FAQ
Take a moment and read through our frequently asked questions below. For immediate assistance, you may contact a GiveGab Customer Success Representative by using the chat bubble located in the right-hand corner of your screen.
Nonprofit FAQ
Q. If I have questions, who can I contact?
Please contact the GiveGab Customer Success team at support@givegab.com or through the chat bubble in the bottom right corner of the Give DeKalb County website for assistance. Note that using the chat bubble may not result in an immediate reply. If GiveGab Customer Success Representatives are unable to respond via chat, they will follow up by email.
Q. What is Give DeKalb County?
Give DeKalb County is a philanthropic event featuring multiple ways for donors to support nonprofit organizations located in or serving DeKalb County, Illinois. Donors can give in a variety of ways both online during the 24-hour giving day at GiveDeKalbCounty.org or by mail.
Q. When is Give DeKalb County?
May 1, 2025 - donors can give online from midnight to midnight.
Q. Which organizations can participate?
Access the nonprofit eligibility policy here.
Q. How much does it cost to participate?
A fee is charged to participate. This participation fee is based on the organization’s operating budget and is withheld from the final donation distribution so there is no need to pay it upfront. View participation fee amounts here.
Q. How much of the donation will go to our organization?
GiveGab retains a 2.25% campaign management fee from online donations. Credit card processing fees are an additional 2.5% + $0.30 for all major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. There is no fee for offline donations. All donations are officially receipted for tax purposes by GiveGab.
Donors have the option to cover the fees and if this is selected, 100% of the online charitable gift goes to the receiving organization. Any online donations processed outside of the Give DeKalb County donation period, through GiveGab.com, or subsequent recurring donations are subject to transaction fees.
Q. How do I donate by mail?
Follow these steps:
- Download and print a mail-in donation form (added to the homepage in April).
- Complete the form indicating the organization(s) and donation amount(s).
- Write a single check for the total amount payable to “DCCF.”
- Mail your check and form DeKalb County Community Foundation, 475 DeKalb Avenue, Sycamore, IL 60178.
Mail-in donations must be postmarked April 17 - May 1 to be included in Give DeKalb County.
Completed donation forms and checks may also be dropped off at the DeKalb County Community Foundation using the secure exterior dropbox to the right of our main entrance.
Q. When will mailed donations be visible on the website?
Donations will not appear on the website until the giving day on May 1. Depending on the number of donations, there is no guarantee that donations postmarked after April 24 will be visible on the website by May 1. As mailed donations continue to arrive after the giving day, they will be added to the website and the leaderboard and organizational totals will continue to increase.
Q. What else should I know about mailed donations?
A few tips:
- Complete the donation form entirely and legibly - this makes a big difference when processing your gift.
- Double-check your math on the form so your total donation amount equals the sum of all your individual donations (if making multiple gifts).
- Be sure to include how you want your name to appear publicly or if you prefer to be anonymous to the public.
Q. What is the deadline to ensure my participation in Give DeKalb County?
Nonprofits must be 2025 DCNP members by March 1 to participate. The deadline to register for Give DeKalb County is April 1. Your Give DeKalb County profile should be completed by April 5.
Q. Can more than one person claim admin access on our organization’s page?
Yes, pending approval from existing administrators. All administrators need to create profiles on GiveGab. Every person with administrative access receives emails about updates to their page. Click here to learn how to add an admin and click here to learn how to remove an admin.
Q. How do I request admin access to an organization?
During the registration process, you will be prompted to request admin access. Follow the steps here.
Q. Can I preview the donation process that my donors will experience?
While you can't preview the donation process for Give DeKalb County, this video summarizes how to make a gift and all of the options available.
Q. How does my organization know who has donated and how much? Can I download a donor report?
All organizations that participate in Give DeKalb County can access and download a .CSV file of their donations via their administrative dashboard on GiveGab.
Q. How will we receive the donated funds?
Give DeKalb County payouts are distributed to each organization by the DeKalb County Community Foundation. This occurs either by check or Automated Clearing House (ACH) using your bank routing and account number. Specific details about payouts will be provided to your giving day admin.
Organizations will receive their total amount raised, less applicable fees, plus Bonus Pool payout, within 30 days of Give DeKalb County. Timeline subject to change if unexpected circumstances arise.
Q. Who issues the tax-deductible donation letter to donors?
All donations are officially receipted by GiveGab automatically after the donation is processed. Since donations made during Give DeKalb County pass through the DeKalb County Community Foundation, any donation made appears as a donation to the Community Foundation. These funds are distributed to the intended organizations.
Q. How does the Bonus Pool work?
The Bonus Pool is awarded to all participating nonprofits based on the percentage of the overall Give DeKalb County total they raise. For example: If a nonprofit raises 2% of our giving day total, they receive 2% of the Bonus Pool…if they raise 5% of the grand total, they get 5% of the Bonus Pool. No single organization may receive more than 7% of the total Bonus Pool in a given year. Learn more here.
Q. What is GiveGab (now becoming Bonterra)?
GiveGab is a nonprofit giving platform that helps nonprofits raise money, engage donors, and manage volunteers. GiveGab offers a full portfolio of simple and easy to use products that allows organizations to function more efficiently.
Q. What portion of a donation made on GiveGab is tax deductible?
GiveGab offers the option for donors to increase the amount they give to “cover the fees” associated with their gift. Even when a donor decides to cover the fees, the entire amount is still tax-deductible as allowed by law. Donors see the total amount they give to each organization reflected in their tax-deductible donation letter. The tax-deductible amount in the letter includes any additional contribution they made to cover the fees.
Q. What is state charitable solicitation registration?
Nonprofits are held to a high standard of government regulation and public scrutiny. Eligible 501(c) nonprofits are exempt from federal corporate taxes and have access to public funding. These benefits are not typically available to for-profit businesses, so laws are in place to protect the public and ensure nonprofits do not abuse their financial advantages. The IRS and states all have requirements for nonprofits.
Q. Why is state charitable solicitation registration compliance important?
While 501(c) nonprofits receive key financial benefits, the penalties for noncompliance can be serious. The IRS can revoke a nonprofit’s tax exempt status and impose fines that can accrue daily. The states can administratively dissolve a nonprofit corporation and levy steep financial penalties. Perhaps worst of all, an organization can lose out on a grant or large donation because it has not kept itself in good standing.
Taking a proactive approach to compliance helps ensure the sustained success of the organization. The cost of staying compliant is small in comparison to the much larger costs of noncompliance.
Q. What are the key aspects of state charitable solicitation registration compliance?
The IRS scrutinizes organizations when they apply for 501(c)(3) and ensures that those organizations meet the ongoing obligations to remain eligible.
Each state has their own set of requirements. Nonprofits are typically incorporated in a given state as a nonprofit corporation. The state in which the nonprofit has incorporated will impose requirements on the nonprofit, and those responsibilities typically span across multiple state agencies. Usually nonprofits must submit an annual filing to the corporations division of the secretary of state, maintain its license to fundraise (charitable solicitation registration), file for a state business license, and maintain state-level tax exemption with the revenue department. As nonprofits expand outside of the state or operate nationwide, they must comply with the same items in each other state as well.
In addition to IRS and state filing requirements, nonprofits must keep adequate records. Keeping accurate and complete records is critical in the event that an organization is audited. It is also common that board members or donors request information from the organization. Finally, records are necessary for submitting applications and renewal filings with various government agencies.
Q. When I check the box on GiveGab to declare state charitable solicitation registration compliance, what am I attesting to?
When you check the box you are attesting (defined as "declaring that something exists or is the case") that your organization is compliant with applicable state fundraising requirements in the states in which you may solicit donors using the GiveGab platform.
Q. Do you have additional resources to reference about state charitable solicitation registration?
Here are resources from Harbor Compliance:
- Guide and Overview of Many Nonprofit State by State Compliance Requirements
- Guide and Overview Specific to Fundraising Compliance
- National Council of Nonprofits and Harbor Compliance have partnered to create a white paper explaining the state charitable solicitation registration requirements.
- A Quick Summary of Charitable Solicitation in Graphic Form
- Executive Brief: Charitable Solicitation Registration (great for driving awareness and support with leadership and the board)
- State by State Links to the State Organizations that Regulate Charities, Solicitation, and Registrations
Donor FAQ
Q. What is Give DeKalb County?
Give DeKalb County is a philanthropic event featuring multiple ways for donors to support nonprofit organizations located in or serving DeKalb County, Illinois. Donors can give by check or can donate online during the 24-hour giving day at GiveDeKalbCounty.org. Learn more about Ways to Give.
Q. When is Give DeKalb County?
May 1, 2025 - donors can give online from midnight to midnight.
Q. Who can donate?
Anyone may donate to one or more organizations participating in Give DeKalb County!
Q. I'm receiving an error message when making an online donation. What am I doing wrong?
Some internet browsers are not updated frequently and may not be compatible with the security measures built into our online donation platform. Please try making your donation using a different browser such as Chrome, Safari, or Firefox (updated to the latest version).
Q. How can I donate?
Donors can give:
- Online at GiveDeKalbCounty.org by MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express, Mobile Wallet, or via ACH bank transfer.
- By check using our mail-in donation form (added to the homepage in April).
- With a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from an IRA.
- Download and print a mail-in donation form (added to the homepage in April).
- Complete the form indicating the organization(s) and donation amount(s).
- Write a single check for the total amount payable to “DCCF.”
- Mail your check and form DeKalb County Community Foundation, 475 DeKalb Avenue, Sycamore, IL 60178.
- Complete the donation form entirely and legibly - this makes a big difference when processing your gift.
- Double-check your math on the form so your total donation amount equals the sum of all your individual donations (if making multiple gifts).
- Be sure to include how you want your name to appear publicly or if you prefer to be anonymous to the public.
Learn more about Ways to Give and using your bank account for donations.
Q. How do I donate by mail?
Follow these steps:
Mail-in donations must be postmarked April 17 - May 1 to be included in Give DeKalb County.
Completed donation forms and checks may also be dropped off at the DeKalb County Community Foundation using the secure exterior dropbox to the right of our main entrance.
Q. When will my mailed donations be visible on the website?
Donations will not appear on the website until the giving day on May 1. Depending on the number of donations, there is no guarantee that donations postmarked after April 24 will be visible on the website by May 1. As mailed donations continue to arrive after the giving day, they will be added to the website and the leaderboard and organizational totals will continue to increase.
Q. What else should I know about mailed donations?
A few tips:
Q. What is the minimum donation amount?
The minimum online donation is $5. Mailed donations can be made for any amount. There is no maximum donation amount.
Q. Can I give to more than one organization?
Yes! You can give to multiple organizations at one time by using the multi-give feature. Learn more about the gift basket here! You may add up to 10 organizations to your gift basket at a time.
When giving to multiple organizations, your credit card will only be charged once; but your emailed receipt will itemize your donations. You can also give to multiple nonprofits when donating by mail.
Q. Can I make donations via a mobile device?
Yes! Simply visit GiveDeKalbCounty.org on your mobile device.
Q. Can I preview how to make a gift through Give DeKalb County online?
While you can't preview the donation process for Give DeKalb County, this video outlines how to make a gift and all of the options available to you!
Q. Can I make my donation anonymously?
Yes! You have three options:
1. Please do not display my name publicly
This option displays "Anonymous" in place of your name on the organization's page and on the Give DeKalb County website. The amount donated is still displayed publicly, for example, "Anonymous $50."
2. Please do not display my amount publicly
This option removes the donation amount from the donor wall on the organization's page and on the Give DeKalb County website. The donor name is still displayed publicly, for example, "Jane Smith."
This is the default option for mailed donations, unless you indicate a preference to be anonymous on your donation form.
3. Please do not display my name or my amount publicly
You can choose both options to hide your name and the amount donated. In doing so, there is no public recognition of your gift on the Give DeKalb County website. Both your name and your donation amount will be hidden.
No matter which option is selected, the organization(s) you give to still have full access to your name, amount donated, email address, and other contact information.
If you forgot to select the "Please make my donation anonymous" option, please contact the GiveGab Customer Success team at support@givegab.com or through the chat bubble in the bottom right hand corner of the Give DeKalb County website and they will assist you.
Q. Are donations tax-deductible?
Donations made through Give Dekalb County are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Consult a tax/financial advisor regarding your tax benefits for charitable gifts.
Q. Will I receive a tax-deductible receipt for my donation?
Yes! All donations are receipted by GiveGab automatically after the donation is processed. Since donations made during Give DeKalb County pass through the DeKalb County Community Foundation, any donation made appears as a donation to the Community Foundation. These funds are distributed to the intended organizations. A receipt will be emailed to you at the address you provide when making the donation. You should print or save this receipt for your records. If you did not receive your thank you and tax-deductible receipt email, please contact GiveGab Customer Success at support@givegab.com or through the chat bubble in the bottom right hand corner of the Give DeKalb County website and they will email you another one.
Q. What if a mistake was made—can I secure a refund?
Refunds are possible if you enter an unintended amount, direct your donation to the wrong nonprofit, or for similar issues. We encourage you to carefully review the information you enter when making a donation to ensure its accuracy.
Q. How much of my donation goes to the nonprofit?
GiveGab retains a 2.25% campaign management fee for online donations. Credit card processing fees are an additional 2.5% + $0.30. You have the option to cover the fees and if you choose this option, 100% of your online charitable gift will go to the receiving organization. There is no fee for offline donations.
Is my donation safe and secure?
Yes! GiveGab/Bonterra is the hosting platform for Give DeKalb County and uses a PCI Level I compliant payment service to ensure that all financial data is secure. Learn more about Stripe’s security precautions here and more about PCI compliance here.
Q. What nonprofits can participate in Give DeKalb County?
Access the nonprofit eligibility policy here.
Q. May I pay a pledge with my gift?
Give DeKalb County is designed to generate new support for our nonprofit community, not pay off existing pledges.
Q. May I designate how a nonprofit uses my gift?
Give DeKalb County donations are "unrestricted" gifts to the nonprofit (i.e., donations may be used for any purpose by the receiving organization). You may contact the nonprofit directly to express a desire that your gift be used for a specific program or project; but it is the responsibility of the nonprofit to follow that instruction, not the responsibility of the DeKalb County Community Foundation.
Q. How does the Bonus Pool work?
Donated by Community Partners, the Bonus Pool allows you to leverage additional dollars when you donate during Give DeKalb County! The Bonus Pool is awarded to all participating nonprofits based on the percentage of the overall Give DeKalb County total they raise. For example: If a nonprofit raises 2% of our grand total, they receive 2% of the Bonus Pool…if they raise 5% of the grand total, they get 5% of the Bonus Pool. Basically, the Bonus Pool ensures that donations go further during Give DeKalb County. No single organization may receive more than 7% of the total Bonus Pool in a given year. Learn more here!
Q. Who will receive my contact information?
The organization(s) you choose to support will have access to your name and email address. This information is used to send thank you messages, provide the option to receive future notifications, and to notify you of future activities. The DeKalb County Community Foundation also receives your contact information since donations pass through the Community Foundation.
You have the option to make your donation anonymously. This means your name and/or donation amount will not appear publicly on the giving day website; however, the organization(s) you donated to still have your name and email address.
Q. Do I need to create an account with GiveGab?
No, you do not need to create an account to make a donation.
Q. What if my preferred organization is not listed?
If an organization is not listed, that organization is not participating in Give DeKalb County this year. You can directly contact the organization to make sure they are aware of Give DeKalb County. Please note, participating organizations must meet eligibility criteria to participate.
Q. What portion of a donation made on GiveGab is tax deductible?
GiveGab offers the option for donors to increase the amount they give to “cover the fees” associated with their online gift. Even when a donor decides to cover the fees, the entire amount is still tax-deductible as allowed by law. The total amount donated to each organization is reflected in a tax-deductible donation letter. The tax-deductible amount in the letter includes any additional contribution they made to cover the fees.
Q. If I have questions, who can I contact?
Please contact the GiveGab Customer Success team at support@givegab.com or through the chat bubble in the bottom right hand corner of the Give DeKalb County website for assistance. Note that using the chat bubble may not result in an immediate reply. If GiveGab Customer Success Representatives are unable to respond via chat, they will follow up with you by email.