Answers to questions you may have about the Global Open ChallengeHow do I “win” the Global Open Challenge?
What happens if I don’t succeed in getting 50 donors and $4,000?
During what time frame will donations count for the Challenge?
What’s the minimum dollar amount someone can donate?
Can donors give by check?
Do you accept cash donations?
What if my donors don’t have a credit card, PayPal or checks?
What if donors don’t have access to the Internet?
Is there a transaction fee for donations?
Has GlobalGiving run similar “open” challenges in the past?
How often should I update my project page?
What is the maximum file size for files I want to upload to my project page?
What if I have more information that donors might want to know?
What happens if I update my project page during the Challenge?
Can we use our project page to sell items for our project?
How can I thank my donors or see who has donated to my project during the Challenge?
Can I add donors to my own personal mailing list?
Will you, GlobalGiving, find donors for my project?
Will GlobalGiving be promoting my project?
What’s the best way to alert people to the Challenge?
What should I say to people about the Challenge?
How do I know how much total money has been donated to my project?
How do I “win” the Global Open Challenge?
You must mobilize supporters to raise $4,000 from at least 50 unique donors between August 18 - September 18 in order to secure a spot on GlobalGiving. In addition, projects meeting these thresholds can compete for additional funding: the three projects receiving the most funding will receive bounty awards of US $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000, respectively. In addition, the project that generates the most unique donors will earn an additional $3,000. Back to the top
I don’t understand the Leaderboard. I didn’t think this was a competition with other projects. Don’t you think it can influence the final results?
You’re right. Every project in the Challenge can be a winner. As long as you raise at least $4,000 from 50 donors, you will be invited to stay on GlobalGiving.com.
The Leaderboard is a good way for YOU to know how your project is doing in comparison to others. And it lets you know how close you are to any of the bonus bounty rewards.
Don’t let the Leaderboard make you nervous, though. Use it to your advantage. You can make it a point of urgency or challenge for your donors. Tell them your goal is to move up in the rankings by the end of the week and THEY can make it happen. Or at the end of competition, tell them how many donations you need to get or keep a bounty reward. Donors act upon a sense of urgency; this can encourage them to help you along. Back to the top
What happens if I don’t succeed in getting 50 donors and $4,000?
In October, the funds will be disbursed to your project, but you will not remain on the GlobalGiving site beyond September 18.
All projects that do not reach their thresholds are invited to participate in the next Challenge, as we keep you due diligence documentation on file. Back to the top
Yes, we keep your due diligence on file, and we will invite you to try again during our next Challenge. But don’t focus on that! The Challenge isn’t over until the last minute – we’ve seen projects mobilize on the last day and win bounty rewards, so keep fundraising. We’ll be sending emails during the Challenge with fundraising tips and tricks. And keep checking back to the Toolkit (Fundraising and Marketing Resources). Back to the top
During what time frame will donations count for the Challenge?
Online donations will be accepted through 11: 59 pm, United States Eastern Time (GMT - 5) on September 18, 2009. Checks must be received by GlobalGiving September 17, 2009. Back to the top
What’s the minimum dollar amount someone can donate?
The minimum online donation is $10. Back to the top
Can donors give by check?
We accept checks, in US dollars, drawn on banks in the US. All checks must be received by GlobalGiving by September 17, 2009. In addition, check donors must specify the name of the project on the check in order for it to be properly attributed to your project. Checks received after September 17 will be applied to the indicated project, but will not count towards the threshold for qualification or the bounty awards. Checks should be made payable to the GlobalGiving Foundation and should clearly indicate the project to which the funds should be applied.
Mail checks to: GlobalGiving Foundation, 1816 - 12th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Back to the top
Do you accept cash donations?
Unfortunately, we are not able to accept cash donations. Back to the top
What if my donors don’t have a credit card, PayPal or checks?
GlobalGiving also accepts bank wire transfers, stock transfers and private equity shares. For more information on those types of donations, click here. Back to the top
What if donors don’t have access to the Internet?
Donors without internet access can donate by check or wire transfer. You could also host a party and give them access to a computer and the internet to help them donate. You might also suggest a local internet café near their home. Back to the top
Is there a transaction fee for donations?
Yes, GlobalGiving charges a 10% fee, but works to keep the fees you pay as low as possible while providing you great services and resources. The 10% fee helps cover the costs we incur to promote your organization and projects, provide you with fundraising training and tools, and maintain and improve our online technology in order to keep you connecting with new donors. Back to the top
In addition, donations made by credit/debit card or PayPal have an incremental 2.75% fee to cover vendor charges for credit/debit card and PayPal processing. Back to the top
Has GlobalGiving run similar “open” challenges in the past?
Yes, we have. Learn about our American Open, which ran in June 2009. Back to the top
How often should I update my project page?
You project page should always reflect the most current contact and project description information related to your project and organization. As long as the information is accurate, you do not have to make changes to your page.
Changes to your project page can be made through PE. If you have any trouble accessing PE or changing your project, please contact Sheila Leonard at sleonard@globalgiving.com.
What is the maximum file size for files I want to upload to my Project Page?
5MB. Back to the top
What if I have more information that donors might want to know?
If you have more information that isn’t part of your project description, you can send a Project Update! This update will be automatically emailed to all your donors, as well as posted to your project page for potential donors. Project Updates are usually approved and sent out within 24 hours of posting Monday – Friday.
While you are required to post Updates at least 4 times every year, you can certainly post more often if you have great news to share with donors. We encourage that! This will also help your ranking among lists of projects on GlobalGiving. Donors like projects that have recent updates. Back to the top
What happens if I update my project page during the Challenge?
If you need to make updates to your project in PE during the Challenge, you must recall it, make edits and resubmit the project. Your project will only go “offline” if the changes are not approved the same day. To decrease your chances of being offline, try to make your changes before 6:00 p.m. United States Eastern Time (GMT-5). We are working on improving this process. Back to the top
Can we use our project page to sell items for our project?
Currently the project pages are not built to accommodate other information besides what is already featured. There is an opportunity to provide a link to an organization’s website, where you may have other featured opportunities. But no, you can not include outside marketing opportunities on GlobalGiving at this time. Back to the top
How can I thank my donors or see who has donated to my project during the Challenge?
You can request a list of current donors to your project up to twice a week. Email Cooper Breeden at cbreeden@globalgiving.com, ask him for a donation report, and let him know what day of the week you want it. This report will NOT include donors who have asked to remain anonymous. At checkout, they will be given an option to remain anonymous or share their information with Project Leaders (YOU!), so encourage them to share their information.
So if you know your friends, family and networks are donating and want to be sure to thank them, ask them NOT to donate anonymously. Your donor report will reflect that a donation has been made, but it will not include the donor’s name or contact information if they are anonymous.
Reminder: You can always reach all of your donors – anonymous and not – through a Project Update at any time during the Challenge. Back to the top
Can I add donors to my own personal mailing list?
When you receive your donor list, please only thank your donors for their contribution. If you have your own personal mailing list, you may give them the opportunity to sign up in this email. But being a donor through GlobalGiving does not automatically sign them up for your mailing list. Doing this would violate CAN-SPAM rules in the US, and does not create good ongoing relationships with your donors. Back to the top
Will you, GlobalGiving, find donors for my project?
GlobalGiving is excited to have you join our network of projects. As your partner, we are using our marketing power and donor base to let people know about donation opportunities. If you complete the Challenge, you will also be eligible to be included in future campaigns on GlobalGiving and with corporate partners.
GlobalGiving will be marketing the Challenge overall, but not individual projects. In all of our previous Challenges, most Project Leaders have said that they found the most success reaching out to their personal networks to complete the Challenge. Current supporters were more likely to donate during the Challenge than completely new donors. Back to the top
Will GlobalGiving be promoting my project?
We have an amazing 166 projects in the Global Open! Because of this number, GlobalGiving is not able to promote single projects individually. We have the Global Open Challenge featured on our homepage, but not individual projects. We are happy to support social media outreach initiated by you – through Twitter, Facebook and blogs. But in order to remain neutral, we will not initiate the promotion of individual projects.
When promoting your own project, we encourage you to send your friends, family and networks directly to your project page and not the GlobalGiving homepage. Sending them exactly where they need to go will increase the chances of donation. Back to the top
What’s the best way to alert people to the Challenge?
If you already have a donor network, you can email them about the Challenge. We have provided some sample emails in the Toolkit (Fundraising and Marketing Resources) for you to send to your donors. All you have to do is fill in the blanks with the relevant information to your organization and project. Just make sure to include a link directly to your project page so no one has to wonder where to do go donate. Back to the top
What should I say to people about the Challenge?
Whether you email your friends, family and personal network or talk to them in person, emphasize why the Challenge is important to you and your organization. These people know you personally and want to help YOU. If they understand why this Challenge is important to YOU, they are more likely to help.
But also emphasize the deadline for the Challenge. People are more likely to donate if they know that there is a timeline. Creating a sense of urgency encourages donations.
Remind donors that as little as $10 can make a difference. They might think they can’t make an impact, but GlobalGiving is about the power of collective giving. Every donation helps!
You can find more tips about fundraising and talking to donors in the Toolkit (Fundraising and Marketing Resources). Back to the top
If online donations are made from one email address are they considered unique? What about if two donations use the same credit card?
Online donations are considered unique if they are made from separate email addresses. The same credit card may be used for multiple online donations; however this will count as one unique donor. Please note that GlobalGiving maintains the right to make a final decision on all matters concerning the adjudication of unique donors and final results of the Global Open Challenge. Back to the top
What if a husband and wife or local organization donate with separate email addresses, but the same credit card?
Donations made with separate email addresses, but the same credit card will only count as ONE donor. However, both of the donations will count towards your donation goal of $4,000. The same rule applies to unique checks. Back to the top
How can I track my unique donors versus total donors? Will the Leaderboard show unique or total donors?
The Leaderboard shows your TOTAL number of donors. Your unique number of donors will be calculated at the end of the Challenge. Almost all projects competing in the Challenge will have some donors that are considered duplicates and will be eliminated from the unique donor total. After the final numbers are calculated, most projects “lose” proportionally the same number of unique donors from their total. We have not had a case where calculating unique donors has caused a project to lose ranking. Don’t hesitate to remind your donors about this when you reach out to them. But your donations will ALWAYS count towards your dollar total. Back to the top
How do I know how much total money has been donated to my project?
Your project page will have real time totals of how much total money has been donated to your project – both during the Challenge and after. Checks are reflected in your donation total within 24 hours of being received at the GlobalGiving office, Monday – Friday. Back to the top
The Global Open Challenge is for approved project participants to generate donations for their projects between August 18, 2009 (12:01 US Eastern time/GMT -5) and September 18, 2009 (11:59 pm US Eastern time/GMT -5).
Any approved project that is able to raise a minimum of US $4,000 and at least 50 unique donors will be invited to remain on the GlobalGiving website. These projects will be eligible to continue receiving donations from the general public, private and corporate foundations through www.globalgiving.com. Once the project is part of the GlobalGiving.com community, the rules and expectations of the GlobalGiving marketplace must be met (e.g. regular progress reporting to donors, etc.).
The top three fundraising projects (most dollars raised) will receive supplementary cash bonuses from GlobalGiving of US $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. The project with the greatest number of unique donors will be awarded a bonus of US $3,000. Please note that projects must meet the threshold requirement for earning a spot on the site to be eligible for these additional prizes (i.e. US $4,000 from 50 separate people.)
In the event that multiple projects competing in the Global Open Challenge are "tied" as far as funds raised, the project with the most unique donors will be considered the leader. Bounty awards will be disbursed, along with all funds raised, within 30 days of the Challenge’s conclusion.
Online donations will be accepted through 11: 59 pm US Eastern time (GMT - 5) on September 18, 2009. Checks received through September 17, 2009 will be included in the Challenge and will count towards the number of unique donors for each project. Checks received after September 18,2009 will be applied to the indicated project, but will not count towards the threshold for qualification or the bounty. Checks should be made payable to the GlobalGiving Foundation and should clearly indicate the project to which the funds should be applied.
Please note that we are not able to accept cash donations. Two checks issued from the same bank account will be counted as one unique donor. The same credit card may be used for multiple donations however this will count as one unique donor. Please be aware that we will be monitoring activity to assure fairness for all participants. Similarly, online donations are considered unique if they are made from separate email addresses.
Please note that GlobalGiving maintains the right to make a final decision on all matters concerning the adjudication of unique donors and final results of the American Open.
GlobalGiving
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