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DonateStock Onboarding Guide

DONATESTOCK + BETTERUNITE 

Registration & Onboarding Overview

Enclosed are the detailed instructions for organizations wishing to opt into BetterUnite’s stock gifting partnership with DonateStock. Onboarding should take ~20 min to complete. If you have questions along the way, you can reach out to betterunite@donatestock.com.  Here’s what’s involved:

  1. Register and authenticate your DonateStock account
  2. Agree to terms of service
  3. Select Cash or Brokerage Account for processing
    1. Link bank account if you don’t have a brokerage account and/or if you wish to convert gifts to cash (recommended) 
    2. OR Link to your brokerage account and DonateStock will automate the process and send proceeds
    3. Note: In either scenario, DS will track, reconcile, and send your org the proceeds, and will capture donor info and transaction details in your dashboard.
  4. Publish nonprofit donation page (note: we will be placing a DonateStock button on existing BU donation forms but this page is necessary for onboarding). 

Please see the attached PDF for information on the DonateStock integration.

 

DONATESTOCK + BETTERUNITE 

Registration & Onboarding Step-by-Step Instructions

 

Authentication 

  1. Follow this Link to Register in the DonateStock portal
  2. Enter your EIN and continue with the registration process
  3. Enter Nonprofit Info (Name, EIN, Website) and admin’s Name, Role, Phone, and work email. This will generate an automatic verification email.
  4. Verify email with the “click to proceed” button 
  5. Upload a verification document: Select from one of 4 options: 
    • EIN letter from IRS
    • letter of determination from IRS 
    • certificate of formation or good  standing from state where incorporated
    • copy of bylaws and articles of  incorporation  
  6. Once approved, the nonprofit will get a confirmation email with a “Click to proceed” button 
  •  
  1.  

Select Brokerage/ Account Settings 

  1. Next select the preferred option to receive stock donations: 
    • Receive Cash – no brokerage, use DonateStock Charitable to liquidate stock gifts  (recommended)
    • Receive Stock – if using your nonprofit’s brokerage account
  2. If Cash, select Bank Account Details to receive proceeds via ACH (routing and account number, billing contact and address, and a document verifying banking information (i.e. bank statement)
  1.  

Agree to Terms of Service 

Terms of Service must be agreed to by an authorized individual. If the individual managing registration is not authorized to sign the TOS, the registrant can  fill out the name, title, email, and phone for an authorized executive, and send a link. From there, an e-signature is required by the authorized executive. Submit Button will prompt you to Continue and Publish your Page.

Organizational Information 

  1. Enter Organization Contact Info to identify who should be notified when gifts are made, for example Chief Development Officer, Head of Giving, etc. 
  2. Enter Organization Profile  
    • Page 1: Org. name, url, logo, tagline, mission, category, cause,
    • Page 2: Social Media Links, Charity Ratings, Marketing Contact
  3. Preview Page before Publishing, Click Continue 

 

At this point, you are successfully on-boarded with the DonateStock platform. 

DonateStock Portal Information: 

Nonprofit Portal Guide – Step by Step 

Note: Once a nonprofit successfully registers on the platform, you can schedule a 30 Minute orientation call with the DonateStock customer success team to provide a tour of the portal and address any questions. Below is a written description outlining the functionality of portal, and the navigation tabs in the menu for additional support.  

Accessing the Portal 

  1. Login to your Nonprofit Portal. You should see your nonprofit’s donation page. This is where you can customize the content to reflect your mission and convey important information for supporters. This landing page will not be viewable from the widget but it is part of the DonateStock product suite.
  2. The Blue Menu bar on the left helps you navigate the platform from inside your portal  

Menu Tabs 

Edit Nonprofit Page: This is where you can review and edit your landing page You can upload a logo, a familiar header image, website URL, gift officer info, social handles. There is also the option to add a personalized email from leadership.  

 

Brokerage Info: This is where you can change how you wish to receive stock gifts (Cash or Stock) 

  1. Cash Disbursement Option: If you don’t have a brokerage account, DonateStock will process through their 501c3 brokerage account, DonateStock Charitable (DSC). DSC will liquidate the stock gift and send the proceeds via ACH. DSC transactions will also manage the gift receipt process and send to donors 
  2. Receive Stock Option: If you wish to process stock gifts through your own brokerage account, DonateStock will send the donor’s stock to your brokerage account and you will be responsible for:  
      • Providing your brokerage details to instruct donor’s brokerage for the transfer
      • Providing gift receipts 
      • Updating the status of each gift in the dashboard once received 

Note: There is a 3% fee for per donation for both Cash and Stock options ($5 min/ $3,000 max). White Glove service is available for Financial Advisors or donors who contact DonateStock directly. DonateStock will support and process all white glove transactions through DSC

 

Payment Info: This tab should reflect ACH or Billing info depending on brokerage selection 

  1. Cash Option requires ACH info so DSC can send the proceeds to the nonprofit’s bank 
  2. Stock Option will automate processing with the nonprofit’s own brokerage account;  

Note: DonateStock will not take possession of these shares so the platform’s fee will be charged to the nonprofit’s credit card on file (Note: The credit card is sent to a secure processor and not stored on the platform). The nonprofit will see a $1 temporary charge for verification.  

Organization Contacts: This tab allows you to add or modify contacts and select who should be notified when donations are made. Click the Save button at the bottom of the page. Note:  Contact Info for donors is not added here; that is only added under the “edit nonprofit” tab.  

 

Team Management: This tab is where you can determine who has access to your portal, with up to 5 contacts.  

  1. Admins have access to all tabs with edit privileges and can access marketing assets 
  2. Members have “view only” privileges for nonprofit and dashboard pages (suitable  for accountants, anyone who only needs to see donation info). 

Marketing Assets: This is where you’ll find a complete playbook with customizable marketing assets that are refreshed regularly to coincide with seasonal campaigns. a. Launch Campaign (downloadable playbook) 

  1. Internal email announcement (to board members) 
  2. Donor Email announcement 
  3. Web Content 
  4. Articles 
  5. Social Posts 
  6. Cause Campaigns 
  7. Tutorial Video (Donor Explainer Video) 

 

Donation Dashboard: This tab links to a table that tracks and reconciles donations, provides donor and donation details, and communicates the status of every donation. Features include:  

  1. Email notification for every stock gift that is initiated 
  2. View all pending donations: date, instructions, donor info (click on donor’s name)
  3. Securities and appx. value based on current market value at the time the donor submits  
  4. Email notification when share is received, sold, actual value is realized, with the fee and the net proceeds calculated

Note: If you opted to process gifts through your own brokerage, you will need to enter info into the dashboard

  1. Verify w/ broker once you have possession of donated shares 
  2. Click when gifts have been received 
  3. This will prompt you to enter the date and realized value of the donation. This info will update your dashboard, populating the fee and billing date. DonateStock then emails donor acknowledging shares were received. 
  4. You can filter your Donation Dashboard by status, date range and you can search for  donors and securities  
  5. Export Function: auto downloads csv file with additional donor info (mailing address,  donor’s brokerage) 

 

Statements: This is where you can view an itemized statement for each payment or billing of donations to your organization. Select statement to view details within the statement period. 

  • Excludes donations submitted yet received  
  • Date received sold is based on market hours 
  • Shares received after markets close are dated on the next business day  when markets are open 
  • Transaction Fees are based on rates defined within TOS (3% with $5 min/  $3,000 cap) 
  • Net Proceeds reflect deduction of transaction fees 

BetterUnite x Donatestock One Sheet

 

 

Thank you for reading! Let's go do some good.