About GivingPal

GivingPal is a free and easy way for charitable-minded shoppers to make an impact.  When you shop at partner stores through GivingPal store links, a portion of your purchases are automatically donated to the cause of your choice - at no additional cost. 

Purchases deriving from GivingPal referrals will never cost anymore than they would normally.  In fact, you can save money through our comparison shopping engine and with special deals that will save you money.  By working with stores you already shop at and using technology to track the the referred sales, GivingPal helps you support your favorite charities when you shop online. Ultimately, GivingPal has the following goals:


GivingPal is all about raising money for charity and as such, we aren't able to spend much on advertising. That's why we need you to be a GivingPal and spread the word about us. Signup today and support your favorite cause for free by visiting GivingPal before you shop.

Together, we can support worthy causes that protect our environment, research cures for cancer, build up communities, support education and make a difference in our world.  Be a GivingPal. Join today.  

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

How does it work?
Do items purchased through GivingPal cost more?
How can this be free? Where does the money come from?
Is GivingPal secure?
WIll I ever have to pay to use GivingPal?
What is the Cause of the Day?
How much is donated to my favorite cause?

Nonprofit Questions

What types of nonprofits can use GivingPal?
Why are there charities and causes on GivingPal? Is there a difference?
How do I add my charity or cause?
Can charities make wish lists for their organization?
When will my organization receive a check?
How can I promote GivingPal to my cause's supporters?
What are points and levels about?

Member Questions

How do I signup for GivingPal?
How do I manage my wish lists?
What is the bookmarklet?
Will all my purchases from GivingPal earn a donation for my cause?
Can I write off donations from purchases when I file my taxes?
How do I track how much I've raised for my cause?
How long does it take for my Amount Raised section to be updated?
What if my purchase still doesn’t show up after eight weeks?

General Questions

How does it work?

When you shop, go to GivingPal first. Sign in and shop in one of two ways:

  1. Click on a Store link and shop normally
  2. Search for products and use GivingPal’s price comparison shopping engine


Purchases will automatically generate a donation for your default cause. See the How it works page for more info.

Do items purchased through GivingPal cost more?

No. You can actually save money by using GivingPal's price comparison shopping engine to find the best price for the product you want to buy. There is no additional cost to you by going through GivingPal. GivingPal redirects you to the store’s website where you can purchase items in the same manner as you would normally.

How can this be free? Where does the money come from?

The money comes from our partner stores who want your business, and are happy to pay a commission to GivingPal so a percentage of your purchase will go towards your cause. We ask you to support the stores that pay a marketing fee to participate on GivingPal.  By doing so, you will be supporting your cause of choice.

Is GivingPal secure?

Yes. GivingPal doesn’t take any credit card information since all purchase and order fulfillments are done at our partner stores. Givingpal also provides privacy settings for your profile and wish lists so you can control what information you share and with whom you share it.

Will I ever have to pay to use GivingPal?

Members and charities will never have to pay to use GivingPal. Please support our partner stores who make this program free for all of our users.

What is the Cause of the Day?

The Cause of the Day earns a portion of purchases made by users of GivingPal who choose not to sign up or log in before using the site.  Additionally, some stores that are currently unable track a users cause due to technology limitations will earn money for the Cause of the Day.  The redirect page will indicate these stores and the Cause of the Day that benefits from these purchases.

How much is donated to my favorite cause?

It depends. The giveback percentage varies by store and type of product purchased. On average, the giveback rate is about 3.5% of the total purchase price, but it can be as high as 25% and beyond (check below the store’s logo for its giveback rate information).  There is no limit how much money will be given back, so as more supporters of your cause shop through GivingPal, more money will be donated to the cause of your choice or creation.
Check out the table below to see what a typical organization can make using GivingPal with the help of their supoorters.

Size of
Organization
  Number of
Supporters
 		Avg. Amount
Purhased/Year
Giveback
Percentage
 Estimated
Giveback/Year
 Smaill    100  $500 3.5% $1,750
 Medium  1,000  $500 3.5% $17,500
 Large 10,000
 $500 3.5% $175,000 

 
 

Nonprofit Questions

What types of nonprofits can use GivingPal?

Any approved U.S. registered nonprofit.  Some examples include: charities, schools, universities, religious organizations, political organizations, greek organizations, government organizations, volunteer groups, hospitals, clinics, etc.  To submit an organization click the charities link in the footer and add or request a charity to be added. Each organization goes through an approval process to confirm its legal status and legitimacy to use the GivingPal service. 

Why are there charities and causes on GivingPal? Is there a difference?

Each cause has an associated charity. There can be multiple causes that support one charity. For example, the NRDC may have one cause to protect wetlands and another cause to protect air quality.  Both of these cause's earnings will benefit the NRDC.  Another example is when a school is having a contest to raise money and awareness for a charity or school project.  In this case, each class can create a cause that benefits their school so they can easily quantify how much awareness and money each has raised in order to recognize the winners. The main difference between causes and charities is that a charity can make and share wish lists that allow supporters to buy charity branded merchandise and items their organization needs to carry out their operation.

How do I add my charity or cause?

Click the Add Charity Ribbon at the top of the page or click the Charities link located in the footer at the bottom left of every page. Here you can signup your charity or request that your charity be added.  A cause for your charity is automatically created when you signup.

Can charities make wish lists for their organization?

Absolutely. Supporters can buy the things their favorite charity needs from the charity’s wish list. Charities have access to all of the same features as a regular GivingPal member. Not only do all your supporter's purchases from partner stores earn money supporting your cause, but you can also create a wish list of items from any website using our bookmarklet that your organization needs. Additionally, some charities create a wish list of branded merchandise that help spread awareness for their cause. 

When will my organization receive a check?

GivingPal sends each nonprofit organization a check once a year in the amount raised for the prior 12 months ending Sept. 30 provided that the nonprofit has accrued $20 or more. If earnings were less than $20, the funds will be allocated to orgnaizations at GivingPal’s discretion and based on their activity on GivingPal. 

How can I promote GivingPal to my cause's supporters?

GivingPal allows users to import their contacts from Gmail, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, and MS Outlook/CVS files.  Once you import your contacts you may send customized invitation emails to your supporters with one click. You can also share your wish list items and link to your GivingPal profile by placing the GivingPal Badge on your website and or other social networking profiles.

What are points and levels about?

Members and nonprofits earn points based on their activity on GivingPal.  Points can be earned for activities such as inviting friends to join, sharing a wish list, and using the site when shopping online.  GivingPal will use the points earned by nonprofits and those who support it as a guide to distribute additional donations to nonprofits at the end of the year.
 

Member Questions

How do I signup for GivingPal?

Signing up for GivingPal is free for members and charities and will never cost you any money.  It only takes about 15 seconds, so sign up to be a GivingPal now.

How do I manage my wish lists?

Your default wish list is created automatically when you signup for GivingPal. Purchases from your default wish list will support your account's default cause and will change automatically depending on which cause you are currently supporting.

You can access your wish lists from the link under the My Area tab and in your My Area dashboard. Add items to your wish list by using the product search or the GivingPal bookmarklet. With the bookmarklet any product on the web can be added to your wish list. You can create mulitple wish lists for any of your collection needs. Each wish list can be set to support any cause you choose. Also, each wish list has privacy controls that allow you to limit who can see the items in that wish list. Items purchased from a wish list support the cause associated with that wish list.

What is the bookmarklet?

A bookmarklet is like a bookmark. The difference is that the bookmarklet allows you to access GivingPal while visiting another web page. The GivingPal Bookmarklet tool allows you to add items from any website to your wish list. Once you add the Bookmarklet, it can be used on any shopping related web page on the Internet.

If you are shopping and find an item you’d like to purchase or add to your wish list, clicking the 'Add to GivingPal' link in your browser will let you either:  
a) Buy the product so a portion of your purchase will go toward your default cause
b) Add the item to your wish list

If the item you add to one of your wish lists matches a product in our database, our comparison shopping engine will show you the other partner stores that sell the item and show the best price for it.

Will all my purchases from my GivingPal wish list earn a donation for my cause?

You may add any product to your wish lists. However, if the Buy link doesn’t show up when you click the 'Add to GivingPal' bookmarklet button, then that merchant has not yet partnered with GivingPal or is currently set up to benefit featured charities. Items purchased on non partner stores from GivingPal will not earn a donation for your cause. If you have a store you'd like to join GivingPal, please go to the request a store page.

Can I write off donations from purchases when I file my taxes?

It depends. Monetary donations that GivingPal sends to charity are not deductible.  However, if you purchase an item for a charity off the charity's wishlist, it is deductible as long as the item you are donating is a tangible good and not a service. When you contribute an item to the nonprofit, please include your name and address after marking an item purchased so the organization will know where and to whom to send a tax receipt letter.  Items given to 501(c)(3) organizations are deductible to the full extent of the law.

How do I track how much I've raised for my cause?

As a member you can track how much you've raised for your cause from the My Area menu tab. Once you log into GivingPal, your My Area home page will show how much you've raised for your cause and provide you a dashboard to manage your account and access other GivingPal tools to share your wish list and spread awareness for your cause.  

How long does it take for my Amount Raised section to be updated?

Reporting times are dependent on partner stores reporting policies. Stores may take up to 8 weeks to post the data for purchases.  Also, stores adjust givebacks for canceled orders and returns accordingly.  

What if my purchase still doesn’t show up after eight weeks?

If you don't see your donation appearing on the Amount Raised page after eight weeks, and this purchase wasn't made off of another person/charity wish list, please email the following information to us at help[at]givingpal.com:

Member Name:
Member Email Address:
Cause Name:
Phone Number:
Store Name:
Date of Purchase:
Method of Purchase (Store Links, Product Search, or Bookmarklet):
Total Amount Per Store (not including shipping or tax):