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FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
These
FAQs were developed with you in mind. It takes you through
everything from the registration process to online donation.
Please take advantage of this resource but if you cannot
find the answer here, you can email us . However, we cannot answer
questions by email that can be answered here. You can
also use our live chat found on the
"Contact Us" page.
Using the Website
Registration
Q. How much does it cost to
register for the IsraelGives.org website?
A. Registration for the IsraelGives.org website is free for
all legally incorporated Israeli non-profit organizations.
Q. How do I register?
A. Enter into the amuta side of
the website by clicking on the purple button in the top part
of the screen (it says "are you a charity?"). You'll then
arrive at the "NGO" side of the website. Then click on "register".
Q. What do I need to be able
to register?
A. You'll need your amuta number and your certificate
of registration (teudat rishum), which you'll need to upload
to us as an attachment.
Q. Which documents are
required for starting an IsraelGives account?
A. The only required document for starting an IsraelGives
account is the Teudat Rishum (Certificate of Registration),
as well as a description of your NGOs Mission Statement in
Hebrew and English.
Q. Is the "Chapter 46" a
required document?
A. The only document we require to apply for an
IsraelGives account is a Teudat Rishum (Certificate of
Registration). Chapter 46 is a document that authorizes tax
deductable shekel donations and is useful but not required.
If you, as a NGO have this document, it is in your best
interest to upload it to the page ensuring that all your
shekel donations will be tax deductible.
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Logging in
Q. How do I log into my
account?
A. In the NGO side of the website, click on "log in".
Q. I've forgotten my password
- what do I do?
A. Use the password reminder by clicking "forgot
password?" on the log-in page. Please note that a new
password will be sent to the email address that
was used to create your account. If the staff
member who created the account has left the organization,
you'll need to get access to his or her email account.
Q.
Why am I having problems logging into my IsraelGives.org
account?
A. You might be at the wrong landing site. At the
landing page of IsraelGives.org, there is a purple box in
the upper right hand corner. If it says ”Are You a
Charity?”, click
on it and it will take you to the charity landing page. ** NOTE! If it
already says “Are You a Donor?” in the upper right hand
corner, you should be able to log in to your NGO account
without any problem. But make sure that you are using
your login name and not your email address when you’re
trying to log in.
Q. I'm using the password
reminder but it's still not working.
A. Are you sure you're on the NGO side of the
website? If you've checked and it's still not working for
you, you can email us.
Q. What should be done if the
address of the amuta has changed?
A. IsraelGives only recognizes your address approved by the
government. If there is a change you need to make a Baksha
Leshinui Ktovet (Change of Address Request) at the Rasham
Ha’amutot. We at IsraelGives do not change a NGO’s official
address if the Rasham Ha'amutot hasn’t approved the change.
We generally update our lists monthly, according to Rasham
Ha’amutot’s address changes.
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Financials
Qualifying for donations
Q. How do I qualify for receiving
donations in Israeli Shekels?
A. Every amuta is automatically qualified to receive donations
in Israeli shekels. If your organization is not yet registered
for the website, donations are made to the IsraelGives
Foundation, which issues a receipt to the donor and re-grants
the funds to your organization. Once you are registered for the
website, you are responsible for issuing receipts to the donors,
and donations come to you directly, without going through the
IsraelGives Foundation.
Q. How do my donors know whether
donating to me is tax-deductible in Israel?
A. On the IsraelGives search engine appears an indication
of which currencies donors can donate to you in, and whether the
donation is tax deductible. The default is "Donations can be
made in Israeli Shekels". Once you've uploaded your Sec. 46
document through the financial documents section of your account
(in the Profile tab), and this document has been approved by our
staff, the words "Donations in Israeli Shekels are tax
deductible in Israel" will appear. This will indicate for your
donors that donations to you will be tax-deductible.
Q. How do I qualify for receiving
donations in US dollars?
A. Enter into your account and through the Profile
section enter into the Financial Documents tab. There you'll see
the documents that you'll need to submit to qualify to receive
US dollar donations (which are US-tax deductible). Having a
transparency rating of at least 60% is another condition for
qualification. Once you'll submitted all of your documents, your
application will be reviewed by our staff and approved by the
board of American Support for Israel. The process can often take
3-4 weeks, so apply early.
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Receiving Donations
Q. How do I collect donations on
our website?
A. Download the
donate button
of your choice from our website and link to the URL in English
and in Hebrew.
Q. Is it possible to receive
recurring monthly donations?
A. Only amutot that have signed up for MySite service
are eligible to use this feature.
Q. When will I receive the
donations made to my amuta?
A. IsraelGives receives each donation from the credit card
company 30 days after the
original donation is made (for example, if a
donation was made on May 20, we receive the funds on June 20).
IsraelGives then collects all of the donations made over the
course of that month, and then transfers you the
funds at the beginning of the next month, up to the 15th of the
month. In other words, if a donation was made on May 20, we
receive the funds on June 20, and then transfer you all of the donations made over
the course of May (May 1-31) at the
beginning of July (up to the 15th of the month).
Q. Why do you send the funds up to
the 15th of the month, and not at the very beginning of the
month?
A. We transfer both Israeli Shekel and US dollar donations to
all organizations at the same time. We generally only receive
the US dollar donations from our US partner around the 8th of
the month, and then transfer them together with the Israeli
Shekel donations to the amutot.
Q. How do I know that the donation
funds were transferred?
A. Within your IsraelGives account, in the "Donations"
tab, you'll see a section called "Fund Transfers". There you'll
see the dates of transfer, the amount, the bank account we
transferred the funds to (or check number), and more.
Q. How will I receive the funds?
A. If you've entered your bank account details into your account
in the IsraelGives website, we will send you the funds by bank
transfer. This is the preferred method, as you receive your
funds immediately, and the transfer charge is only 5 shekels. If
you have yet to submit your bank account details, we will mail
you a check, which has a transfer charge of 10 shekels. Note
that returned checks (we mail checks to your legal address) will
carry a fee of 20 shekels.
Q. Is there a minimum amount for
fund transfers?
A. We transfer all donations to you (no minimum required) if
you've entered your bank details into your account. If your bank
account details do not appear, we won't transfer donations until
you've received at least 100 shekels (it would be silly if you
received a 20 shekel donation and we had to charge you 10
shekels to transfer the funds to you by post). We'll hold on to
your donations until you reach the 100 shekel part and then
transfer them.
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Donations by
Check
Q. How do I sign up to receive
check donations through the IsraelGives/American Support for
Israel Partnership?
A. To begin working with IsraelGives/American Support for
Israel's new service, you must be eligible to receive US dollars
through the IsraelGives.org website.
Once
you are approved through the website, you can then invite your
donors to mail their checks to
American Support for Israel
PO Box 3263
Washington,
DC 20010
Donors
must make the check out to "American Support for Israel" and
write on the check itself in the "For" section that the
check is to be used for your organization. If
possible, please ask your donors to write your Amuta ID
number (580...) instead of your organization’s name - it
helps us to identify your organization more easily.
For an example of how a check should look, click
here.
Q. How much does the
IsraelGives/American Support for Israel service cost?
IsraelGives/American Support for Israel charges a small fee
of 3.5% (discounts apply for large donations). Considering
the services you receive in exchange, we feel that
this provides tremendous value for your organization, and
can substantially increase the amount of donations you
fundraise. You’ll in essence have your own “American
Friends of” organization, with none of the overhead, and
none of the hassle.
Q. Is there a limitation on
the on the amount of the donation by check?
A. Now with IsraelGives/American Support for Israel: Donors
can donate by check, bank transfer, and (of course) online
through the IsraelGives.org secure website and donation
systems. All sums are accepted, no matter how small or
large.
Q. How long does it take for my
organization to receive the fund?
A. With the other conduits, it takes up to 3 months to
receive your donations, sent to you by check in U.S.
dollars. Depositing a U.S. dollar check in Israel, it will
generally take 14 days or more for the check to clear your
bank. Now with IsraelGives/American Support for Israel: You
will receive your funds between 2-4 weeks from the time the
donation is received. Donations are sent in the currency of
your choice – either Israeli Shekels or U.S. dollars - by
bank transfer, so the funds are available to you instantly
upon deposit in your bank account.
Q. How long does it take for me
to be notified about a donation by check?
A. Israel Gives/American Support for Israel understand the
importance of getting you information about your donations.
You can expect to receive a notification within 72 hours of
receipt of a donation; we scan the check, enter the
information into our database, and then send you an email
that a new donation was received. You can then enter into
your IsraelGives.org account and in the "Donations" section
view the details of this donation and an image of the check
itself, as well as download this information immediately
into your database or CRM system.
Q. Does this service enable setting up a named fund for a
bar-mitzvah, graduation, or in memory of someone who has
passed away?
A. Now with IsraelGives/American Support for Israel: Either
you or your donors can set up named funds, and we'll report
to you when a donation you've received was for
a particular fund.
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Issuing Receipts
Q. Who issues receipts to the
donors - IsraelGives, or me?
A. The responsibility for receipting donors is dependent on
the currency of the donation:
- Your
organization must issue receipts to donors in Israeli Shekels.
- For
donations in U.S. dollars and other currencies, you do not issue
receipts to the original donor, but rather issue one receipt
to American Support for Israel, when it makes its monthly
transfer to your organization. Your donor has already received
a receipt from American Support for Israel for the full amount
of his donation.
Q. What amount do I issue the
receipt for: The full amount of the donation, or for the
amount I receive from IsraelGives?
A. You are required to issue a receipt for the full amount
of the original donation. IsraelGives serves as a trustee
(נאמן) for the donations made to your organization. Meaning
that at the moment that a donor makes his donation, the
funds belong to your organization - not to IsraelGives.
IsraelGives then transfers you the full amount of the
donation, minus the credit card fee and IsraelGives
processing fee, for which we issue you an invoice.
Q. But how do I record this in
my accounting software?
A. For example, if you receive a donation of 100 shekels,
you will have received from IsraelGives a transfer of 95
shekels, and an invoice for 5 shekels. You record a donation
of 100 shekels (income - הכנסה) and an expense of 5 shekels
(הוצאה).
Q. When do I issue a receipt?
A. Israel law permits you to issue a receipt from the moment
the donation is made, as the funds are being held for you in
trust (you have legally "received" the funds and it can be
recorded as income). You do not need to wait to receive the
funds in practice before issuing a receipt. It is highly
recommended to issue receipts as soon as possible - donors
expect to receive their receipt promptly, and getting angry
about a delayed receipt can cause them to choose not to
repeat their donation to your organization.
Q. How do I issue a receipt to
an anonymous donor?
A. As donor's name you write "anonymous" and you simply do
not print the receipt.
Q. Donors receive accounts that
they can use to track their donations and reprint their
receipts
A. Now with IsraelGives/American Support for Israel: We
create an account on IsraelGives.org for every donor that
they can use to track their donations and to view
or re-print their receipts.
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Other Services: MySite, Memberships,
Purchases
Q.
Is there a way for my organization to have a branded
donation page?
A. Absolutely!
Just sign up for our MySite
service.
Q. Can we receive donations
in currencies other than U.S. Dollars and Israeli
Shekels?
A. By harnessing the power of our MySite
system, your
organization will be able to receive donations in five
different currencies: U.S. Dollars, Israeli Shekels,
Canadian Dollars, Euro Dollar, and British Pound.
Q. How
much does a MySite system cost?
A. The
minimum monthly cost of a MySite is 179NIS/month.
However, you can use our MySite
Calculator to determine the precise cost of the
system by only selecting the features you want.
Q. Is
there a way to create online event registrations?
A. Yes, there is. Just take advantage of
our online registration feature.
Q. Our organization would
like to sell products online to raise money, do you have a
shopping cart feature?
A. Sure we do, just click here to learn more and sign
up.
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Fees
Israeli Shekels
Q.What are the fees you take on
donations made in Israeli Shekels?
A. IsraelToremet issues a fee of 5% (plus sales tax) for
donations made in Israeli Shekels. This includes the credit
card fee that we paid to the credit card companies (approx.
2.5%). For this fee we issue an invoice (חשבונית), and then
transfer you the gross amount of the donation, minus the fee
you owe us from the invoice. So, for example, if you receive
donations of 1000 shekels, we will issue an invoice of 50
shekels and then transfer you 950 shekels.
Q. Are there other fees that
you take?
A. Yes. When we transfer you the funds once a month we
collect a transfer fee of 5 shekels for bank transfer or 10
shekels for mailing a check. Sometimes, other fees are be
incurred, for instance, if you or your donor requests to
cancel a donation. For the full list of fees, please see www.israelgives.org/pages/fees
U.S. Dollar and Foreign Currencies
Q. What are the fees you take
on donations made in US dollars and other foreign
currencies?
A. Donations in foreign currency (US dollars, Pound
Sterling, Canadian Dollars, and Euro) have a fee of 3.5%,
not including the credit card fee.The credit
card cost depends on the currency the donation was made in,
the country that the credit card was issued in, and so on.
For most US dollar donations, the credit card fee is 2.2%
plus 30 cents per donation. The US dollar fee is slightly
higher than the Israeli Shekel fee because it includes bank
fees for international currency transfer and currency
conversion.
Q. Why is the IsraelToremet
fee 2.5% for Israeli Shekel donations and 3.5% for foreign
currency donations?
A. The foreign currency fee is slightly higher
because it also includes international wire transfer and
currency conversion fees, which the banks charge us (and
come out to about 1% of the donation total).
Q. Why is there a requirement
of a 60% transparency in order to receive U.S. dollars
donations?
A. We place an emphasis on the value of transparency and
accountability when it comes to fundraising, therefore the
NGO wanting to receive funds from a donor or potential
donor, must provide the respectable requisite of information
in order to receive funding. The 60% transparency policy is
something that is required by the IsraelGives U.S. partner
organization American Support for Israel. This
quantity/quality of information allows us to ensure the
non-profits we are working with do in fact meet the legal
criteria to receive tax deductible donations from the U.S.
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Payment
Processing
Q. Why is
IsraelToremet changing the way it's processing donations?
A. A recent change in Israeli law requires that every amuta
receiving donations in Israeli Shekels through credit card
have an individual account with the credit card company
processing your donations (in our case, Isracard). As such, as
of January 1, 2012, donations will no longer be processed
through IsraelToremet’s main credit card account, but through
one of two ways: either
through the IsraelGives Foundation (R.A.), or through your own
credit card account. Up
to December 31, you need to choose which of these options we
should use to process your donations.
Q.What is the difference between the two options?
- Option 1: Processing through
the IsraelToremet Foundation
If you choose this option to process
your donations, almost nothing will change: you can continue to
use the same donation form as before, and continue to have
access to your donor information online. The main difference,
however, is in receipting: now, the IsraelGives Foundation, and
not your amuta, will be responsible for issuing receipts to
donors, and its name will appear on the donor’s credit card
statement. Every month, the IsraelToremet Foundation will donate
to you the full amount of the donations, minus the standard
donation fee of 5.5%. Please note that the receipt that
IsraelGives Foundation issues is not tax-deductible in Israel.
This donation processing option is a
good choice for amutot who don’t expect to receive very many
donations, and prefer to pay a percentage fee on donations
instead of a monthly fee (which option two has). This is also a
good option for amutot who don’t want to worry about receipting
donors – as all receipts will be issued by the IsraelGives
Foundation.
However, if you want to receipt donors
yourselves (especially if you have sec. 46 approval), or want to
pay a lower percentage fee on donations because you collect a
lot of donations, you should consider option 2.
- Option 2: Processing through
your own special credit card account
In the past, opening your own credit
card account could be a long and expensive process – that’s why
so many organizations have chosen to process their donations
through the IsraelToremet credit card account. But now, thanks
to a new program that we’ve created in partnership with
Isracard, we can offer you the first of its kind “Isracard/IsraelToremet
credit card account” – a full credit card account that
connects directly to your IsraelToremet donation form, and has
almost none of the expenses associated with a regular credit
card account.
Q. How does the new
IsraelToremet/Isracard account work?
A. It’s quite simple. To meet the requirements of the new law,
an Isracard representative will come to your office and open an
individual account for your amuta. The Isracard representative
will ask you what you want to appear on your donors’ credit card
statement, because from now on, your amuta’s name will appear
there (not ours). The only fee you need to pay to Isracard is a
one-time set-up fee of 63 shekels.
Once the account is set up, you provide us with your
Isracard account number by entering it into your IsraelToremet
account (there’s a new tab in the Profile section called
“Payment Processor”).
From that point on, almost everything stays the same as
today: You continue to use the same donation form, funds are
deposited in IsraelToremet’s trustee bank account and
distributed to you as one batch transfer once a month, and we
continue do all of the reconciliation and accounting work for
you, issuing you one monthly invoice. Just like before, you
issue receipts to your donors. The main difference is that now
your amuta’s name, and not IsraelToremet, appears on the donor’s
credit card statement. Oh, and there’s another difference: from
that point on, you’ll pay less for every donation you receive.
Q. What are the costs associated with this new
arrangment?
A. For using the special IsraelToremet/Isracard
account, there is a small monthly fee: for amutot using
our MYSITE system it is 29 shekels,
and for all other amutot only 49 shekels a month. This fee is
paid directly to IsraelToremet, and absolves you of the need to
pay a monthly fee to any other company – not to Isracard and not
to the payment gateway.
But this doesn’t mean you’re going to be paying more
every month. Our special program has allowed us to lower your
donation processing fee by a full percent, from 5% to just 4%*,
saving you money on every donation you receive.
Q. How do I sign up for a track or set up a meeting
with Isracard?
A. Enter into your account and click on “Profile”. There will be
a new tab called “Payment Processor”. There you will be able to
select a track by clicking on one of the options and pressing
“Submit”. If you select the Isracard/IsraelToremet special
account, you will also enter the contact details of the person
you’d like Isracard to contact. We’ll then send the information
to Isracard, which will contact that person within a few days to
set up a meeting.
Q. What if I already have my own Isracard account?
A. Great. Please send us an email and we’ll send
you a form to fill out, so you can change your regular account
into the special Isracard/IsraelToremet account – paying lower
fees and leaving all of the hard accounting work to us.
Q. What if I don't
select a payment processing option by the December 31st
deadline?
A. You must choose a processing option by December 31 – if you
do not, the option of donation processing through the
IsraelGives Foundation will be automatically selected for you.
Q. Does this affect my fundraising in
foreign currencies like U.S. dollars?
A. No. The changes described here apply only to Israeli Shekels.
For foreign currency donations, everything stays the same as
before.
Q. If I have my own
IsraCard account, does that mean I have to open my own
Tranzila account also?
A. No, you don't. Your donations will still be process the same
way it always has been.
Q. Will this impact
recurring monthly donations?
A. No, your donations will continue to be process as before.
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