We expect our users and members to act with respect for themselves and others on this site. Our Terms of Use details those expectations, and Benevolent reserves the right to remove any and all content which is offensive or lacking in respect for those who share.
100% of your donation goes directly to the need you’re supporting. We hope you’ll choose to add an additional bit on top of your donation to support Benevolent’s work when you’re making your contribution. Every little bit helps us cover those credit card processing fees and the cost of achieving the Benevolent mission.
Benevolent, NFP is an exempt organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code (EIN: 45-3136367). Each time a donor’s credit card is charged, Benevolent sends an email thank-you letter that can be used for tax reporting purposes.
If you’re an individual hoping to share your need on Benevolent, you can find a Benevolent validator in your area or you can suggest to a provider in your area that they sign up!
Benevolent helps professionals from nonprofits, religious organizations and public agencies meet their clients’ needs (known on Benevolent as “validators”). We don’t currently post needs for organizations.
People are eager to contribute when they believe their contribution will make a substantial difference. Because a clear action plan from the recipient shows potential givers how their contribution will remove a barrier in the recipient’s life, people are more likely to help.
Benevolent will only post needs told in the recipient’s own words. A strong story helps potential givers understand the recipient’s real circumstances and goals, which makes people more eager to help.
The smaller the total amount, the bigger the impact a single gift can make. Needs under $400 are consistently more likely to be funded, and to be funded faster!
With clear and close-up photos, people see the real person they’re helping, which makes them more likely to step in and help.
State Nonprofit Disclosures
Certain states require written disclosures for nonprofit organizations soliciting contributions. Individual state disclosures are below..
More information about charity state disclosure requirements and nonprofit fundraising registrations.
For answers to other FAQs
visit the Benevolent support center.
Fancy you should ask!
Benevolent lets you make your giving personal.
We transform the relationship between those in need and those who want to help them.
When you visit Benevolent, you can see real people with real stories, use your gift of giving to support their needs, and witness the immediate impact and lasting effect of your generosity.
We partner with professional helpers from organizations around the country—like nonprofits, government agencies, schools, and churches. (Is this you? Click here to sign up!)
These dependable change-makers work with their community of clients to post their needs on our platform. We specialize in funding those small things that could stand in the way of someone’s success. Without any support, these unexpected costs could make it difficult for someone to improve their livelihoods when they’re already hindered by low-income circumstances.
That’s where Benevolent steps in and shines a light on how there are people in need of important things like a laptop, a security deposit, bus fare, car repairs, work equipment, certification fees, and so much more.
Donors from all walks of life step in and give, and bask in that awesome feeling that they are helping someone reach their goals.
If you want to help someone in need, you can support someone’s story today.
If you are someone who works with individuals in need, you can become a Benevolent Validator today to help them reach their goals.
If you have a goal that you think Benevolent can help you reach, you can find a Benevolent Validator in your area to help you get there.
Benevolent helps professionals, known on Benevolent as Validators, from nonprofits, religious organizations and public agencies meet their clients’ needs. We don’t currently post needs for organizations.
(Donors)
Each donation is a contribution to Benevolent.
Benevolent Validators are professional helpers from community-based organizations, who post on behalf of their clients in need. When a need has been met, Benevolent sends a grant to the Validator consisting of the donations for their client. The Validator then fulfills the need by paying the expense or making the purchase on their client’s behalf.
We work with each Validator directly to ensure that every donation is being used towards their client’s needs.
100% of your donation goes directly to the need you’re supporting! That’s part of what makes Benevolent so transformative!
We hope you can add an additional gift on top of your donation to support Benevolent’s work when you’re making your contribution. Every little bit helps us achieve our mission at Benevolent.
If someone’s need isn’t funded to at least 95% by its end date, Benevolent will work with their Validator to determine whether and how the client can still meet their goal.
If the client is able to use the amount raised and other external funds to meet their need, then we’ll disburse it to them. If not, we will find a similar need to redistribute the amount towards.
We keep the donors in the know, so you can always see the real and lasting impact of every gift you give.
If you’d like to donate more than money, contact us at info@benevolent.net. If it’s feasible, we’ll connect you with the Benevolent Validator to make that donation possible.
Benevolent, NFP is an exempt organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Every time you make a donation on Benevolent, we email you a thank-you letter that can be used for tax reporting purposes.
(Validators)
Benevolent helps your clients when your organization doesn’t have enough room in their budget to finance those small, unexpected needs. By shining a light on your client’s story, we create an opportunity for donors to step in and personally support them. We want to help you help your client and make a difference in their life
We partner with a wide range of professional helpers who work in nonprofits, religious organizations, educational institutions, and public agencies who serve low-income individuals and families. Some examples of public agencies who qualify are schools, social service officers, libraries, first responders, and other government-led providers of support to low-income individuals and families.
We call them our Validators! To apply to become a Validator, click here.
To become a Validator, fill out our Validator application. After your application is reviewed, you’ll be alerted whether you’ve been approved or we’ll reach out to you if we need additional information about you and your organization.
You can reach out to us at any time during the process if you have any questions. Once you’ve been approved, you can begin posting needs for your clients!
To post needs on Benevolent, you have to become a Validator. As a Validator, you’ll work side-by-side with your client to outline what they need and how meeting this need will help them reach their goals. We have prompts and examples to help inspire you while you’re uploading their story on our platform!
We also ask our Validators to briefly tell your own story––the nature of the relationship with your client and why you feel personally invested in their success.
After you submit your client’s needs, we’ll review it and we might also get in touch with you if we need any other information. Once it’s approved, the need will stay live on our platform for 90 days or until it’s fully funded. If you need to make any changes while the need is live, you can contact us at info@benevolent.net and we’ll update the need to let donors know about it.
If a need on Benevolent doesn’t get fully funded within the 90 days, we’ll reach out and ask how you and your client would like to proceed––you have the choice to extend the need or move forward with partial funding.
When a need is funded, Benevolent will send the donations to you in the form of a grant and you’ll use those funds to fulfill your client’s need on their behalf!
Benevolent is easy to use and works with both web browsers and mobile phones. To get started, click here!
Donors are more likely to contribute to needs if they believe their contribution will make a substantial difference in their lives. A clear action plan from your client can show donors how their contribution will help remove a barrier in their life – making donors more likely to offer their support.
Benevolent will only post needs told in your client’s own words. A strong story helps potential givers understand your client’s real circumstances and goals – which makes donors more eager to help.
The smaller the total amount, the bigger the impact a single donor can make. Needs under $400 are more likely to be funded, and to be funded faster!
With clear and close-up photos of your client, donors can see the real person that they’re supporting, which makes them more likely to step in and help.
Find a good spot: Well-lit, in front of a solid-colored wall (not a window) to help your client stand out.
Check the camera’s focus: Can they see your client’s face clearly?
Smile! And remember, only your client should be in the picture.
A validation statement is a Validator’s testimony to the relationship with their client. This can provide reassurance for our donors about who they’re donating to and let them know what steps your client has already taken to move forward. It also gives Validators an opportunity to highlight their work with their organization and a chance to describe their personal investment in making a difference.
This validation statement should include how the Validator met their client, how long the Validator has known their client, and how the Validator believes meeting this need will help their client meet their goals.
Validators can post one-time hurdles that cost less than $700 on behalf of their client. This money should go towards a need that would help the client overcome a significant barrier within their life.
Benevolent should not be used for emergency funding. Because we rely on individual donors to support every need, we cannot guarantee that funds are delivered within a specific timeframe.
Additionally, Benevolent will not accept needs to cover court fees.
Benevolent has featured and funded a diverse array of needs – from job training and certification classes for those seeking work, to furniture and household goods for those recently housed, to bus fare and computers for students, and even sewing machines for aspiring tailors. There’s so many small, unexpected things that could stand in the way of someone’s success. Benevolent is here to offer that little bit of assistance that will help your client go a long way!
Validators can post as many needs as they’d like. There’s no minimum or maximum!
However, each of your clients can only have one need listed on their behalf at a time. Once your client’s need has been met or their need is no longer active on Benevolent, you’re free to post another need for them.
To decide how much to ask for on behalf of your client, you might need to do a little research. Find out how much it will cost and remember to include shipping fees, delivery charges, and sales tax. It’s much easier to fund a need under $400, but we’ll post needs up to $700.
We feature needs that range from $20 to $700. We recommend posting under $400, as we have found that needs within this range are more likely to be funded faster! The smaller the amount, the bigger the impact a single donor can make.
Once a need is met, Benevolent delivers the donations raised to the Validator in the form of a grant. The Validator will use this grant to purchase the thing(s) that their client needed on their behalf.
Most commonly, these donations are delivered through prepaid electronic cards, physical prepaid cards, ACH deposit or check, depending on what works best for you, your organization, and your client.
If a specific need isn’t funded to at least 95% by its date of expiration, Benevolent will work with the Validator to determine whether to extend the expiration date, move forward with partial, or allocate the donations to a similar need and let the donors know immediately.
Once your client’s need is met, we will reach out to you and confirm your preferred method to receive the grant (prepaid electronic cards, physical prepaid cards, ACH deposit, or check). After this confirmation, you can expect to receive the funds within 7 to 10 business days.
This can be even sooner, if they choose to receive a digital prepaid card!
Uploading a need typically takes twenty minutes. After a need is approved and posted, the amount of time it takes to get funded can be anywhere from a few days to the full 90 days and not every need gets funded.
Benevolent is a crowdfunding platform and depends on the donations of generous people who are willing to offer their help. While we can’t guarantee that every need will get 100% funded in a timely manner, we do our best to perform outreach and gather donations for them.
When you post a need on Benevolent, they stay live on our platform for up to 90 days or until they’re fully funded.
Under special circumstances, Benevolent can post needs with a needed by date that’s less than 90 days from now. Contact us at info@benevolent.net to find out if your client’s need qualifies. Please note that, because Benevolent relies on individual donations to fulfill each need, we cannot guarantee that funds are delivered within a specific timeframe.
We make it a priority to ensure that everyone who posts needs on Benevolent does so in a way that is safe and comfortable for them. We provide tools to allow or anonymity: clients go by a pseudonym on our site, and clients can opt to use an avatar in place of a photo, if necessary.
If your client is concerned about their privacy or anonymity, we will always work with you to ensure that you feel safe and confident posting on Benevolent. Shoot us an email with any specific requests or questions!
At Benevolent, we take privacy very seriously. When you post a need on our platform, we only publish the following information: your client’s display name (which can be a pseudonym), city, story, and a photograph (which can be substituted for an avatar).
While we collect additional demographic and contact information, we do not publish this on the Benevolent platform.
We help folks reach milestones and overcome roadblocks to their success and stability. These can take many forms: work gear for a new job, unexpected healthcare costs, furniture for a housing transition, and so much more.
We’ll connect you with donors to raise up to $700 to meet your needs. To have your needs posted on Benevolent, you can find a Benevolent Validator near you or you can suggest a provider in your area to sign up (i.e. nonprofits, schools, churches, government agencies)!
If you’re an individual hoping to share your need on Benevolent, you simply need to connect with one of our validating partners, who will help you post your need.
If you’re an individual hoping to share your need on Benevolent, you can find a Benevolent Validator near you or you can suggest a provider in your area to sign up (i.e. nonprofits, schools, churches, government agencies)!
If you are urgently in need of help, but you aren’t connected with someone who can post a need on your behalf and don’t feel that you have the time to use Benevolent, we recommend FindHelp.org.
You can find professional helpers of all kinds to help you with your immediate needs.
State Nonprofit Disclosures
Certain states require written disclosures for nonprofit organizations soliciting contributions. Individual state disclosures are below.
Registration with a state agency does not constitute or imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by that state.
You can find more information about charity state disclosure requirements and nonprofit fundraising registrations.
Contact us at info@benevolent.net
we’ll answer any other questions that you may have!
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