MyCharity Account Tip - Explaining CanadaHelps to your Donors

The MyCharityAccount Tip section is written by our Charity & Donor Services team, and features information about how to make the most of your MyCharity Account.

Many charities will include a brief explanation of CanadaHelps on their website along with the Donate Now! button so that donors understand how their donations will be processed. This is helpful because donations are charged to donors credit cards by CanadaHelps itself and some will not recognize the charge.

You know your donors best and what type of information they might want about CanadaHelps, but here are a few suggestions:

• Let your donors know that CanadaHelps is a registered charity that processes secure, online donations on behalf of Canada's 80,000+ registered charitable organizations.
• Emphasize that within minutes of making a donation, donors will receive an official electronic tax receipt through email.
• Include a link to the donor FAQ section on CanadaHelps - http://www.canadahelps.org/Info/4/29/ss.
• Remind donors that their credit cards will be charged by CanadaHelps.
• Provide a link to our Privacy and Security Policies - http://www.canadahelps.org/InfoPages/PrivacyHome.aspx.
• Outline the process of giving online through CanadaHelps.
• Highlight the benefits of online giving for both donors and charities.
• Update your donors on the different ways to give available through CanadaHelps, such as GivingPages, monthly giving, gift cards, workplace giving, and donating securities.
• Inform donors that CanadaHelps assesses a 3.9% transaction fee on each donation. This amount is deducted before the donation is sent to the charity. This 3.9% is covers all credit card merchant rates, transaction fees, banking costs, receipting, reconciliation and disbursement.
• Familiarize your staff with CanadaHelps so are ready and informed to answer any questions your donors may have.

MyCharity Account Tip - Getting To Know Your Donors

The MyCharityAccount Tip section is written by our Charity & Donor Services team, and features information about how to make the most of your MyCharity Account.

Are you looking for an easily accessible and user-friendly tool to keep a close eye on all your donors/donations for a longer time frame than say, just one month? If so, read on!

The Data Download feature in your CanadaHelps MyCharity account is the perfect solution for extracting donor data and getting to know all your different types of donors. By clicking on the DONATIONS tab, and then the Data Download option, you can download an Excel spreadsheet of all donations and donor details within a particular time frame. For example, you might want to see all donations from August 2011 to December 2011. With a few clicks, the information is downloaded and you can sort through it, upload it to your own CMS system, merge it with your other spreadsheets, etc.

This tool is especially valuable for charities that have just recently had a fundraising event and who want to view all donations allocated to that particular event. Furthermore, the data download feature also enables you to get to know all your donors by narrowing down all monthly givers, one-time donors, fund designated donations and donors that actively use your "Donate Now!" button. This simple tool is an excellent gateway into your donors preferred designations, and an insight into the motivation that drives their donations!

MyCharity Account Tip - Fundtastic Features

The MyCharityAccount Tip section is written by our Charity & Donor Services team, and features information about how to make the most of your MyCharity Account.

One of the best ways to organize your charity's projects, events and initiatives is to divide them into fund designations. These fundraising fundamentals give your donors options, and the freedom to choose where they want to direct their donation. See below for an example of what your list of funds will look like on your charity's profile.

Whether your fund is short-term or long-term, applying this feature to your charity profile enhances your online presence and increases your charity's transparency. This quick and easy-to-add tool can not only help your donors feel more involved, but can also help your charity keep a close eye on fundraising targets.