Every month, GlobalGIving processes as many as 35,000 transactions and disburses hundreds of thousands of dollars to hundreds of organizations around the world. In January alone, GlobalGiving disbursed more than $2.3 million to more than 1,250 organizations in about 100 countries worldwide!  As our disbursement process continues to grow, we would like to give you as much information about your donations as possible. That is why GlobalGiving has dubbed 2012 the year of disbursements! This year, we are working hard to build a system that is:

• more open, letting you know what money you’ve received, when you received it, and, eventually, we’ll be able to tell you how much money is pending for disbursement in real time;
• more streamlined, making it possible for us to catch any problems before they occur, to save you time with your bank; and
• more automated and efficient, so that we can get money to you sooner.

In the next three blog posts, we will outline our current process, provide answers to frequently asked questions, and introduce our goals for 2012 (and give you a sneak peek of a new feature soon to be up on the site)!

GlobalGiving’s Disbursement Process

Right now, GlobalGiving disburses funds at the end of the month after donations are received. So, if a donation is made in January, it will be disbursed at the end of February. Our disbursement team aims to get funds out the door by the 25^th of the month, although sometimes it takes a few days less or more.

For international organizations, we only disburse after net $250 or more is pending to reduce the overall cost of wire fees and because of the limitations placed on us by FXecute.

GlobalGiving waits until the month after donations are received to reconcile donations to ensure financial security. Each month, donations on GlobalGiving’s site are reversed or charged-back. Although this is rare, GlobalGiving is not able to take the risk in disbursing donations that may later be reversed. When this does occur, our partners incur a negative balance for the amount that was reversed which can reduce or even delay future disbursements.

The Reconciliation Process

At the moment, donations are reconciled by one stellar individual: James. He spends several weeks each month reconciling donations. What does this mean?

1. First, he imports all contributions made to GlobalGiving, from www.globalgiving.org and our corporate sites, like Nike WEGiving, YourCause, MissionFish, etc., into the disbursement database.

2. During this process, James meticulously ensures that fees are accurately applied to each donation. On some occasions, donations made through our corporate partner sites have different fees than donations made on GlobalGiving.org. For example, donations made by Nike employees through WEGiving only incur a 5% fee on the donation and the match.

3. Next, he reconciles donations against credit card companies and PayPal. Here he is checking to ensure that donations have not been reversed and that they have been paid in full.

4. At this point, James reconciles all gift cards that have been redeemed on the website in the past month. In December alone 15,000 gift cards were redeemed on GlobalGiving. These nifty cards are a huge source of volume for GlobalGiving’s partners. Unfortunately, they’re also a lot of work for James. It takes him up to 3 days a month to reconcile all of these donations—taking funds out of large, one-time gift card purchases from corporate partners and applying them to hundreds of projects that have received gift card redemptions.

5. Finally, James processes any matching funds, bonus awards, or special grants being made to our partners. These special cases are not automatically included in the regular disbursement process and must be added manually.

Once James has finished reconciling all of the donations made in the past month, he passes the month’s disbursement information onto Barrett for the approval process.

Chances are you’ve interacted with Barrett in the past. Not only is he our wonderful Office Manager, there to greet you as you come in the door at GlobalGiving, but he also sends out all disbursement reports and handles most disbursement related questions that we receive.

The Approval Process

Before each disbursement goes out the door, Barrett looks at every single one (there were 1,250 in January alone!) to make sure the organization is approved to receive funds–that due diligence is up to date in our system and we have received the required quarterly reports. He also checks for special requests to make sure that we are meeting the needs of our partners.

Sending Funds

Once disbursements are approved and ready to go, it’s time to get the money out the door! At GlobalGiving, we offer 4 different ways for our partners to receive funds, depending on their location and preference: ACH, check, international wire, and FXecute.

ACH: ACH is a direct bank transfer from GlobalGiving’s account to the American accounts of our U.S. registered partners. This is our preferred method of disbursement for U.S. partners. It can take 1-3 business days for funds to reach your account.

Checks: Stuffed, stamped, and mailed by GlobalGiving’s fabulous interns, checks tend to arrive within 1-5 days after being sent. Once they leave our hands, your check is at the mercy of the U.S. postal system.  How to switch your disbursement method to ACH.

FXecute: Our newest disbursement method, FXecute makes it possible for GlobalGiving to disburse funds in local currencies, saving our partners money on wire transfer fees and currency conversions. Read more about FXecute.  It can take up to 2 weeks to receive your disbursement via FXecute, particularly if you are receiving an FXecute disbursement for the first time. Once the disbursement leaves our office there’s nothing that we can do to speed up the time it arrives in your account. If your funds are not received within 15 days of disbursement, GlobalGiving will work with you to investigate.

Wire: This disbursement method is for organizations based outside the U.S. with U.S. dollar bank accounts. This method incurs bank transfer fees and higher currency conversion rates than FXecute. Read more about FXecute.  It can take up to 2 weeks to receive your disbursement via international wire.  Once the disbursement leaves our office there’s nothing that we can do to speed up the time it arrives in your account. If your funds are not received within 15 days of disbursement, GlobalGiving will work with you to investigate.

Disbursement Reports

Disbursements are accompanied by a Disbursement Report which provides a complete list of all donations made during the disbursement period, including the donor name (unless anonymous), email address, and donation amount. The report also provides information about any the fees applied to each donation and includes both a gross and a net total of donations received.

The Disbursement Report is emailed to the disbursement contacts attached to your account, as designated by the Disbursement Form completed during the due diligence process. Your disbursement report can be sent to up to four people in your organization. To change your disbursement contact(s), please email projecthelp@globalgiving.org.

Disbursement reports are sent a few days after disbursements leave our office. Depending on your organization’s disbursement method (check, wire, etc.), you may receive your disbursement report just before or after your disbursement.

There is no way for us to time the report with the arrival of the funds in your account, although we are working on staggering reports based on disbursement method to reduce confusion.

————

Phew, that’s a lot of information! Our hope is that this has given you deeper insight into our current disbursement process. Now stay tuned to read answers to frequently asked questions about disbursements and to learn more about our goals for improving this process in 2012. And, as always, if you have any questions please feel free to email us at projecthelp@globalgiving.org.

Would you like to represent GlobalGiving in your country? Apply for GlobalGiving Ambassadors, a new program that will identify leading GlobalGiving partners to visit other non-profit partners and host workshops overseas. Selected individuals will visit GlobalGiving in Washington, DC for training. Apply online by March 9th.

Every year, GlobalGiving receives emails and phone calls from our partners around the world who are acting as informal ambassadors—hosting workshops to teach other organizations in their community about the value of online fundraising and the tools available through GlobalGiving; providing one-on-one support to organizations that need help uploading due diligence documents or submitting a project report; and organizing informal meet-ups and opportunities for networking and collaboration.

At the same time, everywhere we go, we’re asked “when are you setting up a GlobalGiving office here?” And although we wish we could be on the ground in every country we work in to meet with our partners and to provide in-person support, we don’t have the resources or manpower to make that possible. So, we rely primarily on highly trained fellows and volunteers to visit our partners overseas and to host workshops for organizations interested in joining GlobalGiving. (In fact, we have a brand new GlobalGiving representative headed to Southeast Asia next week!) And it’s working! We’ve received fantastic feedback from organizations about the value of these face-to-face interactions with a member of the GlobalGiving team.

But wouldn’t it be great if we could provide a long-term, consistent presence in one country?

So this year, for the first time, we are excited to be formally supporting our partners who are already acting as informal GlobalGiving ambassadors in their countries, while expanding GlobalGiving’s in-the-field support through the Ambassador Program.

This new program will identify and train one to two Ambassadors to represent GlobalGiving in their country for one year. Selected individuals will have the opportunity to participate in a one-week training in Washington, DC in April or May 2012, where they will learn everything they need to answer frequently asked questions about GlobalGiving’s project entry system, campaigns, corporate partnerships, and more.

What are the Program requirements?

Selected individuals will:

• Commit to act as GlobalGiving’s Ambassador in their country for one year. We will provide regular check-ins and support to our Ambassadors throughout the year.
• Be available to come to DC for a week of training in April or May. GlobalGiving will reimburse flight, lodging, and food expenses for this one week stay.
• Visit GlobalGiving’s partners organizations in the country to verify the projects and reports posted on the site and to offer support to current partners. GlobalGiving will provide a small monthly travel and communications stipend to make these visits and relevant communications possible.
• Host at least six workshops throughout the country about the value and principles of online fundraising and to support organizations interested in learning more about GlobalGiving.  GlobalGiving will provide a workshop budget. Ambassadors will be eligible for reimbursement for costs directly associated with the workshops.
• Provide feedback about organizations from the same country that are applying to GlobalGiving for the first. GlobalGiving uses a rigorous due diligence process to vet organizations that are new to the site. On occasion, questions arise about specific organizations. We will seek Ambassadors’ advice when relevant.
• Help GlobalGiving understand the local non-profit sector in your country as well as any regulations or restrictions that might inhibit organizations from applying to join GlobalGiving.

Who is eligible to apply for the Ambassador Program?

To be eligible for the Ambassador Program, you must:

• Live and work in a country other than the United States. The main objective of this program is to extend GlobalGiving’s representation outside of the U.S, where GlobalGiving’s office is based.
• Work for an organization that has been successfully using GlobalGiving’s site for AT LEAST one year.

Preference will be given to individuals who have been active and engaged on GlobalGiving and who have experience working with non-profit networks in their country.

What are the benefits for being an Ambassador Program?

GlobalGiving Ambassadors will benefit from:

• An all-expense paid trip to GlobalGiving’s office in Washington, DC to meet GlobalGiving’s team and take part in a one-week training.
• In depth training about online fundraising and GlobalGiving. During the one-week training, we will go over the principles of online fundraising—calling on experts in the office and from the DC area to share their suggestions for utilizing online tools to raise money for non-profit organizations. We will also offer an in depth training in fundraising on GlobalGiving—including how to use the project entry system, attract new donors, benefit from corporate partnerships, and more.
• Networking opportunities while in the United States. GlobalGiving will organize meetings with strategic partners and potential collaborative organizations during the one-week stay.
• A modest travel and communications stipend for in-country visits to other GlobalGiving partners.
• Funding to host workshops for other organizations in your country. The Ambassador Program gives organizations the chance to contribute to the growth of local non-profit networks by providing networking opportunities at workshops and offering information and support for online fundraising.
• The opportunity to build relationships with and learn best practices from other GlobalGiving partners through site visits and meetings.

Interested? Please apply online here by Friday, March 9^th.  We will review your application and get back to you by March 16^th to let you know if you have been selected for a second round of applications. Applicants accepted to submit a second application will be asked to provide a letter of recommendation from another organization from the same country.

Would you like a larger say in developing GlobalGiving’s campaigns? Would you like to be the first to see new tools and features before they are rolled out on the site? Apply now for GlobalGiving’s Leadership Council, a new advisory committee made up of representatives from our non-profit partners (like you!).  Applications are due Thursday, February 16^th.

GlobalGiving is committed to evolving and shaping our online platform, tools, campaigns, and trainings to better meet the needs of our partner organizations. We know that the best way to do this is to seek and act on feedback from you. That is why, over the years, we have invited each of our partners to complete an annual project leader survey. We have encouraged candid dialogue at our workshops throughout the world and requested comments and suggestions via our Project Leader Facebook group.

Our newest initiative, the Leadership Council, is just one more way for us to execute one of four values: Listen. Act. Learn. Repeat. Read about our four values here.

What is the Leadership Council?

The Leadership Council will be a committee of representatives from our non-profit partners around the world. We are looking to identify representatives from a range of organizations: long-time GlobalGiving partners, who have seen how GlobalGiving has changed over the years, as well as some of GlobalGiving’s newest community members, who can bring fresh ideas and new perspectives to the group. Ideally, the Council will be made up of representatives from organizations around the globe—representing GlobalGiving’s diverse base of non-profit partners in the U.S. and over 100 other countries—who have varying access to the internet, experience with online fundraising, etc.

The Council will meet via skype or conference call once every three months (kicking off in April 2012) to discuss important issues related to GlobalGiving—campaigns, pricing, new experiments, project ranking, and more. Council meetings will generally last about two hours. GlobalGiving staff will share new features on the site, ideas for future campaigns, etc. and invite Council members to share feedback and offer suggestions.

The Council will also act as an ad hoc advisory committee, providing occasional feedback on new ideas and features via email and responding to specific questions from the GlobalGiving team that are relevant to your country or background. For example, you may receive infrequent requests for feedback on other organizations in your country or identifying potential guest hosts for monthly trainings. Council members may also be intermittently asked to act as a reference for other GlobalGiving partners in your country or sector who have questions or require some assistance with their GlobalGiving account.

What are the responsibilities of Leadership Council members?

Leadership Council members will be expected to:

• Participate in four 2 hour conference calls via skype or phone throughout the year. Because the Council will be made up of representatives from all over the world, Council members are expected to be flexible with timing (calls may be at night or early in the morning in your country) and accommodating when possible.
• Come to each conference call prepared, having reviewed any material sent out by GlobalGiving staff in preparation for the call. Participants should be prepared to speak knowledgeably about the topic and to share ideas and new suggestions.
• Provide advice on new GlobalGiving applicants based in your country and/or on rules and regulations specific to charitable organizations in your country.
• Test out and offer feedback about new features and campaigns.

What are the benefits of being a Leadership Council member?

As a Council member, you will receive sneak peeks of our newest features and the opportunity to make suggestions on upcoming campaigns, trainings, and more. This is a great way to have a larger say in GlobalGiving’s programming and to help make GlobalGiving an even more valuable and effective tool for organizations like yours around the world!

Interested? Please apply online here by Thursday, February 16^th.  We will review your application and get back to you by March 1^st to let you know if you have been selected for the Leadership Council!

Wow! 2011 was an incredible year. GlobalGiving nearly doubled the amount of donations made through our site to partners around the world. We worked with 56 corporations to offer employee giving, facilitate grants, and assist in cause-marketing campaigns. We made some exciting improvements to our website—making mobile donations available to our partners, showing you your Partner Rewards Level and project ranking(s) in real time on the project entry system dashboard, and more! And it’s all because of YOU!

Your amazing work in the field—offering microfinance in Mexico, training midwives in Ethiopia, rescuing elephants in Thailand, and so much more—inspired 102,000 donors to give this past year. Your quarterly reports, openness, and transparency gave our corporate partners the confidence to invest $10.8 million in your work. And your feedback and suggestions helped us to dramatically improve GlobalGiving’s website. So, from all of us at GlobalGiving, we would like to say a big thank you for making this our best year yet! Check out the GlobalGiving staff thank you video here.

The Numbers

2011 was GlobalGiving’s most successful year ever! Here’s why:

• In 2011, $20.4 million was donated to projects through GlobalGiving, an increase of 89% from 2010!
• Traffic doubled on the site, from 1.3 million visitors in 2010 to 2.55 million in 2011;
• 102,000 individuals made donations through GlobalGiving in 2011, a 62% increase from 2010;
• $967,382 in GlobalGiving gift cards were purchased;
• The number of recurring donations made through GlobalGiving’s site increased 112% (We currently process $65,338 in recurring donations each month and that number climbs each day thanks to experiments and matching campaigns);
• 1,718 organizations received donations on GlobalGiving in 2011, 424 more than in 2010; and
• 47% of donors chose to pay GlobalGiving’s fee separately, increasing the percentage of the donation reaching your projects on the ground!

Incredible, right? The growth that we experienced in 2011 was no coincidence. The team at GlobalGiving worked hard to attract new donors through media outreach, develop and manage valuable corporate partnerships, and provide you with a better user experience and more opportunities to reach out to your own networks. Here are some highlights:

• In 2011, GlobalGiving worked with 56 corporate partners including Nike, Neutrogena, ABC, Dell, LivingSocial, and Ford resulting in almost $10.8 million in donation volume for partner organizations. One exciting new partnership in 2011 was with Eli Lilly & Company, which gave all 37,000 employees a $50 gift card to GlobalGiving.  Lilly employees donated $850,000 through their new employee giving portal to health, hunger, education, and environment projects on GlobalGiving.
• On the tech side, we made some huge improvements to the dashboard in the project entry system, making it possible to view your organization’s Partner Rewards Level and project rankings in real time and see when your next project reports are due. Now you can manage your organization’s disbursement information and project leader roles online and we made it possible for you to embed video in your project page! We’ve also built organization pages, where you can send donors to see all of your organizations’ projects on GlobalGiving. This year, we also improved the donor experience on the site, adding tabs for monthly recurring donations and gift donations to the project page, in addition to changing the appearance of project reports and thank you emails, among other things. (Thanks Tech Team!)
• We continued to expand and improve the services we offer to our partner organizations, including monthly trainings by experts, local workshops in 33 countries (and 6 American cities), one-on-one fundraising consultations, volunteer listings, and numerous fundraising campaigns.
• In 2011, partner organizations like yours raised over $1 million in GlobalGiving fundraising campaigns, such as Bonus Days, and GlobalGiving gave away over $230,000 in matching funds and bonus grants.

So, what can you expect in 2012?

We expect 2012 to be another record-setting year. We have already announced our 2012 fundraising calendar with the dates for upcoming matching and fundraising campaigns (including some campaigns and promotions that we’ll be launching for the first time this year). Don’t miss out on the opportunity to take advantage of the growing momentum on GlobalGiving!