Donor FAQ

Q. What is Give Big CHQ?

Give Big CHQ is a 24-hour online fundraising event that connects individuals with causes they care about in Chautauqua County. 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organizations can register and create their own fundraising page to accept donations the day of the event- June 13, 2024.

Hosted by the Chautauqua Region Community Foundations this event provides an opportunity for us to come together as a community to celebrate the important work of local nonprofits, helping to raise dollars and awareness for their missions.


Q. When is Give Big CHQ?

Give Big CHQ is scheduled for June 13, 2024. Online donations will be accepted through the Give Big CHQ platform starting on June 13 12:00 a.m. through 11:59 p.m.


Q. Which organizations can participate?

Organizations that are verified 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofits that conducts operations or provides services in Chautauqua County. Programs with fiscal agents and government/public taxing entities are not eligible to participate.


Q. Who can donate?

Anyone may donate. Donations through the Give Big CHQ online portal to charitable nonprofit organizations are tax-deductible, irrevocable and for the unrestricted use of the nonprofits. Contributions may be made via credit and debit card.


Q. What is considered an eligible gift?

The online giving portal will accept donations on June 13. Gifts made online with a credit/debit card or ACH transfer will be accepted. Donations may not be used to pay off existing pledges to an organization, or be used for anything that might be perceived as a benefit to the donor (dinner tickets, membership fees, golf fees, admission tickets, gifts, etc.) All donations are tax-deductible, irrevocable and for the unrestricted use of the nonprofit.

It is at each nonprofit’s discretion whether they will accept offline donations, cash or check, as part of their fundraising efforts. Offline will not be eligible for any prize incentives, this includes match/challenge sponsored dollars.


Q. Is there a minimum or maximum credit card gift?

The minimum donation is $10. The maximum gift will be determined by the donor’s credit card limit.


Q. What is GiveGab?

GiveGab is a nonprofit giving platform that helps nonprofits to raise money, engage donors and manage volunteers quickly and efficiently. GiveGab offers a full portfolio of simple and easy to use products that allows organizations to function in a more streamlined manner.


Q. How much of my donation goes to the nonprofit?

Standard Credit Card processing fees are 2.5% + $0.30 per transaction, and a website platform fee of 2% (GiveGab) Donors are given the option to cover the fees and if you choose this option, 100% of your online charitable gift will go to the receiving organization. All donations are final and cannot be refunded.

Donors can also donate on Give Big CHQ via an ACH transfer. The minimum amount for an ACH gift is $100 and there is a flat $3 bank processing fee per transaction.


Q. How will a donation be reported on the donor’s credit card statement?

The statement will show a charge for each organization to which a donation was made. It will show GiveGab-[organization name].


Q. Can donors designate how a nonprofit uses their gifts?

Give Big CHQ gifts are considered unrestricted gifts to the nonprofit.


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 solely to send thank you messages, provide the option to receive future notifications, and to notify you of future activities. The Chautauqua Region and Northern Chautauqua Community Foundations will also have access to the name and email address of donors.


Q. Do I need to create an account with GiveGab?

No. You do not need to create an account to make a donation. The benefits of creating an account include having your tax receipts collected in one location, being able to track your donations, follow the charities you support, and engage in future volunteering and donations. Your tax receipt is emailed immediately upon processing your donation. To claim a donation as a deduction on U.S. taxes, you should retain the donation receipt as an official record.


Q. What if my preferred organization is not listed?

Please send contact the host organization:

Chautauqua Region Community Foundation

716-661-3390/ info@crcfonline.org

*Any donations processed outside of the Giving Day Period, through GiveGab.com, or subsequent recurring donations are subject to transaction fees outlined on the GiveGab.com pricing page: info.givegab.com/pricing


Nonprofit FAQ


Q. What is Give Big CHQ?

Give Big CHQ is a 24-hour online fundraising event that connects individuals with causes they care about in Chautauqua county. 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organizations can register and create their own fundraising page to accept donations the day of the event- June 13, 2024. Hosted by the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation this event provides an opportunity for us to come together as a community to celebrate the important work of local nonprofits, helping to raise dollars and awareness for their missions.


Q. When is Give Big CHQ?

Give Big CHQ is scheduled for June 13, 2024. Online donations will be accepted through the Give Big CHQ platform starting on June 13 12:00 a.m. through 11:59 p.m.


Q. Which organizations can participate?

Organizations that are verified 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofits that are headquartered or provide services in Chautauqua County.


Q. Why should my organization participate?


Since 2018, this annual online giving day has helped to raise over $1.7M to directly support local nonprofit organizations. Give Big CHQ is a great way to boost your organization’s fundraising efforts and be part of a fun community-wide event.

Give Big CHQ provides nonprofits the opportunity:


  • Fundraise Online
  • Engage existing donors and reach new donors
  • Engage your staff, board and volunteers in new ways
  • Qualify for additional Stretch Pool Dollars
  • Enhance fundraising efforts with fun incentives and tools
  • Raise awareness about your organization
  • Expand your online and social media presence
  • Learn and use new online marketing strategies
  • Have fun!


Q. When can organizations register?

Registration opens March 11. The deadline to register for Give Big CHQ is May 24.


Q. Why do you require the last four digits of the nonprofit administrator’s Social Security number and date of birth for a nonprofit’s donation payouts?

Give Gab 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, Give Gab 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. Can more than one person claim administrative access on our organization’s page?

Yes, pending approval from existing administrators. All administrators will need to create profiles on GiveGab. Every person who has administrative access will receive emails about updates to their page.


Q. What is considered an eligible gift?

Donations may not be used to pay off existing pledges to an organization, or be used for anything that might be perceived as a benefit to the donor (dinner tickets, membership fees, golf fees, admission tickets, gifts, and other "quid pro quo" contributions as defined by the IRS).

All donation are tax-deductible, irrevocable and for the unrestricted use of the nonprofit.

It is at the discretion of each nonprofit whether they will accept offline donations, cash or check, as part of their fundraising efforts. These donations will not be eligible toward receiving stretch pool dollars.


Q. Which organizations are eligible for prize incentives?

Every verified, participating nonprofit that collects online donations on June 13, 2024 through givebigchq.org is eligible to qualify* for a portion of the stretch pool dollars.

It is at each nonprofit's discretion whether they accept offline donations of cash or check as part of their fundraising efforts. Offline donations will not be eligible for any stretch pool incentives (this includes match/challenge sponsored dollars).

*To qualify for a portion of the stretch pool dollars, a nonprofit must receive donations from at least 10 unique, online donors between the designated time frame for the stretch pool. Unique donors are determined by email address and will also be reviewed/audited by the host organization.

Offline donations will not be eligible for any prize incentives, this includes match/challenge sponsored dollars.


Q. How can my organization connect with Give Big CHQ on social media?

Be sure to follow the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation @CRCFOnline on Facebook and Instagram for the most up to date information regarding this year's virtual fundraising event. Organizations can also use the hashtag #GiveBigCHQ in social media posts and photos to keep track of all of the fun!


Q. Is there a fee to participate?

There is no upfront cost to participate. Organizations will receive all monies donated to their organization, less the 2% website platform fee and the standard credit card processing fees per transaction of 2.5% + $0.30. Donors have the option to cover these fees.

Donors can also donate on Give Big CHQ via an ACH transfer. The minimum amount for an ACH gift is $100 and there is a flat $3 bank processing fee per transaction.

**Any donations processed outside of the Giving Day donation period through GiveGab.com, or subsequent recurring donations, are also subject to the transaction fees outlined above.


Q. How will organizations receive the donated funds?

Each donation made to a participating nonprofit will be disbursed directly from GiveGab’s payment processor, Stripe, via direct deposit within 5 to 7 business days.


Q. Does my organization need to send letters for their tax deductions?

With GiveGab you can instantly delight your Give Big CHQ donors with a custom automatic thank you message that comes right from your organization immediately after a donation is made. Check out the Nonprofit Toolkit for all of the resources available.


Q. How does an organization access its donor data?

All organizations that participate in Give Big CHQ will be able to access and download a .CSV file of their donations via their administrative dashboard on GiveGab. The report is updated in real-time and will include the donation payout date for bank account reconciliation, donation information (including a breakdown of the fees), and the donor's name and contact information.


Q. How can our organization be most successful with the Give Big CHQ event?

Check out our Nonprofit Toolkit for all of the resources available and participate in our trainings and webinars to make the most of your organization’s giving day experience.