Donor FAQ

To see Nonprofit FAQs, please click here.


Q. What is Great Community Give and when will it take place?

The Great Community Give, an initiative of Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, is a sunrise to sunset giving day event that promotes charitable giving to support nonprofit organizations in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. The Great Community Give will take place on April 17, 2024 from 6:00am to 8:00pm. 


Q. Why should donors give through the Great Community Give?

It's as easy as Point, Click, Give! This event enables people who love their community to easily give back. This is an opportunity to invest in our community and increase the capacity of local nonprofits. The sponsored prize money that will be available amplifies your donation's impact.


Q. What role do sponsors play in Great Community Give?

Sponsors contribute at different levels towards a combined prize pool. Event organizers allocate the funds into the various challenge prizes awarded to nonprofit organizations on the day of and following Great Community Give. When we say sponsors contribute directly to participating nonprofits, we really mean it! Their generous support means creating more awareness and connecting more donors with local causes. Thank you to all sponsors of Great Community Give 2024. See all of our Great Community Give 2024 Sponsors


Q. How does it work?

On April 17, 2024, The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg & Rockingham County will host Great Community Give, a sunrise to sunset giving event encouraging charitable donations through our online giving platform, hosted by GiveGab, now Bonterra. Each participating organization will have an individualized web page to promote their cause. Individuals will be able to donate money to the nonprofit organizations of their choice on April 17, 2024, with early giving beginning on April 3, 2024. All donations are tax deductible. 


Q. What is 'Early Giving'?

Early Giving is defined as the time range where donors can make their gifts to their favorite local charities before the Great Community Give event on April 17, 2024. Donors can make a gift to a participating nonprofit organization starting April 3, 2024 through the day of Great Community Give on April 17, 2024. Donors' gifts will not be displayed on the website until 6:00AM on April 17, 2024. Donors' 'early gifts' will be counted towards nonprofits' overall online fundraising totals and will count towards determination of Leaderboard prizes and Board Member prize. Early gifts will NOT count towards the determination of Power Hour prizes or Golden Tickets on the day of Great Community Give. 

Donors' payment methods, whether they be credit cards, ACH payments ($100 or more), or Mobile Wallet will be immediately charged once their donation has been made. 


Q. What are Offline Gifts?

Organizations have the option of accepting donations using methods other than credit cards on April 17, 2024. This can be accomplished via a regular check or cash gift sent DIRECTLY to the participating nonprofit organization. Checks made from IRAs or Donor Advised Funds are also accepted. The offline gift MUST be received by the participating nonprofit organization no later than April 17, 2024 at 8:00pm. Giving by credit card online on the day of the event is always preferred! Nonprofit organizations may use the offline gifts form as a guide for their record keeping of offline gifts. This form is not required. All other donations MUST be made by credit card through the www.greatcommunitygive.org website and designated to the participating organization between April 3, 2024 and April 17, 2024.


Q. What are Matches & Challenges?

Match and Challenge gifts are partnership giving options for participating nonprofit organizations. Matches and Challenges are offline gifts that allow your organization to partner for extra dollars with a local business and/or individual(s) and is an optional feature for participating organizations.


What is a match? What are matches and challenges?

YOU, as the nonprofit organization, approach an individual donor, sponsor or businesses directly for a donation and those businesses give a cash gift and/or write checks directly to your organization. You may only enter match gifts between April 3rd and 6:00am on April 17th. 

Your organization takes their match gift and sends the tax acknowledgement.

You complete the “Business Match” section on your application profile page and include business logos or sponsor pictures if you would like. See tutorial here: How do I add a matching opportunity to my Giving Day profile?

Multiple match and challenge gifts are okay. Matches and Challenges are subject to audit by The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.


Q. Why is Great Community Give accepting offline gifts?

We see a need to include offline gifts of cash or checks because at the heart of this event, is community. In order for this to truly be a community wide giving day event, we must do our best to include everyone. Everyone including those who prefer to give via cash or checks. We hope that this will give more members of our community an opportunity to participate in Great Community Give and provide participating nonprofit organizations an opportunity to raise more funds for their programs and services.


Q. What is the goal?

The Great Community Give has several goals:

  • Highlight the nonprofits in our area that make valuable contributions to our community
  • Actively engage with community and nonprofit organizations to advance their social media presence 
  • Attract a new generation of donors for nonprofit organizations
  • Connect with unique donors throughout the course of the Great Community Give 
  • And have fun!


Q. Who can give?

Anyone can give to participating nonprofits beginning on April 3, 2024 and ending at 8:00pm on April 17, 2024 on the day of the Great Community Give. Donors do not have to live in Harrisonburg and/or Rockingham County to participate.


Q. Do I need an account on GiveGab to donate?

No, donors do not need to create an account to make a donation. A donor account will, however, collect tax receipts in one location, enable tracking of donations, provide the ability to follow supported charities, and engage in future volunteering and donations. A tax receipt is emailed to the donor immediately after their donation is processed. To claim a donation as a charitable deduction on their income tax return, the donor should retain the email donation receipt as an official record.


Q. Is there a minimum or maximum donation donors can make through the Great Community Give?

In celebration of it being the 7th annual Great Community Give, the minimum donation has been changed from $10 to $7! The minimum donation amount for the 2024 event is $7. There is no maximum donation amount. ACH payments have a minimum amount of $100. 


Q. How do I make a donation?

You can watch this video to learn how you can make a gift to the organization(s) of your choice! You can also give to multiple organizations at one time by using the multi-give feature. 


Q. The profile of the organization I am interested in supporting has tiles with dollar amounts on them. What does this mean?

Some organizations may outline what a specific donation amount (i.e., $25) means to their organization's impact for their organization. Others might use this area to simply suggest a donation amount. Please note that unless specifically stated by the organization, donation levels illustrate examples of what your gift means to that nonprofit. If these suggested donation amounts do not align with your capacity, you may use the Donate button on the organization profile to make a gift in the amount of your choosing of the $7 gift minimum or more. 


Q. Does my donation go directly to the nonprofit I have chosen? 

Yes! The nonprofit you selected will receive your donation by direct deposit to their bank account within 5-7 business days of the Great Community Give event on April 17, 2024.


Q. How much of my donation goes to the nonprofit?

GiveGab retains a 3% campaign management fee from all donations. Credit Card processing fees are an additional 2.5% + $0.30 for all major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). ACH donations are also subject to the 3% campaign management fee plus a $3 flat fee per gift to each organization you are giving to. You are given the option to cover the fees and if you choose this option, 100% of your online charitable gift will go to the receiving organization. All donations are final and cannot be refunded. Any donations processed outside of Great Community Give donation period, through GiveGab.com, or subsequent recurring donations are subject to transaction fees outlined on the GiveGab.com pricing page: http://info.givegab.com/pricing.


Q. How will the donation be reported on my credit card?

The name of the nonprofit you have donated to will appear on your credit card statement. If you donate to multiple nonprofits at the same time using the checkout cart feature, the credit card statement will list each donation with the nonprofits’ name as the subject line.


Q. Can donors give to more than one organization?

Yes! Donors are encouraged to give to as many organizations as they would like. Donors have the ability to browse and choose multiple nonprofits and donate at one time using the gift basket option.


Q. Which nonprofits are participating in the Great Community Give?

Everyone will be able to search for participating organizations in the search bar located in the top right corner of the website page. Participating nonprofit organizations need to be recognized by the IRS as 501(c)3 public charities located in and serving Harrisonburg/Rockingham County.


Q. How can I set up a recurring gift?

When entering a donation, you can select the recurring gift option of monthly or quarterly. However, only donations actually received during the “early-giving” stage or the Great Community Give day itself will count towards that day’s total and eligible for the prize money.

Please note that recurring gifts charged after the Great Community Give event will be subjected to GiveGab fees and not the same fees incurred during the giving day itself. Please contact GiveGab to inquire on their standard fees on gifts. 


Q. What are sponsor matches and challenges?

Sponsor matches and challenges are great ways to help incentivize donors to make a greater impact by supporting participating organizations. You can further your impact as a donor by helping your favorite nonprofit reach their matching grant goals. Contact your favorite nonprofit if you are interested in being a Match Grant Donor.


Q. Which donations qualify for prizes? 

All donations made to nonprofits from April 3 through 8:00pm on April 17 qualify for prizes given to participating nonprofits. HOWEVER, there are certain rules with each kind of prize. Please see the prize comparison chart below: 



Q. Is my donation tax deductible?

Donations are tax deductible. Once you make a donation, you will immediately receive an email from the organization confirming your tax-deductible gift. Please save the email for your records for tax purposes. If you need another copy of your receipt, feel free to use the little blue chat bubble on the bottom right hand corner for assistance.


Q. What do the receipts that individuals receive for donations made during the Great Community Give show?

The receipt reflects the full amount the donor paid including the fees if they decided to cover fees. Fees do show on the receipt and GiveGab does consider them as tax deductible as well since they are considered as part of the donation. If a donor is unsure if they should claim the fees as tax deductible GiveGab would recommend consulting a tax lawyer.


Q. Is my donation safe and secure?

Our technology partner has conducted many giving days for community foundations nation-wide and is the recognized technology leader for fundraising initiatives of this type. Both credit card and ACH transactions are secure, backed by a PCI Level 1 secure service provider certification.


Q. What does ACH mean?

In banking, ACH stands for Automated Clearing House, which is a network that coordinates electronic payments and automated money transfers. ACH is a way to move money between banks without using paper checks, wire transfers, credit card networks, or cash. ACH payments must be $100 or more. 


Q. What is Plaid?

Plaid makes accepting ACH easier and more profitable with a better way to connect and authenticate accounts. Easier than entering account and routing numbers. 


Q. Which local banks are serviced by Plaid?

Yes there are local banks in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham area that are serviced by Plaid. Please see list below. 

  • Atlantic Union Bank 
  • BB&T 
  • Blue Ridge Bank
  • Carrollton Bank 
  • CommonWealth One Federal Credit Union 
  • DuPont Community Credit Union 
  • First Bank & Trust Co. 
  • First Citizens Bank 
  • F&M Bank
  • Pioneer Bank 
  • PNC Bank 
  • Sonabank 
  • Woodforest National Bank 

Q. Are there local banks that are NOT serviced by Plaid?

Yes there are local banks in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham area that are not serviced by Plaid, and therefore, do not provide ACH as an option. Donors interested in giving through ACH may ask their bank if they can donate via ACH. 


Q. What is Mobile Pay?

GiveGab has successfully made mobile wallet available across all of their Giving Day, Philanthropy Hub, and Community Giving sites. By accepting donations via Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Microsoft Pay, donors will have a more modern and streamlined giving experience, which also means greater potential for elevated giving!


Q. If I am unsatisfied with my donation, can I get a refund?

A refund can be issued for 4 days after the donation was made. The GiveGab support team will help with refunds. Once it is 5 days after the donation was made, GiveGab is no longer able to make that transaction, but they could connect the donor with the organization to let them handle it outside of the platform. Please note that refunds will affect the leaderboards even after the Great Community Give is over. As a result, prize distribution to nonprofits may be affected depending on the size of the gift that was refunded.


Q. When individuals donate for Great Community Give, who will receive their information?

The nonprofit organization receiving the donation will receive the contact information for the donor, including those donors who choose to make an anonymous donation. As the host of Great Community Give, The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County will also receive the information. Nonprofits are asked to respect the desire for anonymity by not adding them to nonprofit email or mailing databases.


Q. How much of my donation goes to the nonprofit?

Please note that The Community Foundation does not collect any fees from nonprofits for them to participate in the Great Community Give. There is no fee for nonprofits to participate in Great Community Give. The Community Foundation also does not keep any portion of donors’ Great Community Give gifts. The Community Foundation encourages our community to donate directly to participating nonprofits. 

However, donations made to a participating organization will incur a 3% platform fee plus a 2.5% + $.30 credit card processing fee OR a $3.00 flat processing fee for donations made through the ACH feature (e-checks).  Donations of $100 or more may use the ACH feature.  Donors can cover these fees for your favorite organization. This is always an option during the checkout process!


Q. Can I donate to Great Community Gives on my smartphone?

Yes – this site is mobile friendly! Simply visit www.greatcommunitygive.org on your smartphone to browse all the amazing nonprofits participating.


Q. What if my credit card declines?

Credit cards can be declined by your bank for many reasons. If your credit card is declined, you should contact the bank who issued your credit card for details. 


Q. Beyond a donation, what else can I do to support my favorite nonprofit during the event?

Please spread the word among your friends, family and network about the Great Community Give and the good work nonprofits do in our area. One of the best ways to help will be to use email and social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, to let people know you are giving and encourage others to do the same. Your favorite nonprofits may also conduct online media campaigns or carry out creative ideas and events to promote the day and compete to win incentive prizes. We hope you will support them however you can!


Q. Can I fundraise for my favorite nonprofit?

Yes! You can be a champion for the cause(s) you care about – we call these Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers!

Become a champion for your nonprofit. If you weren't invited to fundraise for an organization, you can still sign up to be a fundraiser!

  • Visit the organization’s page.
  • Click the "Fundraise" button!
  • Spread the word. Talk about the Great Community Give with friends, family, and colleagues. Email your friends. Post about on it Facebook or share one of the posts on The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham’s Facebook Page. Tweet about it or retweet posts from @GreatCommGive Twitter Page. Change your profile picture and cover photos to Great Community Give graphics.

Please note that in order to create a Fundraising Page you will be prompted to sign into your GiveGab user account, or create one if you don’t already have an account


Q. How can I find out more about Great Community Give?

Stay tuned to this website for more information and detail as the event draws close. You can also follow us on Instagram @greatcommunitygive and Twitter @GreatCommGive and "like" us on Facebook to stay updated. If you have any questions, contact Amanda Bomfim at amanda@tcfhr.org or call The Community Foundation office at (540) 432-3863.



*Any donations processed outside of the Giving Day Period, through GiveGab.com, or subsequent recurring donations are subject to transaction fees outlined on the GiveGab.com pricing page: info.givegab.com/pricing.