Question 1

The Credit Card Error Guide

Accepted Answer

So, you did all the right steps. You filled out your info. You pressed “donate”.

And you got an error message.

Never a pleasant experience.

We’ve written this guide to help you decipher what exactly is going on with your card. In general, the best things to do when you get an error is to double check that all the information is correct, and if that doesn’t help, to try a different card.

If neither of those things work, we’re probably looking at a bigger issue here, that lots of other people are experiencing as well. Which isn’t fun either, but at least you know you’ve done nothing wrong. At that point, the best thing is to let us know about it and our engineers will look into the issue.

That said, knowing what the specific error messages mean when they come up on the screen, can help you understand what might be going wrong, and potentially take steps to correct it.

The List of Errors and What They Mean

Do Not Honor – some credit card processors just don’t like certain cards being used on crowdfunding sites. The best thing to do is try a different card.

Decline CVV2/ CID Fail – The card numbers didn’t match. Double check that everything is correct; if the problem persists, maybe try a different card.

Generic Decline – some random thing went wrong, and we don’t even have specifics! Best thing is to double check the numbers and maybe try another card.

{"verification_value"=>["should be 4 digits"]} – this usually happens when you use an AMEX

Question 2

Making Donations - Frequently Asked Questions

Accepted Answer

** Will I get a tax receipt?

Each campaign is different. If the campaign is tax deductible, it should be stated clearly in the campaign description.

Most campaigns that provide tax receipts only provide U.S tax receipts.

How will my donation appear on my bank statement?

Each campaign will be different depending on the title of the campaign, but it will begin with “TCF*”, and then followed by the title of the campaign.

Could I give an anonymous donation?

Yes, just be sure to check off the anonymous box on the donation form.

I forgot to click anonymous, what should I do?

Email support@thechesedfund.com, provide your name, email, and the title of the campaign you donated to, and we will change it for you.

Q: Are verified campaigns tax deductible?

A: There is no direct correlation between a campaign's verification status and its tax deductible status. Tax Deductible status is determined by the IRS, while The Chesed Fund's verification process attempts to ascertain that all the facts in a campaign are true, regardless of whether you'd receive a tax deductible receipt if you donated to that campaign.

Question 3

How Much Does it Cost?

Accepted Answer

Nothing! It doesn’t cost anything to create a campaign or to collect funds. The recipient pays the credit card transaction fees, however. TheChesedFund.com never collects commissions on donations unlike other crowdfunding sites.

Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 for each transaction. International transactions are up to 3.9% + $0.30 per transaction.

Question 4

Payouts: How Long Will it Take For Funds to Reach My Bank?

Accepted Answer

Once a donation is received by your campaign, it will be transferred automatically to your bank account. There is nothing you need to do to initiate the transfer.

In total, there may be a 14 to 21 day delay before the funds reach your bank. The precise timetable for a given donation to be ready for payout is as follows: 10 business days must elapse from the time of a donation for it to be paid out. Thus, if a donation was made 9 business days before the current Monday, another week would need to pass before the funds will be paid out.

Why is this delay necessary? In part, the delay is to protect Stripe (the credit card processor) and you as the fundraiser from fraudulent charges and disputed donations.

You can view the status of your payouts from your dashboard by visiting the "Payouts" tab in the left-hand menu.

Question 5

Creating an Effective Chesed Fund Campaign

Accepted Answer

Starting a crowdfunding campaign for the first time can be daunting, with a lot of different things that need to be taken care of which can improve the success of your campaign.

Here, we’ll highlight some of the best things you can do to optimize your campaign for success.

Campaign Goal

Q: Making Donations - Frequently Asked Questions

** Will I get a tax receipt? Each campaign is different. If the campaign is tax deductible, it should be stated clearly in the campaign description. Most campaigns that provide tax receipts only provide U.S tax receipts. How will my donation appear on my bank statement? <hr /> Each campaign will be different depending on the title of the campaign, but it will begin with “TCF*”, and then followed by the title of the campaign. Could I give an anonymous donation? <hr /> Yes, just be sure to check off the anonymous box on the donation form. I forgot to click anonymous, what should I do? <hr /> Email support@thechesedfund.com, provide your name, email, and the title of the campaign you donated to, and we will change it for you. <hr /> Q: Are verified campaigns tax deductible? A: There is no direct correlation between a campaign's verification status and its tax deductible status. Tax Deductible status is determined by the IRS, while The Chesed Fund's verification process attempts to ascertain that all the facts in a campaign are true, regardless of whether you'd receive a tax deductible receipt if you donated to that campaign.

Q: Payouts: How Long Will it Take For Funds to Reach My Bank?

Once a donation is received by your campaign, it will be transferred automatically to your bank account. There is nothing you need to do to initiate the transfer. In total, there may be a 14 to 21 day delay before the funds reach your bank. The precise timetable for a given donation to be ready for payout is as follows: 10 business days must elapse from the time of a donation for it to be paid out. Thus, if a donation was made 9 business days before the current Monday, another week would need to pass before the funds will be paid out. Why is this delay necessary? In part, the delay is to protect Stripe (the credit card processor) and you as the fundraiser from fraudulent charges and disputed donations. You can view the status of your payouts from your dashboard by visiting the "Payouts" tab in the left-hand menu.

Setting a goal that is too ambitious will turn people away. People have an expectation of how much things should cost, and don’t want to contribute to a campaign that is collecting more than they feel is necessary. Similarly, people want to be part of a success, and seeing that a campaign has collected $500 and has $150,000 left to go, doesn’t instill them with much confidence.

Try to elaborate on how you arrived at the campaign goal, and what the money will be going for. For example, “the surgery costs $75,000, and since insurance doesn’t cover it, I have to pay out-of-pocket”.

Campaign Title

The title of your campaign is the first thing people see, and it often is the factor that can convince them to read further. So it’s imperative that you create a compelling title that is clear and convincing.

Avoid generic phrases like “Please Save Me”, and make them as personal and specific as possible, for example, “Save 8-Year-Old Moshe’s Life” or “Abuse Victim is About to be Homeless!” Keep your titles consice. They should be similar to a news article length. 5 to 10 words is a good guideline, anything longer and people will lose interest.

Campaign Description

People connect to

Question 6

Why We Need Your Social Security Number

Accepted Answer

It may seem like a simple process, but behind the scenes, processing credit cards is a complex process. Think about it. You’re basically reaching into someone else’s pocket and withdrawing what can sometimes be thousands of dollars at once with just a few clicks. And with your Chesed Fund campaign, you might be doing this dozens of times a minute.

This process of charging cards, has the potential to be manipulated via fraud, deception, or money laundering. Which is why the entire credit card industry is regulated by the federal government, and why when you apply to a credit card processor to become a merchant, you actually have to go through an underwriting process where they asses whether they will take you on as a client.

Every card processor does this, including huge names like Stripe. A few of them, such as Stripe, allow you to begin processing cards immediately, but behind the scenes, they continue running background checks to make sure everything is legit.

At The Chesed Fund, we do the same – you can generally start processing right away, but our credit card processor needs to keep looking into things to make sure everything is above board. They are the first line of liability if a client charges back or complains illicit behavior. Therefore, it is incumbent upon them to protect themselves and fulfill federal regulations.

This is where your social security number comes in. Every credit card processor will ask for this as part of the process of signing you up. It

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