FAQ
*If you are representing a nonprofit organization and have questions that are not answered below, please visit the Nonprofit Toolkit.
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Q. What is Great Community Give and how does it work?
The tenth annual Great Community Give is a one-day event that promotes charitable giving to 501 (c)3 nonprofit organizations located in and serving Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.
Join us on Wednesday, April 21, 2027, from 6 a.m.- 8 p.m.
There is no entry fee or charge to nonprofits to participate. The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County contributes administrative resources and giving platform costs.
This event enables anyone (around the world!) to invest in our community and the capacity of local nonprofits. Prize money offered through fun competitions through the day can amplify each organization’s efforts and the impact of its donors.
Q. What is the goal?
The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham hosts and supports this event with the following goals:
- Highlight the nonprofits making valuable contributions to our community
- Engage with community and nonprofit organizations to advance their social media and fundraising presence
- Attract a new generation of donors for nonprofit organizations
- Help our nonprofits connect with new donors.
Q. Is there a fee to participate?
There is no fee for nonprofits to participate; the subscription cost of the online giving platform, as well as administrative resources and staff time, are provided by the Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County as a benefit to the area nonprofit community.
Donations will incur a 3.5% platform fee plus a 2.5% + $.30 credit card processing fee or a $3.00 flat processing fee for e-check donations made through ACH (e-check donations must be over $100 to use ACH). Donors will always have the option to cover these fees on the organization’s behalf (90% of our donors chose to do this in 2026).
Any donations processed outside of the event’s donation period through GiveGab, or subsequent recurring donations are subject to further transaction fees. We encourage you to reach out to GiveGab support BEFORE committing to a recurring donation.
Q. Are nonprofits vetted before being allowed to participate?
Participation in the Great Community Give is predicated on two criteria: 1) 501(c)(3) status as validated through legal records and 2) a location in and a service area of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Organizations affiliated with a four-year college or university are not eligible to participate.
As with any gift, donors should practice due diligence in researching the organization's financial health, leadership, and program effectiveness. Sites such as Charity Watch, Charity Navigator and Guidestar, are useful resources to review financial information and other documentation, such as policies that contribute to organizational accountability and transparency. The Community Foundation encourages prospective donors to contact the nonprofit of interest with specific questions and/or concerns.
Q. My nonprofit wants to participate! What are the steps?
1. Register your nonprofit on the Great Community Give website. Registrations open November 1 and close February 1.
2. Create a profile page for your organization by the deadline of March 15. If you are a prior participant, you can copy and update your profile page of the previous year.
Then you're ready to
- Share your message that you've joined the giving day event.
- Utilize the Great Community Give logo (consistently with the branding guidelines).
- Consider securing matching grants and prizes to entice donors.
- Recruit individuals to be fundraisers for your organization.
- Increase exposure and build your campaign with emails, social media posts or even an outreach event.
Q. I missed the registration deadline! Can I still register my nonprofit?
Registrations for the Great Community Give will close on February 1 at 11:59 PM. This is a hard deadline, and there will be no exceptions.
Q. Does my organization have to sign up or register for a Power Hour?
Nonprofits are free to choose whichever hourly prize they would like to compete for. Promoting your Power Hour does not mean that you are only eligible to receive a prize during that time; there are instances where nonprofits invite donors to give during a particular hour, but they end up winning a prize during a different time. We do not assign nonprofits to a particular hour, nor do we require nonprofits to tell us which hour(s) they have selected.
Q. If I have a fiscal sponsor, can I participate in Great Community Give?
Yes. GiveGab accommodates fiscal sponsorship as an option to receive tax-deductible donations if your organization is not currently eligible to receive tax-deductible gifts. Learn more here: How does a fiscal sponsorship work on GiveGab?
Q. Why do you require a date of birth and last four digits of the nonprofit administrator's social security number for nonprofits' donation payouts?
As an online platform that collects, processes, and distributes money in the form of donations from supporters to organizations, GiveGab must abide by the rules, regulations, and compliance laws of the United States. In particular, they are required to verify that the individual registering an organization to collect donations is authorized to do so and is who they say they are. Additionally, GiveGab needs to verify that the organization is a legitimately registered corporation.
Collecting this information helps us streamline donation processing and payouts with our underlying payment processor (Stripe) and the financial institutions that Stripe works with.
More importantly, we have a duty to our users. When donors choose to support a cause with a monetary gift, it is essential that they trust that their donation is going where they expect it to go! You can read a full explanation here, including how this information is stored.
Q. When I check the box to declare state charitable solicitation registration compliance, what am I attesting to?
When you check the box, you are declaring that your organization is compliant with applicable state fundraising requirements in the states in which you may solicit donors using the GiveGab platform.
Please read the following questions for more information on this subject.
Q. What is state charitable solicitation registration?
Nonprofits are held to a high standard of government regulation and public scrutiny. And that is with good reason! Eligible 501(c) nonprofits are exempt from federal corporate taxes and have access to public funding. These benefits are not typically available to for-profit businesses, so laws are in place to protect the public and ensure nonprofits do not abuse their financial advantages. The IRS and states all have requirements for nonprofits.
Q. Why is state charitable solicitation registration compliance important?
Penalties for noncompliance can be serious. The IRS can revoke a nonprofit’s tax exemption and impose fines that can accrue daily. The states can administratively dissolve a nonprofit corporation and levy steep financial penalties. Taking a proactive approach to compliance helps ensure the sustained success of the organization. The cost of staying compliant is small in comparison to the much larger costs of noncompliance.
Q. What are the key aspects of state charitable solicitation registration compliance?
The IRS provides tax exemptions to eligible nonprofits under IRC 501(c). Public charities and private foundations receive 501(c)(3) tax exemption. The IRS scrutinizes organizations when they apply for 501(c)(3) but also ensures that those organizations meet the ongoing obligations to remain eligible. Nonprofits must file a 990 tax form each year with the IRS to disclose their financial data for the year.
Each state has their own set of requirements. Nonprofits are typically incorporated in a given state as a nonprofit corporation. The state in which the nonprofit has incorporated will impose requirements on the nonprofit, and those responsibilities typically span across multiple state agencies. Usually nonprofits must submit an annual filing to the corporations division of the secretary of state, maintain its license to fundraise (charitable solicitation registration), file for a state business license, and maintain state-level tax exemption with the revenue department. As nonprofits expand outside of the state or operate nationwide, they must comply with the same items in each other state as well.
In addition to IRS and state filing requirements, nonprofits must keep adequate records. Keeping accurate and complete records is critical in the event that an organization is audited. It is also common that board members or donors request information from the organization. Finally, records are necessary for submitting applications and renewal filings with various government agencies.
Q. What are Virginia's requirements for charitable solicitation registration?
Virginia requires that before soliciting donations, a charitable organization must file a registration statement with the state. Churches, educational and health care institutions and certain other organizations are exempt from registration as well as solicitations limited in scope. More information is available on the website for the Virginia Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs.
Q. Do you have any additional resources to reference about state charitable solicitation registration?
Yes! Here are a few more resources from Harbor Compliance to help you:
- Guide and Overview of Many Nonprofit State by State Compliance Requirements
- Guide and Overview Specific to Fundraising Compliance
- National Council of Nonprofits and Harbor Compliance have partnered to create a white paper explaining the state charitable solicitation registration requirements.
- A Quick Summary of Charitable Solicitation in Graphic Form
- Executive Brief: Charitable Solicitation Registration (great for driving awareness and support with leadership and the board)
- State by State Links to the State Organizations that Regulate Charities, Solicitation, and Registrations