Exposure to a new community of online donors.
The GlobalGiving website is a destination for online donors interested in furthering causes and communities all around the world. The GlobalGiving Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization and provides tax receipts directly to US donors who give through our website. Individual donors can make donations as small as $10 so anyone can make an impact.

Training from GlobalGiving's expert online fundraising team.   Every day GlobalGiving works with hundreds of charitable organizations to help them raise money online to support their causes. We have a lot of collective knowledge and are experts in fundraising and giving. We provide training, tools and tips during the challenge to help you learn how to harness the power of crowdsourcing and online fundraising to further your cause.

Full online giving capability and fundraising tools.   These include: a personalized landing page on the GlobalGiving website for your project, viral communication tools, personalized widgets, email templates, and the ability to communicate directly with donors through the GlobalGiving website.

If you gain a permanent space on GlobalGiving there are even more benefits. These include: Opportunity to participate in regular/ongoing marketing and fundraising campaigns and challenges, many of which offer matching funds or bounty awards; Alternative gift options such as gift cards and donating to your project “in honor of” someone; Opportunity for you to engage your donors in different ways, for example gift registries and fundraisers for your project; Ability to list multiple projects on GlobalGiving after you qualify for a spot on www.globalgiving.org; Potential to list projects and raise funds on GlobalGiving UK, a sister site (only after you qualify for a spot on www.globalgiving.org); Access to GlobalGiving Rewards benefits; Reduced administrative costs; Benefits from GlobalGiving's branding marketing and public relations efforts.

1. Bounty Prizes! At the conclusion of the Challenge the top three (3) projects that raise the most funds will also receive supplementary cash bonuses from GlobalGiving of $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000 respectively. The project with the greatest number of unique donors will be awarded a bonus of $2,000.
2. Bonus Day Surprise! For 1 day (24 hours), which will be announced a week in advance, all donations (up to $1000 each) will be matched at 15% till the total matching grant of $3000 is used up. The matching funds will not count towards to the $4000 threshold.
3. Spreading the Word Bonus! All projects that meet at least half of the challenge threshold (raised at least $2000 from at least 25 unique donors) will be eligible for the "spreading the word" bonus. For this bonus the top 5 projects whose project pages have been shared the most on Facebook will receive $300 each. You can see the total count below the second donate button.

For visual learners, view a diagram of the bonus incentives (PDF)

What kinds of organizations are eligible for the Open Challenge?
Organizations must conform/agree to the following terms and conditions:
•    The organization is a registered non-profit organization in the US (i.e. 501(c)3) or its home country;
•    The organization is committed to updating donors at least every three months on the progress of the project it lists;
•    The organization's staff must have the ability to communicate with GlobalGiving in English, including translating documents;
•    The organization does not discriminate in selecting its beneficiaries;
•    The organization must satisfy GlobalGiving's due diligence requirements;
•    The organization acknowledges that listing its project on the GlobalGiving website is not guaranteed; in order to qualify for an ongoing spot on the GlobalGiving website, the organization must meet a donation threshold, i.e. generating donations from a certain number of donors and raising a certain amount of donations within a defined time period.

What does the organization need to do to get started?
Once you nominate your organization (or somebody nominates you), you will receive an email within 48 hours explaining what to do next.

What are the important dates I need to remember?

March 1, 2012 -- Due Diligence is due

March 19, 2012 -- Project Leaders are notified about approval of their due diligence

March 28, 2012 -- Project submission deadline

April 1 - April 30, 2012 -- Open Challenge Dates

May 1, 2012 -- Challenge results announced

End of June 2012 -- GlobalGiving to disburse funds                              

Is there a project proposal template? How do I write the project?
You will enter details about your project online via GlobalGiving’s project entry system. We suggest you start collecting photos and background information/documentation about your project, and think about how to present your project to potential donors in an engaging and compelling way. We have a few pages that give excelent guidence on how to create a fantastic project page.

Step-by-step guide on how to use the project entry system

Tips on how to create a FANTASTIC project page

How do I “win”  (secure an ongoing spot on GlobalGiving)?
You must mobilize supporters to raise at least $4,000 from at least 50 unique donors during this time period in order to secure a “permanent”  spot on GlobalGiving.  A unique donor is defined by a unique email address, not by credit card information.

What’s the minimum dollar amount someone can donate?
The minimum online donation is U.S. $10.

Can donors donate by check?
Yes, but all checks must be received by GlobalGiving by April 26, 2012 to count in the challenge. In addition, check donors must specify the name of your project on the check in order for it to be properly attributed to your project.

What will happen to the funds raised if I don’t succeed in getting 50 donors and $4,000?

In May, the funds will be disbursed to your project, but you will not remain on the GlobalGiving site beyond April 30, 2012.  However, you are welcome to participate again in a future Open Challenge.

When will my funds be disbursed?

All projects that raise funds during the challenge will have their money disbursed to them in May. 

What is the fee for participating on GlobalGiving?
GlobalGiving does not charge a listing fee. However, we do have a transaction fee of 15% of donations made to cover the cost of providing your organization with an online fundraising platform and training services. Donors will have a clear option to make a separate donation to the GlobalGiving Foundation in the amount of GlobalGiving’s 15% fee, or a higher amount if they desire.  When a donor chooses this option, you will receive a full 100% of the funds designated to your project.  If the donor chooses not to make this donation, then GlobalGiving will deduct the standard 15% from the funds designated to your project.

Has GlobalGiving run similar “open” competitions in the past?
Yes, we have. You can view our Winter 2011 Open Challenge here. 

Do you have suggestions for how we can get the word out once we post our project?
You can post news about the challenge on blogs, on your Facebook or MySpace page, on Twitter, on your organization's website, and on your friends’ sites. Write an email to your friends and supporters asking them to spread the word through their websites and emails to other friends. Tell them about the benefits of donating through GlobalGiving, for example they can donate in honor of someone and make a gift!

Prior to and during the challenge, GlobalGiving will send out additional fundraising ideas and tips. An online toolkit is available that includes tools to help you in your efforts.

Who can I talk to for more information?
Contact Manmeet Mehta

Good luck!