General FAQ
View Donor FAQs | Nonprofit FAQs
Q. What is SOLA Giving Day?
Q. When is SOLA Giving Day?
The 24-hour event is on Thursday, May 2, 2024 beginning at 12 AM CST and ending at 11:59 PM CST! Early Giving begins on April 4. All donations can be made through www.solagivingday.org
Q. Who is Community Foundation of Acadiana?
Q. What is GiveGab (now becoming Bonterra)?
GiveGab/Bonterra is an online giving platform that helps nonprofits raise money, engage donors, and manage volunteers quickly and efficiently. GiveGab/Bonterra offers a full portfolio of simple and easy-to-use products that allow organizations to function in a more streamlined manner. Learn more about the company and product offerings at www.bonterratech.com.Donor FAQ
Q. Where is SOLA Giving Day?
SOLA Giving Day is an online, web-based event, and all event-related donations can be made online through the website: www.solagivingday.org.
Q. Who can donate?
Anyone can donate to a nonprofit that is registered to participate in SOLA Giving Day! We’ve made it simple and easy to give online.
Q. Is there a minimum gift?
There is a $5 minimum donation. There is no maximum donation. All gifts made to organizations through SOLA Giving Day are non-refundable.
Q. What forms of donations are accepted?
Credit Card: Donations can be made with MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express credit or debit cards via the SOLA Giving Day website.
PayPal/Venmo: Donations can be made using your personal PayPal or Venmo account via the SOLA Giving Day website.
Bank Account: Donations can be made directly from your bank account with a donation minimum of $100 through the SOLA Giving Day website.
You can learn more about using your bank account for your donation by clicking HERE.
Check: Donations can be made by check but must be mailed/delivered to the nonprofit of your choice before May 2, 2024, and marked with "SOLA Giving Day" in the subject line. Contact your preferred participating nonprofit for more information.
Donor Advised Funds: See question below.
To give gifts of appreciated securities or use IRA Charitable Distributions, please contact solagivingday@cfacadiana.org.
Q. Can donors make contributions from a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) at CFA or elsewhere?
Yes! Individuals can elect to give from their CFA Donor Advised Fund(s) during the online checkout process via www.solagivingday.org. Donors with CFA DAF's can also contact solagivingday@cfacadiana.org to request transfers from their fund to support a participating organization.
To give from a DAF established elsewhere, please contact that entity directly and request a distribution to be sent to the participating organization of your choice (memo: SOLA Giving Day).
Q. Is my donation tax-deductible?
Yes! Every nonprofit profiled on this site is recognized by and is in good standing with the IRS. For this reason, all donations made through SOLA Giving Day are 100% tax deductible.
Q. Will I receive a receipt for tax purposes?
Yes! If giving online, donors will receive an e-mailed receipt acknowledging their gift immediately after it is processed. If giving direct to an organization offline, donors will receive a gift acknowledgement from that organization. To claim a donation as a deduction on U.S. taxes, you should retain the donation receipt as an official record.
Q. Do I have to wait until SOLA Giving Day to donate?
Absolutely not! The donation period opens on Thursday, April 4 and closes at 11:59:59 PM on Thursday, May 2.
Q. Who will receive a donor's contact information?
The organization(s) receiving your donation will have access to your name, mailing address, 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.
Donors also have the option to donate anonymously during the checkout process. Selecting "Yes" to the anonymous donation question at checkout will make your gift completely anonymous to the nonprofit.
Q. What are the fees? What percentage of each contribution will the organization receive?
Credit / Debit Card Fees: 3% + $0.30 is charged on every credit card donation. A donor does have the option to "cover the fees" online. If the donor does not opt-in to this option, the organization will receive approximately 97% of the donation. On the other hand, if the donor opts to "cover the fees," the donation is increased by the fee amount and the organization will receive 100% of the desired contribution.
ACH Fees: 0.5% plus a 3.00 flat rate is charged on every ACH donation with a minimum donation of $100.
Offline Fees: If giving offline, please provide payment directly to the participating NPO of your choice. Otherwise, there is a 3% CFA Support Fee on all cash / check donations that must be processed by CFA.
No Fees: Please note, there are no fees assessed on prize dollars, matching funds, or contributions made from CFA Donor Advised Funds.
Q. How will my donation appear on my credit card/bank statement?
The donation will appear on your credit card/bank statement as "Community Foundation" immediately after the contribution is processed.
Q. Can I provide a matching challenge to a participating organization?
Absolutely. The minimum match gift is $1,000, and donors are encouraged to provide this challenge directly to the participating organization of their choice. After the match donation is agreed upon by donor and nonprofit, a representative from the nonprofit must submit the form linked below. Once the form has been completed, the SOLA Giving Day team will add the match to the organization's fundraising profile on www.solagivignday.org. The deadline to submit the match form is Thursday, April 27.
Click Here >> SOLA Giving Day Match Details Form
Q. Can I use my employer's matching gifts program?
Yes. Please provide your tax receipt to your employer and have them mail matching contributions directly to the beneficiary organization(s) prior to Giving Day (if possible). If matches are received after Giving Day, the organization will still receive the donation, but it will not be included in their SOLA Giving Day campaign fundraising totals or be eligible for additional event matches or prizes. Checks should be made out to the beneficiary organization(s) with "SOLA Giving Day" in the memo line.
Q. Do donors need to create an account with SOLA Giving Day?
No. You do not need to create an account to donate. 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 donation opportunities. This is an option but not a requirement.
Q. What if a preferred organization is not listed on the website?
If you can't find the organization on the site, they may not be participating in the event this year. Please encourage the nonprofit to contact us so we can get them registered or be sure they are ready for next year.
Q. Additional questions?
For general questions, please contact solagivingday@cfacadiana.org. For questions about the technology platform, GiveGab/Bonterra chat support is available through the blue chat bubble Monday - Friday 8am to 4pm CT, with extended hours 6am to 6pm CT on May 2nd.
Nonprofit FAQ
Q. Who can participate in SOLA Giving Day?
Eligible organizations are:
- 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations*
- Public and Private Schools
- Churches
*These are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(3), which is other than a private foundation under section 509(a), of the Internal Revenue Code.
All participants must be in good standing with the IRS and the Louisiana Secretary of state and have a registered organization profile by March 7.
Q. Can my organization/project use a Fiscal Sponsor to participate?
Yes. To request for CFA to act as fiscal sponsor for your participation, please contact solagivingday@cfacadiana.org.
- If collaborating with an entity outside of CFA, please click here to complete the Fiscal Sponsorship form
Q. When does my organization register?
Nonprofit registration will open on January 30. Registration will be completed online via www.solagivingday.org.
Q, What is the deadline to ensure my participation?
Organization profiles and registration payments must be submitted by March 7.
Q. What is the cost to register my organization?
| Registration Fee | Organization Total Annual Operating Expenses* |
| $100 | $0 - $200,000 |
| $150 | $200,001 - $500,000 |
| $200 | $500,001 + |
- As a reminder, the registration fee must be paid before your organization's profile can be made public on the SOLA Giving Day website.
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You will be prompted to pay your registration fee online using a credit/debit card during the registration process.
Q. Do donors have to wait until Giving Day to donate?
Q. How are donations submitted?
Online Donations:
Donations can be made by credit or debit card, echeck or CFA Donor Advised Fund at www.solagivingday.org. Donors will also have the option to use their personal PayPal or Venmo accounts at checkout.
Offline Donations:
Donations can also be made to support your campaign offline. Organizations can receive cash/check donations directly and are responsible for entering in these donations into their SOLA Giving Day administrative dashboard to keep track of total amounts raised and to count towards matching dollars.
Q. How can donors provide a matching challenge to our organization?
The minimum match gift is $1,000, and donors are encouraged to provide this challenge directly to your organization. After the match donation is agreed upon by donor and nonprofit, a representative from the nonprofit must submit the form linked below. Once the form has been completed, the SOLA Giving Day team will add the match to your organization's profile where match progress will be tracked. The deadline to submit the match form is Thursday, April 27.
Click Here >> SOLA Giving Day Match Details Form
Q. How can our organization win a prize?
To view prize opportunities and parameters, visit www.solagivingday.org/prizes
Q. How will donations be distributed?
Q. How do organizations identify donors and contributions? Can I download a donations report?
Q. How can our organization be most successful with SOLA Giving Day?
Make SOLA Giving Day a strategic part of your annual fundraising plan, pick a specific project and financial goal for which to fundraise, and leverage your social networks by taking advantage of the marketing materials in the SOLA Giving Day Toolkit.