FAQ - Frequently asked questions

Any initiative with a social aim in the broadest sense of the word can register at ShopDonation, such as: a charity, citizens' initiative, school, association, sports club, hospital, sponsor challenge, social enterprise, music group, art project or a personal initiative. In principle, it works the same as crowdfunding, so a cause does not have to be registered as a foundation or charity. You just need permission from the founder if you are not the founder yourself.

With a small group of engaged shoppers you can already raise decent amounts. The more people are involved with your initiative, the more donations you can generate through ShopDonation. Read here how much you can expect to raise via ShopDonation.

Financial / accounting

If you personally start a project and receive the donations on your personal bank account, please note that tax may have to be paid on this income. Consult the tax rules in combination with your personal situation or that of the foundation, and if necessary check with a tax advisor.

Inspection

Of course, ShopDonation checks all projects for the correctness of information as far as possible. Should we find out later that a cause is displaying significant fraudulent/incorrect information, ShopDonation reserves the right to reclaim all collected and paid donations.

If there is a desire to collect personal money from online purchases, we would rather like to refer you to "cash back websites", which are completely legal.

In practice, shoppers choose a cause to support based on personal contact, trust and transparency. 90% of our shoppers know the cause, or the person behind it, before they go to ShopDonation to support them. If someone tries to create a project for "personal gain", this wouldn't yield much anyway.

Our statistics show that a regular shopper generates around $5 per month on average. Even for large charities, this is comparable to gaining a regular monthly donor, but without the usual recruitment costs. Because we offer this concept in multiple countries, causes can further increase their revenue if they also have a supporters base abroad.

Businesses can also support causes with their everyday company purchases, which can generate between $100 to $500 per month depending on the business. Having said that, our top individual shoppers have raised more than $2000 for their cause in a few years.

ShopDonation is designed to create a continuous, reliable income stream that grows over time - not just quick, one-time donations.

There are 4 payout dates per year, wherein payment is made after a minimum of €50 has been raised. There is always a minimum period of 3 months between the moment of purchase and the paying out of the donation. This is because a purchase can often be returned for 2 months (or longer), whereby the commission is not paid out to ShopDonation and thus the donation cannot be given.

Once this period has passed, the transaction will receive the status ''accepted'' and will be paid out at the next payout moment:

On 10-01 the amount paid out is collected from donations during 01-07 to 30-09*
On 01-04, the amount paid out will be collected from donations during 01-10 to 31-12*
On 01-07 the amount is paid from donations during 01-01 to 31-03*
On 01-10 the amount paid out will be collected from donations during 01-04 to 30-06*

*If in a quarter the minimum of €50, is not achieved, then the amount shifts to the next period, until this minimum of €50, is achieved.

You can see in My account - My project which status a transaction has. This way you can always keep an eye on how much has been collected and how much will be paid out.

Payouts from multiple countries

Each ShopDonation platform operates independently in its respective country and has its own payout threshold. Within your account, you can easily check whether you’ve reached the payout threshold for each country. To minimize transaction fees, we recommend using Wise, which is free to set up and if you sign up through our link, your first transfer is free. You can set different payment details for each ShopDonation country if you prefer.

If a cause deregisters

- If a cause deregisters from ShopDonation, the amount raised under €50 will of course, be paid out.

- If the cause no longer exists or stops their activity, and there is no longer any desire to receive this money, they can also choose to donate this amount to another cause. The receiving cause will then confirm that they have received the money.

Cause of the Month is a special feature where ShopDonation actively promotes a selected initiative across our social media channels and newsletter, giving it extra visibility and support. In addition, the chosen cause is highlighted as a featured option for new users when they register on ShopDonation.

Each month, the Cause of the Month is selected based on:

Inspiration - how meaningful and impactful the initiative is.
Transparency - how clearly it demonstrates what happens with the funds raised.
Commitment - how actively ShopDonation is promoted (e.g., on the initiative’s website or social media).

Causes have the option to disable any brand for their shoppers. If you're a shopper you can ask the cause if they want to disable the brand, once they do it will no longer appear when that cause is selected.

Yes, on our overview of stores you'll find the shop category business where you can see all providers of business products and services.

Business purchases can make a huge difference for any initiative, especially when these are recurring. While an individual shopper typically generates around $5 per month in donations (comparable to a structural donor, but without recruitment costs), a business making its purchases through ShopDonation can contribute an average of $100-$500 per month. Read more about business purchases here.

If you know a company that might be interested in doing this, whether it's the company where you work or through your business network, do let them know about this simple opportunity to support your initiative. 

​​​Most businesses that are currently using ShopDonation were quite surprised to hear about what value they could offer without any extra costs, and were very willing to explore with which purchases they could support a cause of their choosing. So don't miss out on this opportunity! Feel free to contact us for more information or specific inquiries at (contact email).

It may take up to 48 hours before you see a confirmation of the donation in your account and receive a confirmation email. If you haven't received a confirmation after these 48 hours, please fill out the contact form. In most cases, we can still retrieve the donation connected to your purchase.

ShopDonation uses an international tracking system that is owned by the webshops. Together we verify if all transactions sent to us by the webshops are indeed correct. Therefore, we appreciate it if you let us know when a donation doesn't come through, so that we can contact the respective webshop.

When will a purchase not be detected by the system?

- If you have previously clicked to the webshop via another affiliate website, such as a discount code website or comparison website. In this case, the commission will go to this affiliate website instead of ShopDonation and the donation will not come through. Some webshops also consider a click from a Google advertisement as a different affiliate channel. If you have already clicked through from another website and you are going to make a purchase via ShopDonation, please use a different browser or device.

- The cookies on the webshop were not accepted. Always click 'yes' or 'ok' when prompted for cookie consent on the webshop.

- The order was made using more than one browser or device.

- Discount or coupon codes were used that were not provided by ShopDonation.

- Browser extensions linking to reward or coupon sites were enabled while using ShopDonation.

- If the cookie settings on a device are set to 'very strict', the tracking system does not work. Computers used in an office or business environment often have this mode enabled.

- If you are using a browser or software that blocks cookies. Disable all ad-blocking software while using ShopDonation. Some antivirus and firewall software (such as ZoneAlarm or Norton Internet Security) have ad-blocking enabled by default.

- When a VPN or a proxy server is used on ShopDonation.
 

Tips to make your purchases successfully result in donations:
 

- Do not visit the webshop through other websites before making the click through ShopDonation. If you did already make a click from another channel, use a different browser or device that has not had a click through to the respective webshop.

- Do not interrupt the ordering process or do any other browsing after you've clicked the webshop link. Do not open other tabs, visit other websites, and use only one device.

- Do not make a purchase through multiple tabs or devices.

- For each purchase, a unique click from ShopDonation must be made (saving the link without clicking through ShopDonation does not work).

- Wait until you reach the 'thank-you page'.

- Only use the mobile browser of the webshop. Do not use the mobile app of the webshop (except for Bol.com, Thuisbezorgd, and Aliexpress, you can use their mobile apps).

- Do not visit the webshop itself before clicking from ShopDonation.

- Ensure your shopping cart is empty when you arrive at the webshop.

- Use only ShopDonation discount/voucher codes.

- Do not make a purchase via phone call or live chat.

If a device and browser have generated a donation correctly before through ShopDonation, we recommend always using these.

Read more detailed information on how the tracking system works and how to prevent missed purchases.
 

Do not approach the webshop yourself

The cooperation between the webshop and ShopDonation is only known to the marketing department of the webshop (as the cooperation is based on the ''affiliate marketing'' principle, we are technically part of their advertising). When you approach the customer service of a webshop, they will most probably not know anything about the cooperation with ShopDonation, unless you speak to someone from their marketing department.

We appreciate it if you report a missed purchase

Therefore, please send the missed purchase to ShopDonation, and we will contact our contact person at the webshop. Sometimes it may take a while for the webshop to investigate the purchase in their system, unfortunately we have no control over that.

We will continue to reach out to the webshop until we have a satisfactory answer: either the donation will be awarded retroactively, or there must be a valid reason why the commission was not awarded (for example, if the commission was attributed to another party due to a click made from another website). Together, we verify the information provided by the webshops to ShopDonation, so we appreciate it if you bring a missed purchase to our attention. 

ShopDonation uses an international tracking system that is owned by the webshops. Together we verify if all transactions sent to us by the webshops are indeed correct. Therefore, we appreciate it if you let us know when a donation doesn't come through, so that we can contact the respective webshop. In most cases, we can still retrieve the donation connected to your purchase.
 

When will a purchase not be detected by the system?

- If you have previously clicked to the webshop via another affiliate website, such as a discount code website or comparison website. In this case, the commission will go to this affiliate website instead of ShopDonation and the donation will not come through. Some webshops also consider a click from a Google advertisement as a different affiliate channel. If you have already clicked through from another website and you are going to make a purchase via ShopDonation, please use a different browser or device.

- The cookies on the webshop were not accepted. Always click 'yes' or 'ok' when prompted for cookie consent on the webshop.

- The order was made using more than one browser or device.

- Discount or coupon codes were used that were not provided by ShopDonation.

- Browser extensions linking to reward or coupon sites were enabled while using ShopDonation.

- If the cookie settings on a device are set to 'very strict', the tracking system does not work. Computers used in an office or business environment often have this mode enabled.

- If you are using a browser or software that blocks cookies. Disable all ad-blocking software while using ShopDonation. Some antivirus and firewall software (such as ZoneAlarm or Norton Internet Security) have ad-blocking enabled by default.

- When a VPN or a proxy server is used on ShopDonation.
 

Tips to make your purchases successfully result in donations

- Do not visit the webshop through other websites before making the click through ShopDonation. If you did already make a click from another channel, use a different browser or device that has not had a click through to the respective webshop.

- Do not interrupt the ordering process or do any other browsing after you've clicked the webshop link. Do not open other tabs, visit other websites, and use only one device.

- Do not make a purchase through multiple tabs or devices.

- For each purchase, a unique click from ShopDonation must be made (saving the link without clicking through ShopDonation does not work).

- Wait until you reach the 'thank-you page'.

- Only use the mobile browser of the webshop. Do not use the mobile app of the webshop (except for Bol.com, Thuisbezorgd, and Aliexpress, you can use their mobile apps).

- Do not visit the webshop itself before clicking from ShopDonation.

- Ensure your shopping cart is empty when you arrive at the webshop.

- Use only ShopDonation discount/voucher codes.

- Do not make a purchase via phone call or live chat.

If a device and browser have generated a donation correctly before through ShopDonation, we recommend always using these.

Read more detailed information on how the tracking system works and how to prevent missed purchases.
 

Do you have a missed transaction?

Send the missed purchase to ShopDonation via the contact form, then we will approach our contact person from the webshop. Unless the commission is contributed to another party, we can usually retrieve the donation.

The brands reward us every time we bring a customer to their website, and we share the commission we receive as a donation to your chosen cause.

The funds come from their marketing budget, similar to what they’d spend on online ads. With ShopDonation, brands don’t pay anything upfront, they only pay a commission after a purchase has been made. That makes it a safe and popular marketing collaboration for them. Each brand sets its own commission rate, which can vary depending on their marketing strategy.

Through this, together we redistribute profits to social projects worldwide.

All amounts that are earned and paid out at ShopDonation are verifiable by all parties involved.

Transparency

- Everyone can see how many donations have been generated on ShopDonation’s platform. The website also shows how much each cause has raised thanks to shoppers using ShopDonation.

- Cause owners can see live how much has been raised via their account, as well as the details of which purchases have generated which amount of donations, and see the current status of each donation.

*Cause owners cannot see any private user information, such as the email address of users who have shopped for the cause. They can only see a username, which can be made completely anonymous according to the user’s wishes.

- Individual users can check the status of each purchase and they can notify ShopDonation if they suspect that something is wrong.

Together with the shoppers, we check that the data received from the webshops is accurate and that every purchase is correctly tracked. At ShopDonation, users receive an email confirmation of their donation after each purchase and can instantly view and confirm it in their account. This way, any purchase that wasn’t accurately reported by the webshops does not go unnoticed, ensuring that the highest possible percentage is still converted into donations by ShopDonation.

Payouts

- All payouts are systematically transferred to the causes quarterly and can be verified through our system, by both the shoppers and the cause itself. For each accepted purchase through ShopDonation, you can see when it will be paid out, or when it was paid out.

Any possible discrepancy can be checked by both parties, back to the first purchase since the beginning of ShopDonation. Through this method, we are verified by causes and users on a daily basis.

Automatically and decentralized

The ShopDonation system operates automatically and independently, with our team maintaining only a facilitating role in its operation to generate free donations. We have no ability to adjust or manipulate the incoming commission amounts, as these are entered into our system by the webshops and automatically converted into donations. Because of this structure, no one has to rely solely on our word and everyone can check that it truly works.
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We are very proud to have made this system as transparent as possible. We are very aware that any kind of ambiguity can create the wrong impression, and that any wrong impression can be disastrous for our beloved concept.

That is why we have arranged the system how we would like to see it ourselves, were we in the cause or shopper’s shoes. If you still have questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

- ShopDonation never shares personal data (including email addresses) with any third party, unless it’s essential for the operation of our service, such as Google Analytics and newsletter providers. We don’t share user data with affiliated brands or supported causes, and causes don’t see data from their supporters. Purchases are completed directly on partner webshops, so we never receive personal purchase information.

- To operate and improve our service, ShopDonation uses trusted third-party tools such as Google Analytics (for anonymous website usage insights) and a newsletter service (to send exclusive deals and updates to users who have opted in with their email address).

- When you create a user account, you can choose an anonymous username. Your email address is never visible to other users or causes.

- If you delete your user account, we will permanently remove all data associated with that account.
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Yes, you can. Just send us an email from the email address that is connected with your user account.

* Seeing a different cause than what you’ve selected when making the purchase can also happen when a first click was made to a webshop (maybe just to test out the platform, with the correct cause not yet selected). The system registered this cookie/click with a different cause, and when you later made the purchase with your chosen cause, the system still remembered your first click.

The webshop decides which click will be used, read more about this in our detailed information page about the tracking system.
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Before a webshop can be added to the collection of ShopDonation, a shop/company first has to make the choice to take part in "affiliate marketing".

You have to register as a webshop at a site like awin.com or tradetracker.com. They take care of the entire "tracking", i.e. the storage of the cookies, the registration where one can see the click through path from Shopdonation to the relevant shop, and that the bonus is finally awarded to ShopDonation.

We have also registered with the mentioned tracking systems and there we can agree to enter into a collaboration.