iGive Help Centre

The Basics

• What is iGive?
  • iGive is a quick and easy way to collect money for an NGO or charity of your choice. You provide details of why you're raising funds for a cause close to your heart. GiveIndia uses these details to create an iGive webpage that your friends and family can visit and donate to through a secure online donation. GiveIndia will then transfer the amount you have collected to your chosen NGO. iGive provides you with a simple and convenient platform to collect money for a good cause.

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• Why do I need to log in to create an iGive page?
  • You must log into the website to create an iGive page. This way you receive a mail from GiveIndia informing you of donations made through your page. This also facilitates donors through your page to receive a thank-you message from GiveIndia (on your behalf) when they make their donations.
    
    This will also enable you to edit your iGive page, upload feedback etc., in the future, when these features are introduced by us.
    

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• How do I create an iGive page?
  • Click here to create an iGive page in three quick and easy steps.

    First, you need to register yourself as a new user on GiveIndia.org. Enter your personal, permanent email ID as your User ID. You will receive a password from GiveIndia. This user ID and password can be used for all other transactions you wish to make through the website. If you are already registered on GiveIndia.org, please use your existing user ID and password.

    Then, create your page by filling in details, such as why, for whom and how much money you wish to collect.

    Once you have filled in all these details and clicked on 'Create Pledge Page', you will immediately receive a link/URL for your iGive page.

    As soon it is the date that you have chosen as your start date for your iGive page, you can send the link/URL to friends and family.

    Please bear in mind that if you choose a 35AC project when creating your iGive page, your donors will only be issued an 80G receipt against donations made on your page.
    

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• Why am I not able to view my favorite Tier I/ Tier II NGO in the NGO drop down list while creating an iGive page?
  • Tier I/II NGOs which have not submitted necessary details in order to receive donations through iGive will not be visible in the dropdown list. Please get in touch with us at info@giveindia.org informing us which NGO you would like to support and we will follow up with them for the necessary details.
    

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• Can I upload an image on my iGive page?
  • Yes, you can upload a 100x100 pixel image on your iGive page. Please make sure that you size the image exactly at 100x100 pixels, or else it will get stretched and resized to 100x100 pixels when displayed.
    
    

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• My iGive page is ready and I have the URL for it. Can I make changes to it now?
  • Yes, you can make changes to your iGive page once it has been created (i.e. once you have a link for the your page). However, the following fields cannot be edited -
    Event you are participating in
    Foreign Contribution Status
    Display list of donors on page
    
    So we strongly recommend that you be sure to double check these details before creating your page.

    Please follow these steps to edit your iGive page:
    

    1. Log into the GiveIndia site with the same email ID that you used to create your iGive page
    2. Go to iGive > 'Search for an iGive page' along the top menu of the site
    3. Search for your page using any of the fields given
    4. Your page will display below. Click on it and proceed to edit by clicking on the 'edit' button in the top, right hand corner of the page.
    NOTE: You need to click on the 'CreatePledgePage' button again, to save your changes

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• Can anybody view my iGive page and donate money?
  • Yes, anybody can view your iGive page and donate money. However, mainly friends and family who you have sent the URL to will be donors on your page. It is unlikely that strangers would choose to support a person they do not know.
    

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• How do I delete an iGive page that I've created.
  • Once a page has been created (i.e. you have clicked on the create page button and have a link for the page), it cannot be deleted till it reaches its end date, or till the target is met (if you've said "stop collecting after the target is met"). Once the end date is reached or target is met, your page can only be viewed, but it will not be possible to donate on the page.
    

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• How do I search for a friend's iGive page?
  • You can search for a friend's iGive page by clicking here. This will take you to the iGive search page where you will need to fill in any of the following details - 
    Friend's name
    NGO name
    Page name
    Reason for raising funds .

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• How will I know if someone has made a donation on my iGive Page?
  • You will receive a notification mail for every successful donation made on your page. Also, your donor will receive a 'Thank You' mail from you, that you designed yourself while creating your iGive page. Finally, you can also see the list of contributors on your page, if you've enabled that feature while creating the page.

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• What do the following status of iGive pages mean?
  • Inactive means the iGive page's start date is yet to come in the future.

    Active means the page is live and ready and donors can donate through it.

    Expired means that the page's end date has passed or the target amount has been achieved (in cases where the owner has opted not to collect beyond the target amount).

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• What happens when I reach my target amount?
  • When you created your page, you may have opted to keep your page open and accept donations even beyond your target amount. In this case, your page will stay active until the end date is reached.

    If you have opted not to collect beyond the target amount, then no donations can be made once this amount has been reached. In both cases, the money will be transferred by GiveIndia to your chosen NGO once the end date is reached.

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• What happens if I don't raise my desired target amount?
  • Whatever amount that has been raised through the page till the end date will be sent to the NGO of your choice.

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• How do I raise funds through my iGive page?
  • While anybody can view your iGive page and donate money, it is mainly friends and family who you have sent the URL to who will actually donate through it. It is unlikely that strangers would choose to support a person they do not know. These tips and ideas will help you promote your iGive page and raise more funds through it.

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Causes/NGOs

• What causes can I support through my iGive page?
  
  • You can support any of the causes that GiveIndia's 200+ NGOs work for. These include children, the disabled, education, the elderly, employment, environment, health, human rights, women and youth.
    You can set up an iGive page for any tier I or tier II NGO on GiveIndia.

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• How do I know as a donor that the cause on an iGive page is a valid one?
  • Currently, iGive page owners are collecting funds only for GiveIndia certified NGOs. In this case, you can be assured that the money will reach the NGO.

    In the future when the website permits fund raising for non-certified NGOs, GiveIndia can provide no assurance that the money will be used for the stated purpose or that the cause is a valid one. Your assurance should stem from your relationship with the page owner .

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• Where can I learn more about GiveIndia certified NGOs?
  • Please click here for extensive information on all of GiveIndia's certified NGOs.

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• When will the funds I raised through my page reach the NGO I have chosen?
  • For iGive pages, disbursements are typically made on the 20th of the month.

    After you donate online, it may take around 24-72 hours for your payment to be approved. GiveIndia disburses the donations of a particular month on the 20th of the month. This is applicable for donations made in India.

    For those in the US/UK, donations made by the 15th of the month are disbursed to the NGO on the 10th of the next month. The extra time required is due to high lead time in bank transfers and remittance procedures from US/UK to India.

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• My NGO is registered as a Tier I/ Tier II but is not visible in the NGO dropdown list for creating an iGive page?
  • All Tier I/ Tier II NGOs which wish to receive funds through iGive page(s) need to submit an iGive Reimbursement Report to us. If the same has not been submitted to us, your NGO will not feature in this NGO dropdown list.

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• My NGO is a Tier I/ Tier II. We have submitted an iGive Reimbursement Report. But our NGO is not visible in the NGO dropdown list for creating an iGive page?
  • When the iGive limit submitted by you in your Reimbursement Report reaches Rs. 0, no further donations will be possible through your iGive page(s). Infact, no further iGive page(s) will be able to be set up for your NGO; so, it will not be visible in the NGO dropdown list for creating an iGive page.

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Donating through iGive

• How does one donate through an iGive page?
  • Here's how you do it:

    Step 1: Go to the iGive page that you would like to make a donation through. Put in the amount that you would like to donate along with a comment. Then click on the 'Donate Now' button.
    Step 2: If you are already registered with GiveIndia, log into your GiveIndia account. Otherwise, fill in the details under the 'New to GiveIndia?' section and click 'Proceed'.
    Step 3: Select your mode of payment and click 'Pay Now' to complete payment for your donation.
    
    Here's a pictoral guide to making a donation through an iGive page.
    Here's a pictoral guide to to making a cheque donation through an iGive page.

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• Why am I getting the following error message when I try to donate through an active iGive page - "Sorry, this NGO cannot receive any contributions through iGive pages as they do not have a need for the same."
  • In order to receive donations through iGive, NGOs must submit a requirement for the same to us. When this requirement reaches Rs. 0, further donations through an NGO’s iGive page(s) is not possible. When this happens, you will receive this error message.
    
    Please write to us at info@giveindia.org and we will follow up with the NGO to send in their further iGive requirement.

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• How can foreigners donate through an iGive page?
  • Provided an NGO has FCRA, foreigners may donate through a tier I NGO’s iGive page by setting their profiles to US/UK Taxpayer or Other. In order to donate through a tier II NGO's iGive page, foreigners must set the tax status in their profiles to 'Other', then proceed to make their donation.

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• Will my donors receive a donation receipt for tax purposes?
  • While all donors will receive a receipt for their donations, it will not be of value to all donors. If your organization is a tier I NGO, the receipt will be of value to Indian/NRI/US and UK donors; for tier II NGOs, the receipt will be of value to Indians and NRI donors only.

    This receipt will be emailed to donors directly on the email ID they used when registering on the GiveIndia site in order to make their donation.
    
    Please bear in mind that even if you set up an iGive page for a 35 AC project, your donors will only be issued an 80G receipt against donations made on your page.

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• Will my donors receive a GiveIndia feedback report?
  • GiveIndia doesn't provide feedback reports for donations made on iGive pages. You will have to follow up with the iGive page owner or the NGO directly to know how your funds were utilised.

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• Will GiveIndia deduct any donation money to cover expenses?
  • 6.5% of the total funds raised through your iGive pages will be retained by GiveIndia. The remaining will be sent to your chosen NGO.

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iGive Reimbursement Report

• What is an iGive Reimbursement Report?
  • Every NGO needs to submit an iGive Reimbursement Report to receive donations through iGive pages. It is a report that contains details of past expenses already incurred by the NGO in the present financial year from their unrestricted funding. It needs to be for an amount that the NGO expects to raise through iGive (The report needs to be submitted for the minimum expenses of Rs. 10,000).
    
    For Tier I organizations, the expenses must be for their poor beneficiaries only while for Tier II organizations, it should be for expenses incurred in the following areas only - Education/Environment/Relief of Poor/Medical Relief.
    
    Please note that the expenditure mentioned in these reports must pertain to the current financial year and must not already be covered by a specific donation from another donor. These reports are meant for internal audit purposes and will not be released to the donor.

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• Is there any particular format in which an iGive Reimbursement Report needs to be prepared?
  • Yes. Download and fill this standard format for an iGive Reimbursement Report.

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• Why does GiveIndia require NGOs to submit an iGive Reimbursement Report?
  • Answer: As per the laws of the IT Act, 1961, GiveIndia must ensure the following:
    
    (a) That funds raised through iGive pages are used for one of the following purposes only - Education/Environment/Relief of Poor/Medical Relief.
    (b) That all funds raised for an NGO in a particular financial year are disbursed to the organization within the same year itself.
    
    In order to comply with the above two, we require NGOs to submit iGive Reimbursement Reports before iGive funds are raised for them. This avoids situations where the NGO may inadvertently use iGive funds for a purpose outside of what is legally permitted; and cases where NGOs are not able to submit iGive Reimbursement Reports in time in order to claim funds already raised for them.