Frequently Asked Questions
A Global Obligation is committed to being open and transparent in all that we do. Whilst you can find a great wealth of information on our blog, we have put together this FAQ to answer some of the more common questions we are asked.
If you've still got a question after reading this page, please email us!
You can get information in any of the sections below:
| Donating | |
| Project | |
| Privacy | |
| Legalities | |
| Financial Accountability | |
| Contacting Us |
Donating
I'm not in America. Will I have to pay an additional Credit Card Fee?
PayPal is located in more than 190 countries and regions across the globe. If PayPal has a presence in your country, they will bill you in local currency. So the figure you see on the PayPal checkout fee (in your own currency) is the total you will be charged. We charge you $1.35 US - which will then be converted into your currency. For example in Australian Dollars, this equates to roughly $1.70 with the current exchange rate.
Is it safe to use my credit card to donate online?Absolutely. One of the reasons we initially decided to go with PayPal as our merchant for handling transactions is because they handle all the security for us. When you put your credit card details in the PayPal page, that information is encrypted and only used for that one transaction. We never even see your credit card details!
Do I have to have a PayPal account? (No)Not at all. PayPal accepts payments via Credit Card and direct debit linked to your Bank account. If you don't have a credit card and don't want to sign up for PayPal, we understand. You can make just as much difference by spreading the word. Using your own referral button, you could be proud of the fact that you've referred hundreds of donors!
I really, really want to donate more!Sorry, you really really can't. Sound crazy? We don't think so. This is an obligation for planet earth, not just the same 5% of the population who always donate to causes.
As we've said before, if you want to do more to help, spread the word! If you can convince 10 of your friends to donate to us, that's actually more valuable than your donation alone. Of course, we still need your donation, but once your donation is coupled with the donation for all your referrees, you're actually responsible for $11 dollars. And if they invite 10 friends? $111. And if they invite 10 friends? $1111. It's all in the scalability.
Project
Where is the money going?
We will build schools, compile and publish textbooks, develop lesson plans and educate children. Specifically, we will not hold expensive self-indulgent fundraising events, employ tin can collectors or waste money on bureaucratic and inefficient systems. We guarantee a minimum of 90% of received funds will be spent directly on our cause. Given the ultra low cost structure we have, we envisage this percentage to be significantly higher.
How do I know you'll keep your promise?One of our goals at A Global Obligation is to be transparent in everything we do. It outlines exactly what we'll do to demonstrate not only where your dollar goes, but how our entire organisation is run. We believe we're the most open charity in existence. We want other organisations to follow our lead and open themselves up to public scrutiny.
We are in the process of making all of our internal procedures available on this site - so check back soon for a full list of downloadable policies. Our blog is updated regularly with our thoughts and goals and we regularly update our donors mailing list on our progress.
We want everybody on the planet who can afford to buy a can of Coke to donate $1 every year. That's our goal. But we're not going to use any tricks to get it. You won't see any direct debit plans, re-using your credit card (we don't even know your credit card number, even after you donate!) or tricky legalese here. We want to earn your dollar every single year. The only way we can do this is by being completely open and transparent about everything we do to earn your trust.
Privacy
What information do you store about me?
As a Donor, the only information that we track about you is your location, your name and your email address. If you use your Referrer ID (through the 'share' page), we will track how many people have used that ID when they donate with us, to provide you with a total. We get this data from PayPal. But don't worry, it doesn't include your credit card details. We never see this information, only PayPal does.
What do you use my email address for?We only use your email address for two things. The first use is as a unique identifier so that when people you refer donate, we know who they are referred by. Don't worry though, because it's encrypted by an MD5 hash, so no-one can get your email address from your referral button. The second thing we use your email address for is to contact you from time to time with updates as to our progress. Don't worry - you can choose to opt out of these emails at any time.
Legalities
Are you a registered Not-for-Profit?
A Global Obligation is a not-for-profit organisation registered with Consumer Affairs Victoria. Our constitution forbids the distribution of profits to our members. Your donation will go solely to providing educational resources to the developing world. You can read more about our structure in our Rules of Incorporation.
What happens if you close down?As stipulated in our constitution, any remaining assets of The Association must be distributed to an organisation with a similar purpose. We would solicit feedback via our blog and mailing list prior to making such an important decision. Don't worry - we don't see this happening, but we wanted to make sure the safeguards were in place so that you, the donor, won't just have to take us at our word!
Is my donation tax deductible?You'd have to ask your accountant, but the answer is most likely no. In Australia (where we're registered), donations of less than $2 are not tax-deductible. We have chosen to only allow each donor to donate $1 for reasons already explained. This is deliberate. We want people to donate because they believe in the value of our cause, not because they can write it off their tax! In any case, we're talking mere cents savings here!
Are you a registered fund-raising entity?Naturally. We are registered with Consumer Affairs Victoria to conduct fundraising through our website.
Why are you an incorporated association and not a (insert legal structure of your choice here)?An Incorporated Association is a straight-forward legal structure. It costs little to set up and maintain and provides all the legal protection needed to ensure your funds are appropriately managed. We are governed by our Rules of Incorporation and all relevant Australian laws.
Whilst we may choose an alternative structure in the future (such as a charitable trust or company limited by guarantee), our current structure currently suits us well. We felt it important to launch quickly in order to make the biggest difference now, not some time in the distant future. The first lawyer we called advised the process would take 12-24 months just to get registered! We built A Global Obligation from an idea to implementation in less than 6 months! Old business needs to wake up to the new millennium.
Financial Accountability
How much of each donation is going to "Administration"?
As outlined above, A Global Obligation is not carried on for the profit of its members. Indeed, our policy is that we shall spend no more than 10% of the money we are donated for our project (i.e. your $1 donation) on administration costs.
What about startup costs?In the short term, startup expenses will artificially affect our '10% rule'. While these expenses may be more than 10% of our income over the first 6 months, we are firm in our commitment that on a year ending cashflow, under 10% of the total money donated to the project will have been spent on administration costs. We simply will not spend more than 10% of your donation on administration costs.
What money have you spent already?In setting up A Global Obligation, we have expenses in the range of $3,500 AUD have been incurred. Some of these costs have been funded by the board members, and others are from suppliers with whom we have deferred payment agreements, which will be paid once the Association is up and running. In some cases expenses have been paid for by the Founders, John and David, whilst the Association is still in 'startup' mode.
Contacting Us
I've got a suggestion, who do I tell?
Go straight to the top! The Founders, John and David, can be contacted by email. We'd love to hear from you! While we may not be able to respond personally to each of you, rest assured that we do read everything we receive!
I've got a Press enquiry. Where can I get further information?You can contact our PR team using press email address.
