Frequently asked questions
We try to keep things simple, but questions do arise. If yours isn't answered here, please contact us.
Jump to: Campaign basics | About FanAngel | Fees & payouts | Security & privacy | Donations
Campaign basics
How do I start a fundraiser?
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To begin a new fundraiser, visit fill out our Start a Fundraiser form. It should take about 5 minutes. From there, your campaign coach will set up your page and contact you with next steps. (Please allow up to three business days.)
How do I join a fundraiser?
Please view our participant tutorials to assist you with joining your group's fundraiser.
If you do not have the link required, please contact us with the name of the fundraiser and participant so that we can send it to you.
Is this only for sports teams?
No! We work with many other school groups and activities—like band, theatre, and StuCo—as well as competitive and recreational clubs, and even individuals.
What if I don’t have a 501c3?
We are happy to support campaigns for non-501c3 groups or individuals. The credit card fees are slightly higher (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) compared to 501c3 organizations (2.8%), but everything else is the same. And you will need a bank account to transfer the funds to.
Can I do a fundraiser for myself/an individual?
Yes, we can absolutely work with individuals. We will just need to verify where the funds will be distributed to help with setting up the page.
How long does a fundraiser run?
We recommend running your campaign for 3-4 weekends, after emails are sent. After launch, FanAngel will send up to four emails to every contact entered, until they have donated.
We will work with you to identify the best start and end dates for your fundraiser, but ultimately the decision is yours.
Does my organization need to sign a contract?
Nope! We're confident that once you try FanAngel, you'll be hooked. But if you aren't, there are no obligations or penalties.
About FanAngel
What is FanAngel?
FanAngel is an online fundraising platform designed for all groups. Supported by dedicated campaign coaches, it leverages personalized, automated outreach to increase giving and reduce the burden of fundraising. FanAngel ensures secure, compliant donations; and groups keep over 90% of the money raised.
Created for Schools and Non-Profits - FanAngel partners with FanAngel Foundation (fanangelfoundation.org) to accept non-profit donations. If you are a School or a federal charitable organization, all funds will be processed by FanAngel Foundation, and then will send all proceeds directly to the designated non-profit (minus FanAngel and credit card fees). Once a campaign is created with a FanAngel Foundation approved non-profit, it cannot be changed. If a beneficiary loses its non-profit status and there is an active campaign, the campaign is immediately suspended and the organizer is contacted. Proceeds collected by FanAngel Foundation will never be disbursed to an individual or a for-profit organization.
Check out this quick article from the CEO.
FanAngel Foundation, Inc. (“FanAngel") is a California nonprofit corporation (Federal Tax ID: 83-0678354) with federal tax-exempt status from the IRS under Section 501(c)(3). Contributions to FanAngel are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
Who Uses FanAngel?
Teams, Athletes, Schools, Non-Profits... anyone in the United States who needs to raise money and awareness and can use the power of their activity to help excite and engage with their supporters.
Examples include:
-High School and Youth sports teams raising money for equipment and travel.
-Non-traditional athletes who need to fund their training, equipment, or travel.
-A community member who wants to use events and performances to raise funds and bring awareness for causes (e.g. raising money for American Cancer Society by completing their first marathon).
How does it work?
FanAngel is a feature-rich platform focused on the unique needs and passions around school sports and activities. Some key features include:
-Donations - Ability to accept a flat donation in any value over $1.
-Performance/Challenge Pledges - Envision a jog-a-thon applied to every sport, every level, every stat. Or envision using that key rivalry game to motivate donations & awareness. Performance Pledges allow fans to pledge their donation based on real world outcomes like wins, touchdowns, miles, pounds... Imagine pledging $10 for each touchdown your local high school scores during the season. The campaign administrators will input the final results for the final donation amount.
-Event Registration - Holding a car wash or barbecue fundraiser? Use FanAngel to sell tickets for delivery or will call.
-Advanced Email and Social Features - Promoting your campaign is the hard work of fundraising. FanAngel is here to help alleviate some of that difficulty by offering features and best practices that have proven track records in the crowdfunding space. Programs can leverage our powerful email networking features to emulate an old-school letter writing campaign, but with 21st century tracking (you’ll know exactly which participant sent the most emails and garnered the most donations).
-More than Rewards - Donor incentives are a cornerstone many successful fundraising campaigns. FanAngel has expanded on the standard offerings -- e.g. weekly top supporter rewards, market value for tax donations, auction rewards... Adding in rewards shared with connected campaigns and rewards for "top" connected campaigns and the power FanAngel really begins to shine.
-Online Auctions - FanAngel is the only fundraising platform that includes an auction platform inside your crowdfunding page.
Check out our How It Works page for more information.
Where is FanAngel located?
Our headquarters is in Morro Bay, CA., USA; however, our reps work remotely in various locations across the United States.
Do you have local reps?
FanAngel doesn’t have local reps; we provide US-based remote support for all aspects of your campaign. This means we don't come onsite to help film a video or run a parent meeting, but we do provide video script and parent letter templates. And we are happy to consult with you by email, chat, or phone. This is how we keep our fee so low!
How long have you been around?
FanAngel has been managing successful fundraisers for schools, non-profits, clubs, and individuals since 2018.
How does FanAngel compare to other fundraisers?
FanAngel is an easy-to-use and effective team-based crowdfunding platform. As an online tool, it is much easier to manage than product- or event-based fundraisers. And our fees are lower than all the similar platforms of which we are aware. With FanAngel, you keep 90% of every donation: no upfront costs, no penalties, no minimums, and no contracts.
Want to learn more? Check out how FanAngel compares to other fundraisers.
Fees & payouts
How much does it cost to use FanAngel?
There is no upfront cost to use FanAngel. We charge a flat 7% fee on all donations, while the credit card processor (Stripe) charges schools and 501c3 organizations 2.8%. These programs are guaranteed 90.2% of all money raised. (For non-charitable clubs, the credit card fee is 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.) There are no minimums, no penalties, no cancellation fees, or any other additional fees expected.
Examples:
-If you are a 501c3 that gets $10,000 in donations, you will receive a check or deposit of $9,020. FanAngel gets $700, and Stripe gets $280.
-If you receive $0 in donations, FanAngel also gets $0.
When will we receive the money?
If you set up direct deposit through Stripe, money will be transferred to your program's account every Monday until the campaign is complete. (You must inform your campaign coach if you need only one deposit at the end of the fundraiser.)
If your organization requires a check, we will email a printable check the Monday after your fundraiser closes. (We do not issue checks halfway through a campaign.)
What kind of incentives do you give my team?
We don't stock any incentives. Rather than charging you for gear or gift cards, we provide tracking in the admin panel so that YOU can decide if and how to reward participants on your team. (We recommend donated items or practice incentives—e.g. no sprints.)
Our donor reward feature allows you to manage incentives for qualifying donations—e.g. donate $100 and get a team t-shirt. This is just for tracking purposes. You are responsible for obtaining and distributing any incentives.
Security & privacy
How do you process donations and transfer money to my program?
Security is a top priority at FanAngel. That's why we use Stripe, an industry-leading credit card processor used by companies such as Amazon, Google, and Zoom. (You can check out their security documentation here: https://stripe.com/docs/security.)
If you set up direct donations using Stripe, money will be transferred to your program's account every Monday until the campaign is complete. (Or you can change this setting in Stripe to daily, monthly, or manually.) This option is required for any campaign not recognized as a charitable organization or school.
If you choose to receive a check, your donations are held by FanAngel Foundation for 501c3 and federally recognized charitable organizations until the campaign ends. We then issue a printable check by email the Monday after a campaign closes.
How do you use the contact information participants submit?
When participants submit contact information for potential supporters, it is only used for that particular campaign. FanAngel does not market to these contacts. We do not sell, rent, or lease contact data to third parties, and we will not provide this data to any third party individual, government agency, or company at any time unless compelled to do so by law.
Each email address will receive up to four email reminders about the fundraiser. If they place a donation, they will also receive a confirmation email. They may unsubscribe at any time by using the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the email.
Donations
How do I find the person I want to donate to?
For privacy purposes, we do not publicly display the list of fundraising participants. Each participant has a personal link that they can share via email, text, on social media, etc.
If you do not have this link, please contact us with the name of the fundraiser and participant so that we can send it to you.
Who gets the money?
FanAngel campaigns will always clearly identify the beneficiaries of the funds raised.
For "Verified" campaign donations are processed by our partner FanAngel Foundation and then sent to the school or non-profit that FanAngel Foundation has on record at the conclusion of the campaign. FanAngel LLC does not receive non-profit donations. All funds for non-profit recipients go directly to FanAngel Foundation. Any applicable tax receipts are generated by FanAngel Foundation.
For-Profit/"Cash" campaigns donations, also known as Personal Fundraising, are processed through FanAngel LLC. These funds are directly sent to the designated recipient during the campaign. These donations are NOT tax deductible. FanAngel DOES NOT VERIFY OR GUARANTEE the validity of for-profit campaigns, but will indicate who the funds are being sent to. Therefore, donors should donate only to people and campaigns they personally know.
Can I donate if I live outside the United States?
FanAngel supports international credit cards and currencies. As long as the credit card is a MasterCard, Visa, Discover, or American Express, it will be accepted.
Can I donate via check?
FanAngel does not accept checks directly, but the program you are supporting likely does. You should contact the program director for instructions. If you do not have the director's contact information, you may contact us and we will get you connected.
Can I donate to a campaign after it has ended?
FanAngel cannot accept a donation after the fundraiser has ended. Contact the program director to find out how to donate directly. If you don't have their contact information, contact us with the name of the organization you are trying to reach, and we will get you connected.
Is my donation tax deductible?
It may be. We send a donation receipt to the email address provided when a donation is given. It will indicate a tax deduction if the organization is a 501c3 charitable organization as classified by the IRS. Donors should confer with an accountant or tax professional to determine how to report this contribution.
Is my payment secure?
Security is a top priority at FanAngel. That's why we use Stripe, an industry-leading credit card processor used by companies such as Amazon, Google, and Zoom. (You can check out their security documentation here: https://stripe.com/docs/security.) FanAngel is only able to see the donor's name, what type of card they used, and the last 4 numbers of the card for troubleshooting purposes. We do not store credit card information.
Why won’t you accept my credit card?
We accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express. If you’re using one of these and it still isn’t processing, we recommend contacting your card issuer for more information or trying another payment method.
Where is my receipt?
Your receipt was emailed to the address provided at the time of donation. If you didn't see it, it may have landed in your spam folder.
If it's not there, please contact us with the email address you used for the donation. We'll be happy to re-send it.
Why isn't my donation showing up for the person I was trying to support?
No worries! Just contact us with the name of (or link to) the fundraiser, the person you would like to support, your name, and donation amount. We'll take care of the rest.
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