Question 1

What is EquipNet Relief Alliance's mission and purpose?

Accepted Answer

EquipNet is a 501c3, religious non-profit organization, that seeks to connect resources to well vetted families and individuals, who have experienced catastrophic loss and trauma. ERA catalyzes individuals and Recovery Networks to come alongside and provide sustained long-term support to victims of loss through the long process of Relief, Rebuilding and Recovery.

Question 2

How do I setup a Recovery Fund?

Accepted Answer

Recovery Funds can be set up directly by a Recipient Family that has suffered loss or by another individual on behalf of that family.

The application and enrollment process for is all done online. Our enrollment system is accessible through the FUND SETUP button at the top of the page, or you may follow this link (https://equipnet.typeform.com/to/Ez0n73sJ?typeform-source=equipnet.org)to begin the process. During the enrollment process you will be asked to identify the yourself as a Recovery Team Leader and you will be asked to identify the Recipient Family that the fund is being set up for and their contact information.

You will be able submit your application and provide all the information we need for processing donation deposits by providing the correct bank routing number and account number that donations are to be deposited to.

The Fund Set up and Online Giving page is an easy 4-step process.  You will be asked for some basic contact information and one of our team will call you to get to know you and the situation of the family you are serving, as well as answer any of your questions about EquipNet Relief Alliance before the enrollment process goes forward. You will also be asked to provide two references from two persons who can verify the loss, and that the Recipient Family’s need is genuine. All recipients of funds and assistance are vetted before any resources are shared.

Question 3

What are the acceptance criteria for setting up a Relief Fund in the EquipNet Relief Alliance Portal?

Accepted Answer

1. Any Recipient Family or individual who has suffered catastrophic loss because of a natural or man- made disaster is eligible to set up a Relief Fund. 
2. An phone interview will be conducted prior to a Fund being set up and activated to verify the loss and needs.
3. Two references will be required to vouch for the reality of the loss and the needs of the Recipient Family. 
4. The Recipient Family must have a USA Bank account that is able to receive ACH Bank Transfers.
5. Any Recipient Family that desires to receive assistance and activate a fund must be willing to provide valid contact information so that we can reach out in the case of any issues that might arise with baking and deposits.

Question 4

What are EquipNet Relief Alliance's administrative fees?

Accepted Answer

EquipNet’s goal, has been to see as much of every donor’s dollar make it to Recipient Families on the ground and to the relief projects we serve. We are one of the lowest in terms of administrative fees at 5% and have kept our costs low for 24 years. This fee is to cover the costs EquipNet Relief Alliance incurs for accounting, banking, donor processing and receipting the donor as well as legal fees we pay annually for dealing with the IRS and Tax Filings.

Most non-profit agencies have admin fees ranging from 10-21 % because they must support a hierarchical management infrastructure to oversee and direct their staff and programs. Donations given by Credit Card incur a fee of 3% which is automatically withheld by credit card and merchant services (American Express is slightly higher at 3.5%) before the donation is passed on from the donor to EquipNet.

For example, if you receive a credit card donation for $100.00, you will receive $92. ($100 – 3.00 (3% credit card fee) – $5.00, (5% EquipNet fee), = net donation of $92.00.)

If your donor decides to use the ACH feature, to make a donation by a debit to their checking account, there is no credit card merchant fee. In this case the 5% EquipNet fee is the only fee. In that case, from a $100.00 donation you would receive $100.00 – (5% EquipNet fee) = net donation of $95.00 deposited to your bank. The same is true of donations that come to us by check in the mail. There is no credit card fee for processing checks and only the 5% EquipNet fee.

For donations made via a Relief Fund Giving Page the donor may click a button and choose to cover the EquipNet 5% Admin fee above and beyond their gift amount so that the desired amount flows through to the recipient family. We find that 97% of our donors choose to cover the administrative fees above and beyond their gift.

Question 5

How often does EquipNet Relief Alliance deposit my donations to me?

Accepted Answer

ERA Deposits funds to Recipient Family’s bank account via Direct Deposit to their Checking or Savings Account every week on the following schedule:

Every time a donor sets up a donation or a donation is made you will be notified instantly! 
EquipNet batches donations based on when we actually receive the funds in our account, NOT when you get the instant notice.

We batch based upon when the “funds are received in our account” from the 1st to the 15th of each month and deposit them to you on the 20th and we batch “funds received in our account” from the 16th to the last day of the month and deposit them to you on the 5th.

We send you an instant notice letting you know what is going to be coming to you, so you can plan on what is coming and thank the donor before the funds even hit your deposit account.

Do not mistake the instant notice to mean that we received the funds. You get the notice instantly when the donor clicks the submit button on your page. This is usually 2-4 days from the processing date before their bank or credit card will get the funds into our EquipNet account. Your deposit is based on when we get the funds according to the date range described above.

You will also get a deposit report a few days before the money is deposited to you listing all the donations in that deposit batch.

Check donations that come in the mail, are processed and deposited on the 12th and the 27th, separate from your Online Donations via your ERA Giving Page.

Question 6

Can my donor give gifts of appreciated stock?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Many donors love to give gifts of appreciated stock for the tax benefit they get in return!
Gifts of stock can be transferred directly to our Charles Schwab Brokerage Account with the following information attached to the transfer:

• DTC Number – 0164
 • Receiving Firm Name – Charles Schwab, Inc. 
 • Receiving Account Registration – EquipNet, Inc. 8287-3328
 • Other Applicable Information Our Tax-Exempt ID Number is 94-3359561
 • Click Here (https://54986d7d-f80b-402d-88c5-fb4a566e170b.usrfiles.com/ugd/54986d_13dbfb7ed1634840a8fd66b25c5b55b6.pdf)to download Equipnet’s IRS Determination Letter

EquipNet does not monitor incoming transfers daily and asks that you the donor, email or call in advance to our accounting team at 925-478-4320 ext. 301 to alert and notify us you are making a stock gift transfer so we can keep an eye open for the incoming transfer.

EquipNet is not responsible for share price adjustments that may take place during the time incoming gifts are sent, received and settled in our cash account. We attempt to sell all incoming transfers the day they are received at market value or by the next business day.

Question 7

Will my donors receive a tax-deductible receipt if they donate through EquipNet Relief Alliance?

Accepted Answer

Yes, EquipNet is a 24-year-old 501c3 Religious Public Charity. All gifts through EquipNet are tax deductible. EquipNet’s Tax Exempt ID Number is 94-335 9561.  Click Here (https://54986d7d-f80b-402d-88c5-fb4a566e170b.usrfiles.com/ugd/54986d_13dbfb7ed1634840a8fd66b25c5b55b6.pdf)to download EquipNet’s IRS Determination Letter

Question 8

How will my donors and I receive a record of a Donation when it happens?

Accepted Answer

Part of the beauty of EquipNet Relief Alliance is that we do the heavy lifting for you as a Recipient Family and provide all the communication to your donor on your behalf. Donors will receive an instant email Tax-Deductible Receipt within seconds of making their donation. The receipt will represent to them the amount of the donation, the day of the month they have chosen to make the donation, the Recipient Family they directed the gift to and their personal contact information for verification.

You, as the Recipient Family, are instantly copied on the notification as well so that you can thank the donor before we even receive the funds to deposit to your account. Your donor will also receive a year end Giving Statement if they give $250 dollars or more. The year end statement will list all their donations for the year and be sent to the donor by the IRS Tax Deadline of January 31st.

Question 9

Can someone make a donation online if they do not want to put their information on the internet?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Please call 925-478-4320 and ask to speak to someone in the accounting department. We are happy to assist in making a donation or setting up a recurring donation.

Question 10

Can a donor give by way of a check in the mail?

Accepted Answer

Yes, donors who desire to give by check should make the check payable to Equipnet and NOT to the Recipient Family. Checks made out to a Recipient Family will be destroyed as EquipNet’s bank will not allow us to cash checks not made payable to EquipNet.

Checks should also include the Recipient Family’s unique account number in the memo section on the face of the check or on the check stub. Equipnet uses the Relief Fund ID Account number and not their name to be sure funds are deposited to the correct Recipient Family’s bank account. The Account number will be RELIEF followed by four-digit number (ie. RELIEF2001). If you do not know the Recipient Family’s Relief Fund number, you may secure it by viewing their individual giving page for the Recipient Family on this website, by contacting the missionary directly or by calling EquipNet at 925-478-4320.

To mail a check donation, please sent to:

EquipNet
P.O. Box 860
Alamo, CA 94507

While a donor can mail a check to EquipNet, we strongly encourage you to use the ACH Bank Transfer alternative provided on the Missionary’s Giving Page. In the Giving section of the Missionary’s page you will find the choice between giving with a credit card or giving via a Checking or Savings account.

If you choose to give by way of ACH Bank Transfer from a Checking or Savings Account, you will get an instantaneous Tax Receipt, and the missionary will receive a donation notification at the same time within seconds of the gift being given.

This is a better method than sending a check as there is no chance for the donation to be lost in the mail and checks in the mail do not receive any instant tax receipt or notifications but only receive a year end statement in January. Funds by ACH Bank Transfer also get to the Recipient Family much quicker than the manual check in the mail process.

Question 11

How can a donor change or stop an existing recurring donation?

Accepted Answer

To make any change to an existing donation, update a payment method or credit card, change the amount of the donation or the date it is charged simply, go to the Recipient Famly’s EquipNet Relief Giving Page by going to the URL that you were given by the family or by going to our Family Directory (https://www.equipnetrelief.org/missionaries)and search for your family. If you need to update a payment to a Project go to our Project Directory.

Once you are there you can find your Recipient Family by last name and click on the Donate Button. This will take you to their giving page. Scroll down to the section that says UPDATE or STOP an existing recurring donation and follow the steps to enter any new information. Whatever you type into the system will replace the old information.

If you click the "To stop your existing recurring donation" link, your old donation will stop and you will need to set up a new donation. However, if you click the button that says "An update to an existing recurring donation", you will not be creating a second donation, but will replace the old donation with new information.

Be sure to click submit and finish all the steps to save the new information in our system.

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Question 12

Does EquipNet Relief Alliance give my information to other organizations for marketing purposes?

Accepted Answer

No. EquipNet understands you may be concerned about privacy issues that surround the use of the internet. We believe that you should have complete control over who receives your personal information. Therefore, we do not use the personal information that you provide, except to complete the transaction. We only disclose personal information to the charities you selected if you give us permission. We will never sell, trade, or rent the personal information you provide via this site to other individuals or companies. All our data systems are fully encrypted with bank level security.

Everything You Need to Know