How to Give to Charities Electronically

Donating money to charity does not always require that you write a check. It may surprise you to know that many have websites online that will accept payment securely by electronic means. You can accomplish this in a variety of ways via different accounts. This can be a great time saver for those that donate to charity, no matter how often.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Credit card
• Debit card

1. Look on the charity, group or organization's website. Often, if you cannot donate directly online via credit card or bank account, you can print out and mail a form to have your checking account debited in the time frame you specify. Normally you can specify one time, weekly, monthly or quarterly withdrawals.

2. If you receive a debit-type gift card, instead of worrying about depleting the balance or service charges, you can donate the entire amount online to most charities. This is accomplished by stating you wish to charge your donation to a credit card. It has all the same numbers as a credit card would and this way you know your card will end with a zero balance and no fees will be charged for lack of use.

3. If you do not wish to have a long term commitment or perhaps you donate to many charities, consider using a credit card for a one-time donation rather than direct debit of a bank account. This can be done by visiting the charity website or filling out a form provided by the charity of your choice.

4. Paypal is a safe, reliable source for donating to many good causes and organizations online. Just be aware that many of your transactions will be tied to your bank account unless you specify that the funding source is a credit card. To be on the safe side, always use your credit card.

5. There is a website of similar charities linked together called the Hunger, Breast Cancer, Child Literacy, Rainforest and Animal rescue that receive donations when you click your mouse. Of course, you can always donate more or buy their products if you wish. You can come back daily and click to donate absolutely free. Links are found in the Resource section.

6. Electronic giving also lets you do your financial planning more effectively. If you already know what your budget will be for church and other organizations, you can have them electronically debit your bank account or some will even accept credit cards.

7. Some credit card reward programs will let you donate your points to your favorite charity. Better yet, you can open a credit card account that is specifically designed to give a percentage of your overall purchases to charity. This is very similar to a frequent flyer program.

8. If you have a grocery, office or department store rewards club or coupon type card, you can often specify which charity (usually by number) that you want any money to be donated to. They will often give a small percentage of your purchases to local churches, groups, schools, clubs and other organizations. Check with the individual store for further details, as their policies vary.

Tips & Warnings

• To donate electronically from a bank account, you will need your routing number (found at the bottom left of your check) and the bank account number. Give this information only to institutions you trust.
• Do not donate to any charity you are unfamiliar with.

[LilacGirl]

on 8/16/2008 These are all great suggestions for donating. I liked the gift card idea especially.

[Cougar1002]

on 7/24/2008 Our church has recently set up donations through PayPal as part of the online bookstore--from what I've heard it's worked out very nicely. Great article! :)