Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General Questions
Marketing FAQs
Pricing, Financial, & Reporting FAQs
Technical FAQs
General Questions
- What type of nonprofit organizations should apply for this service?
- Are there minimum guidelines for qualifying as a participating nonprofit?
- In what amounts will donors be able to contribute to my cause?
- Will $5 and $10 donations really make a difference to my organization?
- Does the donor incur any fees for making a donation?
- What is the Mobile Giving Foundation?
- What is a MASP?
- What activities does the Mobile Application Service Provider fulfill in this mobile giving process?
- What is the procedure for becoming qualified to accept mobile donations?
- How long does the qualification and campaign approval process take from submission of my application?
- How will I be notified that I am eligible to proceed with a campaign and begin to receive donations?
- Why do I need to have separate operating agreements with the Mobile Giving Foundation and Give on the Go?
- What is the minimum term length that my organization has to commit to in the agreements?
- Am I limited to any particular jurisdiction for receiving mobile donations?
- I meet the Mobile Giving Foundation qualifications for a participating NPO. How do I get started?
- Who oversees the actions and activities of the MASP and Mobile Giving Foundation?
- Once qualified, who will be my point of contact with the Mobile Giving Foundation and Give on the Go?
a) What type of nonprofit organizations should apply for this service?
Mobile donations can and should be pursued by national, regional, and local NPOs that meet the Mobile Giving Foundation’s minimum requirements.
b) Are there minimum guidelines for qualifying as a participating nonprofit?
Yes. The Mobile Giving Foundation has established certain mandatory standards for participation in its mobile giving program including, but not limited to:
- The organization must be registered under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and must report a minimum yearly gross revenue of at least $500,000 on the 990 tax form.
- The organization must be registered as a charity principally in all states where it will be soliciting donors, unless sponsored for broader regional or national promotions by a qualifying 501(c)(3) organization (such as the MGF) with the required registration.
- The organization must be in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws.
- The organization must be in good standing in its state of incorporation and must have been operational for at least one year.
- The organization must make only truthful representations to the public with respect to its fundraising, finances, operation, and solicitations.
- The organization must be accessible and responsive to the public and must have a privacy policy that allows for donor opt-outs.
The full set of guidelines, both mandatory and desired, may be downloaded in PDF format by clicking on the following link: http://www.mobilegiving.org/pdf/MGFGuidelines.pdf
c) In what amounts will donors be able to contribute to my cause?
At present, donors can contribute $5 per each mobile donation up to five (5) times per month. We will soon be structured to receive an optional $10 per mobile donation up to twice (2) per month by participating carriers.
d) Will $5 and $10 donations really make a difference to my organization?
Absolutely. Small donations, especially in volume, create strong grassroots donor structures, which tend to expand exponentially. Also, this tool will allow you to connect with a younger audience who will hopefully continue to support your organization with greater frequency and, as they age, with larger donations. Donations entitle your organization to send up to four (4) per month to a donor. Opening a mobile channel to accept donations is an important way to engage your donor with further levels of involvement and charitable giving.
e) Does the donor incur any fees for making a donation?
Each message typically notes that “Standard fees apply”, which means that what a subscriber pays to send a text depends on his or her arrangement with their respective wireless carrier. Those consumers with unlimited text messaging in their wireless plans incur no text messaging costs when donating through GoGo. Others may be charged a small fee by their mobile carriers for sending or receiving text messages over the applicable number of allotted free texts under a subscriber’s wireless plan. However, as the donation process generally requires just three texts (donation, confirmation, and reply), these costs are nominal.
f) What is the Mobile Giving Foundation?
The Mobile Giving Foundation, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, was created to combine the scope and capabilities of the U.S. wireless industry with a need for charitable organizations to find a new class of donors and newer, more intuitive methods of facilitating contributions. Specifically, MGF is working with U.S. wireless carriers to create a “Mobile Giving Channel,” a single channel available to wireless subscribers of all U.S wireless carriers by which users may instantaneously respond to charitable solicitations by a text message. Currently the MGF administers the standards by which mobile giving is conducted in the United States, and is the exclusive entity recognized by the wireless carriers authorized to oversee the programs, including the responsibility to select and oversee authorized mobile giving Application Service Providers.
g) What is a MASP?
MASP is an acronym for Mobile Application Service Provider. The Mobile Giving Foundation approves only a limited number of service providers to facilitate the technical components of your mobile marketing campaign and act as your principal point of contact with the MGF and the wireless carriers. Give on the Go is approved to act as your designated MASP in keeping in compliance with the strict standards put forth by the carriers and MGF.
h) What activities does the Mobile Application Service Provider fulfill in this mobile giving process?
Give on the Go, operating as the designated MASP, provides the platform, technology, and bandwidth necessary to originate and terminate the text messaging process on behalf of your organization. We administer and provide the mechanisms for your organization to track and monitor the success of your marketing campaigns. We also provide the necessary technical guidance to facilitate the successful integration of this powerful fundraising tool into your marketing strategy. In addition, we provide consulting services, as necessary, and act as your sponsor and advocate with the Mobile Giving Foundation and carriers. Ultimately, Give on the Go is responsible for your successful involvement in the program and we are dedicated to helping you get the most out of your mobile strategy and fundraising campaigns.
i) What is the procedure for becoming qualified to accept mobile donations?
First, you must complete the Mobile Giving Foundation Application in its entirety and submit it directly in digital format to the MGF compliance department (support@mobilegiving.org) for vetting along with all supporting documentation. Two original copies of each of the NDA and the Charitable Gateway Agreement and an application fee of $350 must be directed to the General Counsel of MGF in Colorado. The supporting documentation should include a simple marketing campaign description that will be submitted to the applicable carriers for approval.
j) How long does the qualification and campaign approval process take from submission of my application?
The approval process of your application by the Mobile Giving Foundation may take up to two weeks depending on the thoroughness of your submission. The response time to approve a campaign and Keyword(s) varies from carrier to carrier. Typically, approval by the various carriers takes three to six weeks.
k) How will I be notified that I am eligible to proceed with a campaign and begin to receive donations?
Once your application is accepted by both the Mobile Giving Foundation and the carriers, you will be notified in writing by the MGF that your organization is approved to accept mobile donations. Give on the Go will be working closely with you in advance of approval so that a campaign can begin immediately after approval.
l) Why do I need to have separate operating agreements with the Mobile Giving Foundation and Give on the Go?
The Mobile Giving Foundation requires an application agreement as the basis for qualifying the nonprofit organization for participation in the mobile-donation process and reserves the right to impose terms and conditions in accordance with its agreement with the carriers. Once qualified, the majority of your organization’s activities and transactions will then originate through Give on the Go and be sponsored by it. Besides providing your organization with sponsorship, consultation and support for collecting mobile donations, GoGo will be in the position to arrange for additional useful services and programs to help you operate effectively in the mobile messaging realm. Consequently, Give on the Go requires certain additional terms and conditions that clearly define our working relationship with your organization.
m) What is the minimum term length that my organization has to commit to in the agreements?
The Mobile Giving Foundation and Give on the Go strongly believe that a one-year commitment is necessary to fully take advantage of the benefits that can ultimately accrue to your organization from participating in this next-generation fundraising endeavor. Depending on the terms of your arrangement with Give on the Go and the MGF, the agreements could specify longer contract terms that may also provide for certain cancellation terms.
n) Am I limited to any particular jurisdiction for receiving mobile donations?
The Mobile giving Foundation is registered in all U.S. state jurisdictions. As a consequence, nonprofits that routinely solicit and reach out to prospective donors in neighboring states as a normal course of their fundraising activities may continue to do so under the mobile-giving program. Campaigns run at a national level can expect further scrutiny by the MGF for adherence to certain fundraising standards of good practice.
o) I meet the Mobile Giving Foundation qualifications for a participating NPO. How do I get started?
Give on the Go personnel will contact the appropriate personnel at Mobile Giving Foundation on your behalf and request that an application package be emailed directly to you. Give on the Go support staff are ready to assist you in answering any questions you may have with respect to the preparation of the application and getting your program implemented.
p) Who oversees the actions and activities of the MASP and Mobile Giving Foundation?
As an approved Mobile Application Service Provider to the MGF, our activities and performance are monitored by both MGF and wireless carrier executive and compliance personnel. As a qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the MGF is governed by established U.S. standards and practices for nonprofits in the United States. In addition, both companies have a board of directors and board of advisors responsible for corporate governance and compliance activities of the organizations. You can rest assured that both the MGF and Give on the Go will conduct themselves in a manner that justifies your trust and confidence in the process.
q) Once qualified, who will be my point of contact with the Mobile Giving Foundation and Give on the Go?
Give on the Go and the Mobile Giving Foundation will each appoint a representative to act as a point of contact for communications between the parties. In actual practice, Give on the Go will be acting as the principal point of contact for questions and issues and will act as an advocate on your behalf on most matters with the MGF.
Mobile Donations Marketing FAQs
- What limitations, if any, are imposed for creating marketing campaigns?
- Will I have to have my marketing campaigns approved before we initiate any particular campaign?
- How many times can a donor give to my campaign and how much can they give?
- Will donors receive a tax deductible receipt for their donation?
- May donors elect to give regular donations on an automatic monthly basis?
- How many keywords are allocated for use by my organization in our mobile-giving campaigns?
- Will we be required to use Give on the Go’s short code number for processing donations?
- How many times a month can we contact a donor after a mobile donation is made?
- What demographic information, if any, will I be able to receive on the actual donors?
- Can we ask donors to sign up with more demographic information on my website?
- Are we allowed to send messages to donors other than solicitations for donations?
- Are there any “tip sheets” or case studies available for NPOs looking to successfully implement mobile-giving campaigns?
a) What limitations, if any, are imposed for creating marketing campaigns?
The carriers have final say on any marketing campaigns proposed by your organization. Give on the Go does not expect problems with any general campaign that is not offensive or misleading, meets the carrier and community standards for fundraising, and is in compliance with applicable mobile best practices and jurisdictional laws and statutes where the solicitation is made.
b) Will I have to have my marketing campaigns approved before we initiate any particular campaign?
Yes. The carriers reserve the right to approve any marketing campaign that utilizes the Mobile Giving Foundation system. All that is required is a brief and generic description of the type of activities contemplated by your organization. Certain, non-standard marketing campaigns may take three to six weeks or longer to approve by the individual carriers. In some cases, you may elect to initiate a campaign with only several carriers that have already approved your submission.
c) How many times can a donor give to my campaign and how much can they give?
A donor may donate $5.00 up to five (5) times per month and $10.00 up to two (2) times per month. Please note that not all carriers have approved the $10.00 donation amount.
d) Will donors receive a tax deductible receipt for their donation?
Yes. Donors may access their mobile-giving records simply by inputting their contributing cell phone number into the designated location on the Mobile Giving Foundation website and printing a receipt. In addition, a donor may simply use his wireless carrier bill as a receipt.
e) May donors elect to give regular donations on an automatic monthly basis?
Not at this time. Give on the Go and the Mobile Giving Foundation are working on various means to facilitate the donation process and envision adopting this method in the foreseeable future.
f) How many keywords are allocated for use by my organization in our mobile-giving campaigns?
The one-year agreement with GoGo allows for up to four (4) keywords per NPO at no further charge. Additional keywords in excess of the four allocated cost $75/month for each additional keyword.
g) Will we be required to use Give on the Go’s short code number for processing donations?
Give on the Go recommends using its designated short code or that of the Mobile Giving Foundation for your immediate needs. Obtaining an individual short code for your organization is possible, but it can be time consuming and expensive to do so.
h) How many times a month can we contact a donor after a mobile donation is made?
On the basis of current carriers guidelines your organization may text a message (limited to less than 160 characters) to actual donors up to four (4) times per month , unless and until the donor opts-out.
i) What demographic information, if any, will I be able to receive on the actual donors?
At present, only a list of telephone numbers of donors is provided as part of the reporting process. Contact information can be solicited from any donor with follow-on messaging, and such information can be analyzed to reveal demographic and psychographic information.
j) Can we ask donors to sign up with more demographic information on my website?
Yes. Requesting that actual donors register on your website or call your call-center for further information and contact is allowable.
k) Are we allowed to send messages to donors other than solicitations for donations?
You may contact a donor via text as many times as you like, provided the contact is reasonably within the scope of the original donor authorization. The key is not to over do it. Under current carrier guidelines GoGo will allow a NPO client to send up to four text messages per month to each mobile donor for no additional charge. GoGo can assist its NPO clients with ordinary text messaging to donors, to staff, to Board members, and other constituents at $0.05 per outgoing text message.
l) Are there any “tip sheets” or case studies available for NPOs looking to successfully implement mobile-giving campaigns?
As this mobile-giving program progresses, Give on the Go will make available case studies and marketing tips provided by its clients for sharing within its network of nonprofits.
Mobile Donations Pricing, Financial, & Reporting FAQs
- What are the pricing terms for operating a mobile-giving campaign?
- Aren’t mobile carrier fees too high to make donations effective?
- What percentage of the donations can I reasonably expect to receive in the final analysis?
- How is payment made for services rendered by Give on the Go and the MGF?
- How long will it take to receive the funds from donations made in response to my campaign?
- Will I receive written summary reports along with the proceeds from the donations?
- Will I be able to monitor the success of my campaign online on a regular basis?
- Do I need to install any unique hardware or software to access the reporting system?
a) What are the pricing terms for operating a mobile-giving campaign?
GoGo’s basic service pricing is $500 a month for platform services, monthly support, and maintenance. In addition there is a charge of $0.45 per successful $5.00 donation. Please contact us at info@giveonthego.com for additional pricing terms on ancillary services.
b) Aren’t mobile carrier fees too high to make donations effective?
No. In the past, Carrier and aggregator fees have totaled as much as 50% of premium SMS campaigns including donations, making mobile-giving impractical. But because Give on the Go LLC has been approved by the Mobile Giving Foundation, which serves as a link between consumers, the wireless industry, and charitable organizations, we are equipped to allow 100% of donations to pass from any mobile provider directly to our nonprofit clients, subject only to modest service provider fees. We are targeting aggregate fees under 10% of the applicable donation, which is designed to cover the cost of services GoGo provides and fees payable to the MGF on your behalf.
c) What percentage of the donations can I reasonably expect to receive in the final analysis?
Give on the Go envisions that your net proceeds after all service and transaction fee considerations will approximate or exceed 90% of the original amount donated. One hundred percent (100%) of the donation is forwarded to your organization and you would enter into a payment arrangement with Give on the Go separately through our standard service agreement. Give on the Go is responsible for making payments to the Mobile Giving Foundation based on your activities and those of other clients. The payments made by Give on the Go to the MGF help to cover the costs associated with MGF’s operations.
d) How is payment made for services rendered by Give on the Go and the MGF?
Give on the Go is flexible in its approach to billing for its services and is agreeable to work with your organization to facilitate the process. Typically, we bill our service fee on a monthly basis to your organization’s through a standard standing ACH authorization or through a registered credit card. All invoice amounts will be supported by transaction detail that is accessible on our Website.
e) How long will it take to receive the funds from donations made in response to my campaign?
The Mobile Giving Foundation is obligated to forward 100% of donated funds to your organization within 30 days of receipt from the carriers, who may take up to ninety (90) days to remit the aggregated donations.
f) Will I receive written summary reports along with the proceeds from the donations?
Yes. Along with your remittance check from the Mobile Giving Foundation, your organization will have a detailed remittance report posted to your account outlining each marketing campaign through the use of a specified keyword.
g) Will I be able to monitor the success of my campaign online on a regular basis?
Yes. Give on the Go will provide the mechanism for your organization to access this information at your convenience through our Web site.
h) Do I need to install any unique hardware or software to access the reporting system?
No unique hardware or software is required to access the ongoing donation status of your marketing campaigns.
Mobile Donations Technical FAQs
- What is SMS or text messaging?
- What is a short code?
- What is a keyword?
- Can a donor opt out of further mobile contact by my organization?
- Can my organization use the Internet or other social networks to initiate donations?
a) What is SMS or text messaging?
SMS stands for Short Message Service, commonly known to consumers as text messaging. The protocol is designed to send text messages to and from mobile phones. The messages may be up to 160 characters in length, including spaces. Almost 100% of today’s mobile phones can send and receive text messages.
b)What is a short code?
Similar to a telephone number, short codes are special five- or six-digit codes used to route text messages from mobile phones to interactive mobile-messaging applications, typically in combination with a keyword. They are designed to be shorter to read and easier to remember than normal telephone numbers. Short codes also allow for billing and other unique forms of interaction via the mobile phone, including television voting, ordering ringtones, charity donations, and mobile chat services.
c) What is a keyword?
Used in combination with a short code, a keyword differentiates a mobile campaign from others on the same short code. The keyword and short code combination allows mobile phone users to make a donation to a sponsored mobile-donation campaign. For example, an organization operating an ice skating rink for disadvantaged children might choose the keyword SKATE. In order to make a donation, mobile phone users would simply input the word SKATE as the body of his or her text message to the designated short code.
d) Can a donor opt out of further mobile contact by my organization?
Yes. A donor may elect to opt out of any further contact by your organization through the Mobile Giving Foundation program by texting STOP to any of your text messages to that donor.
e) Can my organization use the Internet or other social networks (e.g., Facebook) to initiate a donation?
Yes. A feature of this mobile-giving program is that a prospective donor may enter his or her cell phone number on your Web site or on a social network as the catalyst for the donation. The donation must, however, be processed and concluded on their cell phone.
