FAQs
Got questions about Abilene Gives? We've got the answers. Check out our list of frequently asked questions below.
For immediate assistance, please use the blue chat bubble in the right-hand corner of your screen to connect with a GiveGab representative. For all other inquiries, email info@cfabilene.org.
General FAQs
Q. What is Abilene Gives?
Abilene Gives is a 12-hour online giving event from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on May 6, 2025, to raise money and awareness for nonprofits serving Abilene and surrounding areas. Abilene Gives is an initiative powered by the Community Foundation of Abilene and its donors.
Q. When is Abilene Gives?
Abilene Gives is May 6, 2025 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Q. How does it work?
On May 6, anyone can go to abilenegives.org and donate to any participating nonprofit organizations listed on the website. All nonprofits featured on the site serve and operate in Abilene and/or the surrounding communities. The goal is to inspire a culture of local philanthropy in the Abilene region by connecting people to causes that matter to them.
FAQs for Donors
Q. What is Early Giving?
Early Giving is from April 28 to May 6 at 8 a.m., giving donors the option of making their donations at abilenegives.org in advance of the giving day. These gifts will not be reflected in the nonprofit totals until the actual giving day on May 6 at 8 a.m.
Q. What are the minimum and maximum donation amounts?
The minimum donation is $10. There is no maximum. You can give to as many participating nonprofits as you would like.
Q. Are donations tax-deductible?
Yes! Donations made during Abilene Gives are 100% eligible for a tax deduction. Online donors will immediately receive an email receipting the donation from GiveGab on behalf of the nonprofit. Nonprofit organizations will be responsible for acknowledging offline gifts they receive through their standard procedures.
GiveGab is the vendor chosen by the Community Foundation of Abilene to process this day's activities.
Q. Are there transaction fees?
Every donation is assessed a 5.5% + $0.30 fee by GiveGab. This includes:
- A 3% GiveGab platform fee
- A 2.5% + $0.30 credit card processing fee
Donors always have the option to cover these fees on behalf of the organization they are donating to. Around 80% of Abilene Gives donors did so in 2024.
The Community Foundation of Abilene does not retain any portion of the fees assessed by GiveGab. The entirety of a donor's gift goes directly to their chosen nonprofit organization, less any uncovered processing fees.
★ If you make a donation of at least $100, you can save on fees by choosing to pay directly via your bank account. Donors who choose this option will pay a 3% GiveGab fee rate and a flat rate fee of $3. ★
Q. What forms of payment are accepted?
We strongly encourage you to make donations online at abilenegives.org using a credit card, debit card, or bank draft. Please note that your financial institution may have additional verification steps (potentially creating processing delays) if you are making multiple online donations on the giving day. If cash or check is your preferred option, arrangements must be made to deliver your offline gift to the nonprofit on or before the giving day.
Note: These offline gifts are not eligible for prizes. Only online gifts made at abilenegives.org will qualify for prize contests, which offer nonprofits opportunities throughout the day for nonprofits to win bonus money.
Q: How do I prepare my gift if made by check?
Checks should be made payable to the nonprofit organization with “Abilene Gives” on the memo line. Gifts by check or cash must be delivered to the nonprofit on or before the giving day.
Q. Are donations safe and secure?
Absolutely. Abilene Gives utilizes a technology partner called GiveGab. GiveGab takes the highest security measures to ensure your information is protected. We’ve partnered with Stripe as our payment processor and underwriter for nonprofit verification, which is a PCI Service Provider Level 1 – the most stringent level of certification possible. In addition, GiveGab forces HTTPS to ensure a secure connection whenever you are on a GiveGab site. GiveGab takes the security of its admins, donors, and volunteers very seriously. The contact information you provide to the Abilene Gives website will remain private and secure.
Q. How do online donations appear on my bank statements?
The minimum donation is $10, and you can give to as many of the participating nonprofits as you like. Charges will appear as “BonterraTech.” Bonterra (or “GiveGab”) is the vendor chosen by the Community Foundation of Abilene to process this day’s activities.
Q. Will my donation to a nonprofit during Abilene Gives be designated for a specific purpose?
When you donate to a specific organization during Abilene Gives, the gift will be restricted to that nonprofit and will not be given to any other organization. Nonprofit profiles will describe the organization’s mission and may also indicate how the organization intends to use the donations it receives during Abilene Gives. Still, it is difficult to specify an exact designation for a donation during the giving day.
Q. Can I donate before May 6?
Yes! Early Giving is from April 28 to May 6 at 8 a.m., giving donors the option of making their donations at abilenegives.org in advance of the giving day. These gifts will not be reflected in the nonprofit totals until the actual giving day on May 6 at 8 a.m.
Q. How can I engage with nonprofits after Abilene Gives?
Nonprofit Compass is our area’s online nonprofit directory, powered by the Community Foundation of Abilene. You can discover organizations by filtering by cause area, location, or other fields. Visit nonprofitcompass.org, where nonprofits have created profiles and published their own information regarding their organization, including volunteer opportunities, wish lists, and more!
Q. Does the Foundation endorse each participating nonprofit organization?
The Community Foundation of Abilene verifies the charitable status of every organization that participates in Abilene Gives but does not screen or select organizations based on their charitable purposes or missions. Eligibility is based on providing services in our area and an organization’s status as an IRS-designated 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity. Therefore, approval of an organization’s participation does not constitute an endorsement of the organization or its mission by the Community Foundation of Abilene or any of its supporters.
Each organization’s page provides the organization’s mission, not detailed information on all its programs. For additional research, each organization’s page also includes a link to its website to provide you with more detailed information. We encourage donors to do their own research to determine if an organization is in ethical and missional alignment with his or her values.
FAQs for Nonprofits
Q. Why should a nonprofit participate in Abilene Gives?
Abilene Gives is a fundraising and awareness tool that is as effective as you are willing to make it. Nonprofits have an opportunity to raise money, increase their donor bases, and learn how to use online and social media tools to enhance public outreach. Participating nonprofits also have opportunities during the giving day to win bonus money from prize contests.
Q. Which organizations are eligible to participate?
Eligible nonprofits include verified 501(c)(3) public charities that are headquartered in Abilene, Texas, and the surrounding area and/or provide substantial services to Abilene and immediate surrounding areas. For nonprofit organizations that do not have a mailing address in the Abilene area, the Community Foundation of Abilene will make a case-by-case determination regarding whether the nonprofit provides “substantial services” and qualifies for Abilene Gives.
The Community Foundation of Abilene reserves the right to pull or withdraw any participating agency (at any stage of participation in the campaign) for any reason deemed necessary by the Foundation Board of Trustees. Any/all decisions to withdraw a participating nonprofit organization will be communicated with the organization as timely as possible.
Q. How do nonprofits get involved in Abilene Gives?
Nonprofits can register to participate from January 27 through April 9. Just go to abilenegives.org during the open dates to register. Registration fees have structured increases leading up to the giving day.
Q. What are the open dates for registration?
Nonprofit early bird registration is from January 27-February 28, 2025. Regular registration is from March 1-31, 2025. Late registration is available April 1 through April 9, 2025, with an added late fee.
Q. What is the cost to participate in Abilene Gives?
Q: How much of the donation goes to the nonprofit?
Every donation is assessed a 5.5% + $0.30 fee by GiveGab. This includes:
- A 3% GiveGab platform fee
- A 2.5% + $0.30 credit card processing fee
Donors always have the option to cover these fees on behalf of your organization, and around 80% of Abilene Gives donors did so in 2024.
The Community Foundation of Abilene does not retain any portion of the fees assessed by GiveGab. The entirety of a donor's gift goes directly to their chosen nonprofit organization, less any uncovered processing fees.
Q. What giving day details are confirmed this year?
- Abilene Gives Day is a 12-hour live event, taking place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CST.
- The giving day will be held on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
(Note: Early giving is from April 28 to May 6 at 8 a.m., giving donors the option of making their donations at abilenegives.org in advance of the giving day. These gifts will not be reflected in the nonprofit totals until the actual giving day on May 6 at 8 a.m.)
- Nonprofit organizations must register through Stripe to accept online donations and later receive them directly to the organization's bank account.
- Nonprofit organizations are required to submit a “Matches & Challenges” verification form if these types of funds are part of their giving day totals. The form must be emailed to mparrish@cfabilene.org.
- Nonprofit organizations will need to enter their own offline donations of checks and cash through the GiveGab portal.
Q: Why do you require date of birth and the nonprofit administrator’s full Social Security number for a nonprofit’s donation payouts?
As an online platform that collects, processes, and distributes money in the form of donations from supporters to organizations, GiveGab must abide by the rules, regulations, and compliance laws of the United States. In particular, they are required to verify that the individual registering an organization to collect donations is authorized to do so and is who they say they are. Additionally, GiveGab needs to verify that the organization is a legitimately registered corporation.
Collecting this information helps GiveGab streamline donation processing and payouts with their underlying processor (Stripe) and the financial institutions that Stripe works with.
More importantly, there is a duty to GiveGab users. When donors choose to support a cause with a monetary gift, it is essential that they trust that their donation is going where they expect it to go. You can read a full explanation here, including how this information is stored.
Q. How will online donations made directly through the Abilene Gives site go to our organization?
Participants are strongly encouraged to make their donation online at abilenegives.org by credit card, debit card, or bank draft. This is the preferred method of giving during Abilene Gives. Organizations will receive proceeds from online donations within five to seven business days via direct deposit as long as bank routing and account information have been verified by GiveGab. GiveGab uses a PCI Service Provider Level I compliant payment service to ensure that all financial data is secure.
Deposits will appear as “BonterraTech.” Bonterra (or “GiveGab”) is the vendor chosen by the Community Foundation of Abilene to process this day’s activities.
Q: How will offline donations via check or cash go to our organization?
If cash or check is a donor’s preferred option, it must be delivered directly to the nonprofit organization. The organization receiving the offline gift of cash or check will be responsible for (1) entering the gift in the GiveGab portal and (2) acknowledging the tax-deductible gift.
To be included in a nonprofit’s giving day total, the following procedures must be followed:
- The check must be dated between April 1 and May 6, 2025.
- The check must be entered by the organization in the GiveGab portal on or before 8 p.m. May 6, 2025.
- The check must have “Abilene Gives” on the memo line.
- Organizations will manually enter the information for each offline check into the admin portal on the GiveGab site. Once entered, those gifts will be reflected on the website.
Q: How are offline donations via check or cash verified?
Nonprofit participants are not required to submit check copies or gift documentation for offline gifts that are strictly giving day donations (and not a match or challenge). However, nonprofit participants should be prepared to share gift records (copies of checks, etc.), if the Foundation requests the documentation. Prizes and the ability for your organization to participate in Abilene Gives in future years may be revoked if discrepancies are encountered during the verification process.
Q: How are match or challenge gifts verified?
New for 2025, the Foundation will only verify match and/or challenge gifts that are paid offline (with a check or cash). Organizations must provide match/challenge check copies with the required verification form to mparrish@cfabilene.org by May 13, 2025.
Q: Are there situations where the Foundation may accept offline gifts for our organization?
There may be instances when offline gifts via check or cash are processed by the Community Foundation of Abilene. The Foundation may process gifts for your organization in these select circumstances:
- Donor-advised funds held at the Community Foundation of Abilene.
- A donor providing one check that will be split between multiple organizations.
Any funds received by the Foundation will be issued a tax acknowledgement by the Foundation.
Q: How and when will my nonprofit organization receive my prize earnings?
With Stripe registration you will receive the proceeds from online donations within five business days. Earnings from donor-advised funds and/or earned bonus prizes are dispersed from the Foundation by check within 60 days.
Q. Do nonprofits need to issue acknowledgment letters and tax receipts to their Abilene Gives donors?
An automatic confirmation and tax receipt will be emailed to the donor from GiveGab if the donation was made online. If your organization received and entered a donor’s offline gift of cash or check, you will be required to send a tax receipt. In the select circumstances that the Foundation received and entered a donor’s gift on your giving page, the Foundation will send a tax receipt.
Regardless of how the funds were received, your organization is highly encouraged to send a prompt and thoughtful “thank you” to each donor. Each donor that supports your organization should be treated as an individual to thank and steward into the future.
Q. How does an organization know who has donated and how much they gave?
Participating nonprofits can access their donor report through their GiveGab administrator dashboard. All donor contact info will be available through the nonprofit’s dashboard unless the donor requested to remain anonymous.
Q. How will a donor be recognized?
Online donors will receive an immediate confirmation and tax receipt from GiveGab via email. Donors will also appear on abilenegives.org when they make an online gift unless they choose to be anonymous. Gifts made in-person or offline will receive a tax receipt from the nonprofit organization if they received the gift and from the Foundation in the select circumstances that the Foundation received the gift. It is a good idea for nonprofits to thank donors in their own personalized way for every gift received.
Q. How do nonprofit organizations earn bonus prizes?
Community partners and sponsors generously donate proceeds toward the bonus prizes allocated during the giving day. These bonus prizes are awarded to registered nonprofits either by random selection or by meeting the specific contest criteria for that prize. Awarded prizes are subject to audit and will be finalized by the Community Foundation of Abilene no later than May 14 at 5 p.m.
Q. When are bonus prizes and other contests announced?
Prizes and social media contest information will be announced by April 15, 2025. Failure to comply with these rules may result in your organization being prohibited from participating in a future Abilene Gives campaign.
Q. Is there a minimum a nonprofit organization must first raise before qualifying for bonus prizes?
An organization must raise donations equal to or greater than the prize dollars awarded to receive the prize money. For example, if you receive a prize of $1,000, you must raise at least $1,000 in donations. If the organization only raises $250, it will only receive $250 of the prize money awarded.
Q. Can a nonprofit organization donate to themselves for a chance to win a bonus prize?
Organizations cannot donate to themselves to generate prizes or match/challenge dollars.
Q: Are offline donations via check or cash eligible for prizes?
Offline gifts are not eligible for prizes. For an explanation of bonus prizes, see the “Prizes” page.
Q: What is a “unique donor?”
For the purposes of awarding prizes, a “unique donor” is one individual or corporation/business. Multiple donations from one donor to the same nonprofit will count as one donor. Organizations cannot donate to themselves.
Q: What is a “unique gift?”
For the purposes of awarding prizes, a “unique gift” or “unique donation” is defined as one donation of $10 or more to one organization from one donor. Multiple gifts from the same donor to the same organization will only be counted as one “unique donation.” Donors can make eligible gifts to multiple organizations.
Q: Are gifts made during early giving eligible for bonus prizes?
Gifts made online at abilenegives.org during the early giving period (April 28 – May 6) are not eligible for bonus prize contests. These gifts will not be reflected in the nonprofit totals until the actual giving day on May 6 at 8 a.m.
Q: Can nonprofits offer prizes or entry into a drawing for their Abilene Gives donors?
While this is a good idea to incentivize giving, it’s not allowed. When donors give to a nonprofit through Abilene Gives, they get an immediate tax deduction of their full gift amount. However, if they win something of cash value as a result of their giving, they’ve then just received what the IRS considers a “benefit,” which is not allowed. Nonprofits have a great opportunity to be creative in thanking and acknowledging their Abilene Gives donors, but offering prizes (or even chances to win a prize) violates IRS guidelines.
Q. How can I engage with donors and other supporters after Abilene Gives?
Nonprofit Compass is our area’s online nonprofit directory, powered by the Community Foundation of Abilene. Nonprofits can request their FREE profile by visiting nonprofitcompass.org. You feature the information you’d like published in the different categories and sections, volunteer opportunities, wish lists, and more! If an organization participated in Abilene Gives 2025, they can accept donations online through their Nonprofit Compass profile since they completed verification as a part of Abilene Gives.
For additional help about Abilene Gives or the Community Foundation of Abilene, please reach out to one of these Community Foundation of Abilene staff members:
Questions about nonprofit participation: Michelle Parrish, mparrish@cfabilene.org
Questions about sponsorship or donor involvement: Misti Collier, mcollier@cfabilene.org
Questions about media inquiries or marketing: Emerald Cassidy, ecassidy@cfabilene.org