Getting Started
How Does It Work?
- Where does the money come from?
- How can it be free to participate?
- Do my purchases cost more because I use SpiralFunds?
- Do my purchases cost less because I use SpiralFunds?
- Does SpiralFunds direct me to specific merchants?
- How does money get to my causes? How long does that take?
- What types of organizations are eligible to participate?
- Does SpiralFunds work with charities or schools outside of the United States?
- Why SpiralFunds?
My Donations
- Is the money I direct to charities when I shop tax deductible?
- Will I be able to see how much money I have directed to charity through my shopping?
- How much will my cause benefit for a particular purchase?
- What happens if I cancel or change my order?
- What if I need to contact the merchant?
- What if I do not select a charity or school?
Account Administration
- How do I reset my password?
- How do I change my password?
- How do I change my email address?
- Can I track the revenue generated for the organizations I support?
Privacy
Technology
- What does the SpiralFunds client do?
- Does the SpiralFunds’ client have spyware, adware, or viruses?
- What are the system requirements?
- What browsers does the SpiralFunds client support?
- What if my computer or browser isn’t supported?
Getting Started
To support your favorite cause, there are two easy ways to sign up:
1) Go to SpiralFunds.com and click on “Sign Up” and complete the registration form.
2) If you’ve recevied an email from a friend or non-profit organization inviting you to try SpiralFunds, just click on the link provided in the email and follow the simple instructions.
How Does It Work?
Where does the money come from?
The money contributed to causes consists of sales commissions paid by online merchants. Here are the details:
SpiralFunds leverages a well-known online sales commission structure called the affiliate network. Affiliate network programs reward websites for directing shoppers to them. When the buyer purchases from an “affiliate” merchant, the merchant pays a commission, which is also known as a cashback reward. If a buyer makes a purchase without using an affiliate, the merchant keeps the commission as extra profit.
How can it be free to participate?
SpiralFunds retains a nominal percentage of the commission paid by affiliate merchants.
Do my purchases cost more because I use SpiralFunds?
No. Your purchase price is no different than when you shop without SpiralFunds.
Do my purchases cost less because I use SpiralFunds?
No. Your purchase price is no different than shopping without SpiralFunds.
Does SpiralFunds direct me to specific merchants?
No. You buy from any merchant that you choose.
SpiralFunds will show you how which merchants offer commissions and how much of a commission each merchant pays.
How does money get to my causes? How long does that take?
While most retailers report your purchases in just a few days, others may take up to eight weeks from the time of your purchase before it is reported to us. We will display your contributions on your “My Contributions” page as soon as we receive the retailer’s report. SpiralFunds will issue checks to your selected causes.
What types of organizations are eligible to participate?
Any organization or group that is in a position to raise funds through donations as part of its operating budget is eligible. This includes organizations as diverse in size as the American Cancer Society to your child’s local baseball team.
Does SpiralFunds work with charities or schools outside of the United States?
No. We currently only work within United States.
SpiralFunds is the only provider that allows members to shop online without changing their shopping habits. It’s truly effortless. Other providers require that a member visit their website, log into their account, select retailers from their directory, and then make their purchases. This is a very time-consuming process. With SpiralFunds, shopping online is incredibly easy. Once you download SpiralFunds, you can shop online as you always have. Whenever you make a purchase at one of our 1000+ participating merchants, a portion of your purchase will automatically be contributed to your favorite charities. It’s that quick and easy.
My Donations
Is the money I direct to charities when I shop tax deductible?
No. The donations that result from your shopping are not tax deductible because they do not originate from your income.
Can I track the revenue generated for the organizations I support?
Yes. This information is available on your SpiralFunds My Account page.
Will I be able to see how much money I have directed to charity through my shopping?
Yes. This information is available on your SpiralFunds My Account page.
How do I know what commission participating retailers pay?
SpiralFunds will highlight participating merchants and show what commission they pay.
What happens if I cancel or change my order?
Canceling or changing an order will result in the merchant adjusting their commission, and subsequently the contribution to your cause or charity.
What if I need to contact the merchant?
You can and should absolutely contact merchants directly regarding any orders you place. If you make a change to your purchase, such as canceling your order or reducing the purchase amount, it could delay and reduce the amount of the contribution.
What if I do not select a cause?
SpiralFunds will contribute the money a featured cause of our choice. Featured causes are subject to periodically change.
Account Administration
Go to the login page and select the “Forgot Password” link. We’ll give you a temporary password and email it to the address you provided for your account.
When logged in, go to your account settings and make the change.
How do I change my email address?
When logged in, go to your account settings and make the change.
Privacy
If I sign up will I receive junk mail or spam?
No. We detest spam as much as you do. Please review our extensive privacy policy for detail.
Who has access to my information?
Our internal controls allow only specific individuals within SpiralFunds to have access to parts of your information in order to collect and distribute the funds to your causes. No one is authorized to share your confidential information with third parties.
Technology
The SpiralFunds software enables effortless contributions to your favorite charities. The lightweight software works with Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) to help you decide where to shop. When you use major search engines such as Google or Bing, SpiralFunds will highlight participating merchants and show you how much each will contribute.
Does the SpiralFunds’ software have spyware, adware, or viruses?
No. In it’s role, SpiralFunds is committed to the highest level of business ethics and integrity. Our software only performs the tasks necessary to enable the user to effortlessly contribute to their favorite causes or charities.
What are the system requirements?
The SpiralFunds client is designed for the following
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows; XP, Vista, 2003, 2008, and 7
- Browsers: Internet Explorer 6 and newer
What browsers does SpiralFunds support?
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 and newer.
What if my computer or browser isn’t supported?
You can still contribute by shopping online using our directory. Simply follow these steps:
- Go to www.spiralfunds.com and log in to your account.
- Find a merchant from our list and click on their banner to go to that merchant’s website.
- Purchase as you normally would.
- Our system will record your purchase and record it just as if you were utilizing our client.