Financial Contributors FAQ

Why should I give to a Community?

If you get value out of what a project produces or stands for, support them to maintain and grow it. You can also get recognition by appearing on their page as a financial contributor.

How do I contribute financially to a Community?

Go to the Community page of the project you want to support. Select a contribution tier and set up a recurring or one-time donation.

What is a platform tip?

Donate PR does not charge fees directly to Communities. The platform is supported by voluntary payments added to contributions at checkout called "Platform Tips". Tips enable us to keep building and improving the software that powers it all.

Where does your contribution go when you give money to a Community?

Join Alanna as she runs through the simplified and detailed contribution money flow

How can I find Communities to support?

Check out the Discover page or do a search.

You can also find open source dependencies using Back Your Stack.

What payment methods can I use?

You can usually pay by credit card through a Community's page. Some Fiscal Hosts enable payments via bank transfer, Paypal, or other means for their Communities, in addition to or instead of credit card payments. When you go through the contribution flow, you'll see all the available payment methods for that Community.

Can I leave a message with my contribution?

To leave a message with your contribution navigate to the Our Contributors section of the Communities page and find your Name.

Click on 'Leave a public message (optional)' and write your message.

Are my donations tax-deductible?

It depends on the Fiscal Host of the Community. If the host has tax-exempt status, then your donation can be tax-deductible. It also may matter which country the host is in.

The Open Source Community 501(c)(6) is a non-profit that serves as fiscal host to most open source software projects on Donate PR. Unfortunately, the IRS does not consider producing open source software to be a charitable activity in and of itself and therefore does not grant tax-exempt status. Donations to Communities under Open Source Community 501(c)(6) are not tax-deductible.

Can my Community give to another Community?

If both Communities are in the same Fiscal Host, you can donate using the balance of a Community. For example, most open source projects are hosted by the Open Source Community, so they can give to each other.

To make a Community-to-Community donation, go to the page of the Community and select your contribution amount. You will be given the option to donate from any Community you are a core contributor of.