What Are Donations And How Does It Work For Administrators?

Donations, within the context of GroupCollect Register, means passengers have the ability to accept online financial donations that will be applied directly toward the cost of their trip. Here is a video that demonstrates every aspect of the feature you'll need to know as an administrator.

Here are some frequently asked questions about this feature.

How do I activate the donation feature for my company?

Please email help@groupcollect.com and request that this feature be activated. This is a one-time requirement only. After emailing to activate the feature company-wide, you'll be able to activate donations for each individual trip at your convenience.

Will I have to enter in new donation terms of service?

Yes. Donors will need to agree to your donation terms of service for donations before they can donate. In order to make sure they are agreeing to the terms of service that your company wants to enforce, you must add that verbiage into GroupCollect Register before activating the fundraising feature. Go to Settings.

Then click on Content.

Enter in your company's desired verbiage in the Donation Terms Of Service section near the bottom of the page. Don't forget to click Save Setting.

How do I activate donations for an individual trip?

Donations arre activated on a trip-by-trip basis. If you'd like to activate it for any trip, navigate to the desired trip and click on Trip Details.

Scroll down to the segment titled Activate Donations for this Trip? Click Yes to allow donations on this specific trip. Remember to click Save Trip at the bottom of the page.

Will passengers be able to accept donations before paying their deposit?

No. Every passenger will have to pay their deposit first before they can see their donations links populate on their passenger dashboard.

Will multiple passengers on one account be able to accept donations independently?

Yes. Each passenger registered for a trip will have a individual link that will allow others to donate to their specific trip balance.

Can the donation feature be turned off by passengers?

Yes. Passengers can click the green tab in the upper right-hand corner of their donations section to disable this feature themselves if they choose.

What will donors see when they click this link?

Donors will be taken to the following page.

Will this landing page show company branding and a support option?

Yes. Your company logo will appear in the upper left hand corner to help assure donors this process is affiliated with one of your company's trips. A help bubble will also appear in the lower right hand corner where donors can find documentation on how to donate or they can receive live email support if you utilize GroupCollect's Help Desk Support Service.

After clicking the Donate now button, they'll see the following.

1. Passenger's remaining balance: The donor will be able to see how much more this passenger owes on their trip to help inform them how much to donate.
2. Select an amount to donate: The donor can select a pre-set or custom amount to donate
3. Select to remain anonymous or not: The donor will choose if they want the passenger to know who made the donation or not. If they wish to keep the donation anonymous, they'll select Yes I wish for my donation to be anonymous
4. Donation Terms of Service: Donors must click to accept the Donation terms of Service that you have submitted into GroupCollect Register.
5. Third party agreement: Donors must check this box to agree that they will not be reimbursed for this donation even in the event the trip is cancelled.

After clicking Next they'll be taken to the following page.

1. Email: For communication purposes, even if donor wishes to remain anonymous
2. Cardholder Name: For communication purposes, even if donor wishes to remain anonymous
3. Payment information: Donors may only pay by credit or debit card at this time
4. Pay: Click here to finalize payment
5. Cancellation disclaimer: This explains that in the event of trip cancellation, donations may only be refunded according to the terms and condition of your tour operator or travel coordinator

Is there a minimum donation amount?

Yes. There is a $25 minimum donation amount.

What if the trip costs less than $100?

In cases where the trip total costs less than $100, the donor's landing page will look slightly different regarding their pre-populated donation options. In this instance instead of $100, the donor's second option will be whatever balance the passenger has remaining after their deposit has been paid.

Will donor payment Information be stored?

No, this feature does not store payment information. That means anyone who makes more than one donation will have to enter in payment information each time they donate.

Will donors pay a surcharge to make a donation?

Yes. There is a flat 4% surcharge added onto each donation to be paid by the donor.

Does the 4% surcharge show up on my company financials?

Yes. Access your income report and look at the net card income, you will see this amount listed as convenience fees collected from customers.

What happens after the donation is made?

The following email confirmations will be sent out after the donation has been made. This is what the donor will receive:

This is what recipients will receive:

Will the passenger balance immediately reflect when a donation is made?

Yes. In most cases donations will be reflected on the passenger dashboard and in the passenger balance in just a few seconds. Additionally administrators and passengers will be able to see more detail and confirmation regarding each donation on the payment timeline. Here is an example of the passenger payment timeline when they receive a donation.

Here is an example of the administrator payment timeline when they receive a donation.

How can I see a donor's email receipt?

Open the payment information and click on the reference to see a copy of the donor's receipt.

What if the trip is cancelled? Are donations refunded?

If a passenger received donations but the trip is cancelled, the donated funds can be returned to the donor minus the 4% surcharge paid. However, all cancellation scenarios are unique and the refund of the donation is ultimately subject to your terms and conditions as the tour operator or travel planner.

What happens if a donor disputes their donation?

The donation amount will be removed from the passenger's listed payments and their balance will no longer reflect the amount that was donated. The donor will then go through a standard dispute process with their financial institution.

What happens if more money is donated than what the passenger needs?

Every donation will be automatically examined before funds are transacted to ensure the donation will not exceed the passenger's balance. In the event this does take place however, the donation would be returned to the donor at which point they could make a new donation in the amount that does not exceed the passenger's balance.

Questions about fundraising? Reach out to us at help@groupcollect.com.