Common questions
Questions people actually ask
The practical things worth knowing before you give, rather than after.
This document is a draft
It states the platform's intended position and has not yet been reviewed by a lawyer. Contact details and response commitments are not final. It is published now so the terms of the product are visible before it takes real money, not because it is settled.
Giving
Do I need an account to donate?
No. Guest giving is the normal path — an amount, your name, email and Indian mobile number. Creating an account later links your past donations automatically, once your email is verified.
What payment methods work?
UPI and cards, in Indian rupees, through Razorpay. Your card or UPI credentials go to the gateway and never reach us.
Can I give without my name appearing publicly?
Yes — tick “Keep me off the public donor list” at checkout. Your name disappears from the campaign page, but you are still in our records, because the donation still has to be receipted and reconciled.
What is the smallest amount I can give?
₹1. There is no minimum beyond that, and no charge added to what you pay.
Is my payment confirmed by the page I land on?
No — and that is deliberate. A donation is confirmed when the gateway tells our server it succeeded. If your phone loses signal at checkout, nothing is lost; you will get the confirmation email either way.
Money and fees
How much of my donation reaches the organisation?
Most of it. Three charges come out before it arrives — the payment gateway's fee, the platform fee, and GST on both — and the exact arithmetic is published, with a worked ₹1,000 example. Nothing is added to what you pay.
Does the fee reduce my 80G receipt?
No. If you give ₹1,000, your certificate says ₹1,000. Fees are the organisation's cost of fundraising, not a reduction of your donation.
Can an organisation pay for a better position in the directory?
No. There is no paid placement of any kind, and the ordering rule is published in full so you can check what actually decides it.
When does the organisation actually get the money?
After a hold period of 7 days from settlement, and only once they have published evidence of what the previous withdrawal from that fund paid for.
Receipts and tax
How do I get an 80G receipt?
Add your PAN and full address — at checkout, or later from the link we email you. Without both, we cannot issue a certificate for that donation.
I forgot my PAN. Is it too late?
Not until the financial year closes on 31 March. After the year is filed it cannot be amended, so add it before then.
Will you email me the receipt?
We email you that it is ready, and you download it after signing in. It carries your PAN, and email is not a channel we are willing to put that in.
I gave to three different NGOs. Do I get three certificates?
One. Ujala Hope is the recipient organisation for 80G purposes, so your annual certificate consolidates every donation you made in the financial year across every organisation.
Trust and refunds
What does the verification badge actually mean?
That the organisation's registration and PAN were checked on the date shown — and, where the badge says so, that a test transfer verified its bank account. It is not a promise that a programme will succeed. Every check and every limitation is listed.
Can I get a refund?
Inside the hold window, usually yes — duplicates, technical failures and fraud found before payout are all refunded. After the money has gone to the organisation, we can only make best efforts. The full position, including the parts that say no.
What if a campaign does not reach its goal?
The organisation keeps what it raised. Partial funding still pays for part of the work, and this is stated on every campaign page.
Something about a campaign looks wrong. What do I do?
Raise a grievance — no account needed. That route can suspend payouts while we investigate, which an email to support cannot. Every campaign and organisation page has a link straight into it.
For organisations
Who can raise funds here?
Registered Indian NGOs only — trusts, societies and Section 8 companies. Individuals cannot fundraise here, and there are no personal medical appeals.
Do we need 80G to be verified?
No. Verification and the 80G credential are independent. You can raise without one; if you hold one and it lapses, the claim comes off your public profile but your verification and fundraising are unaffected.
What is the utilisation requirement?
Before you withdraw from a fund a second time, you publish what the first withdrawal paid for. A short note and a photograph is enough. It is enforced by the payout system, not requested by email — see the full flow.
Not answered here? Contact us — the page lists which route resolves which kind of problem, and how long each takes.