-profit or charity may be considered eligible for donors to claim as a tax deduction. Everyone's tax requirements are different so please consult with a tax professional in your area for specific information regarding your fundraiser.

Please Note: WePay will send you a 1099-K if you raise over $20,000 and 200 transactions. You will be responsibile for determining the tax liability of these payments.

Making Donations

How do I know if the campaign is legitamate and that funds will go where they are suppose to?

Contributors should only contribute donations to Collabogive users they personally know and trust. We’re often asked how a Contributor can tell the authenticity of a cause found on Collabogive. Unfortunately, there is no way to 100% guarantee that a user’s campaign contains accurate or truthful information. As such, contributors should not make donations to any campaigns or people unless they fully understand and trust the cause presented.

Collabogive does not personally investigate the claims stated on each campaign, so we must insist that you use your best judgment and common sense to verify the validity of a campaign before contributing to it. You can contact the campaign organizer directly through the ‘Contact’ button on the campaign page if you have any questions specific to that campaign and the funds being raised.

If you suspect unauthorized or fraudulent activity, please report the campaign via the ‘Report Campaign’ form on the bottom of the campaign page or email us directly at support@collabogive.com

What form of payment can I use to make a donation?

You can donate with any credit, debit or gift card that carries a Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express logo.

Can I donate anonymously?

Yes. Donors can simply check a box on checkout to keep their name hidden from public view. However, the organizer of a campaign will have access to your information.

Is my payment information secure?

Absolutely. Protecting your security and the security of your online donation is very important to us. We use industry leading SSL encrypted security technology for all payments to ensure your personal and payment data are kept safe at all times. A small security indicator, usually a lock icon or green bar, will appear in the web browser you’re using to verify the security of the transaction.

Will I receive a receipt for my contribution?

Yes. Collabogive sends every donor a confirmation email with a link to a detailed receipt that you can download or print out for your records.

When will my card be charged?

Immediately. All donations are processed immediately and will show up on your credit card or bank statement within a few days.

Is my contribution tax-deductible?

Possibly. If the campaign organizer is a registered Section 501(c)3 non-profit your contribution may qualify as a charitable deduction. Everyone's tax situation is unique, so you should always seek your tax advice from your tax adviser or accountant.

NPO Fundraisers

Can I send my donors tax-deductible receipts through Collabogive?

Yes. Will will happily send tax-deductible receipts on your behalf to your donors via email. You can also send your own receipts by using the donor information collected by your campaign in your account profile.

Can I export my donor information?

Yes. All donation activity can easily be exported via CSV and will contain every donor’s name, email, contribution amount and contribution date, plus address if you have set you campaign to collect this information. Simply visit the 'Campaigns' section in your account profile and click the 'Export' link for the campaign you wish to export the data from.