FAQ
Q. What is The Big Give?
The Big Give is South Central Texas’ 24-hour online day of online giving fueled by the power of generous donors, creative nonprofits, social media, collaboration, and you! The goal of the Big Give is to support our local nonprofits that are committed to making South Central Texas a great place to live, work, and play.
Since 2014, over 262,000 donors have given over $45 million dollars to our local nonprofits through the Big Give, making it one of the most successful giving days in the country.
Q. When is The Big Give?
Big Give 2024 will take place from 6 PM on Wednesday, September 18 through 6 PM on Thursday, September 19.
Q. Does the site open for early giving?
Yes! The Big Give website will open one week before (on September 11) for early giving. By giving early, your donors won’t have to worry about missing the BIG DAY. Keep in mind that as soon as your donor chooses to give, the donation will go through.
Q. Why should my nonprofit participate in the Big Give?
Of course, year-round giving is important to sustain the local nonprofits that serve our community, but we make a special ask during the Big Give. This is the day that becomes a movement of generosity to celebrate and support the local nonprofits that make San Antonio and South Central Texas a great place to live, work and play. And we want your nonprofit to be a part of that momentum!
Gifts made during Big Give also have the potential to be matched by generous sponsors to make your incoming donations go even further.
Q. Who can donate?
Anyone and everyone is encouraged to donate to the nonprofit(s) of their choice through the Big Give! Gifts are not limited to location. Contributions can be made via credit and debit card, ACH deposit, mobile wallet as well as thru Donor Advised Funds (DAFs). Donations will be processed and receipted by Bonterra.
Q. Is there a minimum donation?
Yes. The minimum donation is $10. There is no maximum.
Q. What are the terms of service to participate in Big Give?
The terms of service outline the rules and responsibilities for participating agencies as well as Big Give. Please review them here.
Q. Which organizations can participate in the Big Give?
IRS-approved and compliant 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations located within our 16 county service area (Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Wilson, Karnes, Medina, Kendall, Kerr, Llano, Uvalde, Real, Atascosa, Gonzales, Gillespie, Bandera, Frio) can participate and raise money during the event. If you do not see your county listed and would like to participate, please reach out to the Big Give team at info@tncouncil.org.
Q. Is there a fee to participate?
Yes, a participation fee is due at the time of registration, and must be paid by credit card. The Big Give does not offer a pay by check option or invoice system and no refunds will be issued – no exceptions. Early registration is between May 1, 2024 and June 3, 2024 with a $200 participation fee. Regular registration starts June 4, 2024 with a $300 participation fee. Registration closes on September 2, 2024.
Q. Do individuals who create their own champion pages also have to pay a participation fee?
No. The participation fee is only paid once and it is paid by the participating agency.
Q.Why is there a fee to participate?
The fees for service associated with participating in Big Give are part of the services we provide - training which is available to all staff & board members of each agency, marketing materials, a robust online toolkit to assist and prepare for the giving day, PR and media exposure, extensive social media content and more. The vast majority of giving days throughout the country have similar fees for their participating nonprofits.
Q. Why do you require the nonprofit administrator’s Social Security number, home address and date of birth for a nonprofit’s donation payouts?
Bonterra is an online platform that collects, processes, and distributes money in the form of donations from supporters to organizations, and they fall under certain regulations, in particular, for US based organizations, they are required to abide by the compliance laws that are part of the Patriot Act.
In short, Bonterra needs to verify that the individual who is signing up an organization to collect donations, is who they say they are and is authorized to do so. And, we need to verify that the organization is a legitimately registered corporation. Collecting this information helps us streamline donation processing and payouts with our underlying payment processor (Stripe) and the financial institutions that they work with. More importantly, we have a duty to our users that when they choose to support a cause with a monetary gift, that money is going where they expect it to go! You can read a full explanation here, including how this information is stored.
Q. Who is Bonterra?
Bonterra (GiveGab) is an online platform that helps nonprofits raise money, engage donors and manage volunteers quickly and efficiently. Bonterra offers a full portfolio of simple and easy to use products that allows organizations to function in a more streamlined manner.
Q. How will donations be distributed?
Each donation made online through the Big Give website to a participating nonprofit will be disbursed directly from Bonterra via direct deposit to the nonprofit in 5-7 business days. Match Minutes are disbursed separately from Bonterra via direct deposit within 4-6 weeks.
Q. How much of a donation goes to my nonprofit?
There is a total processing fee of 7%, made up of combined service charges from Bonterra, The Nonprofit Council and the standard online credit card processing fee. The complete breakdown is as follows:
- 2.5% Bonterra service charge for building and maintaining a highly secure hosting site. This covers the building and maintenance of the website, live event customer service, and other resources.
- 2.5% + $0.30 credit card charges on all gifts made with Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. These are standard charges from each credit card company for donations made online. If you give to multiple organizations in one transaction, this fee will be charged to each separate gift within that transaction.
- 2% service charge to the Nonprofit Council to cover the management costs, year-round event planning, free nonprofit trainings, nonprofit support services securing business/corporate and foundation sponsorships/support, and financial services (auditing prize winners & processing prize checks).
- Users also have the ability to make a gift using their ACH checking account. Donations of $100 or more are eligible for ACH transfer and will incur a $3 flat fee in addition to the 2.5% Bonterra and 2% Nonprofit Council fees listed above.
In 2023, 94% of donors chose to cover all of the processing fees. By donors choosing to cover the fees, your nonprofit will receive 100% of your intended gift.
Q. Can my donors make a gift with cash or check?
Absolutely! Please have your donors coordinate any cash or check donations with your nonprofit organization directly. You can account for your gift on your dashboard as an Offline Gift, and their donation will be added to your total. Please note that offline gifts, however, will not be eligible for prizes or matches sponsored by the Big Give.
Q. Can my donors make a gift with a Donor Advised Fund (DAF)?
Absolutely! The Big Give team will be monitoring DAF gifts throughout the day, and will reach out to the donor to verify the gift and provide further instructions on how to get the funds to your organization. Once verified, the gift will show up on your dashboard as an Offline Gift, and their donation will be added to your total. Please note that offline gifts, however, will not be eligible for prizes or matches sponsored by the Big Give. No fees are incurred with this gift, and the minimum gift is $500.
Q. Do gifts made to champion pages count toward matching incentives?
Yes! Champion pages act as subpages to the agency’s account. This means that every dollar your friends give to your champion page roll up to the nonprofit. That means more money raised, more opportunities for matching funds, and more donors to meet!
Q. What if I have a question that isn’t covered here?
Have another question that isn’t covered here? Technical issues can be resolved by utilizing the chat feature, non-technical questions can be answered by emailing us at info@tncouncil.org