Click on a question in the list and it will take you to the answer. Click on the Link "Back to Top" to get back to this list. To submit a question directly to the Stay Classy staff, click here.
- Do I NEED a receipt to deduct my donations?
- How do I add a picture to my profile?
- How do I create a profile?
- How do I post on my blog?
- How does the StayClassy.org giving system work?
- How will a donation appear on my bank statement?
- I had a problem with my donation attempt, what do I do?
- I lost my password, how do I get it back?
- Is my donation tax deductible?
- The information about our non profit organization on StayClassy.org is incorrect, what do I do?
- What are the processing fee costs for donations?
- What is a 501(c)3 organization?
- When will the non profit receive my donation?
- Who is your partner, Guidestar?
- Who is your partner, the Stay Classy Foundation?
- Who processes the donations through the website?
- Will I get a receipt for my donation?
1. Do I NEED a receipt to deduct my donations?
The IRS does not require receipts for cash donations under $250, but you should keep donation information on file - but don't worry, we do this for you! All of your donation history through StayClassy.org is conveniently located in your member profile section.
Cash contributions of $250 and over require a donation receipt. The receipt must record the donation amount, the date the donation was made, and the name of the charity. When you make a donation through our site, the electronic and on-screen receipts you receive from our partner, The Stay Classy Foundation, meet all of the IRS requirements as a record of donation.
2. How do I add a picture to my profile?
Click the "Edit Profile" button in your profile. From there click on
"Upload Photo", and browse your computer for a picture. When you have one selected, click "upload photo" button on the pop up window and your photo will be uploaded to our system. Currently, your profile picture needs to be uploaded separately from the other pictures in your profile (i.e. we do not have "make this my default photo" functionality yet). We are working on this though, and should have it soon!
3. How do I create a profile?
Once logged in, click the "My Profile" link on the top navigation (on the right). On your profile page, click the "edit profile" button in the top box. Once you’ve
filled out your profile, make sure to click the "Continue" button at the bottom or your changes will be lost :(
4. How do I post on my blog?
On your profile page, click the "view my blog" button. Then click the "start discussion" button. Once you are finished typing your blog entry, click the "save" button at the bottom.
5. How does the StayClassy.org giving system work?
Members can search for, research, and donate to over 1.5 million charities presented on the website on the "Charities" page. The backbone of our charity search engine is the Guidestar database, consisting of over 1.5 million 501(c)3 charities across the nation. We have uniquely presented this information in a social networking architecture to make it easy for our members to research and interact with other supporters and the actual charity themselves. StayClassy.org works with Guidestar to ensure that every charity presented on our website is eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions, recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.
Once a member has located a charity they would like to donate to on the website, click the "Donate" button in that charity's profile and follow the step-by-step instructions provided. Once the donation has been processed, you will receive and on-screen and email receipt from our partner, The Stay Classy Foundation, who is the organization that actually processes each donation and ensures that it gets to the intended recipient. Your donation history is also conveniently stored in your user profile and can be easily exported for your records. All donations are 100% tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
6. How will a donation appear on my bank statement?
Donations will appear as "The Stay Classy Foundation" on your bank statement. Although your donation goes directly to the charity you have chosen to contribute to, the donation is initially received and processed by The Stay Classy Foundation. Rest assured that 100% of all donations through StayClassy.org get to their intended recipient either electronically or through a quarterly check sent to the charity.
7. I had a problem with my donation attempt, what do I do?
If you have questions about the donation process, or you did not receive an email receipt from our partner the Stay Classy Foundation, please email us at help@stayclassy.org.
8. I lost my password, how do I get it back?
On the login page, just click the "forgot your password" link. You'll be sent an email with a new password that you can then change. If you do not receive this email, please contact us.
9. Is my donation tax deductible?
Yes. All donations made through StayClassy.org are 100% tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Each charity presented on our website is a 501(c)3 organization, meaning they are qualified to receive tax deductible donations under the Internal Revenue Service rules and regulations. Since the donations are processed by The Stay Classy Foundation, also a 501(c)3 organization, all of your contributions remain 100% tax deductible. Please consult a tax advisor if you are unsure of the IRS rules surrounding your particular deductions. When you make a donation, be sure to save and print the confirmation screen and e-mail you receive from The Stay Classy Foundation for your tax records.
10. The information about our non profit organization on StayClassy.org is incorrect, what do I do?
The information in your charity profile on StayClassy.org has been provided by GuideStar, which obtained it
through your annual IRS tax filing. If information in your charity profile is incorrect, go to
this page on Guidestar's website and register your organization
with GuideStar. Once registered, you will find instructions for
updating your information in the Guidestar database, and hence, on StayClassy.org.
StayClassy.org cannot directly modify the information in your profile that has been provided by Guidestar. However, if you have any questions please contact us at help@stayclassy.org and we can assist you with the process.
11. What are the processing fee costs for donations?
We at StayClassy.org are strong believers that third-party donor-advised companies like ourselves, should NOT make money on your charitable donations. Therefore, StayClassy.org does not take ANY percentage of your donation through our website.
However, with any online transaction, there are associated credit card fees and processing costs. Our partner, The Stay Classy Foundation, who processes all of the donations made through the StayClassy.org website, uses 3.5% of your donation to cover the credit card fees and the costs associated with check distribution.
The decision not to charge our members for donating through the site, was made to ensure that there are NO finanical disadvantages of donating through StayClassy.org vs. through an individual charity's website. The 3.5% that the Stay Classy Foundation uses, is approximately equal to the amount that individual non-profits would pay in fees if you were to donate directly on their website.
Here's the breakout of a typical $25 donation through the site:
$0.87 to The Stay Classy Foundation for admin costs.
$24.13 directly to the charity of your choice.
12. What is a 501(c)3 organization?
For charities, this means that they can accept contributions and offer donors a tax deduction for their gifts. All of the charities listed in the Guidestar database, which powers the StayClassy.org website, are 501(c)3 organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions. For donors like you, this means your contributions are fully tax-deductible to the full amount allowed by law.
13. When will the non profit receive my donation?
Our partner, The Stay Classy Foundation, disburses donations on a quarterly basis and
includes all donations made in the previous quarter. For example, all
donations made from January 1st to April 1st are mailed to the non profit on April 1st.
14. Who is your partner, Guidestar?
GuideStar is an initiative of Philanthropic Research, Inc., a public charity founded in 1994. GuideStar's mission is to help improve the effectiveness of the nonprofit sector through the collection and presentation of exhaustive information about nonprofit organizations. StayClassy.org relies on GuideStar's database of over 1.5 million public charities to provide individuals with comprehensive information about charities that match their interests. All charities listed in the GuideStar database and appearing on StayClassy.org are public nonprofit organizations in good standing with the Internal Revenue Service. Charities are encouraged to supplement the information provided through GuideStar by "claiming" their organization's profile here.
15. Who is your partner, the Stay Classy Foundation?
The Stay Classy Foundation is a public 501(c)3 organization dedicated to raising awareness of social and environmental initiatives through the support of local and national charitable organizations. The Stay Classy Foundation serves the public in two distinct ways:
1. As a charitable organization itself by, a) raising awareness for various social and environmental issues, b) creating and leading various community programs throughout Southern California, c) facilitating and providing direct crisis relief world-wide, and d) assisting charities and the general public in sharing philanthropic information and opportunities over the internet.
2. As a "donor advised" non-profit organization, meaning that it collects contributions from donors and distributes such contributions to 501(c)3 organizations recommended by you, the donor.
16. Who processes the donations through the website?
All donations made through StayClassy.org to the charities in our database are processed by our partner, The Stay Classy Foundation. The Stay Classy Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that can legally process donations on behalf of all of the charities in our database. The Stay Classy Foundation sends each non-profit a check for the sum of their donations on a quarterly basis, (although they are currently investigating automation options). When you make a donation, be sure to save and print the confirmation
screen and e-mail you receive from The Stay Classy Foundation for your tax
records. You do not need, nor will receive, an additional email from the charity that ultimately receives your donation.
By keeping the donating process in the Stay Classy family, we are able to work closely with our partner to directly monitor donations through StayClassy.org to ensure that 100% of all donations get to the intended recipient.
17. Will I get a receipt for my donation?
Our partner, The Stay Classy Foundation provides you with an on-screen and email receipt for each transaction you make through our website. When you make a donation, be sure to save and print the confirmation screen and email for your tax records. In addition, your itemized donation history through StayClassy.org is conveniently located in your user profile. You can easily export this list for your records.
