FAQ

Nonprofit FAQ

Q. What is Give Big Kern?

Give Big Kern is set aside as “One day to celebrate the giving spirit of Kern County.” Kern’s generous community comes together to raise dollars and volunteer hours for local nonprofits through online crowdfunding and pledges over a 24-hour period. In the months leading up to Give Big Kern, trainings and highly publicized events help strengthen nonprofits and make their presence more visible in the community. Participants learn marketing, social media, and board and donor engagement skills. They also connect with one another through strategic networking.

Q. When is Give Big Kern?

Observed on the first Tuesday in May, Give Big Kern happens on May 7 in 2019. But our online donation portal, www.givebigkern.org, opens up a month ahead of the big day for early-bird donors, and stays open till midnight on May 8 to also give our lovable procrastinators a chance to give.

Q. Who is behind Give Big Kern?

Give Big Kern is a Nonprofit Strengthening Initiative of Kern Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the powerfully simple mission of “Growing Community and Growing Philanthropy.” Since its establishment in 1999, Kern Community Foundation has stimulated Kern county's economy and humanitarianism with upwards of $20 million in grant making.

Q. What is the theme of Give Big Kern?

As our Mascot, Billy the Give Big Goat, might say, this year’s theme for Give Big Kern is,
“Dream B-i-i-i-g!” By having…

• Nonprofits dream about all they could do if they had unlimited resources;
• Donors dream about the impact their dollars can make
• Volunteers dream about how their time and talents can be put to good use; and
• Sponsors dream about how their giving can impact ALL of Kern's nonprofit sector through Give Big Kern

We can all come together as a community to make wonderful dreams come true. Dream B-i-i-i-g!

Q. Is my nonprofit eligible to participate?

To be eligible to participate in Give Big Kern 2019, your nonprofit must meet the following criteria:

• Be a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization;
• Be headquartered or provide services with a physical office or branch in Kern County;
• Be registered with Kern Community Foundation (Learn how to register on the Foundation website, www.kernfoundation.org); and
• Have a Silver or higher transparency rating on www.GuideStar.org, the world’s largest database on nonprofits. Not familiar with GuideStar? Contact the foundation at 661.616.2603.

Q. Why should my nonprofit participate?

Give Big Kern will allow you to:

• Increase your nonprofit’s visibility and capacity in the areas of fundraising and volunteer recruitment, as you will be engaging loyal AND new donors and volunteers.
• Benefit from important training and customized online tools to advance your social media marketing, board engagement, and donor development capabilities.
• Receive marketing material support FREE OF CHARGE from Give Big Kern organizer Kern Community Foundation.
• Raise UNRESTRICTED FUNDS! Unlike most grants, which must be used for very specific purposes, funds raised by nonprofits through Give Big Kern can be used where they are needed most: from facilities repair to office supply purchases to client service delivery.
• Compete for prizes for the most donors engages, most dollars raised, most volunteers signed up, most volunteer hours pledged, the donation from the farthest away, etc.

Q. Registration and Deadlines: How can my nonprofit participate??

All nonprofits interested in participating (including those that have already participated in previous years’ Give Big Kern efforts) must complete the three-step registration process described below:

1) Click here to register for mandatory webinars and in-person workshops, as well as optional educational events designed to help you make the most of your Give Big Kern experience.

2) Register Online at www.givebigkern.org by March 1, 2019

3) Complete Your Customized Profile on www.givebigkern.org by April 1, 2019.

Q. How much does it cost?

It is FREE for nonprofits to participate in Give Big Kern and to maintain a profile on the GiveGab platform year-round. There are transaction fees for gifts given during Give Big Kern (April 7 - May 8, 2019) which are broken down as follows:

• GiveGab technology provider processing fee of 2% capped at $20 per donation. This portion of the fee goes to our partners at GiveGab for hosting the site, preventing fraud, and ensuring a positive user experience.
• Credit Card processing fees are an additional 2.2% + $0.30 per transaction.
• Donors are given the option to cover the fees and a majority of them do. If they cover the processing fees, 100% of their online charitable gift will go to your nonprofit. To lean more about using the GiveBigKern.org online donation platform outside of the April 7 - May 8, 2019 date range, please click here.

Q. What is GiveGab?

GiveGab is an easy-to-use online giving platform that helps nonprofits raise money, engage donors, and manage volunteers quickly and efficiently. As a company whose Mission is “More Happy Nonprofits,” GiveGab prides itself on offering “Customer Love” as opposed to “Customer Service.” A young—and youthful—company that started in 2011 as a social platform to help nonprofits and volunteers connect, GiveGab has grown to manage 108 Giving Days in 48 states, and in 2018 helped more than 30,000 participating nonprofits raise over $210 million using the GiveGab platform. They boast an average growth rate in donations for repeat Giving Days of 37%--which Give Big Kern surpassed in 2018, having achieved 56% growth over 2017.

Q. Can more than one person claim admin access on our nonprofit’s page?

Yes, and we recommend that each participating agency have a least a main administrator and a backup. Once you have completed the registration process, you will have access to instructions for setting up multiple administrators.

Q. How much of the donation will go to our nonprofit?

GiveGab will remit all donations, net of the processing fees (see above for details), directly to your nonprofit. For donors, all donations are 100% tax-deductible; GiveGab will provide e-mail receipts for all donations made online.

Q. When will we receive the donated funds?

As long as bank routing and account information has been verified, nonprofits will receive all donations, less any uncovered processing fees (see above for details), via direct deposit within 24-48 hours. GiveGab uses a PCI Level I compliant payment service to ensure that all financial data is secure. (Please Note: Organizations that request to have Kern Community Foundation act as their Fiscal Sponsor during Give Big Kern, will receive one cumulative check for all donations received during the April 7 - May 8 giving period within a month after Give Big Kern Day.)

Q. How does a nonprofit know who has donated and how much? Can I download a donations report?

All nonprofits that participate in Give Big Kern will be able to access and download a .CSV file of their donations via their administrative dashboard on GiveGab. The report is updated in real-time and will include the donation payout date for bank account reconciliation, donation information (including a breakdown of the fees), and the donor's name and contact information. Click here to download a sample donation report.

Q. How can our nonprofit be most successful with the Give Big Kern event?

We help every nonprofit make the most of their Give Big Kern experience through mandatory and optional training workshops and webinars, instructional videos, a Nonprofit Toolkit full of helpful tips, tools, and downloads, and FREE marketing materials (both printed and online, in English and Spanish). The more of these resources you access and put to use, the more successful your Giving Day will be. View and register for workshops here. Also, be sure to access the Give Big Kern Events Calendar to prepare for and promote Kern County’s giving day.

As our 2018 Give Big Kern Report to the Community shows, the greater the nonprofit community’s involvement is in Give Big Kern through participation in highly visible, creative, fun activities, the better the results are in dollars raised, volunteers recruited, and board members and donors engaged.

We make it easy and fun for everyone! Just come along for the ride!

Q. If I still have questions, who can I contact?

You can reach out to our nonprofit support team by emailing info@givebigkern.org.

Q. What portion of a donation made on GiveGab is tax deductible?

We require this with your nonprofit’s best interest in mind.

While 501(c) nonprofits receive key financial benefits, the 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. Perhaps worst of all, an organization can lose out on a grant or large donation because it has not kept itself in good standing.

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. The saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” could not be more true in this context.

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) status, 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 its 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. Do you have additional resources to reference about state charitable solicitation registration?

• 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