Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs for shoppers/supporters
FAQs for worthy causes
FAQs for corporates

FAQs FOR SHOPPERS/SUPPORTERS

How can I help others just by going shopping?
Do I have to buy online?
What qualifies as a worthy cause?
Is Self Fundraising authorised by these Worthy Causes?
Why would I buy here?
Where do these online shops come from?
What happens if my goods don't arrive or are faulty?
My favourite Worthy Cause is not listed here. How can they join?
Can I support more than one cause?
How safe is online shopping?
Who is Self Fundraising?

FAQs FOR CAUSES

Where do these online shops come from?
How does my Worthy Cause (charity / school / club benefit)?
Why are we doing this?
This sounds great - can anyone join?
Fantastic - how can my organisation join?
Does my Worthy Cause get to choose which shops are on its page?
How much does it cost for a cause to join?
How do I get the word out to my organisation's members?
What about supporter's Privacy?
Are we responsible for the goods that are on our shopping Webpage?
Will our Webpage take funds away from our other fundraising activities?
Won't people keep buying from their current source?

FAQs FOR CORPORATES

How can corporates benefit from self Fundraising?
My corporate has existing arrangements with worthy causes - how does Self Fundraising fit in?
My corporate does not have existing arrangements with any worthy causes
What does the corporate get out of this?
Fantastic - how can my corporate join?
Does my corporate get to choose which shops are on its page?
How much does it cost for a corporate to join?
How do I get the word out to my corporate's staff, clients etc?
What about supporter's Privacy?
Are we responsible for the goods that are on our shopping Webpage?
Will our shopping Webpage take funds away from our other fundraising activities?
Won't people keep buying from their current source?

FAQs FOR SHOPPERS/SUPPORTERS

How can I help others just by going shopping?

You go to the Self Fundraising web page for your chosen cause (charity / school / club etc). You find an online shop that interests you and you buy a product online from that shop (you MUST buy it online). When you do that, your Worthy Cause's details are recorded with the purchase. Periodically, commission cheques are sent to Self Fundraising and an agreed percentage is passed on to your Worthy Cause.

Do I have to buy online?

Yes. Details of your purchase's connection to the worthy cause can only be made if you purchase online by following the link from your worthy cause's page to the shop you want to buy from. If you don't do this, then the connection between your purchase and the worthy cause cannot be made.

What qualifies as a worthy cause?

Worthy causes are (typically charitable) organisations such as schools, churches, sports clubs, social clubs, preschools, playgroups and charities which exist to help their members, students or others. We check all applications to ensure that they fit this profile. We reserve the right to decide which organisations join. If you believe that you have a Worthy Cause, or know of one, which would benefit from joining, then send us the details from the Join Self Fundraising page.

Is Self Fundraising authorised by these Worthy Causes?

Yes. We have written authority to provide a Self Fundraising shopping page from each of the Worthy Causes on this site.

Why would I buy here?

Online shopping is actually really convenient - no petrol hassles, no parking problems, no queuing up at the cash register. Oftentimes, you save money buying online too. But the best part of doing some altruistic shopping is that you are helping a worthy cause. This is a way to buy things YOU want and help others. Think of the number of lamingtons, chocolates, raffle tickets etc etc that you have bought in the past - things you didn't actually want, but you wanted to help a worthy cause. With Self Fundraising, you can buy things you actually WANT and feel good about it.

Where do these online shops come from?

The online shops on this site are connected with some of the major affiliate programs in the world.

What happens if my goods don't arrive or are faulty?

Contact the online shop where you bought them. Always keep a copy of your receipts for all online purchases. The online shop will often send you an email confirming your purchase. It's a good idea to print this out, or at least keep it in a special folder on your computer.

My favourite Worthy Cause is not listed here. How can they join?

Contact your favourite Worthy Cause and tell them about Self Fundraising. Get them to join up. Or drop us an email at info@self-fundraising.com.au and we will contact them and ask them to join.

Can I support more than one cause?

Yes you certainly can! Just purchase goods from one cause's page, then to support another cause, find their page and purchase something from there. How easy is that?

How safe is online shopping?

If you are concerned about shopping online, you can organise a PayPal account. That way, only one organisation (PayPal) has your credit card details. Many online shops take PayPal. Or organise a credit card with a low credit limit - say $200 - enough to cover your expected purchases. That way, should something happen with your credit card details, the limit is very low. Some banks offer debit cards that you can use for internet shopping. That way, if you keep a low balance in the account you ensure that your risk is low.

Who is Self Fundraising?

Check out the About Us page

FAQs FOR CAUSES

Where do these online shops come from?

The online shops on this site are connected with some of the major affiliate programs in the world. Website publishers (such as Self Fundraising) have advertisements on their websites and are then paid a commission for every sale generated from those advertisements. Self Fundraising passes an agreed percentage of that commission on to your Worthy Cause.

How does my Worthy Cause (charity / school / club benefit)?

Your supporters (parents, members, etc) go to the Self Fundraising web page for your Worthy Cause. They find an online shop that interests them and they buy a product online from that shop. When that happens, your Self Fundraising details are recorded with the purchase. Periodically, commission cheques are sent to Self Fundraising and an agreed percentage is passed on to your cause.

Why are we doing this?

This is a way for us to give back to schools, charities and other organisations.

This sounds great - can anyone join?

Self Fundraising is for (typically charitable) organisations such as schools, churches, sports clubs, social clubs, preschools, playgroups and charities. We will check all applications to ensure that they fit this profile. We reserve the right to decide which organisations join. If you believe that you have a Worthy Cause, or know of one, which would benefit from joining, then send us the details from the Join Self Fundraising page.

Fantastic - how can my organisation join?

Send details of your Worthy Cause from the Join Self Fundraising page, and we will contact you to discuss the types of online shops that you would be happy promoting. There will also be formalities to discuss.

Does my Worthy Cause get to choose which shops are on its page?

Absolutely! The Charity of the Month page has ALL the online shops that we subscribe to. Your organisation chooses a sub-set of these (or all of them if you like). We want you to be comfortable with the shops you have on your page.

How much does it cost for a cause to join?

Nothing! Zip! Nada! This is absolutely free to join. All the cause has to do is promote the Self Fundraising shopping page to their supporters.

How do I get the word out to my organisation's members?

Self Fundraising will assist with promotion of your page. This will typically be via a link from your organisation's website (if you have one), newsletters and other means.

What about supporter's Privacy?

Your supporters will not be contacted by us unless they register to receive a regular newsletter from us. They will only learn about Self Fundraising from your organisation through newsletters, emails, other advertising which we do in conjunction with you. We do not use cookies to track users, although some of the shops which we use do.

Are we responsible for the goods that are on our shopping Webpage?

No! A product or service provided by the Vendors or Advertisers listed or appearing on the shopping Webpage may not fulfil the needs of the users of the Webpage. It is the responsibility of users to consider this prior to purchase.

Will our Webpage take funds away from our other fundraising activities?

People are buying goods online from commercial sites. You aren't getting anything from these purchases now. For purchases made through your Webpage you will receive a payment from Self Fundraising.

Won't people keep buying from their current source?

Research shows that people prefer to purchase to help a worthy cause.

FAQs FOR CORPORATES

How can corporates benefit from self Fundraising?

Good corporate citizens can have a Self Fundraising shopping page where they can direct their supporters and staff to buy online

My corporate has existing arrangements with worthy causes - how does Self Fundraising fit in?

Your Self Fundraising page can be an extension of your existing fundraising for your current worthy causes. Just tell us who they are and we will direct their share of commissions direct to them noting that the money came from your Self Fundraising page.

My corporate does not have existing arrangements with any worthy causes

You can choose to support one of the existing worthy causes on Self Fundraising

What does the corporate get out of this?

Nothing in financial terms. But you do get to feel good about helping others! Send us your corporate's details from the Join Self Fundraising page.

Fantastic - how can my corporate join?

Send details of your Worthy Cause from the Join Self Fundraising page, and we will contact you to discuss the types of online shops that you would be happy promoting. There will also be formalities to discuss.

Does my corporate get to choose which shops are on its page?

Absolutely! The Charity of the Month page has ALL the online shops that we subscribe to. Your corporate chooses a sub-set of these (or all of them if you like). We want you to be comfortable with the shops you have on your page.

How much does it cost for a corporate to join?

Nothing! Zip! Nada! This is absolutely free to join. All the corporate has to do is promote the Self Fundraising shopping page to their supporters, staff, clients etc.

How do I get the word out to my corporate's staff, clients etc?

Self Fundraising will assist with promotion of your page. This will typically be via a link from your organisation's website (if you have one), newsletters and other means.

What about supporter's Privacy?

Your supporters will not be contacted by us unless they register to receive a regular newsletter from us. They will only learn about Self Fundraising from your corporate through newsletters, emails, other advertising which we do in conjunction with you. We do not use cookies to track users, although some of the shops which we use do.

Are we responsible for the goods that are on our shopping Webpage?

No! A product or service provided by the Vendors or Advertisers listed or appearing on the Webpage may not fulfil the needs of the users of the Webpage. It is the responsibility of users to consider this prior to purchase.

Will our shopping Webpage take funds away from our other fundraising activities?

People are buying goods online from commercial sites. You aren't getting anything from these purchases now. For purchases made through your shopping Webpage your chosen cause(s) will receive a payment from Self Fundraising.

Won't people keep buying from their current source?

Research shows that people prefer to purchase to help a worthy cause.