Complaint Review: Network For Good - Bethesda Maryland

I understand the initial reaction to the operations of the Network for Good website, especially from an organization that does not accept credit cards, but I'm afraid it is a matter of misunderstanding the concept, not a scam or a ripoff. My non-profit is beginning to direct online donors to Network for Good temporarily, until we get our own online giving up and running, and we have carefully done our research. NFG is simply a donor advised fund with a new look and function for our technological age.



Network for Good offers a service. For those who want the convenience of donating online via credit card, NFG will process the credit card for them and distribute the funds to the non-profit of the donor's choice. And yes, there are processing fees. This is no different than the service that a stock broker offers to a donor who wishes to make a donation by selling their stock, or a community foundation to a donor who wishes them to manage the bulk of their charitable funds.  The stock broker or the community foundation charges admin fees, manages the transaction, and gives the funds to the non-profit. Although, stock brokers are out to make money, NFG is not - it is a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity itself.



Naturally there are fees and costs involved with processing credit cards, and in running NFG's website and programs - and the donors are made aware of this, and even offered the option of including the credit card and operational fees in addition to their donation so that the organization receives 100% of the intended donation. Credit card companies don't offer that option, so when donors give via credit card directly to a non-profit, the organization actually receives about 3% less than the intended donation, no doubt the reason that Friends in Action, the organization that filed the report, chooses not to directly accept credit card donations.



NFG is not soliciting donations in the name of another non-profit. They simply offer the service of directing donors' funds to any non-profit they wish. To achieve that, they have listed every 501(c)(3) registered with the IRS as organizations to which donations can be made. Listing eligible organizations is not a solicitation.



This report also states that Network for Good deceives donors and diverts their donation to some other non-profit of NFG's choice. The "written statement" apparently being referred to is NFG's notification that in an unlikely case of a charity that does not meet the criteria for receiving donations, they will select an alternative charity to receive the funds. This is their list of circumstances that would cause this to happen:



   "it has been classified by the IRS as a disqualified supporting organization, it

   cannot or does not accept donations, is not recognized by the IRS as a public 

   charity, or is not in good standing with federal and state regulators"



Clearly this is not donor deception or a misuse of funds, simply an absolutely necessary disclaimer.



Someone at Friends in Action apparently got a bad feeling about Network for Good and through that filter, perceived them as con artists who were going around asking people for money in their organization's name, then keeping some of it and distributing the rest to whomever they liked. This is certainly not the case, and is a very unfair portrayal of Network for Good's very worthy mission.



NFG's Better Business Bureau's accreditation information can be found here:



http://www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/national/other/network-for-good-in-bethesda-md-1290

I had to say something, I found it surprising that a complaint would be posted considering the complainant was for a company the person had not used, but had simply considered using for their charity. It's their loss. I am working for a non-profit now, The Heart of the Healer Foundation, and we receive legit donations via Network for Good routinely/monthly. Maybe its not enough to save the entire rainforest but monthly it adds up and helps us keep our work going. We're grateful to reach new contributors.

I just wanted anyone who found this Rip-off report to know that we legitimately use Network for Good, yes, they take a processing fee, but its a donation we would  not have had, and its not that much more than we have to pay our credit processing company now.

Rip-off, you should have previewed this complaint since this person did not actually have fraud committed upon their company/nonprofit, they just suspected it. People often get what they ask for. We asked for another source and found one.