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Frequently Asked Questions

• What does Givology mean?
• Why is Givology different from other Adopt-a-child, Adopt-a-tree, etc. organizations?
• Where does Givology currently operate?
• How does Givology pick its partners?
• How can I track the progress of a student or project?
• How often do students and projects provide an update?
• Can I get in direct contact with my sponsored student/project?
• How can I join the Givology team or volunteer my time?
• I am interested in a research fellowship related to education. How can I become a Givology fellow?
• What is the wallet?
• How much of our donation goes to transaction fees (credit card, bank transfers, etc.)?
• Is my donation tax deductible?
• I'm uncomfortable with donating online, can I write a check instead?
• Does Givology only operate in China?
• What comprises "other" expenses?
• How do I send and receive messages from a student?
• What happens when a student is fully funded?
• What is the AutoDonate feature?
• What is Givology's refund policy on donations, event tickets, and merchandise sales?

• Give + ology
• Give: [giv] to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation; bestow, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/give
• Ology: [ol-uh-jee] any science or branch of knowledge, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ology

The ease, speed, and impact of each donation is magnified when placed in an organized system that guarantees delivery and information flow. Transparency is of utmost importance, and impact is visual, tangible, and lasting. We also emphasize cross-cultural communication - it's not just about receiving updates, but also writing messages and participating in a community dialogue about Giving! We're a 100% volunteer-driven organization so we care very much about involving everyone in our network to make the act of giving a participatory and meaningful experience.

Givology is incorporated in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but our staff presence and fellows network extends across the globe. Currently, our field partners span Latin America, Asia, and Africa, and we are constantly actively researching and making contact with new partners in other developing countries.

Givology field partners are highly esteemed non-profit organizations and official institutions of education. We apply a very diligent screening process to identify grassroots organizations that have efficiently and innovatively served the local community. For more details on the standards used to select our partners, please visit Apply to be a Partner.

Our partners are our eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. They are the ones who directly link Givology users to sponsored students. Thus, when students report their progress, our partners collect the information and report back to us. Generally, student and project updates are collected quarterly by Givology field partners and then posted online to be shared with the donors supporting the student or project. Most documentation is provided in the native language of the recipient student or community and then translated into English by Givology staff for the convenience of our donors. By registering for an account on Givology and donating to a project or student, you should automatically receive an e-mail update notifying you of any new progress update.

The target is for our partners and the students to provide quartlery (or more frequent) updates. Depending on the operations of the partner organization, the exact frequency varies.

You can send a message to the student, which will be delivered on your behalf by our field partner upon their next visit. Since the majority of our students are not regularly connected to the Internet, there will likely be a lapse before the student receives your message. In consideration of privacy, specific student contact information is not disclosed publicly.

If you are interested in corresponding with your sponsored student by telephone or letter mail, we encourage you to contact the Givology team. We will send the materials to our field partners to be distributed to the student at the time of the next visit.

Some of our partners have special programs in which donors are encouraged to work with sponsored students in China. For example, the Peach Foundation as a summer camp in which donors can volunteer to teach English in rural villages. More information can be found on the websites of our partners.

In general, donors are free to use Givology and Givology partners as channels of communication-via letter mail or email, or even the telephone, as long as it is under supervision. The privacy of the students is first and foremost our concern.

Please visit our Get Involved page for all volunteer, internship, fellowship, and staff opportunities. We would love nothing more than your contributions of time and passion! As a 100% volunteer-driven organization, we very much appreciate all the support we can get from our volunteers and contributors!

Please visit our Fellowship page for more details. Our fellowship is a great opportunity for you to leverage your time abroad. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

To donate to students and projects, first add money to your wallet through Google Checkout. Once you have added money to your wallet, you can allocate the money to the students and projects of your choice. This means only one credit card payment for many small donations. The wallet simplifies the donation process because it enables you to add money through your credit card only once, but you can use this amount to support many different students and projects.

Our goal is to minimize transaction fees to ensure that our students get the greatest amount of funding possible. 100% of your contribution is directed towards your charitable contribution - none goes to cover costs at Givology, but due to credit card charges and bank wiring/transfers costs, transaction fees may reduce the total amount available for the student. Generally, transaction fees range from 2% to 4%. With our 501-c3 tax exemption status, we have secured preferential transaction pricing for online donations and international money transfers, but depending on the local banks our partners use in their home country, transaction fees may vary. We are committed, however, to keep transaction fees as low as possible to make sure that the most of every dollar is given to our students.

Yes, your donations are tax deductible. Givology is a 501(c)(3) operating charity based in Pennsylvania. If you would like a tax receipt for your donation, please e-mail our CFO, John DeCosta, who will happily provide you with any documentation.

No, even though we launched in China, we know have partners in more than 12 countries, spanning Latin America, Africa, and Asia! We're always on the lookout for new projects and partners, so please visit our partnerships page if you are interested in applying. To view a current list of our partners, please click here.

Other expenses include miscellaneous expenses related to education, like lunch money at school, clothing or school uniforms, cost of supplementary workbooks and materials, additional tutoring, and any other case-by-case expense related to particular schools or programs. Since the needs of each student vary, our partners generally allow students some room for discretionary expenditures related to education. We usually provide a breakdown of this "other" category in the profile description.

Once you log-in, you have the option of sending a message to our students through our inbox system. Periodically, approximately once ever quarter or more frequently, we aggregate and print all the messages that donors have sent a particular student, and then mail off a package to the student. In about a month, we receive a reply from the student, which we will post online under the student's blog. Our partner organizations play a key role in facilitating this communication. Hence, you have the opportunity to communicate and interact with your sponsored students.

When a student is fully-funded, we make arrangements to transfer the funding to our partner organization. In addition, we send the student a welcome package including a letter introducing Givology and all the donors who have helped sponsor him or her, as well as all the printed messages that donors have sent to him or her through our messaging system. Through our inbox system, we will notify donors that his or her sponsored student is fully-funded, and then request that the donor submit a message to the student before a deadline, if he or she desires to.

For those of us who don't have the time to look through the numerous students and projects, we've added this feature so that people can make generic donations. Our computers will choose recipients that need your help, and you will show up in their list of donors as normal.

Certainly! Even though online transactions through Google Checkout, a third-party provider of e-commerce services are completely secure, we understand if you have concerns about donating online. Nevertheless, we highly encourage you to create an account and profile on Givology so you can receive automatic e-mail progress updates and news notifications. As such, you have three options:

Option #1 (You don't want to create an online account, but want to contribute, not recommended): You can mail us a check at the address below with a short note indicating which projects and students you want to support.

Givology
c/o John DeCosta
231 E 14th St. #4R
New York, NY 10003

Option #2 (You have created an online account, but want to write a check instead, recommended): You can mail us a check at the address above with your Givology username and e-mail address. We'll credit your account and send you an update notification that we've received your check. Then, you can allocate the funding to students and projects as you see fit. We highly encourage this option because it allows you to receive e-mail progress updates.

Option#3 : Contact John DeCosta, our CFO, with the specifics of your inquiry, and he will work out the details with you!

Donations such as additions to your wallet can be reversed and refunded to the credit card used by the donor if a written request is sent to info@givology.org within 24 hours of the time the donation was made. If we find out that a student has dropped out from school, we will notify you immediately and refund money back to your wallet.

Tickets purchased for admission to Givology events are fully refundable to the original purchaser up to 24 hours before the start time of the event. Please send any refund requests to info@givology.org

Any merchandise purchased directly from Givology may be returned within 30 calendar days of the purchase date if unused and unopened for a full refund of the purchase price. If merchandise is damaged or defective upon delivery, it can be returned for a full refund within 30 calendar days of the purchase date. Under some circumstances, you may be charged for return shipping. Merchandise that is purchased through an auction by or on behalf of Givology is non-returnable.

Merchandise that is purchased through a third party such as Zazzle is subject to the return policies of the third party.

All other refund requests will be handled on a case by case basis, and you will receive a response and decision within 2 business days. Please feel free to contact us by mail or email, or by phone, (212) 849-8914 from 9AM - 6PM ET if you have any questions about refunds on a purchase or donation.