
-
Q.
What is the partnership between The Giving Back Fund and the NFLPA for the Crowdfunding and Giving Circle Program?
Click belowThe Giving Back Fund supports both the NFLPA and The Trust by offering free advisory services through Foundation Fundamentals to current and former players to help with their philanthropic and charitable efforts. The advisory services vary and depends on what the player is seeking to find answers to. Calls received from players range from advice on how to increase fundraising efforts of the player’s foundation to best practices and methods to increase impact in the community.
To further the philanthropic and charitable goals of player members, we have created an online giving platform for player members to participate in Crowdfunding and Giving Circle efforts for collective giving purposes.
-
Q.
What is the NFLPA Community Engagement Committee and how can I learn more about it?
Click belowIn March of 2017, the Board passed a resolution calling on us to form a community engagement committee to improve coordination and communications around charitable efforts of the NFLPA and players. The committee consist of three or more active players and, such coordination assistance includes staff support to maximize the impact that players have on the communities they serve.
For questions or to get involved, please email Zamir Cobb at zamir.cobb@nflpa.com.
-
Q.
What is Crowdfunding and Giving Circles and why should I participate in them?
Click belowCrowdfunding is a term that refers to any effort to raise money with donations from a large number of people. The success of crowdfunded projects is typically realized through the donor’s ability to easily share their fundraising effort via Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media platforms with an “ask” that motivates their network to donate. Because of the large reach that many players have on social media to friends, family, fans, coaches, and fellow players, this method of fundraising can be particularly effective when raising funds for charity.
Giving Circles are a form of participatory philanthropy where groups of individuals donate their own money or time to a pooled fund, deciding where to donate those funds to as a group decision by vote. Beyond donating money, giving circle members may contribute their time and skills to support local causes, too. Those involved in a giving circle also often seek to increase their own awareness of and engagement in the issues covered by the charity or community project that their circle has chosen. The benefits of participating in a giving circle are many; however, the most obvious benefits surrounding giving circles are that they increase the level of funding available to charitable efforts while allowing individual donors to have more active involvement when giving.
By participating in a crowdfunding or giving circle effort, you have the opportunity to raise more money for the cause that you care about and bring greater awareness to the issue in which you are raising funds for. Raised awareness in itself helps to bring in new donors for the cause.
-
Q.
Is my donation tax deductible?
Click belowYes! Your gift is 100% tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Upon the completion of your donation transaction, please keep your donation confirmation as a record of your receipt. You will also receive a confirmation receipt via email. Please check with your accounting professional for further information.
-
Q.
Am I paying a service fee to The Giving Back Fund or Foundation Fundamentals to make an online donation through the portal?
Click belowNo, The Giving Back Fund nor Foundation Fundamentals charge a service fee for players to make a donation through the platform. The Giving Back Fund’s management of Foundation Fundamentals and the Crowdfunding and Giving Circle Program is part of the partnership agreement with the NFLPA.
-
Q.
How am I assured the funds that I donate go directly to my charity of choice?
Click belowThe Crowdfunding and Giving Circle Program is a fiscally-sponsored project at The Giving Back Fund (GBF). By law, GBF has exclusive legal control over the contributed assets and is responsible for the distribution of all funds collected. GBF ensures the funds are properly used by the recipient charity(ies) through strict reporting processes that the recipient charity must adhere to. GBF is governed by the IRS and completes an audited financial statement each year that certifies all expenses and distributions were managed properly.
-
Q.
What is the primary focus of the NFLPA's Crowdfunding and Giving Circle Program?
Click belowThe primary focus of the program is to provide a platform for current and former players to collectively raise funds for charities that they typically would support individually for greater impact. Many players give to similar organizations such as Boys and Girls Challenger Club, Make-A-Wish, etc. Players are also often asked to help an organization raise funds for a specific program or project. The Crowdfunding and Giving Circle program allows players to fulfill their community obligation while encouraging their teammates, family, friends, fans, etc. to support the effort through a shared link to the donation platform.
-
Q.
I made a donation, how will my donation be used?
Click belowEach Crowdfunding and Giving Circle campaign raises funds for a particular cause, program or nonprofit. All donations through the platform will be sent as a “general use grant” to the recipient charity unless funds are raised and earmarked for a specific program. In either case, the recipient charity will be required to complete a “grant report” within 6-12 months of receipt of funds. The report details how funds were spent and is filed at The Giving Back Funds office. All reports will be shared with the NFLPA and kept on file.
-
Q.
Can anyone sign up to raise funds through the Crowdfunding and Giving Circle Program platform?
Click below- The player recommending the charity must complete the “Charity Nomination Form.” Click here to complete the online form.
- The charity in which funds are being raised must be a 501c3 organization in good standing with the IRS. The charity can also be a fiscally-sponsored project.
- The charity must be vetted prior to being considered.
- The charity must provide its IRS Determination Letter and W9 prior to funds being raised.
- If the charity is one founded by a player member, the above mentioned must be provided to The Giving Back Fund as well as the last 990 tax return filed with the IRS.
Only NFLPA current and former player members can sign up to raise funds through the platform. The process and restrictions are as follows:
-
Q.
Is there a credit card processing and per transaction fee charged with my donation?
Click belowYes, however, this fee is nominal and not charged by The Giving Back Fund, it is charged by the credit card company and the online giving portal, Blackbaud.
As with any online donation processing gateway (Braintree, PayPal, Blackbaud, etc.), VISA, MC, Discovery and AmEx charge a “credit card processing fee.” The credit card processing fee is 2.65%. The online giving portal gateway, Blackbaud, charges $0.26 per transaction. Both fees are taken off the top of each donation by Blackbaud, with the remaining balance sent directly to the NFLPA Player Fundraising Events’ bank account. Once all funds have been received, each charity selected will receive their donation within 30 days. Please note: If you want 100% of your donation to go to the charity selected, please add $3 for every $100 you are donating to cover the fees.
-
Q.
I don’t want to incur a credit card fee or transaction fee on my donation, how can I donate directly?
Click belowYou can donate directly by writing a check payable to: NFLPA Player Fundraising Events and mail to: The Giving Back Fund, 5757 W. Century Blvd., Suite 410, Los Angeles, CA 90045. In the letter, please state which charity your funds are earmarked for, provide the charity’s tax ID number (if known), and include the best method to contact you for any further questions related to your donation. If you would like to wire funds, please contact us at: info@foundationfundamentals.org.
-
Q.
I made a mistake on my donation amount, how can I fix it?
Click belowPlease send an email with your name, amount, transaction id, and date of the transaction to info@foundationfundamentals.org. All of the required information is listed on your confirmation receipt that you received upon completion of your donation transaction and in the email confirmation sent. Please note it will take 2-3 days to correct the error.
-
Q.
Do you provide refunds on my donation?
Click belowNo, unfortunately we do not provide refunds for donations made. We can change your charity preference for the donation, however, before any funds are sent, the charity must be vetted. If you need to change your charity destination, please contact us at info@foundationfundamentals.org.
-
Q.
I currently have my own charity, can my organization be considered as a recipient of the Crowdfunding and Giving Circle platform to raise money for programs?
Click belowYes, all charities approved for fundraising through the Crowdfunding and Giving Circle Program must be nominated by a player. Please use the Charity Nomination Form to complete your request for consideration. Please click here for the form. Once the charity has been fully vetted, you will receive an email notifying you if the charity has been accepted. Once accepted, the charity will be added to the online giving platform for others to consider supporting. The player that nominated the charity will receive a link to the donation platform to share. It will be the player’s responsibility to share with others the link provided to participate and to raise additional funds for his program.
-
Q.
I want to buy products and have them sent to a certain charity (e.g., football equipment, clothing, toys, etc.), can The Giving Back Fund help with this process?
Click belowYes, however, the Crowdfunding and Giving Circle Program is to encourage collective giving therefore we encourage players to enlist the support of at least one additional player to support your charitable effort. The idea behind Crowdfunding and Giving Circles is to promote “collective giving.” The Giving Back Fund will accept funds from two or more players and purchase the items to send to the recipient charity. The same vetting process will be followed for the nominated charity receiving the goods. Please use the Charity Nomination Form to complete your request for consideration. Please click here for the form.
-
Q.
I want to nominate my child’s school, local hospital or church as a recipient charity, is this possible?
Click belowYes, you can nominate a school as long as it is a public school. Many charter schools are not 501c3 organizations, so please check with the school first. Private schools are not eligible because they are not 501c3 nonprofit organizations. Hospitals are eligible as long as they are public institutions with 501c3 nonprofit status. Please check with the hospital that you are nominating to make sure it is a nonprofit organization. Most churches are public institutions and are eligible. Please use the Charity Nomination Form to complete your request for consideration. Please click here for the form.