Rules

Rules

Eligibility

Before you register, you first need to confirm that your organization is eligible to participate in Give OUT Day. The following organizations are eligible:

• An LGBTQ-primary incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit that includes the LGBTQ community in its mission, whose staff and board leadership are primarily LGBTQ, and which primarily serves LGBTQ people.
• A fiscally sponsored organization or project (including artists or filmmakers) serving the LGBTQ community, that receives monies via an incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
• A program exclusively serving the LGBTQ community housed within an incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a broader mission. (e.g., an LGBTQ student center housed in a university or an LGBTQ outreach program at a non-LGBTQ-specific community services organization)
• A PFLAG, GSA, or GLSEN chapter.

Government agencies, private non-operating foundations, for-profit companies, and individuals are not eligible to participate in Give OUT Day.

All nonprofits participating in Give OUT Day are expected to honor and model the highest levels of ethics in fundraising. For a comprehensive Code of Ethics for fundraising, please review the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ ethics codes.

Organizations must certify that they are registered with their state Secretary of State to conduct charitable solicitation. Final approval for eligible participation will be determined by Horizons Foundation/Give OUT Day.

Note: Horizons Foundation reserves the right to change the filter categories selected by organizations that participate in Give OUT Day.

Donations

Who Can Give

Any individual, regardless of geography, may donate.

Minimum Donation

The minimum donation on the Give OUT Day platform is $10; there is no maximum donation. Only donations of $10 or more will count toward the prizes, which we’ll cover next.

Tax-deductible

All gifts are 100% tax-deductible.

Donation receipts

Donations made on giveoutday.org will automatically receive a receipt from the Mightycause Charitable Foundation, which represents the technology platform of Give OUT Day.

No Refunds

All donations are irrevocable; donations cannot be refunded.

Payment Methods

Donations can be made via credit card, debit card, PayPal, ACH, and ApplePay. E-checks are not accepted. 

Fees

There is no fee to participate in Give OUT Day, only transaction fees. But you can allow donors to cover these fees. To ensure 100% of every donation goes to your organization, donors have the option to cover the transaction costs (2.5% platform fee + 2.9% processing fee + $0.30 per transaction) for your nonprofit during checkout from their shopping cart (an option selected by 80-90% of donors). For donors that give via their bank account (ACH), there is still the 2.0% platform fee, but the processing fees will be replaced by a 1% transaction fee, plus a $1.50 fixed fee per transaction (total ACH processing fees will be capped at $5.00).

Raffles/Donation Incentives

Federal law prohibits charities from promising or providing goods and services (e.g., tickets to events or raffles) in exchange for a donation to a donor-advised fund such as Mightycause Charitable Foundation, Give OUT Day's platform partner. Give OUT Day participating organizations may only accept pure contributions and not part-gift and part-sale transactions.

Donation Reports

You can download donor information by navigating to your dashboard under “Reports” and selecting “Donations.” 

Leaderboards

How to Win

One of the biggest reasons to participate in Give OUT Day is the opportunity to win prizes! The primary prizes are the Leaderboards, which display organizations in a particular category in descending order of number of unique donors. Prizes are awarded by the number of unique donors rather than the total dollars raised both to give smaller organizations a fair chance and to honor the importance of all gifts to our movement, be they larger or smaller.

Only Unique Donors

A unique donor is a single individual who is making a gift (e.g., Jane Doe). Unique donors are identified by their first and last names and an email address entered at the time of the donation transaction. A person can be a unique donor to multiple organizations (meaning that if Jane Doe made a gift to Group A and a gift to Group B, she would count as a unique donor for each group). If the Give OUT Day organizers discover that an individual makes multiple gifts to the same organization using different email addresses, all but the first donation will be excluded from the total unique donor tally.a

A Key Motivator

Leaderboard prizes can serve as an important motivator for your campaign: When donors give, their impact extends beyond their individual donations to help you win thousands more in funds. This makes a fantastic point to include in your campaign messaging!

Time Window

Give OUT Day is May 30, 2024, but the campaign starts on the first day of May. This means that you can start collecting donations on May 1, when all donations will begin counting toward the Leaderboards. Only on May 30th will the Leaderboards become visible, and you’ll be able to check your standing against other nonprofits. However, it will be crucial for you to start fundraising at the top of the month, and start planning much earlier, to maximize your success.

Exclusivity

An organization is eligible to win only one Leaderboard prize. In the event an organization wins multiple Leaderboard prizes, the organization will be awarded the highest-value prize, and the organization with the next highest number of unique donors will take the prize of lesser value.

Notification of Winners

Winners will be announced and notified within five business days after Give OUT Day. Your organization should not assume Leaderboard placements as of 11:59 p.m. ET on Give OUT Day are final until notified by Horizons Foundation. Leaderboard prizes are subject to verification.

Registration

Upon registration for Give OUT Day, where you provide information about your annual budget, the geographic location of your work, and the demographics of the people you serve, your organization will automatically be entered into all Leaderboards for which you are eligible. All organizations are eligible for one national Leaderboard; organizations from anywhere in the country are eligible for these Leaderboards. Your organization may also be eligible for one or more others.

Eligibility and Prize Amounts

Below are the Leaderboard prizes announced so far. Please check back as we get closer to Give OUT Day for additional Leaderboards.

Note: Horizons Foundation can modify any restrictions or conditions if, in the sole judgment of the Board of Directors, such restriction or condition becomes unnecessary, incapable of fulfillment or inconsistent with the charitable needs of the community. As such, Horizons Foundation reserves the right to deny or condition the distribution of prize grants if, in the judgment of its Board of Directors, such restriction or condition becomes necessary.

Eligibility

Before you register, you first need to confirm that your organization is eligible to participate in Give OUT Day. The following organizations are eligible:

• An LGBTQ-primary incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit that includes the LGBTQ community in its mission, whose staff and board leadership are primarily LGBTQ, and which primarily serves LGBTQ people.
• A fiscally sponsored organization or project (including artists or filmmakers) serving the LGBTQ community, that receives monies via an incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
• A program exclusively serving the LGBTQ community housed within an incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a broader mission. (e.g., an LGBTQ student center housed in a university or an LGBTQ outreach program at a non-LGBTQ-specific community services organization)
• A PFLAG, GSA, or GLSEN chapter.

Government agencies, private non-operating foundations, for-profit companies, and individuals are not eligible to participate in Give OUT Day.

All nonprofits participating in Give OUT Day are expected to honor and model the highest levels of ethics in fundraising. For a comprehensive Code of Ethics for fundraising, please review the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ ethics codes.

Organizations must certify that they are registered with their state Secretary of State to conduct charitable solicitation. Final approval for eligible participation will be determined by Horizons Foundation/Give OUT Day.

Note: Horizons Foundation reserves the right to change the filter categories selected by organizations that participate in Give OUT Day.

Donations

Who Can Give

Any individual, regardless of geography, may donate.

Minimum Donation

The minimum donation on the Give OUT Day platform is $10; there is no maximum donation. Only donations of $10 or more will count toward the prizes, which we’ll cover next.

Tax-deductible

All gifts are 100% tax-deductible.

Donation receipts

Donations made on giveoutday.org will automatically receive a receipt from the Mightycause Charitable Foundation, which represents the technology platform of Give OUT Day.

No Refunds

All donations are irrevocable; donations cannot be refunded.

Payment Methods

Donations can be made via credit card, debit card, PayPal, ACH, and ApplePay. E-checks are not accepted. 

Fees

There is no fee to participate in Give OUT Day, only transaction fees. But you can allow donors to cover these fees. To ensure 100% of every donation goes to your organization, donors have the option to cover the transaction costs (2.5% platform fee + 2.9% processing fee + $0.30 per transaction) for your nonprofit during checkout from their shopping cart (an option selected by 80-90% of donors). For donors that give via their bank account (ACH), there is still the 2.0% platform fee, but the processing fees will be replaced by a 1% transaction fee, plus a $1.50 fixed fee per transaction (total ACH processing fees will be capped at $5.00).

Raffles/Donation Incentives

Federal law prohibits charities from promising or providing goods and services (e.g., tickets to events or raffles) in exchange for a donation to a donor-advised fund such as Mightycause Charitable Foundation, Give OUT Day's platform partner. Give OUT Day participating organizations may only accept pure contributions and not part-gift and part-sale transactions.

Donation Reports

You can download donor information by navigating to your dashboard under “Reports” and selecting “Donations.” 

Leaderboards

How to Win

One of the biggest reasons to participate in Give OUT Day is the opportunity to win prizes! The primary prizes are the Leaderboards, which display organizations in a particular category in descending order of number of unique donors. Prizes are awarded by the number of unique donors rather than the total dollars raised both to give smaller organizations a fair chance and to honor the importance of all gifts to our movement, be they larger or smaller.

Only Unique Donors

A unique donor is a single individual who is making a gift (e.g., Jane Doe). Unique donors are identified by their first and last names and an email address entered at the time of the donation transaction. A person can be a unique donor to multiple organizations (meaning that if Jane Doe made a gift to Group A and a gift to Group B, she would count as a unique donor for each group). If the Give OUT Day organizers discover that an individual makes multiple gifts to the same organization using different email addresses, all but the first donation will be excluded from the total unique donor tally.a

A Key Motivator

Leaderboard prizes can serve as an important motivator for your campaign: When donors give, their impact extends beyond their individual donations to help you win thousands more in funds. This makes a fantastic point to include in your campaign messaging!

Time Window

Give OUT Day is May 30, 2024, but the campaign starts on the first day of May. This means that you can start collecting donations on May 1, when all donations will begin counting toward the Leaderboards. Only on May 30th will the Leaderboards become visible, and you’ll be able to check your standing against other nonprofits. However, it will be crucial for you to start fundraising at the top of the month, and start planning much earlier, to maximize your success.

Exclusivity

An organization is eligible to win only one Leaderboard prize. In the event an organization wins multiple Leaderboard prizes, the organization will be awarded the highest-value prize, and the organization with the next highest number of unique donors will take the prize of lesser value.

Notification of Winners

Winners will be announced and notified within five business days after Give OUT Day. Your organization should not assume Leaderboard placements as of 11:59 p.m. ET on Give OUT Day are final until notified by Horizons Foundation. Leaderboard prizes are subject to verification.

Registration

Upon registration for Give OUT Day, where you provide information about your annual budget, the geographic location of your work, and the demographics of the people you serve, your organization will automatically be entered into all Leaderboards for which you are eligible. All organizations are eligible for one national Leaderboard; organizations from anywhere in the country are eligible for these Leaderboards. Your organization may also be eligible for one or more others.

Eligibility and Prize Amounts

Below are the Leaderboard prizes announced so far. Please check back as we get closer to Give OUT Day for additional Leaderboards.

Note: Horizons Foundation can modify any restrictions or conditions if, in the sole judgment of the Board of Directors, such restriction or condition becomes unnecessary, incapable of fulfillment or inconsistent with the charitable needs of the community. As such, Horizons Foundation reserves the right to deny or condition the distribution of prize grants if, in the judgment of its Board of Directors, such restriction or condition becomes necessary.

FAQ

FAQ

What about donations outside the Give OUT Day platform (i.e., offline donations)?

We strongly encourage all organizations to focus your campaign on your Give OUT page on Mightycause, rather than an external donation platform such as Facebook or your organization’s website. Sending donors to your page on giveoutday.org, rather than elsewhere, simplifies your campaign by displaying, in a single spot, your fundraising total against your goal and in comparison to the totals raised by other organizations.

In addition, using giveoutday.org ensures that every Give OUT Day donation your organization receives immediately counts toward the Leaderboard prizes. Should your organization receive donations outside the platform, you can input these donations on your dashboard, under “Reports,” “Donations,” and “Offline Donations.” Horizons Foundation reserves the right to request documentation of these gifts.

Note: Offline donations do not count toward Lead Up or Power Hour prizes. Only donations received online through your Give OUT Day page will count towards those types of prizes.

To count toward the Leaderboards, the gifts must meet the following conditions:

• The gift is $10 or more.
• The donor’s first name, last name, and email address are provided, and do not match an on-platform donor’s details.
• The gift is a direct result of an explicitly Give OUT Day fundraising ask, and must not represent payment of membership dues, ticket sales, or ongoing monthly donations initiated prior to the beginning of the campaign.
• The gift is received and entered by the participating nonprofit between 12:00 a.m. ET May 1, 2024, and 11:59 p.m. ET on May 30, 2024.

Receipt of Funds (How Will I Receive My Funds?)

For fund disbursement, we recommend that you set up free electronic fund transfer (EFT) to your bank. To set it up, navigate to the dashboard, “Settings,” and “Disbursement Settings.” If you prefer to receive disbursements via check, each check will have a $5 processing fee applied.

For organizations that have set up EFT, the Mightycause Foundation, which administers Give OUT Day fund disbursement, will disburse monies on the 10th of the month for donations made in the second half of the previous month, and on the 25th for donations made in the first half of the same month. If you have not set up EFT, you will receive one monthly disbursement as a check mailed on the 10th of the month after donations are made.

What about donations outside the Give OUT Day platform (i.e., offline donations)?

We strongly encourage all organizations to focus your campaign on your Give OUT page on Mightycause, rather than an external donation platform such as Facebook or your organization’s website. Sending donors to your page on giveoutday.org, rather than elsewhere, simplifies your campaign by displaying, in a single spot, your fundraising total against your goal and in comparison to the totals raised by other organizations.

In addition, using giveoutday.org ensures that every Give OUT Day donation your organization receives immediately counts toward the Leaderboard prizes. Should your organization receive donations outside the platform, you can input these donations on your dashboard, under “Reports,” “Donations,” and “Offline Donations.” Horizons Foundation reserves the right to request documentation of these gifts.

Note: Offline donations do not count toward Lead Up or Power Hour prizes. Only donations received online through your Give OUT Day page will count towards those types of prizes.

To count toward the Leaderboards, the gifts must meet the following conditions:

• The gift is $10 or more.
• The donor’s first name, last name, and email address are provided, and do not match an on-platform donor’s details.
• The gift is a direct result of an explicitly Give OUT Day fundraising ask, and must not represent payment of membership dues, ticket sales, or ongoing monthly donations initiated prior to the beginning of the campaign.
• The gift is received and entered by the participating nonprofit between 12:00 a.m. ET May 1, 2024, and 11:59 p.m. ET on May 30, 2024.

Receipt of Funds (How Will I Receive My Funds?)

For fund disbursement, we recommend that you set up free electronic fund transfer (EFT) to your bank. To set it up, navigate to the dashboard, “Settings,” and “Disbursement Settings.” If you prefer to receive disbursements via check, each check will have a $5 processing fee applied.

For organizations that have set up EFT, the Mightycause Foundation, which administers Give OUT Day fund disbursement, will disburse monies on the 10th of the month for donations made in the second half of the previous month, and on the 25th for donations made in the first half of the same month. If you have not set up EFT, you will receive one monthly disbursement as a check mailed on the 10th of the month after donations are made.