You can become a supporter by signing up online to make a weekly contribution, at whatever level you choose, to DonateForChange.Org. You enter your credit card information on our secure server. Your credit card is billed monthly for the contributions you make.
After you've signed up, you will receive an e-mail message every week from DonateForChange.Org. The message informs you of the group that will receive the next week's contributions to DonateForChange.Org, gives you some information about the organization, as well as a link to its web page. You have the option of opting out of supporting that organization. If you do nothing, you will automatically be billed for the amount you specified in signing up. You will also have the option to make a special, additional contribution to the organization of the week. You can withdraw from DonateForChange.Org at any time.
How does DonateForChange.Org select organizations to receive contributions?
DonateForChange.Org's staff selects organizations in consultation with our board of advisors.
The criteria for selection include:
DonateForChange.Org spreads its support widely. Once our weekly donation level reaches $10,000, selected groups will have to wait at least three years before being selected to receive support again.
Over time, we anticipate experimenting with different methods of selecting groups, including by developing tools to let supporters vote for their preferred organizations.
Do I have to support every group selected by DonateForChange.Org?
No.
The idea behind DonateForChange.Org is that we aggregate as many small contributions as possible -- so we certainly hope you'll support the groups we select. And hopefully you'll have some confidence in our capacity to pick worthy groups -- part of our purpose is to identify smaller organizations that are doing great work but don't have the name recognition of larger groups.
But DonateForChange.Org's operating model is not to lock supporters into contributing to any group they don't want to. Each week, we'll send you information on the next week's selected organization, and links to more details. You'll always have the opportunity to opt out of contributing to any selected organization.
Does DonateForChange.Org keep any of my contribution?
Yes.
DonateForChange.Org runs on the leanest budget possible, but it does cost money to maintain the project. We deduct from contributions the cost of operating DonateForChange.Org, but pledge that a minimum of 75 percent of contributions will go directly to the beneficiary organizations. By the end of our first year, we expect that our administrative expenses will become a progressively smaller portion of what DonateForChange.Org is raising.
Our ongoing costs include: staffing, system maintenance, ISP and server expenses, on-line payment and credit card service charges, telephone, rent, computer and miscellaneous office expenses. DonateForChange.Org is committed to complete transparency about costs, and will update our line item expenditures every six months.
What will DonateForChange.Org do with my private information?
We require your name, e-mail address, credit card information and other personal information in order to communicate with you and process your donations. We share this information with companies we have contracted with to assist us with the operation of this website and to process contributions, but solely for these purposes.
Outside of these purposes, we will never sell or exchange your information with other organizations, unless required to by law. Read our full privacy statement here.
Are contributions to DonateForChange.Org tax deductible?
Yes, contributions are tax deductible for U.S. supporters.
Essential Information is the parent organization of DonateForChange.Org. It is a nonprofit, tax-exempt group organized under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our activities, including DonateForChange.Org, comply with 501(c)(3) rules. DonateForChange.Org will only direct funds to organizations that comply with 501(c)(3) rules.
If you contribute more than $250 in the course of a year to DonateForChange.Org, you will receive a notice of acknowledgement for your records.
What is Essential Information?
Founded in 1982, Essential Information is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. We are involved in a variety of projects to encourage citizens to become active and engaged in their communities. We provide provocative information to the public on important topics neglected by the mass media and policy makers, and undertake advocacy efforts in a variety of areas.
Essential Information publishes Multinational Monitor, a bi-monthly magazine that critically reports on multinational corporations and the global economy, as well as various books and reports. We provide writers with grants to pursue investigations and small organizations with funds to continue their advocacy work.
Essential Information is also the parent organization of the Center for Corporate Policy, which works to curb corporate abuses and make corporations publicly accountable, and sponsor of Halliburton Watch, a website that drew attention to Halliburton's misdeeds in Iraq and elsewhere.
Essential Information's advocacy arm is Essential Action. Essential Action runs campaigns to:
Essential Information's Board of Directors includes John Richard, Seyoum Haregot, Robert Weissman and Amy Allina.
Does Essential Information make money from DonateForChange.Org?
Essential Information does not take any portion of donations to groups beyond that need to fund DonateForChange.Org's lean budget.
DonateForChange.Org does have a special rule that will be benefit Essential Information: While other organizations will not appear more than once every three years, Essential Information will be a DonateForChange.Org selected organization once every year.