What Is Philanthroper?

You know those daily deal sites? We're another one of those. But instead of selling something, we're sharing the story of a new 501(c)3 nonprofit every day. And if you'd like, you can give them $1 (or up to $10). We're trying to make doing good a habit.

Does Philanthroper Take Any Fees?

Never. We don't take anything from your donations. And charities don't pay us to be featured.

Does PayPal Take Any Fees?

Yes, PayPal charges 10 cents on each dollar donation. (Technically, the rate is 5 cents plus 5%. So on a $5 donation they charge 30 cents. On a $10 donation they charge 55 cents.) Keep in mind, that rate includes options for international credit card payments and all associated fees.

Are My Donations Tax-Deductible?

Absolutely. Every group featured on Philanthroper is a 501(c)3 organization. Your daily receipts from PayPal should work, but we're working on an easier way that should consolidate them for you, which should be live way before your accountant needs them for 2011 taxes.

Are My Donations Anonymous?

With PayPal's current infrastructure, it's just not possible to make your donations completely anonymous. However, groups featured on Philanthroper have agreed not to solicit to nor share the contact information of donors from Philanthroper - and we ask anyone who receives such solicitations to report them to us. Obviously, if you choose to donate directly through a nonprofit's site or interact with them away from Philanthroper, you'll probably be added to their contact database.

Why Can I Only Donate $1?

Actually, due to overwhelming requests, you can now donate up to $10.

That said, the default donation is always $1. Why? So you can donate another $1 tomorrow. And another the next day. Use Philanthroper daily, and we guarantee, you'll donate more over time than you would have otherwise plus it won't sting your bank account so badly. Use Philanthroper every day and you'll be on the right track to give more, more easily.

If you're compelled to make a larger donation than $10, fantastic. We always link their site. So go for it.

How Do You Pick Nonprofits?

We talk to people in the industry, and we scour databases for a variety of exceptional 501(c)3 groups doing good - from the local to global levels. Then we look at their business practices (their tax forms). Then, if we're still smitten, we give them a ring to hear their story. No organization appears on Philanthroper without being vetted or without authorizing participation.

We do take a special interest in nonprofits bringing in less than $1 million per year in revenue (or even far, far less than that). These nonprofits tend to be young, growing and in need of every extra dollar they can get. However, the smallest nonprofits can be the hardest to find. The big charity assessors who are out there - wonderful organizations like Guidestar and the Better Business Bureau - just don't have the resources to spend investigating the little guys.  So if you know of a worthy group, tip us. We'll check them out.

Just keep in mind, Philanthroper does not promote religious-oriented nonprofits (our userbase is too diverse), nor do we consider any group that doesn't qualify as a 501(c)3. We also don't publish stories on individuals raising funds for personal medical treatment or similar causes.

Why Do You Have Ads?

Every business-minded person advises us to do the same thing: Take a tiny piece of every donation our community makes. No one will ever notice! After all, nonprofits are used to paying up to 30% to receive donations online. If we just added a few percentage points...

Well, the thing is, WE noticed. So that left the simple, probably less profitable but far more honest solution. Ads and corporate partners.