| SmartCause
Giving FAQ
What is the goal of
SmartCause.org?
Is my donation tax-deductible?
What is a "public beta?"
So, when will the Web site be
complete?
So there are features that
aren't working?
Why don't you review
yourselves?
How will SmartCause make money?
Can I make a donation to
SmartCause?
What is the goal of
SmartCause.org?
SmartCause.org
is designed to inform people how charities are spending their money.
This will help people make better decisions about which organizations
to donate to. With SmartCause, you'll be able to rest easy, knowing
that your donation is changing lives, not just padding wallets.
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Is my donation tax-deductible?
All of
the organizations SmartCause reviews are 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
charities. So if you live in the United States, the answer is yes. When
you find a charity that you'd like to support, simply click the "Donate
to this charity" button and you will be taken directly to the donation
page on that charity's Web site.
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What is a "public beta?"
Beta
means it's mostly finished, but it's still a little rough around the
edges. It also means we're ready to start receiving feedback from the
public. During the public beta, anyone can sign up for a free
membership, research charities, read charity reviews, and offer
suggestions on how to improve the site. If you have a suggestion,
please go here.
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So, when will the Web site be
complete?
That
depends on the kind of feedback we receive and how active our user
community is. When we're sure everything is just right and when we've
received a substantial number of charity reviews, we'll launch the site
in-full. But don't let this stop you from using the site now, we may be
ironing out the kinks, but the SmartForms work, the charity reviews are
accurate, and almost every feature of the site is enabled.
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So there are features that
aren't working?
More
like hidden. We're keeping a few tricks up our sleeves for when we
leave beta.
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Why don't you review yourselves?
For
the same reasons we don't review any other brand new charity. First,
our reviews are based on 990 tax returns. We're so new, we haven't
completed one yet. Second, if you were to look at the financials of a
brand new organization, the expenses would look vastly different from
an organization that already has all its infrastructure firmly in place.
That being said, you can rest assured that we're all about efficiency.
It's a major driving force behind our evaluations and it's how we do
business.
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How will SmartCause make money?
SmartCause,
Inc. is currently in the process of applying for 501(c)(3) non-profit
status, or in plain English, we are a charity. We will be primarily
supported through donations. Just as users will be able to start drives
for other charities, they will be able to start drives to raise money
for SmartCause as well.
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Can I
make a donation to SmartCause?
As
noted above, SmartCause,
Inc. is currently in the process of applying for 501(c)(3) non-profit
status. If/When our application is approved, it will make all donations
to SmartCause retroactively tax-deductible. But since we're still in
that process, you'll notice that the only donation buttons on our site
are
for other charities.
If
you'd like to make a donation to SmartCause, you are welcome to make
donations by check - make payable to "SmartCause, Inc." and send to:
SmartCause, Inc.
Attn: Evan Rutledge
1113 Nimbus Ln.
San Diego, CA
92110
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