This guide to giving is intended to answer frequently-asked questions and to help you better understand your options if you’ve decided you want to donate to support women and girls’ sex-based rights.
Q: Should I make a one-time or a recurring donation?
A: It depends on your circumstances. If you have some unexpected extra cash this month, a one-time donation might be better. In general, however, recurring donations have a greater impact on organizations, including ours. Even if your monthly donation is only $5, that adds up for us over time without putting a dent in your wallet. By having a predictable monthly income, we can budget better, plan further ahead, and ultimately do more. Not only that, your monthly support also plugs you into a community of women working together. Through our quarterly newsletter, you’ll get a sneak peek behind the scenes, plus advance notice of events, actions, and opportunities.
Q: What if I can only give a tiny bit?
A: Small donations are actually really important! We need many small donors to meet the public support test and show that our work is broadly supported. The IRS public support test requires that at least 33.3% of donations to a 501(c)(3) must be given by donors who give less than 2% of the nonprofit’s overall income. Because of this, a tiny monthly donation actually has a disproportionate impact.
Q: Should I donate to WDI USA or the WDI USA Foundation? What’s the difference, anyway?
A: WDI USA and the WDI USA Foundation are affiliated/sister entities, but they have different IRS statuses. WDI USA is a 501(c)(4), which is a less rigorous non-profit designation that allows more flexibility in the activities that are permitted by the IRS; however, donations to the organization are not tax-deductible. The WDI USA Foundation is a 501(c)(3), which is a tax-deductible non-profit designation. Because this status is more rigorous and harder to achieve, the Foundation is more limited in what it can do. In our case, the Foundation exists to fund the educational activities of WDI USA.
So how should you decide? If you know you’re not going to write off your donation on your taxes, please consider splitting your donation and giving half to us and half to WDI USA, the 501(c)(4). This helps us meet the public support test (see previous) and gives WDI USA more flexibility. That’s because any grants they receive from us can only be used for limited educational purposes. However, if you’re making a donation substantial enough that the impact of it being tax-deductible will make a difference for you, giving to the WDI USA Foundation is a better fit.
Finally, some other donation methods (such as donor-advised funds) are only an option for 501(c)(3)s like the Foundation. Ultimately, donating to either organization will support women and girls’ sex-based rights.
Q: How can I cancel or increase my recurring (monthly or annual) donation, or change the payment method?
A: That’s easy to do! Just search your inbox for the emailed receipts you get after donating, and you’ll find a link to the supporter portal towards the bottom of that emailed receipt. Provide your information to log in, and from there it’s easy to edit the amount of your recurring donation, cancel it entirely, or change the payment method. If you need more help, email Irene at [email protected].
Q: Can I give by check?
A: Yes! For anyone who prefers to give by check, the payee name is Women’s Declaration International USA Foundation. The mailing address is PO Box 21160, 2300 18TH ST NW LIBBY, WASHINGTON, DC 20009.
Q: How can I give anonymously?
A: Many donors prefer to give anonymously; this is even more true when financially supporting women’s sex-based rights. There are a few ways you can do this.
Donor-Advised Funds
The first and best way to give anonymously is to create a donor-advised fund (DAF). This is considered the most “tax-smart” way of donating. DAFs only fund organizations that are recognized by the IRS as public charities (which the WDI USA Foundation is). You’d set up the DAF through an existing institution like Fidelity Charitable, National Philanthropic Trust, DonorsTrust, PayPal Giving Fund, or For Good (there are also many others). After moving money into the DAF, you’d get an immediate tax deduction for that year. Then you “recommend” that the DAF funds the WDI USA Foundation. This is a convenient option because, once the fund is established, it’s easy to give to multiple charities from one account, so it keeps your giving centralized. The organization you’re giving to receives the donation as being from the institution that hosts the DAF, not from you
Institutional intermediaries
Another option is to use your attorney or CPA as an intermediary. You pay them and they forward the donation from their client trust account, and then pass the receipt from the organization back to you. Because you get the receipt, you’re able to get the tax deduction.
SilentDonor
The SilentDonor platform is another way of giving anonymously. 501(c)(3)s, like the WDI USA Foundation, are automatically approved. The only downside is that the platform takes a 5% fee, which may or may not be worth it depending on the size of the gift you’re planning. Technically, what you’ll be doing is giving to SilentDonor’s registered 501(c)(3) fund, the AnonDo Fund, which will in turn transfer your donation to your chosen organization. You’ll get a receipt from the AnonDo Fund and will be able to write that off your taxes.
Q: Are there any other ways to donate to support women and girls?
A: Yes! Workplace giving, qualified charitable distributions, and bequests are a few more options. Many employers have an employee match or giving program. This is very workplace-dependent, so consider reaching out to your employer. You might find opportunities for payroll deductions (simple giving deducted directly from your paycheck); matching gifts, where your employer matches the amount of your donation up to a certain limit; or a certain amount of paid time off for volunteering.
If you’re over the age of 70.5, you can also give directly from your traditional IRA to a charity. This is called a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) and is not taxed. While there are limits to the amount you can give, they are high ($108,000 in 2025).
Of course, there are also other ways to donate to support women and girls’ sex-based rights. Reach out to us at [email protected] if you have something else, like a bequest, in mind.