FAQ

What is WISHLY?

WISHLY is a social media platform focused exclusively on philanthropy. It empowers altruistic individuals to make a positive impact on the world by supporting the causes they care about most, and inspiring others to get involved.

How does WISHLY work?

WISHLY works like other social media platforms in that users have profiles and can follow and direct message other users. WISHLY facilitates donations to nonprofits and encourages individuals, charities, and companies to collaborate on bringing about positive change. Additionally, in the near future, users can also find and sign up for volunteer work with nonprofits and even get their volunteer work hours verified on the app.

What does WISHLY cost?

WISHLY is a free platform for individuals. Nonprofits pay 5% of every dollar raised on WISHLY. Unlike many other online fundraising tools, nonprofits never pay subscription fees for using the WISHLY platform. Brands using WISHLY for corporate social responsibility pay platform fees as well.

Are there limits to the size of donation I can make on WISHLY?

You can donate any amount over $1. If you are donating to a “Collection” a minimum of $1 for each nonprofit in the Collection must be donated.

What happens to a donation I make on WISHLY?

If the nonprofit you are giving to has claimed their profile and is fundraising on WISHLY, your donation goes into an account held for that organization with Stripe, a secure payment processor. Nonprofits will receive their donations via ACH transfer on the first day of every month. If a nonprofit you are donating to has not yet claimed their profile on WISHLY, your donation goes to WISHLYs 501c(3), Give4Good. The funds sit in Give4Good until WISHLY can get the nonprofit to set up an account. If the nonprofit can’t be reached or does not want to join WISHLY, we will send a check to them once a year by March 1st.

Who can I give to on WISHLY?

Any USA registered 501c(3) organization that is in good standing with the IRS, meaning they have filed their tax returns and maintain their nonprofit status. However, WISHLY will prevent questionable charities that are known for mishandling or misappropriation of donated funds from fundraising on the platform.

What is a “Collection” on WISHLY?

A Collection is a grouping of more than one nonprofit. Anyone can create a Collection. It’s like creating a playlist on Spotify. You create it, name it and share it with others. If others like your Collection, they can donate or adopt it for themselves. When you make a donation to a Collection, a minimum of $1 must go to each organization in the collection. So, if there’s 20 nonprofits in the Collection, the minimum donation must be $20.

Why would I want to create a “Collection” on WISHLY?

For starters, it’s a really easy way to make donations to multiple nonprofits with one click. When you create a Collection, the funds are dispersed evenly among the nonprofits in the Collection. Secondly, it’s a great way to become a philanthropic influencer. The more people who donate to your Collection, the more badges you earn on the app.

How do I get my Collection to be a Featured Collection on the WISHLY home page?

User Collections that are trending will automatically be placed in Featured Collections on the home page. Trending simply means that you have attracted a following and inspired others to give. After you create a Collection, be sure to share with your friends, family and followers to inspire more people to like and give to your Collection

What is a “Match” on WISHLY?

A “Match” is when an individual or company matches another user’s donations to double or triple donations for others. Match Campaigns motivate users to give!

How do I earn badges on WISHLY?

We believe all budding philanthropists should be rewarded for their good deeds so we are going to send you really cool badges when you: 1) help a nonprofit reach its fundraising goal; 2) work 5 hours of community service (this feature will be available soon), and 3) and every time you inspire five people to donate.

How can I become an influencer on WISHLY?

You share what you know about great causes and you inspire your followers to care too! Let’s say you care deeply about removing plastics from the ocean. You care so much that you have volunteered for nonprofits that address the issue and/or you’ve done research about the cause to learn about what nonprofits are doing the good work to clean up ocean plastics. You create a collection of the best nonprofits, then make a video telling your followers why you care, to inspire them to support the cause too. You share this video with a link to your collection across your other social platforms to motivate your followers to get involved.

How much of my donation makes it to the nonprofit?

Let’s say you donate $10 to a nonprofit. A credit card transaction fee of 2.2% + .30 (52 cents) will be deducted, as well as WISHLY’s 5% platform fee of 50 cents. So, out of your $10 donation, $8.98 makes it to the charity. Soon, you’ll be able to pay these fees at check out so that 100% of your donation goes to the nonprofit(s).

Why does WISHLY charge nonprofits a platform fee?

It takes a lot of people and resources to make WISHLY possible. The platform fees WISHLY receives from nonprofits and brands help pay for WISHLY staff, keeps our lights on and cell phones charged.

What kind of company is WISHLY?

WISHLY is a dba of Igivugive, LLC, a California registered Limited Liability Company (LLC).

Are my donations tax deductible?

Absolutely! WISHLY keeps your donation records for you. When it’s time to do your taxes, you merely need to click a few times to export your donation history. Easy peasy.

Do I get a receipt for my donation?

Yes! You will receive a direct message receipt and email with information about your donation. Additionally, all your giving data lives in your WISHLY dashboard as long as you keep your profile active.

Can I run a personal fundraising campaign on WISHLY?

No. WISHLY only helps to raise funds for nonprofits that are working to make the world a better place.

How can I get my employer involved?

Ask them to support the causes that you and your colleagues care about most by joining WISHLY and offering matches for your donations. If your employer isn’t doing anything to give back to the communities it serves, maybe you can help. Work with other employees to pick a cause that you all care about. Collaborate to put together a collection of the charities the employees like the most and get your employer to jump in with a match campaign.

What is “Send a Gift” on WISHLY?

You can inspire your friends and family to get involved in philanthropy by sending them money on WISHLY. Gifted money sits in your Giving Fund on WISHLY until you decide how you want to use it. You can give to one nonprofit or a Collection or create a Match Campaign. It’s just one more way to share the love of philanthropy.

How do I send a gift on WISHLY?

After creating a profile, go to the side menu and click “Send a Gift.” You’ll need to enter the lucky person’s name, phone number or email address so we can notify them of your gift. Then choose the amount you want to give, select a WISHLY ecard, write a message, pay for it, and BAM, you have spread the love of philanthropy! Sit back and enjoy the dopamine rush.

Someone sent me a gift on WISHLY, how do I use it?

If someone sends you a gift on WISHLY and you don’t have a profile or account on WISHLY yet, you download the app, create a profile, and add your payment information (this initiates a Stripe Custom Connect account for you which you need to hold your giving funds). The gifted funds sit in your WISHLY giving fund until you decide how or who you want to give to. You can give to a single charity, a Collection or create a Match Campaign to inspire your followers to give to your passion cause. If you are already active with a payment account on WISHLY and receive a gift, you will be notified via email or sms and on the app via direct message. Follow in-app instructions to claim the gift. Be sure to keep your notifications on!

Can I get cash from my giving fund?

Nope. Good deeds can’t be undone on WISHLY.

Can I get a refund for a donation I made?

Sorry, no refunds.

Can individuals create “Match Campaigns” on WISHLY?

Yes! Anyone with a little extra cash can be a baller on WISHLY! You can create a Match Campaign for any amount to encourage others to give. Just click the small lighting bolt at the top of the screen from your profile page or go to the side menu to “Create a Match Campaign.”

Will WISHLY sell my data?

Nope. Never. We promise.

Is WISHLY secure?

Yes! Our credit card processor is Stripe – a worldwide secure payments processor.

What countries does WISHLY operate in?

Just the USA for now. But we will be expanding soon.

What if I can’t find a nonprofit I’m looking for on WISHLY?

A couple things could prevent you from finding a charity on WISHLY, they are: The nonprofit fell out of good standing with the IRS or closed. The nonprofit is registered with the IRS as “private.” The name of the nonprofit is different from what is registered with the IRS. Sometimes nonprofits file a dba (doing business as) and conduct business under the new name. Either way, send us a note from the nonprofit search page and we’ll do our best to track them down for you.

What payment methods can I use on WISHLY?

Credit card, debit card, Apple Pay. PayPal coming soon.

How does WISHY vet nonprofits to include in “Collections?”

We make sure that every charity featured in our Collections are in good standing with the IRS and doesn’t have any lawsuits, scams or misleading information attached to them.

How can my nonprofit organization join WISHLY?

Super simple. Download the app, claim your nonprofit, wait for approval from WISHLY, which should only take 24 hours. Once you are approved you can start designing your giving campaigns! It only takes a few minutes and you will have a whole new audience of altruistic individuals ready to help you do what you do best.

What types of nonprofits can join WISHLY?

Any public 501(c)(3) organization that is in good standing with the IRS and is not known as a bad charity that mishandles donor dollars.

Why do nonprofits have to tell WISHLY donors what they are using their donation for?

Donors want to know how their giving is going to have an impact and they are more likely to give when the nonprofit is open and transparent about how the funds will be used. Research shows, building a relationship of trust and transparency will create a donor for the long haul. Plus, when you describe what the donations will be used for, that information will be reflected in user profiles so budding philanthropists can see and feel good about the positive impact they are making in the world.

How can I get my nonprofit in front of donors who care about our cause on WISHLY?

WISHLY will push your nonprofit to anyone who selects your cause category as a cause they care about. For example, if you are a dog rescue organization, and a philanthropist selects “animal welfare” as a cause they care about, your organization will be served to them for consideration. Additionally, for a small fee, you can boost your fundraising campaigns on WISHLY (this feature will be available soon) to be seen by people who are the most likely to give.

What are the fees to run fundraising campaigns on WISHLY?

Nonprofits never pay upfront subscription fees to be on WISHLY. Nonprofits pay a below-industry standard platform fee of 5%, and that fee is taken from donations raised.

How do I collect funds that are raised for my organization on WISHLY?

When you join WISHLY one of the first things you’ll do is create a Stripe Custom Connect account. This allows funds raised for your organization on WISHLY to go straight into your account. WISHLY will disburse these funds, via ACH, on the first day of every month.