Donor Frequently Asked Questions

Brazos Valley Gives is 18 hours of online giving that brings the region together on one day and as one community to raise critical funding and awareness for Brazos Valley nonprofits. Powered by the Community Foundation, Brazos Valley Gives provides citizens and businesses with an easy platform to support the mission and good works of local nonprofits that serve our communities. The Foundation partners with area nonprofits to give thousands of donors from every community in the Brazos Valley an opportunity to raise funds for local needs. Brazos Valley Gives empowers individual donors and business leaders to come together to support causes close to their hearts - and, on this day, everyone can be a philanthropist!

Brazos Valley Gives is a virtual online event. Most of the activity will take place on our website: brazosvalleygives.org.

Follow along on social media:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• X (Twitter)

Starting at 5:00 AM on Tuesday, October 15,  use a credit or debit card to donate to the nonprofit(s) of your choice. There are 18 hours to donate and you can search for nonprofits by name, county, or type of charity. Participating nonprofits will have a profile page where you can learn more about the charity and make a donation.

During the donation process, you can also donate volunteer time to your favorite nonprofit.  

YES! When you make your gift, simply check the anonymous button, and the nonprofit will not receive your contact information. You will, however, still receive a gift acknowledgment letter from the Community Foundation via email.

All donations are tax-deductible and irrevocable and will be for unrestricted use by your chosen charity[ies]. Donations cannot be designated for a specific program at a nonprofit; although, a participating nonprofit is free to indicate that it will use donations that day for a specific purpose. Donors will receive a tax receipt via email from the Community Foundation at the conclusion of the donation process.

YES, INDEED! Donations can be made to one or more organizations with the ability to donate in a single transaction. Only the nonprofits registered on www.brazosvalleygives.org may receive donations during this event.

To participate in Brazos Valley Gives, a nonprofit must:

• Have a physical location, a mailing address, and serve or provide services/programs in one of the following 7 counties in the Brazos Valley:

1. Brazos County
2. Burleson County
3. Grimes County
4. Leon County
5. Madison County
6. Robertson County
7. Washington County

• Be classified as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, 501(c)(19), or public charity as described by the IRS in Section 170(b)(1)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code (i.e., churches, schools, hospitals, municipal/city/county/state government entities), and be in good standing with the state and IRS, and not be in violation of any applicable state, local or federal laws, ordinances or regulations. If classified as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, your nonprofit must fall in one of the following sub-categories to be eligible. This information can be found in your Letter of Determination given to you by the IRS. [509(a)(1) OR 509(a)(2)].
• Acknowledge that 100% of proceeds raised through Brazos Valley Gives will go directly toward the organization's programs and services in the counties listed above.

If you can't find your favorite nonprofit on www.brazosvalleygives.org, then they did not sign up to participate, and/or they did not qualify to participate. The nonprofit charity must meet all preset eligibility requirements. If you did not find your favorite charity online during Brazos Valley Gives, then we encourage you to donate to them via mail and encourage the nonprofit to participate in Brazos Valley Gives next year.

ABSOLUTELY! Host a Fundraiser for your favorite nonprofit!! Fundraisers provide you with an opportunity to create an online personal campaign to raise money to support your favorite nonprofit. Simply choose the goal and invite your friends/colleagues to join you in donating to your designated nonprofit. Businesses can support a specific nonprofit by hosting a Business Fundraiser.

If you donated to the wrong organization, please email brazosvalleygives@gmail.com with your name, gift amount, and the details of your gift, or call our office at 979.589.4305. If you donated the wrong gift amount, we can correct that for you and issue a partial refund if necessary. Please contact us immediately to resolve these issues before the conclusion of Brazos Valley Gives.

Brazos Valley Gives supports browsers including the latest versions of Safari, Chrome, Firefox, iPhone/iPad I0S 7 or later, and Android. Older internet web browsers do not provide sufficient security for donors and are not supported. If you have an unsupported browser and wish to donate, please contact our office at 979.589.4305.

ABSOLUTELY NONE! The Community Foundation of the Brazos Valley invests significant staff/volunteer time and financial resources in hosting Brazos Valley Gives with the goal of providing area nonprofits with a simplified platform to reach new donors and advance community giving. The Community Foundation receives no compensation for hosting Brazos Valley Gives. Each nonprofit pays a $150 registration fee; nonprofits that have established a charitable endowment at the Foundation pay a $50 registration fee. 100% of funding from these registration fees is used to promote the event.

YES. Donations made via Community Foundation donor-advised funds will not be subject to credit card processing fees. Grant recommendation forms must be signed and dated by the fundholder. Grant recommendation forms should be emailed to president@cfbv.org on Brazos Valley Gives Day or prior to October 15th. Please indicate the grant is for Brazos Valley Gives.

Visit our website at www.cfbv.org or call 979.589.4305 to schedule a meeting to discuss your interest in establishing a fund or leaving a planned gift in your will/bequest to benefit your favorite community initiative or Brazos Valley nonprofit[s].

Tuesday, October 15, 2024, from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM, Central Standard Time. Brazos Valley Gives is held annually on the third Tuesday of October. Early giving begins on Monday, September 16!

The purpose of an area-wide giving day is to bring the region together on one day and as one community, raising money and awareness for Brazos Valley nonprofits. This initiative, powered by the Community Foundation of the Brazos Valley, provides citizens across the 7-county service area with an easy platform to support the mission of local nonprofits that serve our communities.

One of the pillars of the Community Foundation's mission is to provide simple ways for donors to achieve their charitable goals. By providing an 18-hour online fundraising extravaganza, the Foundation offers the public an opportunity to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for local nonprofits. Brazos Valley Gives empowers individual donors and business leaders to come together to support causes close to their hearts - and where a small donor can feel just as important as a large donor.

Each participating nonprofit will be eligible for over $75,000 in incentive prizes. So in addition to supporting your favorite charity, you are also increasing their chances of winning one of over 18 hourly prizes that will be awarded during our Brazos Valley Gives Celebration of Community Philanthropy in mid-November.

YES, INDEED! EARLY GIVING BEGINS ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16! Beginning Monday, September 16 logon to donate to your favorite charity[ies]. Simply donate online  by selecting the organization(s) of your choice. Your donation will be processed immediately benefiting your nonprofit's giving goals.

Anyone can donate with as little as $10!

• Credit Cards
• Debit Cards
• Donation Form is provided for cash/check donations at Brazos Valley Gives Drop-Off locations on Oct 15.
• IRA and Stock donations are welcomed!

In addition, donations made via check (made payable to Brazos Valley Gives) or cash will be accepted at the drive-thru donation sites:

• The Eagle: 1729 Briarcrest Drive - Bryan. Donors can drop off donations on Tuesday, October 15, from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM
• Caldwell Civic Center: 103 Texas 21, 9:00 AM- 6:00 PM
• Navasota Center: 101 Stadium Drive, 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
• Washington County Chamber of Commerce: 314 South Austin [Brenham], 8:00 AM- 6:00 PM
• Donor-Advised Fundholders at the Community Foundation may recommend grants from their funds by submitting a grant recommendation form, by email, to president@cfbv.org. 

YES! Our technology provider has a mobile-optimized platform that makes it easy to donate on www.brazosvalleygives.org using a smartphone or tablet.

The minimum donation amount is $10. All gifts made on www.brazosvalleygives.org are non-refundable.

YES!. The www.brazosvalleygives.org website is powered by Neon One and is a secure PCI-Level 1 compliant site for donating to charities. Donors can be sure their personal information is protected when donating through www.brazosvalleygives.org. Neither Neon One nor the Community Foundation of the Brazos Valley will store, nor have access to a donor's credit card information. The Community Foundation will not share contact or other private information with anyone or any organization other than the receiving nonprofit. If the donor chooses to have their donation remain anonymous, then no personal identifying information will be shared with the nonprofit.

Donors who donate online will receive an immediate acknowledgment and tax receipt from the Community Foundation of the Brazos Valley via email. Donations received at the various Giving Day drop-off locations, once processed, will be acknowledged via email. Nonprofits will have the opportunity to thank donors as well and let them know how their donations will be used. Donors can choose to make anonymous donations and will still receive a tax receipt; however, the donor will not receive an acknowledgment from the nonprofits.

For the purposes of awarding prizes, a unique donor is one individual. Multiple donations from one donor to the same nonprofit will count as one gift.

YES! You can designate your Brazos Valley Gives donation in memory of an individual or to honor the good works of an individual. Simply note this information when donating and that information will be shared with the nonprofit.

Brazos Valley Gives is proud to support thousands of donors as they come together on one day to give to their favorite nonprofits or to new causes near to their hearts. We encourage you to find organizations that align with your passions and values. While the Community Foundation verifies the charitable status of every nonprofit that participates in Brazos Valley Gives, the Foundation does not screen or select organizations on the basis of their charitable purposes or their missions. Brazos Valley Gives eligibility is based solely on providing services in the 7-county service area and an organization's current status as a recognized Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity. Therefore, approval of an organization's participation in Brazos Valley Gives does not constitute an express or implied endorsement by the Community Foundation of the Brazos Valley or any other Giving Day partner. Each Brazos Valley Gives nonprofit page provides the organization's mission, images, and links to social media channels. Each nonprofit's page also includes a link to its website to provide you with more detailed information on the organization's mission and use of its charitable dollars.

The fee on gifts made through www.brazosvalleygives.org is 5.1%. This fee is composed of the credit card fee [2.2%] and a 2.9% service charge from Neon One for building and maintaining the hosting site. This is the only cost accrued by Neon One and it goes to cover site maintenance, customer support, and donation processing. During the donation process, you will be asked if you would like to cover this fee for your chosen nonprofit(s). If you select yes, then 5.1% will be added to your total. Your entire contribution is tax-deductible, including the processing fee! If you choose not to cover the fee, then the fees will be passed through to your selected nonprofit(s) by deducting it from your donation.

Brazos Valley Gives is powered by the Community Foundation of the Brazos Valley. We are a Bryan-based nonprofit focused on strengthening the 7-county region of the Brazos Valley through philanthropy as we raise and steward endowments for donors and charitable organizations. The Community Foundation does not receive any portion of the transaction fees or benefit from Brazos Valley Gives.

After donations have been made, supporters can spread the word among friends about Brazos Valley Gives and the good work nonprofits do in our community. We invite you to share your Brazos Valley Gives story via Social Media.

• Facebook.com/BVGives
• Instagram.com/BVGives
• X (Twitter)

Also, many nonprofits are seeking volunteers to support their causes. During the donation process, you will also have an opportunity to donate volunteer hours. 

Nonprofits in the region may also be hosting special activities for donors on the giving day.