What Are Donations And How Do They Work?

Congratulations! Someone has requested a donation from you to help pay for their group trip. This can be both exciting and totally new to you so here's is a video that demonstrates how the donations process works:

Here's a written breakdown of how this process works and the role you can play in it:

Getting Started

More than likely, the individual requesting a donation sent you a link to a page that looks like this:

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

1. Passenger's remaining balance: How much more this passenger owes on their trip
2. Select an amount to donate: You can select a pre-set or custom amount to donate
3. Select to remain anonymous or not: Choose if you want the passenger to know who made the donation or not. If you wish to keep the donation anonymous, select Yes I wish for my donation to be anonymous
4. Donation terms and conditions: These will be determined by the professional travel planner that is coordinating the trip of the passenger that you are donating to.
5. Third party agreement: Check this box to agree that you will not be reimbursed for this donation even in the event the trip is cancelled.

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

1. Email: For communication purposes, even if you wish to remain anonymous
2. Cardholder Name: For communication purposes, even if you wish to remain anonymous
3. Payment information: You may 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 not be refunded and are subject to the terms and condition of your tour operator or travel coordinator

Will My payment Information be stored?

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

Will I pay a surcharge to make a donation?

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

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 you will receive:

This is what recipients will receive:

What happens if the confirmation emails weren't received?

There's a few common reasons why an email might not be received:

1. Give it a minute: email can take time. Check your inbox in 5 minutes and see if it shows up.
2. Check your spam: there's a chance your email provider automatically sorted this email to spam. Search for terms like "Donation" or the name of the recipient and see if you can locate it. If you do, drag the email into your primary inbox or indicate in some way that it isn't spam.
3. Uh oh. I seriously didn't get it! Maybe I typed the wrong email address? Not a problem. If possible,
   1. reach out to the recipient and ask if they can confirm that the donation was received. They should look in their email or on their payment timeline to confirm.
   2. If you wish to remain anonymous, you may reach out to the recipient's tour operator or travel coordinator. Their logo and support email are in the corners of the first page of the donation process.

If you are unable to reach the recipient or the tour operator/travel coordinator, please reach out to help@groupcollect.com for assistance.

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 passengers will be able to see more detail and confirmation regarding donations on their payment timeline.

What if the trip is cancelled? Are donations refunded?

All cancellation scenarios are unique and the refund of the donation is ultimately subject to the terms and conditions of your tour operator or travel planner. However, the 4% surcharge paid for each donation is always non-refundable.

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

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

Questions? Reach out to the individual who sent you the donation link. If there are still questions, please have them reach out to their trip leader or travel provider.