:: Welcome to Mycause FAQ ::

Frequently asked questions

+	Why use mycause.com.au?
mycause is a one-stop shop for anyone seeking to raise funds, or donate to, a charity or cause of their choice. Essentially, mycause.com.au brings together fundraisers, charities and donors, uniting them with a common goal. Not only are you able to send your personal fundraising page to your own network of family and friends, but your page will be available to view on the website. Messages of encouragement can be made by sponsors/donors on your fundraising page and you, the fundraiser, can watch your efforts grow.
+	Can I be sure that my - and my sponsors' - details will remain private? What happens to my personal information and that of my sponsors (donors)?
As you are raising money for a charity they need to know who you are and your contact details. As part of our agreement with the charity we pass these details onto them. Similarly your donor’s details are passed on to the charity for their records and receipting purposes. You are subject to the privacy policy of the charity and are free to opt out of communications with them. We do not sell, loan or otherwise give your personal information to any other charity or organisation. Please review our Privacy Policy for any further information.
+	Have my sponsors'/donors' funds been paid to my chosen cause?
Yes. All money donated to your cause by your sponsors/donors is paid to your cause on a monthly basis, unless otherwise arranged. This is the most efficient way to raise money for your chosen cause and you can review the growing amount by checking your fundraising page(s) on a regular basis.
+	Can I receive donations from friends and family overseas?
Yes, donations can be made from anywhere in the world, as long as the donor has a valid credit card and realises that all donations are made in Australian dollars (AUD). It is the Donor's responsibility to convert the amount they wish to donate in AUD.
+	How many fundraising pages can I have?
You can set up as many fundraising pages as you wish. However, it is important to remember that if you are entering events to raise money, you need to keep your goals realistic and also avoid exhausting your network's generosity.
+	How many causes can I support or raise funds for?
You can support as many causes as you like, however you can only list one cause per fundraising page.
+	What type of cause can I raise funds for?
You can raise funds for any registered charity, sporting, community, religious, political or social group. However you cannot raise funds for any organisation that is banned by State or Federal law. Mycause reserves the right to remove any page or content that, at its absolute discretion, is deemed inappropriate.
+	What types of occasions can I use to raise funds?
The answer is simple - any kind! It could be your birthday, an anniversary, a bar-mitzvah, celebrating a birth or commemorating the passing of a loved one. A good idea is to print on your invitations the following “in lieu of gifts I would prefer a donation to (your chosen cause). Just go to mycause.com.au and type my name in the ‘Find a friend’ ”. Your fundraising page web address is www.mycause.com.au/name_of_page
+	What sort of events can I enter to raise money for charity?
Any organised event, or an event of your own making, can be cause enough to raise funds for charity. Whether you wish to run the Barossa Half Marathon or enter the Murray to Moyne cycle Relay - by creating a fundraising page you are reaching out to many others who may not have considered donating to your chosen cause in the past.
+	If I enter a registered event, do I have to raise money for that charity?
If the event is hosted by a particular charity, for instance the MS 24 Hour Swim, or the Peter Mac Ocean Challenge, then yes, any money you raise will automatically be forwarded to that charity. If however, the event is a general open event, you may register to enter the event, but nominate your own cause to receive any money you raise.
+	Can I create my own event?
Yes. Many charities list fundraising ideas on their website to help supporters decide what sort of event they would like to host for their cause. But you can do anything – shave your head, jump out of a plane (with a parachute on!) run, cycle, swim. Personal occasions such as birthdays, weddings and anniversaries are great ways of raising money to by asking for donations in lieu of gifts.
+	My school/sports club is not a registered charity. Can I still raise money for it?
Yes, of course. As the school or sports club will need to enter into an agreement with mycause in order to receive any funds raised, you can download a copy of the agreement here and have them fill it out and return it to us. We can then facilitate the transfer of funds to their nominated bank account and you can create your fundraising page.
+	We are a company and wish to raise funds for charity. What can we do?
While you may, as a company, create your own fundraising page and email it to your own network via your intranet, mycause offers other options for your company. To find out more about our solutions including Workplace Giving, please contact us.
+	Why does mycause need to inform the charity of my intention to fundraise?
The answer is threefold: firstly, mycause considers the charities that link with us to be our partners, and therefore it is a courtesy to inform them of any intention to fundraise on their behalf; secondly, it is a requirement by most Australian charities that you register with them prior to beginning any fundraising campaign; thirdly, they require your details for their own records and must approve of your campaign prior to fundraising.
+	Is there a limit on how much money I can raise? What will happen if this limit is exceeded?
You can raise as much money as you want for your chosen cause. However, each state has its own legislation concerning fundraising activities which may impose restrictions on how much money you can raise. For example, in Victoria, the Fundraising Appeals Act 1998 requires that all fundraisers who aim to raise over $10,000 must register with Consumer Affairs prior to beginning their campaign. If you can see that your efforts are being so richly rewarded through the generosity of others, you can easily download the Registration Form, fill it in and send it off to Consumer Affairs. Remember, this Act was brought in not to punish fundraisers, but to protect them and their sponsors/donors as well as protect the integrity of the charity for which you are raising money. If you have any questions about fundraising legislation in your state please contact us.
+	How does mycause make money?
Mycause sends 100% of all funds raised to the nominated charities. The charities are then invoiced 6.5% of gross donations plus bank fees (1.5%). Special events, such as Charity Challenges and the Sydney Christmas Parade may incur extra fees to cover administrative costs. Mycause does not charge a fee per transaction and there are no ongoing monthly hosting fees. Charities benefit from decreased administrative workload and increased funds raised through associated events.
+	I can't find my fundraising page.
All fundraising pages remain active and viewable for 30 days after your event or special occasion. After this date, you will receive an email from the mycause team congratulating you on your efforts and informing you that the page has been archived. If you cannot find your page and have not received an email, please check your account and contact us immediately. Perhaps you cannot find your fundraising page because it contains inappropriate material. While we will use reasonable endeavours to consult with you prior to removing all or any part of the content on your fundraising page, we reserve the right to remove any content without consultation. Mycause also reserves the right to ban fundraisers who breach these Terms from using the mycause website in the future. Please see our Terms and Conditions for more information.
+	I cannot complete my event / my occasion has been cancelled. What should I do?
You must contact us immediately if you are unable to complete your event or host your ocassion for any reason. An event is considered cancelled when the Event itself fails to go ahead. For example if a fun run is cancelled due to bad weather. Cancellations of events will be posted on the web site as soon as the cancellation is bought to the attention of mycause. Refunds will be paid in the case that an event is cancelled and in the case that a fundraiser is unable to participate in an event in the way they intended. For example if the competitor is injured. In order to obtain a refund, donors are required to request the refund in writing via the mycause website within 21 days of the date of cancellation or non participation.
+	I have not received a receipt for my donation.
When you make a donation or sponsor a friend via mycause, you will be receipted automatically for 100% of your gift, by email. Please contact us if you have not received your receipt.
+	The cause I wish to support is not listed on this website.
When you create your fundraising page, a list of causes and charities is available to select from. If your registered charity is not listed, you will be given an opportunity to contact us so we can amend the oversight. Any beneficiary that is not a registered charity such as sports, social, community, political or religious groups must complete the 'Community Agreement', in order that we can verify their bone fides and facilitate transfer of funds to a nominated bank account. The agreement can be downloaded by the fundraiser or the group and simply signed and faxed to mycause.
+	The event I wish to enter is not listed on this website.
While mycause makes every effort to include all important and registered events, if any oversight occurs and your chosen event is not listed, please contact us immediately so we can endeavour to include it. Remember that you can set up your own event, whether it is a school fun run, or a pie-eating competition, and create a fundraising page for it, nominating your cause.
+	How do I edit my fundraising page?
You can edit your fundraising page in your user account. It is important that changes be made as quickly as possible to reflect any changes in your goals or target amounts that you wish to raise. To keep your fundraising page up to date, do the following: * Log into your account, using your username and password. * Click on 'My fundraising pages'. * Use the tools to select the page you wish to edit. * Your fundraising page will appear in editable form and you can make changes to any areas highlighted in yellow. * After making any necessary changes, click on the 'preview' button. * If you are satisfied with the updated page, click on 'Submit details'. * Once you have saved all your changes, you can email the updated page to your network.
+	How do I upload an image to my fundraising page?
If you wish to add a picture, either of yourself, your team or something that highlights your cause, please follow these easy steps: * Log into your account, using your username and password. * Click on 'My fundraising pages'. * Use the tools to select the page you wish to edit. * Scroll down and click on 'upload image'. * Click on 'browse' to find the picture you wish to use from your computer. * When you have found the picture you want, click on 'Submit Details'. * You may need to wait a few minutes for the picture to load. Once it has, you will see it on your page. * You can then email your network with the updated page, to remind them to sponsor you. Remember that you can make changes to your page at any time in the future.
+	I want to attach a copy of my special occasion invitation to my fundraising page. How do I do that?
if you are creating a fundraising page for a special occasion, such as a birthday, anniversary or wedding, and are seeking donations to your chosen cause in lieu of gifts, you might like to personalise the page by including a PDF attachment of your invitation. You will need a scanned image of the invitation, saved to PDF format. Then, just follow these simple steps: * Log into your account, using your username and password. * Click on 'My fundraising pages'. * Use the tools to select the page you wish to edit. * Scroll down and click on 'upload PDF'. * Click on 'browse' to find the PDF file you wish to use from your computer. * When you have found the PDF file you want, click on 'Submit Details'. * You may need to wait a few minutes for the file to load. Once it has, you will see it on your page. * You can then email your network with the updated page, to remind them to sponsor you.
+	I want to print the link to my fundraising page on my invitations. What is the link I need to provide?
if you are hosting a special occasion and seeking donations in lieu of gifts, it is a good idea to include the link to your fundraising page on the bottom of your invitations, along with a request to donate. The link to your fundraising page can simply be copied from the address bar of your internet browser.
+	What credit cards are accepted through the mycause website?
Mycause currently accepts Visa Card and MasterCard. This is to keep our fees and the cost to our charities as low as possible.
+	How secure are the donations?
The mycause website supports Secured Socket Layer based transactions (SSL) from a browser to a level at least 128 bits. This means that your credit card details are protected from being viewed by hackers and other unintended third parties so you can be 100% confident that your details are safe.
+	I want to make a donation to my friends fundraising page but do not have a credit card, are there any other payment options available?
My cause is a fundraising website; therefore we only accept credit card donations through our online donation facility. This process reduces administration time and costs for our charity partners.
+	Is my donation tax deductible?
Yes. All donations of $2.00 and over are tax deductible. Donations are tax deductible because they are made to a charity with tax deductibility status. All donations are immediately receipted with a tax receipt.
+	Can I change my charity after I have created my fundraising page?
you can change the charity you initially selected before you start receiving donations. you need to first log into your mycause account using your user name and password. When you have logged into your account select the page you wish to edit and click the ‘Edit this Fundraising page’ icon. Once you are in the fundraising page click on the ‘Select a charity’ drop down list and choose which Charity you would like to change it to. Please note that once you start receiving donations you cannot change your charity.
+	One of the comments on my page is offensive to me. what can I do about it?
If someone has left a comment on your fundraising page which you deem to be inappropriate, please contact us.

If your problem is not addressed on this help page, please contact us immediately so we can assist you.