What is GivingMatters.com?

GivingMatters.com is an initiative of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. It is an online resource created to inform, empower and enrich charitable giving in Middle Tennessee – benefiting donors, nonprofits and the community at large. GivingMatters.com furthers the cause of philanthropy in our region by promoting nonprofit transparency and putting nonprofit information at the fingertips of community members in an easy-to-use, searchable online database. GivingMatters.com contains more than 2,000 detailed profiles of local nonprofit organizations, and is FREE to nonprofits and public users.

Where does the information listed on profiles come from?

The majority of the information listed on GivingMatters.com is provided on a voluntary basis by area nonprofits. Information provided in the financial charts and graphs is entered by GivingMatters.com staff. Our staff analyzes these official financial documents and enters financial figures to the site.

What standards should I look for when evaluating a nonprofit organization?

That’s largely up to you, and depends on what’s important to you. GivingMatters.com doesn’t evaluate or score organizations, but you can find information on nonprofit best practices from Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance or Standards for Excellence Institute. You can also use the GivingMatters.com research guide to help you as you look through profiles. This research guide will be available soon.

What makes GivingMatters such a useful nonprofit research tool?

On GivingMatters.com, you can find the nonprofits working in your community, learn about how they operate, and then give support to help them carry out the work. You can search organizations by county, category, and even budget size. Nonprofit profiles offer in-depth information on programming, staff, board, financials, and more.

We require nonprofits to supply updated information at least once a year, so you can be assured that their important information is recent. If they have not provided updated information, you’ll know by the presence of the “Declined to Update” icon on their profile. GivingMatters.com staff works to make sure profiles offer current information to donors like you so you can feel secure in your philanthropic investments.

Can I use GivingMatters to start a Facebook fundraiser for a nonprofit?

You can use Facebook to share a GivingMatters.com profile's link and encourage your friends to donate. You can’t create a Facebook-sponsored fundraiser using a GivingMatters.com link. What you can do is create a Fundraising Campaign on your organization’s page, and use Facebook to share information on that campaign. Learn more about Fundraising Campaigns here.

What if I don’t get my emailed donation receipt?

Contact givingmatters@cmft.org with your name, email address, and donation information and we’ll resend the receipt.

How are gifts made through GivingMatters.com processed?

When you donate on GivingMatters.com, you’re giving through The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. This means CFMT processes the donations and then distributes them to nonprofits in the form of a “grant.” These funds are transferred to organizations via ACH Direct Deposit. CFMT does not keep any portion of the donation.

Donors will always receive a donation receipt via email when their gift is made. Donations through GivingMatters.com are 100% tax deductible. GivingMatters.com cannot be used to sell tickets, products, services or any items where the donor receives a market value

What fees are associated with donations made through GivingMatters.com?

All donations will be paid to the chosen nonprofit as the net of the gift amount minus processing fees paid to vendors (credit card companies and NeonOne). NeonOne assesses a fee of 2.6% per transaction (including E-Checks), while credit card processing fees vary according to card type used; the full transaction fee is estimated to be approximately 6%.

I donated the wrong amount or to the wrong organization. How can I get a refund?

Contact us at givingmatters@cfmt.org and we'll help you get it straightened out.

How will the donation appear in my bank statement?

The transaction will be labelled as "GIVINGMATTERS."

Why is there no Donate Now button on a certain profile?

That means the organization has not updated their profile with the information GivingMatters.com requires to maintain donation abilities. When/if they submit all their updated required information, the Donate Now button will be reinstated

Why are some nonprofits not included?

GivingMatters.com profiles 501(c)(3) public charities authorized by the Secretary of State’s office to raise money in Tennessee. GivingMatters.com does not profile religious organizations operating for religious purposes (i.e. churches, synagogues, mosques). If your favorite organization is missing, we welcome an opportunity to profile them in GivingMatters.com.

Does GivingMatters.com guarantee the accuracy of data?

The narrative information in each profile is provided voluntarily by the nonprofit. GivingMatters.com does not guarantee the accuracy of any such data, make any representations or warranties with regard to nonprofits in the database, or guarantee they are in compliance with all state and federal requirements. However, GivingMatters.com does seek to include the most accurate data available through document verification and a due diligence process.

What is The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee?

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee is a leader, catalyst and resource for philanthropy in Middle Tennessee. Since 1991, The Community Foundation has helped donors and nonprofit organizations realize their charitable intentions and make an impact. The Community Foundation exists to connect generosity with need, bringing good people and good causes together to enrich the quality of life in Middle Tennessee.

Do you need more assistance with your nonprofit research?

Reach out to us at givingmatters@cfmt.org for any additional questions you may have. We are always available to help you navigate the site, or even to pull reports of specific types of organizations to assist in your research! You can also visit our Donor Support Center.