FAQ

General FAQ

Q. Who we are: One Valley Community Foundation

One Valley Community Foundation is a trusted partner in local philanthropy, committed to building a stronger, more vibrant Gallatin County. Our mission is to connect people who care to causes that matter to ensure all can thrive in Gallatin County. Through services like donor advised funds, nonprofit support, and community initiatives like Give Big Gallatin Valley and the Regional Housing Coalition, we help channel generosity and collaboration into meaningful impact. Learn more about One Valley Community Foundation

Q. Why is One Valley Community Foundation hosting Give Big Gallatin Valley for local nonprofit organizations?

We are invested in bringing awareness to the local nonprofit organizations that make our community a vibrant place for us to live, work, and play. Nonprofit organizations play a critical role in all our lives, and as a Community Foundation, we are deeply dedicated to supporting their impactful work. The goal of Give Big is to:

Raise awareness about nonprofit organizations in Gallatin County and highlight their positive impact on our community
Support the operating needs of nonprofit organizations that serve Gallatin County through donations and cash prizes
Grow the base of engaged donors in Gallatin County – bringing new donors to our nonprofit organizations
Build a sense of community and camaraderie amongst the nonprofit sector and the community as a whole
Increase nonprofit capacity and professionalism through Give Big trainings, partnerships, and mentorship

Q. Why give?

We all have causes we care about, and Give Big is the perfect way to support your passions and find new organizations doing important work in your community! Sort by issue area, see organizations' stories, and chip in to build on the vital work being done to support friends, neighbors, and families across Gallatin County!

Q. When is Give Big Gallatin Valley?

Give Big Gallatin Valley 2025 will take place at www.givebiggv.org starting at 6 pm on Thursday, May 1st, until 6 pm on Friday, May 2nd.

Donor FAQ

Q. Who can donate?

Anyone may donate! Donations to a nonprofit organization participating in Give Big Gallatin Valley are tax-deductible. Donations can be made online at GiveBigGV.org or offline via check, stock, IRA, or DAF transfer, either directly to the nonprofit or through One Valley Community Foundation. Find out more on the  Ways to Give page.

Q. How can I get involved?

Donate online on May 1st and 2nd at  GiveBigGV.org!  Search for a nonprofit  to give to by typing in a specific organization's name or search the causes you're most passionate about to see which organizations are working in those areas.
Donate via check directly to the organization you support by mailing them a check ahead of Give Big! Do you want to give to multiple organizations through one check? You can do this through One Valley Community Foundation by filling out the Offline Donation Form (available early April)! Check out the  Ways to Give page to learn more.
Be a  Peer-to-Peer Fundraiser  for an organization you care about.
Find a volunteer opportunity on your favorite organization's profile at GiveBigGV.org.
Help spread the word by sharing the initiative with your community! Check out our social media pages for fun ways to spread the word.
Share Give Big or news about a cause you care about on social media. Doing so could help a nonprofit you love win one of our cash prizes. Prizes will be announced on April 2nd.

Q. How will I be able to search for and donate to a nonprofit?

You will be able to search for a nonprofit directly from GiveBigGV.org. You can search for nonprofits by name, community, and cause categories. Underneath the search function, donors will have the ability to see a list of participating organizations.

To donate online, go to the profile of your nonprofit of choice and click the donate button!

Q. Is the foundation keeping any revenue from the project?

Yes, One Valley Community Foundation collects a 3% host fee for all gifts given through the website. Donors can opt to cover those fees; otherwise, they will be deducted from their gift. This fee helps cover the expenses of hosting Give Big, including website, marketing, and staff expenses. As Give Big has grown, this additional fee became a necessity in order for Give Big to continue annually.

Q. Can I give to more than one organization at a time?

Yes! When giving online, look for the button that says "Add Another Organization" on your donation flow, or feel free to continue shopping around the site; the gift basket will save your donations for you. You can give to up to 10 organizations per transaction.

Q. Is there a minimum or maximum credit card gift?

The minimum donation is $5. The maximum gift will be determined by the donor's generosity and credit card limit.

Q. Are gifts tax-deductible?

All gifts are 100% tax-deductible and will be for unrestricted use by the recipient organization.

Q. Can I donate a gift via check?

Whether you want to donate online via credit card or offline via check, giving is easy during Give Big. Go to the  Ways to Give page for more details.

Q. Can I donate to Give Big through my IRA, donor advised fund, or stock transfer?

Yes! Please get in touch with Jennifer Owens at accounting@onevalley.org to facilitate this gift. To have your gift count in the Give Big totals, we ask that you contact Jennifer by April 17th to help us support your giving.

Q. What is GiveGab?

GiveGab is an online giving platform that helps nonprofits raise money, engage donors, and manage volunteers quickly and efficiently. GiveGab manages the Give Big website. Their support team is available through the blue chat bubble in the bottom right corner.

Q. How will donations be reported on the donor's credit card statement?

The statement will show a charge for each organization to which a donation was made. It will show the name of the organization to which you donated.  If you are making multiple or high-volume gifts, it might be worth checking with your bank beforehand so your card is not flagged!

Q. How much of my donation goes to the nonprofit?

If you donate online with a credit card, 8% + $0.30 will be retained by the credit card companies, GiveGab, and One Valley Community Foundation. The complete breakdown is as follows: 

2.5% service charge from GiveGab for building and maintaining the hosting site. This helps cover site building and maintenance, customer service, and donation processing.
2.5% + $0.30 is charged on all transactions made with any card provider. In past years, fees have been higher for transactions with American Express. These are standard charges from each credit card company for donations made online. 
3% host fee is charged by One Valley Community Foundation. This helps cover marketing expenses, staff time, nonprofit training and professional development, and prizes.
You are given the option to cover the fees during checkout, and if you choose this option, 100% of your online charitable gift will go to the receiving organization.

Any donations processed outside of Give Big Gallatin Valley, through GiveGab.com, or subsequent recurring donations are subject to transaction fees outlined on the GiveGab.com pricing page and may vary based on organization subscription: info.givegab.com/pricing.

Q. Can donors designate how a nonprofit uses their gifts?

Gifts made during Give Big are considered unrestricted gifts to the nonprofit.

Q. Who will receive my contact information?

The organization(s) you support will receive your name and email address, and you can choose to share your phone number and mailing address. This information is used only to send thank-you messages and updates about future activities.

One Valley Community Foundation also sends two emails each year to contacts from this list:

A Give Big save-the-date email in mid-April.
A day-of-giving reminder on the Thursday of Give Big.

To give anonymously:

Check "Please do not display the donation amount publicly" and/or "Hide my name from the public" on the donation form to keep your name and/or donation amount hidden on the Give Big website. Organizations will still see your name and contact details in their reports.
To remain completely anonymous, select "Hide my name from this organization and the public." The organization won’t receive your information, but One Valley Community Foundation will retain it to assist if needed.

One Valley Community Foundation will NEVER share or sell your information to third parties.

Q. Do I need to create an account with GiveGab?

No, you do not need to create an account to donate. The benefits of creating an account include having your tax receipts collected in one location, tracking your donations, following the charities you support, and engaging in future volunteering and donation opportunities. Your tax receipt is emailed immediately upon processing your donation. You should retain the donation receipt as an official record to claim a donation as a deduction on U.S. taxes.

Q. What if my preferred organization is not listed?

If your preferred organization is not listed, they did not register for Give Big this year. Reach out to them to encourage them to participate next year! We encourage you to use the "Search" function on GiveBigGV.org to find other causes that match your passions!

Q. Who can I contact if I have additional questions?

Click the blue chat bubble in the bottom right corner for immediate support from Give Gab or email customersuccess@givegab.com. They can support you with questions about the website, your receipts, and how to give online. You can also contact Chloe Loeffelholz, Interim Program Manager for One Valley Community Foundation, at chloe@onevalley.org for questions about in-person events, media inquiries, nonprofit support, and offline gifts.

Nonprofit FAQ

Q. When is Give Big Gallatin Valley?

Give Big Gallatin Valley 2025 will take place from 6 pm on Thursday, May 1st, to 6 pm on Friday, May 2nd.

Q. Is there a fee to participate?

Yes. Registration fees are on a sliding scale based on your organization's budget size. Organizations with a budget of less than $100k pay $80. Organizations with a budget between $100k and $500k pay $110. Organizations with a budget over $500k pay $140. Registration fees help support the initiative's marketing and planning needs. If this fee is cost-prohibitive, please get in touch with Chloe at chloe@onevalley.org to inquire about scholarship availability.

Q. Are there terms of service for participating in Give Big Gallatin Valley?

Yes, the Terms of Service for participating in Give Big Gallatin Valley can be found here. Each nonprofit must read and agree to the Terms of Service during registration. 

Q. Which organizations can participate?

Organizations that are verified 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofits located in OR serving Gallatin County are eligible to participate if registered by Friday, March 14th, 2025. Every organization must register their organization in order to participate, even if your organization has participated in past events. Additionally, organizations must take all necessary steps to be verified and approved by March 27th.

Q. Why should my organization participate?

Great question! Here are some reasons to participate in Give Big:

Year after year, Give Big helps raise awareness for the nonprofit sector. By coming together on one day, we can leverage all of our resources to promote all of the good work charities are doing in our region!
Give Big exists to support, equip, and serve the local nonprofit community through free workshops, tools, and templates that can be used to fundraise year-round. We hope to help equip every agency in our county footprint with the tools they need to thrive!
Prize funds will go to organizations that participate in the event. This money is spread out amongst the different-sized organizations, enabling donors to maximize their impact!
Giving is contagious, and by creating an entire event dedicated to giving, we can come together as a community and encourage our friends and family to give to the causes we love the most. With so many new organizations to discover, there's something for everyone!

Q. What is GiveGab?

GiveGab is an online giving platform that helps nonprofits raise money, engage donors, and manage volunteers quickly and efficiently. You can contact GiveGab through the blue chat bubble in the bottom right corner. They can help with participation approval, creating your profile, adding peer-to-peer fundraisers, and any other questions about the website.

Q. Why do you require the last four digits of the nonprofit administrator's Social Security number and date of birth for a nonprofit's donation payouts?

GiveGab is an online platform that collects, processes, and distributes money in the form of donations from supporters to organizations, and they fall under certain regulations; in particular, US-based organizations must abide by the compliance laws that are part of the Patriot Act.

In short, GiveGab must verify that the individual signing up an organization to collect donations is who they say they are and is authorized to do so. Additionally, we need to verify that the organization is a legitimately registered corporation. Collecting this information helps us streamline donation processing and payouts with our underlying payment processor (Stripe) and the financial institutions they work with. More importantly, we have a duty to our users that when they choose to support a cause with a monetary gift, that money goes where they expect it to go! You can read a full explanation here, including how this information is stored.

Q. How will donations be distributed?

Each donation to a participating nonprofit will be disbursed directly from GiveGab via direct deposit within 5-7 business days. All offline donations received through One Valley Community Foundation and prizes awarded to nonprofits will be distributed by One Valley Community Foundation to nonprofits within a month of the initiative.

Q. How much of the donations go to my nonprofit?

For online credit card donations, 8% + $0.30 will be retained by the credit card companies and GiveGab. The complete breakdown is as follows: 

2.5% service charge from GiveGab for building and maintaining the hosting site. This helps cover site building and maintenance, customer service, and donation processing.
2.5% + $0.30 is charged on all transactions made with any card provider. In past years, fees have been higher for transactions with American Express. These are standard charges from each credit card company for donations made online. 
3% host fee is charged by One Valley Community Foundation. This helps cover marketing expenses, staff time, nonprofit training and professional development, and prizes. Learn More
A donor is given the option to cover the fees, and if they choose this option, 100% of their online charitable gift will go to the receiving organization.

Q. Who will receive the donor's contact information?

Donors have multiple options regarding anonymity. Donors can choose to be listed publicly on the Give Big website and share their contact information with the organization(s) they support. Additionally, they may choose to be listed anonymously on the website but share their information with the organization, in which case the organization will receive their name, email address, and optionally their address and phone number. This information should be used solely to send thank you messages, provide the option to receive future notifications, and notify donors of future activities. Finally, a donor may choose to give and be kept anonymous from the public and the organization. If that is the case, the organization will receive the full donation, and the donor will be listed anonymously in the organization's donation report. One Valley Community Foundation will receive all donor contact information to help resolve any issues that may arise. This information will never be sold or given to a third party by One Valley and should not be sold or given away by nonprofits either.

Q. How do matching gifts and challenge gifts work for my nonprofit?

Matches and challenges are a great way to engage committed supporters of your organization and engage new and smaller donors by helping their gifts go farther. Gifts to be used as matches or challenges can be made directly to your organization before, during, or after Give Big, depending on what works best for your organization and your donor. As the organization, you simply add the match or challenge to your profile from your Giving Day dashboard. You can customize the time frame, name, amount, and more. Your organization is responsible for receipting this donor for their contribution.

Matches are automatically added to the organization's total as gifts come in through the Give Big platform. For example, an organization has a $1,000 match. The organization receives a $100 gift, and their matching fund automatically adds another $100 to their total.

Challenges are added to the organization's total when a certain goal is met. For example, an organization has a $1,000 match that will be added when the day-of gifts reach $10,000. When a donor makes the gift to hit $10,000, the $1,000 challenge bonus is automatically added to the total.

Q. Who should I contact for help with the registration process?

If you have questions related to the website platform or your profile, please get in touch with GiveGab support in the blue chat bubble at the bottom right of your screen or email customersuccess@givegab.com.

If you have questions about eligibility, resources, or local considerations, please contact Chloe Loeffelholz at chloe@onevalley.org.