FAQs for Donors and Nonprofits

On Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, The Pittsburgh Foundation and its affiliate, The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County, will host the #ONEDAY Critical Needs Alert, an online giving day to support nonprofit organizations providing basic needs and essential human services in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.

Socioeconomic disparities in our region continue to expand in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Increased demand for food, housing, and mental and physical health care has placed unprecedented expectations on regional nonprofits that are stepping up to fulfill these basic needs. As these nonprofits work to meet the present demand of our community, they are having a difficult time anticipating and planning for the future. Workers in every sector of our economy are also dealing with economic instability, unreliable and nonexistent transportation options and child care challenges, all which exacerbate existing inequity in the region.

This year's Critical Needs Alert is meant to support nonprofits that are addressing basic needs and recognizes that at least one-third of our neighbors lived at or near the federal poverty line even before impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gifts made during the #ONEDAY Critical Needs Alert will be amplified by prorated incentive funds from The Pittsburgh Foundation and from The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County.

The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County and their donors are providing prorated incentive funds for Allegheny County and additional prorated incentive funds for Westmoreland County. This is NOT the same as a dollar-for-dollar match, which runs out once the match amount is reached. A prorated incentive fund means the incentives are spread over the total number of dollars raised by all organizations.

**For example, if all organizations in Allegheny County raised a total of $1 million eligible dollars during the #ONEDAY Critical Needs Alert and The Pittsburgh Foundation offered  $500,000 of incentive funds  , the $500,000 would be divided across the $1 million. In this example, organizations would receive an additional 50 cents on each dollar they raised (minus any processing or credit card fees, up to 5%). Please note that only the first $1,000 of any individual's gift per organization is eligible for prorated incentive funds.

The #ONEDAY Critical Needs Alert officially begins at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. Donations may be prescheduled by visiting pittsburghgives.org beginning Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024.

11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.

Any individual or business may give online with a credit card or debit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover).

No. To receive credit toward incentive funds all gifts must be made through The Pittsburgh Foundation's Pittsburgh Gives website at pittsburghgives.org.

Yes. The minimum is $25. There is no maximum amount, but only the first $1,000 of an individual's gift per organization will be eligible for incentive funds.

All gifts made during the #ONE DAY Critical Needs Alert on pittsburghgives.org are processed by Neon Pay (neonone.com), a service that facilitates online donations. "The Pittsburgh Foundation" will appear as the vendor next to the charge on your credit card statement. 

Donors will receive an email from pittsburghgives.org for tax purposes. Donors will NOT receive a receipt from the nonprofit. Nonprofits do receive the contact information for all donors and may send thank you letters unless the donor asks to remain anonymous (an option during checkout.)

Please keep in mind that The Pittsburgh Foundation has exclusive legal control over the assets contributed, so your tax receipt will come from The Pittsburgh Foundation.

Article II Section I of the Foundation's Resolution and Declaration of Trust grants the Foundation the power to modify the restriction or condition on the distribution of funds for any specified charitable purpose or to any specified organization if in the sole judgment of the Foundation's Board of Directors, such restriction or condition becomes, in effect, "…unnecessary, undesirable, impractical or impossible…or that said circumstances have so changed as to render said expressed desires no longer wise or beneficial."

What fees are associated with donations?

There is a credit card fee, as is customary with all credit card purchases, and a technology processing fee. These fees will total approximately 5%. Donors may opt to cover the fee. The Pittsburgh Foundation does not charge additional fees to provide this program. 

Credit card transactions are secure and backed by a PCI Level 1 secure service provider certification.

After the Critical Needs Alert, the Foundation will provide a grant to each nonprofit combining all individual donations and incentive funds. The 501(c)3 charity status of all nonprofits will be confirmed prior to participation.

No. However, if you made a typing error in the amount or selection of nonprofit organization, please contact The Pittsburgh Foundation within 30 days of the event by emailing dogrefund@pghfdn.org.

Call The Pittsburgh Foundation at   412-391-5122.

The Pittsburgh Foundation no longer runs a Day of Giving event. Regionally, Pittsburgh Magazine may host the Give Big Pittsburgh giving day for all organizations in the region on Giving Tuesday this coming November. Check www.givebigpittsburgh.com for details.

The #ONEDAY Critical Needs Alert is an annual 16-hour, online opportunity for the public to donate to nonprofit organizations in our region. It is organized by The Pittsburgh Foundation and its affiliate, The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County. The focus of the #ONEDAY Critical Needs Alert changes each year based on local community needs. This year's event will fund organizations that support basic needs and face additional challenges related to recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nonprofit organizations that provide basic needs in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties are eligible.  The Pittsburgh Foundation and its affiliate, The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County sent invitations via mail and email to eligible organizations. If your organization did not receive an invitation but you believe you are eligible, contact Katie Belonus at belonusk@pghfdn.org.

There is no charge to nonprofits to participate. There is a credit card fee on all donations, as is customary with all credit card purchases, and a technology processing fee. These fees will total approximately 5%, which donors may opt to cover when they give.  The Pittsburgh Foundation and its affiliate, The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County do not charge additional fees to provide this program. 

Credit card transactions are secure and backed by a PCI Level 1 secure service provider certification.

To encourage the public to give, The Pittsburgh Foundation and its donors are providing $500,000 in prorated incentive funds for organizations in Allegheny County and The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County is providing $50,000 of additional prorated incentive funds for organizations in Westmoreland County. This is NOT the same as a dollar-for-dollar match, which runs out once the match amount is reached. A prorated incentive fund means the funds are spread over the total number of dollars raised by all organizations.

 **For example, if all organizations in Allegheny County raised a total of $1 million eligible dollars during the #ONEDAY  Critical Needs Alert and The Pittsburgh Foundation offered $500,000 of incentive funds  , the $500,000 would be divided across the $1 million. In this example, organizations would receive an additional 50 cents on each dollar they raised (minus any processing or credit card fees, up to 5%). Please note that only the first $1,000 of any individual's gift per organization is eligible for prorated incentive funds.

You must create a profile, or update your existing profile, on this website to participate. If your organization is new to the #ONEDAY Critical Needs Alert, please Katie Belonus at belonusk@pghfdn.org or check for an email from us with further instructions.

If your organization has an existing profile and you'd like to participate, please follow the Profile Review Guide.

From the pittsburghgives.org homepage, select login→I am an Organization. Enter the email address and password you used when creating your profile. If you can’t remember your password? Select "forgot password" in the lower left-hand corner of the login screen and follow the instructions. If you’re still experiencing login issues or don't know your username, please Katie Belonus at belonusk@pghfdn.org.

The Pittsburgh Foundation continues to highlight BIPOC-led organizations providing services in the areas listed above. The Foundation uses the following definitions to identify these organizations:

BIPOC - Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

BIPOC-led - An organization is BIPOC-led if 51% or more of its leadership identifies their race or ethnicity as African American/Black, Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino/Latinx or Native American/American Indian/Indigenous

BIPOC-serving - An organization is BIPOC-serving if 51% or more of its population served identify their race or ethnicity as African American/Black, Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino/Latinx or Native American/American Indian/Indigenous

**When updating your organization's profile, be sure to select the BIPOC-led option if these definitions apply to your organization. BIPOC-led and serving status is not required for  participation.

Yes! There will be three online training webinars covering how to update your profile, access and use marketing and social media tools, and fundraising to help nonprofits encourage their board and donors to give. Check the Nonprofit Toolkit for updated information.

**For more information and to register, please contact Katie Belonus, belonusk@pghfdn.org.

We will soon be updating the artwork available in the "Nonprofit Toolkit" menu under the #ONEDAY Critical Needs Alert submenu on pittsburghgives.org.

All gifts made during The Pittsburgh Foundation's giving events on pittsburghgives.org are processed by Neon Pay (neonone.com), a service that facilitates online donations. Donors will receive an email from pittsburghgives.org for tax purposes. You should NOT send a separate tax receipt. However, we will not send a formal thank you to the donor, so you may choose to do that on behalf of your organization. After the event, donations can be viewed on pittsburghgives.org, except when made anonymously.

As of March 2020, The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County have been offering payment via ACH/EFT/direct deposit to grantees, in addition to checks. For #ONEDAY Critical Needs Alert, the Foundation will pay funds raised via ACH/EFT/direct deposit unless we do not have electronic banking information for an organization, or the organization has indicated a preference to receive funding via check.

If you are receiving paper checks but would like to switch to ACH payments, you may submit your banking information using The Pittsburgh Foundation's secure web form:

https://pittsburghfoundation.org/ach

You may also use this link to update your online banking information if your organization has changed banks, etc.

You may also use link to update your online banking information: 

https://pittsburghfoundation.org/ach

You may submit a new or updated W-9 for your organization through The Pittsburgh Foundation's secure link:

https://pittsburghfoundation.org/w9

Contact Katie Belonus at belonusk@pghfdn.org or by call 412-394-2655.