Why Are Some of My Donations Appearing As "Anonymous?"

Why are some of the donations my organization recieves listed as being from "anonymous?"

As part of our mission to unleash generosity, Network for Good makes it easy for donors to give to their favorite causes, even if the donors have not been directly solicited by the nonprofit. This is possible because the donor gives through Network for Good's Donor Advised Fund (EIN 68-0480736), which then grants and disburses those funds to the charity that the donor has selected.

Note: For more information about Network for Good's Donor-Advised Fund, please click here.

One of the benefits that we provide to donors is that the donations can be made anonymously. This means that when NFG passes on the donation funds to the nonprofit chosen by the donor, the donation shows up as anonymous in the nonprofit's check or donation history.

Note: For more information on accessing donation histories, please click here.

Examples of Anonymous Donations

One example of when donations may appear as anonymous is when NFG disburses donations that are made on Facebook, through Facebook Fundraisers. Facebook has partnered with NFG for several years, so that it can allow any of Facebook's millions of users to donate to almost 1 million 501(c)3 nonprofits of their choice.

There are two types of nonprofits on Facebook:

• Nonprofits that have signed up with Facebook Payments to get donations directly from Facebook users.
• Nonprofits that have not signed up with Facebook Payments and use Network for Good's Donor Advised Fund as the default disbursement engine for their Facebook donations.

Due to Facebook's own privacy policies, users that are giving to nonprofits through Network for Good do not have their information shared with third parties, including Network for Good.

Therefore, when Network for Good sends the donations from Facebook users to the designated nonprofits, the donations show up as anonymous to both Network for Good, and the nonprofit receiving the disbursement. 

If nonprofits would like to see donor details for any future fundraisers, they can sign up for Facebook Payments.