Frequently asked questions
Find answers below to the most frequently asked questions. If you still have questions, use the links on the left or Contact Customer Care.
Supporter
This sounds too good to be true...how does it work?
Yes, you absolutely can raise FREE cash for your Good Cause by simply shopping through GivingAssist.Our merchants want online shoppers and pay us a commission for referring a shopper that makes a purchase. We then donate the biggest chunk of the commission to the Good Cause you selected. The trigger for the referral is simply clicking any of the store links available on our GivingAssist website then making a purchase.
To make sure cash is donated to the correct Good Cause, Supporters only need to login to GivingAssist and make their Good Cause selection prior to clicking a store link.
As you surf many non-retail websites you probably noticed all the ads to various merchants. These are store links and the websites you see them on are keeping all the commission earned from shoppers that click the ad and make a purchase. We are different at GivingAssist...we built this website to make a positive impact on GIVING so we retain only a small portion of the commission to keep our operations going while sharing the biggest chunk with your Good Cause. We hope you take advantage of our service and begin to earn FREE $ for your Good Cause.
Great, how do I join and is there a cost?
Join for free by clicking Join Now and completing the registration form.
After I join, how do I get started?
Click Getting Started for the 4 easy steps to start supporting your Good Cause.
Do I have to register and login to shop for my Good Cause?
No, it is only necessary to register and login to see your purchases show up in your "My Shopping" page. If that's not important to you or you simply want to remain completely anonymous to GivingAssist and your Good Cause, just access GivingAssist, select your Good Cause and click a store link to go shopping.
How soon will purchases show up in My Shopping?
Purchases creating a donation will usually appear in your "My Shopping" activity within 1 week. However, since some merchants will not confirm your purchase until after the product ships or until the return period has elapsed, the process can take can take up to 30-90 days.
What do I do if my purchase does not show up in My Shopping?
Before contacting us, login and check our Lost and Found for transactions that are missing their tracking code. You can also access Lost and Found from the Customer Care menu.If your purchase was not in Lost and Found and has not shown up in your My Shopping activity after 30 days from purchase date, you should contact us by clicking Report Missing Purchase and completing the form. You will need your order number, date of purchase, store, good cause you are supporting and $ amount of your purchase excluding tax and shipping. If you do not aleady do so, please keep email or hard copy confirmation of your purchase you receive from the store. We will then contact the store to secure proper credit.
How can I make sure my shopping creates a donation?
Before clicking a store link to go shopping you can verify our system has your correct by simply refering to the status line at the top right corner of our site where we welcome you and list the good cause you are supporting. If your good cause is not reflected on the status line then simply select their name from our drop down list of good causes and click the "Support" button. The status line will update to reflect your choice. You are now ready to go shopping. VERY IMPORTANT...if you want to see your purchases in your "My Shopping" activity, you must login prior to clicking a store link.
Will my Good Cause see what I am buying?
No. We respect your shopping privacy and will only share your name and donation amount with your Good Cause. Currently, Good Causes are setup to see names of their Top Supporters. If you do not want your name to appear on a Good Cause's Top Supporters list then select the Anonymous Giver option available when you update profile.
Can I treat the donations created from my shopping as a charitable donation?
Unfortunately, you cannot. You did enable the donation through your shopping but since the $ did not directly come from you as an out-of-pocket contribution, you would not be able to treat the $ as a donation for tax purposes.
Will I end up paying more for products by shopping through GivingAssist?
Absolutely not. You are shopping the same store website and seeing the same pricing as if you surfed directly to the store.
Is my shopping through GivingAssist secure?
Absolutely. Your entire shopping session is handled through each store's website. GivingAssist does operate a shopping cart nor do we collect credit card information. In addition, your login and registration information with GivingAssist is handled through a secure connection (SSL).
My shopping created a donation for Good Cause A, can I change my mind and give it to Good Cause B?
Before each shopping trip you have the choice which Good Cause will benefit from your shopping. But once a donation is earned it stays with the Good Cause you selected prior to clicking the store link.
I have 2 purchases to make from the same store. Can I give each purchase to a different Good Cause?
You sure can! Just login, select the first Good Cause and click the "Support" button, select the store link, make your first purchase, CLOSE THE STORE BROWSER WINDOW (very important) so you are returned to GivingAssist, select and confirm the second Good Cause then re-select the store link to go back to the store and make your second purchase. The key is to completely exit the store between purchases so a new connection, containing your new good cause choice, can be established.
What can prevent me from earning a donation for my Good Cause?
While not a complete list, here are key points to know:- Always make your Good Cause choice prior to shopping.
- Always access stores using GivingAssist Links.
- Cookies should be enabled on your browser.
- If you make a purchase at Store "A", surf other sites or spend time elsewhere, then decide to make another purchase at Store "A", you should always completely exit Store "A" by closing it's browser window(s) then use the GivingAssist link for Store "A" to establish a brand new connection.
- If you use multiple windows on your browser, the window in which you shop a store must have been created using a GivingAssist link.
- Avoid using alternate payment methods such as Google Checkout and PayPal. We cannot guarantee a donation will be earned using those payment methods.
- Most every item you purchase through GivingAssist qualifies to earn a donation, but each store does have exceptions. Please refer to the store's information for general exceptions.
- The donation amount is not applied to taxes, shipping, or any portion of a purchase paid for using store credit, gift certificates or coupons. Any purchase that was substantially completed by telephone or utilizes "In-Store" pickup may void a donation.
- Use of coupon codes found outside of GivingAssist may void the donation.
- Monthly Deliveries such as pet food, Wine-of-the-Month clubs, and service packages may not earn a donation unless all months are paid upfront using GivingAssist.
I don't see my favorite store or Good Cause. Can I make a recommendation?
You sure can and we want to hear from you! You can email us using this link to Recommend a Store or Good Cause. The same links are available on the Customer Care Menu.
Good Cause
What qualifies as a Good Cause?
- Registered non-profits. This can include schools, charities, medical facilities, volunteer, youth, religious, political and fraternal organizations, professional associations, governmental agencies, etc.
- Hardships including medical, loss of property, loss of life, etc where a fund has been established at a financial institution.
If you are unsure, Contact Customer Care or register your Good Cause and we will contact you should we have questions.
Can we place a link to GivingAssist on our website, and can it pre-select our Good Cause?
Yes on both counts. We can send you our logo or work with you to create a custom logo design for your site. For the link to pre-select your Good Cause simply build the link using the following url structure:http://www.givingassist.com/?causeID=xxxxxxx
Where "xxxxxxx" represents your unique 7-digit Good Cause ID which can be found in your Good Cause Account profile. Make sure to include the leading zeros so the ID is 7-digits in length.
