Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Soliciting Donations on Your Site

Just as some sites manage auctions on behalf of different charities, other organizations solicit online donations for charities. Adding your nonprofit's name to the list takes only a few minutes.

Connecting with online giving sites

Online giving sites, or charity portals, typically work with thousands of types of charities. The portal actively solicits online donors, and then individuals choose which charities receive the donations. In some case, these sites also distribute their databases of nonprofits to larger entities, in an effort to increase giving potential.

A few of the largest, and most widely recognized, charity portals are

• CanadaHelps.org: www.canadahelps.org
• JustGive.org: www.justgive.org
• Network for Good: www.networkforgood.org

You pay no registration fee when you sign up with any of these three sites. However, they all deduct a small percentage of each donation (usually 3 percent) to cover their credit card processing fees. As for online reporting features and the transfer of donated funds to your organization, these items vary with each organization. You can check the FAQ section of each site to find more information on each organization's specific policies.

Adding your nonprofit's name to each site's list of charities takes only a few minutes. When you're confirmed as a recognized charitable organization (typically within 48 hours), you're automatically listed on the site. You can also place on your Web site a link that directs ...