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Frequently Asked Questions

How does the GivingFirst donation system work?

GivingFirst.org is a Web site developed by Denver-based Community First Foundation to help donors learn about the nonprofit sector in Colorado and encourage charitable giving. There are more than 345 charities with detailed profiles on GivingFirst. All of their profile information has been vetted by Community First Foundation staff.

Search

From any page on the site, you can search for charities by organization name, keyword or category. The Advanced Search option allows you to further refine your search by target audience, geographic  areas served, program or category types.

Learn

After searching, learn more about an organization's mission, programs, financials, and more by clicking on the "View Profile" button. You can then choose to donate or continue searching.

Donate

If you are already familiar with an organization, you can simply click on their "Donate Now" button, and follow the step-by-step instructions. The minimum donation amount is $10.

You can donate with a credit card, bank account, or Giving eCard that has been e-mailed to you as a gift (see "Can I send gift cards through your system" below). You do not need to create an account to donate. It's also possible to set-up recurring donations, so that the organizations you cherish the most will receive a dependable gift from you.

Once you've made a donation, you will automatically receive an on-screen acknowledgment letter. A copy of that letter will also be e-mailed to you. These can be printed for your tax records. If you created an account, these letters will also be saved in your donation history.

100% Goes to Charity

When you make donations through GivingFirst.org, Community First Foundation covers all of the credit card processing fees, which average 3% per donation. This means that your entire gift goes directly to the charities you support. This is a unique benefit offered only by Community First Foundation through GivingFirst.org.

All of the charities on GivingFirst.org are recognized by the Internal Revenue Service and are in good standing, so you can be certain that your donations are tax deductible. Your contribution will go to Community First Foundation which will grant 100% of your donation to the charity(ies) you designate. This allows Community First Foundation to issue a donation receipt to you immediately upon completion of your transaction.

How does my donation get to the charity(ies) I choose?

GivingFirst uses a respected company called VeriSign to collect and protect information related to your donation. Your donation is then processed through an e-commerce payment service called Authorize.net. Community First Foundation compiles the donations and mails a check directly to the charity(ies).

Can I cancel a donation?

Charitable donations made on GivingFirst.org are irrevocable. If there are extenuating circumstances, please contact us, and we will review your individual case.

If the donation has already been disbursed to the charity(ies) you designated, you will need to contact the charity(ies) directly to request a refund. GivingFirst cannot guarantee that a charity will refund your donation as this decision is entirely at the discretion of the charity.

Why does my credit card or bank statement show Community First Foundation instead of the charity(ies) I donated to?

This is because Community First Foundation manages GivingFirst.org and the donations that come through the site. Your donation first goes to the Foundation. After processing and covering credit card transaction fees, we then grant 100% of the donations to the charities. This allows the Foundation to issue you a donation receipt immediately upon completion of your transaction. It also helps to minimize some of the administrative work of gift processing for the charities, so they can focus on providing vital services to the community.

Can I specify how charities use my donation?

Yes. Some charities have provided options on the first step of the donation process based on areas in greatest need. Or, you may state your wishes in the Special Instructions text box.

Other charities have not identified any options for you to choose from, but you may write any specifications you desire in the Special Instructions text box.

If you do not specify, then your donation will automatically be directed to general operating support for the organization unless the charity has made special arrangements with the Foundation to direct any unspecified donations elsewhere.

Community First Foundation cannot guarantee that charities will honor these requests. If you would like your donation to be used for a specific purpose, please contact the charity directly to make sure they are able to honor your request.

Do charities that receive contributions through GivingFirst.org have access to donor information collected on the site?

Charities will receive your name, address, e-mail, phone number, date of the donation, the amount of the donation, whether the donation is recurring, the frequency of any recurring gifts, whether you want your gift to be anonymous on the charities' annual reports, and any specifications you've made about your donation.

Community First Foundation shares this information with the charities so that they have the opportunity to send you a thank you letter. We believe in strengthening the relationship between nonprofits and donors, and an important aspect of that is for nonprofits to be able to thank their supporters.

Can I dedicate my donation as a memorial to or in honor of someone?

Yes. When you make your donation, type in the Special Instructions field who you would like to make your gift in honor or memory of.

Does the charity I donate to in someone's memory/honor send a card?

GivingFirst encourages the charity to notify the person and/or the family who you are making your donation on behalf of, but please contact the charity for specifics.

Can I send gift cards through your system?

We have specially created "virtual" gift cards to be used with GivingFirst.org. These cards can be purchased on GivingFirst.org for as little as $10 with no upper limits. They will be sent electronically to your friends and family. The recipients of Giving eCards can use them to support any organization featured on GivingFirst.

How It Works

1. You purchase a Giving eCard on GivingFirst.org and write a personal message to the person to whom you're sending the eCard.
2. An email with the Giving eCard is sent to the person you designated.
3. The recipient of the Giving eCard can go to GivingFirst, find a charity she'd like to support, and use the code on the Giving eCard to complete the donation process.

Additional Information

• Giving eCards expire one year from date of purchase, and any dollars not used after that time will be transferred to the Area of Greatest Need Fund at Community First Foundation.
• Giving eCards are tax deductible for the purchaser only.
• The person using a Giving eCard will receive confirmation on-screen and in an email acknowledging the amounts and organizations they designated, but this confirmation will clearly indicate that the amounts they designated through the use of the Giving eCard are not tax deductible for them and that the purchaser will receive the tax deduction for the total amount of the Giving eCard.

Can I have a Giving eCard mailed through regular post?

Giving eCards are "virtual" and only sent electronically via e-mail.

How do I locate the routing and account numbers on my check?

The routing number is always a nine (9) digit number, and is typically located at the bottom of your check between the symbols (often asterisks (*)). The account number is between 10 and 15 digits, and is generally located before the symbol at the bottom of your check.

The routing number and the account number are both different than the check number.

What are recurring donations?

A recurring donation is when a donor authorizes Community First Foundation, through GivingFirst, to make a donation for a specified amount, at regular intervals, against a specific credit card or bank account, and to specified organizations. Donors can set up weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual recurring donations.

Recurring donations are especially helpful for charities because they provide charities with donations they can rely on.

How do I set up a recurring donation?

In order to set up a recurring donation, you need to create an account on GivingFirst.org. The reason is that for the Foundation to track when it's time to make the next donation, we need to be able to keep a record of when your first donation was made and the parameters you set up (that is, which account to use and whether the recurring donation is weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually). Also, this will allow the automatically generated acknowledgment letters to be stored on your account so you can access them at your convenience.

     (Note: If you need to change or cancel a recurring donation, please call the GivingFirst manager at 720.898.5911.)

Steps

1. You can set up a recurring donation during the check-out process. Simply select how often you would like the gift to be made (weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually) on the page where you type in the dollar amount. The minimum donation amount is $10.
2. After completing the information on that page, click "next".
3. If you're ready to complete your donation, click "proceed to check-out".
4. You will either need to sign in to your existing account or create an account. (If you're already signed in, then you'll automatically be directed to the Payment & Billing section of the donation process).
5. Proceed with the remainder of the checkout process.

Can I set up a recurring donation using online checks?

Yes. You can set up a recurring donation from a bank account or with a credit card.

Is there an additional cost for recurring donations?

No, there are no costs associated with setting up a recurring donation.