FAQs
How much should I donate?
How much you want to donate is, of course, ultimately your own personal decision. But perhaps you will find some inspiration in the article "How much should I donate?" and "Why and how I donate".
Can I deduct my donation from my taxes?
Yes, you can deduct your donation from your taxes Germany, Austria, Czechia and Switzerland deductible from tax.
However, it is important that you actually donate to our respective local branch (to our non-profit GmbH in Berlin, our non-profit association in Basel or our non-profit association in Vienna). You can recognize this by the flag at the top right of the donation form and, if paying by bank transfer, by the bank details (except for the Czech Republic).
In Austria we are currently focusing entirely on our donation funds (with the exception of Democracy and AI). Donations to specific individual organizations are currently not possible here. Do you have any questions or feedback? Please write to us at [email protected].
How and when will I receive my donation receipt? (Germany, Switzerland, Czechia)
We will automatically send you a donation receipt for all your donations by email at the end of February of the following year. You don't need to do anything else. If you have moved since registering your donation, please let us know at [email protected] your new address so that your donation receipt can be issued to your current address.
If you need a donation receipt earlier than the end of February of the following year, please contact us at [email protected]. In urgent cases, we are happy to issue the donation receipt earlier. If you need it very quickly, we advise you to not donate by direct debit, as otherwise we will unfortunately have to wait for the 8-week direct debit chargeback period before we can certify the donation.
Can I donate as a company?
Of course, companies can also donate through us. Donation receipts can be issued to both private individuals and companies. To do this, click on "Donate as a company" when entering your details in our donation form.
How and when will I receive my donation receipt? (Austria)
If you are in Austria as Private individual If you make a donation, we will report your donations directly to the tax office by the end of February of the following year, and the amounts reported will be automatically deducted from your taxable income during tax assessment (up to a maximum of 10 % of your income). This is, of course, provided that you checked the box for „Deduct donation as a tax deduction in Austria“ when making your donation and shared your date of birth with us. If you’d like to change your decision or are no longer sure what you selected when making your donation, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] or +43 (0)1 266 01 38. You can find more information on the automatic tax recognition of donations here on the website of the Ministry of Finance.
If you are in Austria as company If you make a donation, you will automatically receive a donation receipt via email at the end of February of the following year (covering all of your company’s donations for the year). This allows you to generally deduct your company’s donations made through us as business expenses from your corporate income tax (up to a maximum of 10 % of profits). Unlike donations from private individuals, corporate donations are not reported directly by us to the tax office; instead, the company must report them as expenses itself.
Help, I can no longer find my donation receipt!
No problem at all. Just get in touch at [email protected] with us. We'll be happy to resend your donation receipt by email.
What fees apply in Germany? Do you forward my donation to 100 %?
We process donations free of charge, which means we do not keep any portion of your donation for ourselves. However, when using credit card, PayPal, or SEPA direct debit, fees are charged by the payment service providers we work with. These fees are deducted from your donation. For donations within Germany, the fees are calculated as follows:
- Bank transfer: Free of charge within the SEPA payment area
- SEPA-direct debit: 0.35 Euro
- PayPal: 1.5 % + 0.35 euros
- Credit card/Apple Pay/Google Pay: 1.2 % + 0.25 euros for European cards, except Amex (2.9 % + 0.25 euros for Amex and international cards)
Therefore, for donations with amounts < 10,000 euros, we recommend For donations with amounts < 10,000 euros, we use the particularly easy to process SEPA-direct debit and for amounts > 10,000 euros the free of charge Bank transfer. For security reasons, we only offer direct debit payments < 10,000 euros, as PayPal and credit card are not recommended for high amounts for cost reasons.
Comparable fees would also apply to direct donations to the respective organizations. We have already negotiated with all payment providers and receive particularly favorable terms for non-profit organizations.
We also finance ourselves through donations, but completely independently. You can here .
What fees apply in Switzerland? Do you forward my donation to 100 %?
We process donations free of charge, i.e. we do not retain any part of your donation for ourselves. However, donations made by credit card are subject to fees charged by the payment service provider we work with. These fees are deducted from your donation. For donations within Switzerland, the fees are calculated as follows:
- Bank transfer: Free of charge within the SEPA payment area
- Credit card/Apple Pay/Google Pay: 2.7 % + 0.30 francs for Swiss cards (3.25 % + 0.30 francs for international cards)
- TWINT: 1.9 % + 0.30 francs
Therefore, for donations with amounts < 10,000 euros, we recommend especially for higher amounts the Bank transfer.
Comparable fees would also apply to direct donations to the respective organizations. We have already negotiated with all payment providers and receive particularly favorable terms for non-profit organizations.
We also finance ourselves through donations, but completely independently. You can here .
What fees apply in Austria? Does 100% of my donation go toward actual aid projects?
We use donations to our donation fund in full to implement highly effective aid projects together with partner organizations. We do not keep any of your donation for ourselves. However, when paying by credit card or SEPA direct debit, fees are charged by the payment services we work with. These fees are deducted from your donation. For donations within Austria, the fees are calculated as follows:
- Bank transfer: Free of charge within the SEPA payment area
- SEPA-direct debit: 0.35 Euro
- Credit card: 1.2 % + 0.25 euros for European cards (3.25 % + 0.25 euros for international cards)
Therefore, for donations with amounts < 10,000 euros, we recommend For donations with amounts < 10,000 euros, we use the particularly easy to process SEPA-direct debit and for amounts > 10,000 euros the free of charge Bank transferFor security reasons, we only offer direct debit payments for amounts under €10,000. Credit cards are not recommended for large amounts due to the associated costs.
Comparable fees apply to all organizations that collect donations. We have already negotiated with all payment services and receive particularly favorable conditions for charitable organizations.
We also finance ourselves through donations, but completely independently. You can here .
How can I cancel my recurring donation?
You can cancel your permanent donation at any time and without giving reasons. Simply send us an informal e-mail to [email protected] or give us a call (🇩🇪 030 260 355 19, 🇨🇭 044 244 27 38, 🇦🇹 01 266 01 38).
How can I change my permanent donation?
If you amount If you want to increase or decrease your donation, simply send us an email at [email protected] with us. We are also happy to change the Organizations/Projects/Fundto which you can donate if you wish. The means of payment Unfortunately, we cannot change this without further ado. This requires canceling the donation and then setting up a new one.
How can I update the payment method of my standing donation?
For technical reasons, the means of payment stored for recurring donations cannot currently be changed without further ado. As a rule, it is necessary to cancel the permanent donation (by sending an informal e-mail to [email protected]) and to create a new permanent donation with the desired payment method via the donation form This applies in particular to changes in payment method, but also to switching to a new direct debit account or a new credit card. If you enter the same name and email address for the new recurring donation as you did for your previous donation, the new donation will also be automatically assigned to your contact and all donations will be certified in a donation receipt.
I don't want to donate online, can I also transfer the money?
You are also welcome to make your donation by traditional bank transfer. To do so, please use our donation form Under "Payment method," select the "Bank transfer" tab, enter the information we need for the donation receipt, and register your donation. You will then receive an email with our donation account details and a personal reference number, which will enable us to correctly allocate your automatic donation as soon as you have transferred the funds.
Where should I donate?
Feel free to read our recommendations on the various topics. Fighting Poverty, Mitigating Climate Change, Improving Animal Welfare, Safeguarding the Future, Controlling AI and Defending Democracy through to understand which topic area interests you the most.
If you are not entirely sure which organization you prefer within the subject area, we recommend our donation funds . Your donation will then be used within the selected subject area where it will have the greatest impact.
Do you have any questions? Then feel free to contact us by email at [email protected] or give us a call. For larger donations, we'd also be happy to offer you a free donation advice . You can read more and directly book an appointment here .
What does "donation fund" mean?
If you choose one of our donation funds, 100 % of your donation will always go toward supporting the most promising organizations and projects in that particular field. We regularly work with our independent research partners to determine the best possible allocation of funds and will keep you informed via email and on our website.
Benefits of Donation Funds
- Even (a little) more effective: We expect these funds to have an even greater impact because we take the most up-to-date information into account when allocating funds (such as organizations’ financial situations) and can also flexibly provide targeted support to young initiatives, even if we do not (yet) list them permanently as top recommendations on our website.
- Even simpler and more up-to-date: You don't have to make a selection yourself; your recurring donation updates automatically whenever there are changes (new research, changes in the global situation).
Disadvantages of Donation Funds
- They feel abstract: At the time you make your donation, you may not yet know exactly what kinds of aid your contribution will help make possible. That’s why it’s especially important to us to provide you with detailed information afterward about how your donation was used and to make the good it has accomplished as tangible as possible.
You can find more information about our funds—including, in particular, what we have funded to date—on the respective fund pages: Fighting Poverty, Mitigating Climate Change, Improving Animal Welfare, Safeguarding the Future and Defending DemocracyYou can find out more about the general benefits of our donation funds here. here.
Do you also offer advice on making donations?
Yes, the Effektiv Spenden team also offers free donation advice . You can read more and directly book an appointment here .
How long are your donation vouchers valid?
The Donation voucher-codes are valid for 12 months from the date of issue. If vouchers are not redeemed during this period, the voucher amount is automatically credited to our Giving Fund: Fighting Poverty benefit. In any case, all donations fully support the organizations recommended by us.
We set the deadline so that the donations arrive quickly where they are needed, as the law requires charitable organizations to use the funds promptly.
Who receives the donation receipt for a donation voucher purchase?
The purchaser of the voucher receives the donation receipt. This is because although the person receiving the gift voucher decides exactly which organization the donation goes to, from a tax law perspective the donation comes from the purchaser. As with a normal donation through us, we will automatically send the receipt by the end of the following year's February.
Does your donation voucher incur any fees?
No, we don’t charge any fees for buying a voucher, just as we don’t for donations. The voucher and the donation receipt both show the full amount you paid. Fees for external payment services such as PayPal may apply before the money reaches us (more on this in our FAQ).
How do you cover your costs?
Effective donations are made possible by private sponsors. This support enables us to cover all administrative costs. This allows us to pass on your donation in full to our top organizations. Of course, we also welcome your donation to us as a platform. You can find out more about our funding here.
Why should I support Effektiv Spenden?
With every euro we spent on the operation and further development of our platform between 2021 and 2023, we were able to raise more than 30 euros in donations for the organizations we recommended. The evaluators Founders Pledge and Giving What We Can have therefore recognized us as a promising "donation multiplier" and "Top-rated charity". We would be delighted to have your support in the coming years to encourage many, many more people to make effective donations.
Is it also possible to donate to Effective Altruism?
Yes, that's out. Germany and Switzerland via our extended donation form.
Why do you need my address?
We only need your address for the donation receipt. We will also send this to you automatically by email (at the end of February of the following year), but in order for it to be claimed for tax purposes, your postal address must be listed there.
What does "Allow data transfer to organization" mean?
If you check the box "Allow data transfer to organization?", we will forward your name, the amount of your donation, and your email address to the organization(s) you have selected. We have contractually agreed with the organizations that they may use this data in accordance with the GDPR to contact you by email. You are not automatically subscribed to their newsletter, etc.
Since we generally forward donations only twice a year and the organizations sometimes do not take immediate action, it may take several months before you receive a response. In exceptional cases, you may not receive an email at all from the organization you selected. However, this does not mean that your donation was not forwarded. We guarantee that it was.
When you make a donation to our fundraising campaigns, we do not, as a rule, share your information with the organizations we support.
Why don't you use gender-neutral language?
Wir benutzen bei Texten auf unserer Webseite, sowie im geschäftlichen Alltag das generische Femininum und Maskulinum im Wechsel. Wenn bei bestimmten Begriffen, die sich auf Personengruppen beziehen, nur die männliche oder die weibliche Form gewählt wurde, so ist dies nicht geschlechtsspezifisch gemeint. Wenn aus dem Kontext nicht explizit etwas anderes hervorgeht, sind immer alle Geschlechter gemeint.
My question has not been answered here. Who can I contact?
Feel free to contact us. You can either send us an email to [email protected] Write to us or give us a call (🇩🇪 030 260 355 19, 🇨🇭 044 244 27 38, 🇦🇹 01 266 01 38).