According to state and federal laws, donations cannot be disbursed to nonprofits that are not eligible to receive them. This was prompted primarily by legislation passed in California that established new regulations around the way nonprofits and charitable fundraising platforms conduct online fundraising.

In keeping with the law, Give Lively doesn’t support donations to nonprofits that are not in good standing with federal and/or state authorities. However, a nonprofit’s standing may change between the time of donation and disbursement; a charitable organization may be eligible to receive a donation when it was made, but can become ineligible by the time of the donation’s disbursement to the nonprofit by the charitable fundraising platform. The law empowers donors to express new wishes about where to reallocate those gifted funds.

When Give Lively collects a donation that can no longer be disbursed due to a change in a nonprofit’s status, we send an email notification to donors advising them that the donation can’t be completed as originally directed and urging them to reallocate the funds to another nonprofit. 

A refund to the donor is not a legally permitted remedy, but donors have 30 days from the date of the email notification to reallocate funds to an alternative, eligible nonprofit organization. After 30 days, if the donor takes no action, the funds are re-granted to an eligible nonprofit selected by the Give Lively Foundation, Give Lively’s partner charity, at its sole discretion. There are no additional transaction fees for reallocations.

The reallocation tools for unfulfillable donations are located in the Give Lively User Portal, a secure online tool for everyone who has contributed to a nonprofit through Give Lively technology. 

Here are some FAQs about donation reallocation, as well as answers. 

Don’t see an answer to your concern? Please reach out to our customer experience team.

Why can’t my originally intended nonprofit receive my donation in the first place? 

As mentioned above, state and federal laws make clear that a nonprofit organization must be an eligible organization and in good standing to receive donations. Donations cannot be disbursed to ineligible or delinquent organizations.

Since the time of your donation through Charity Navigator’s Giving Basket, the status of the nonprofit you selected has changed, making it ineligible to receive your donation. However, you have 30 days from the date of the email notification we sent to reallocate funds to an alternative eligible nonprofit organization.

What happens if I don’t respond within 30 days?

If we don’t hear from you within 30 days of the emailed reallocation notification, the funds are automatically re-granted to an eligible charitable organization selected by the Give Lively Foundation, Give Lively’s partner charity, at its sole discretion. 

Why am I hearing about it now and not at the time of donation?

In keeping with the law, Give Lively doesn’t support donations to nonprofits that are not in good standing with federal and/or state authorities. However, a nonprofit’s standing may change between the time of donation and disbursement; a charitable organization may be eligible to receive a donation when it was made, but can become ineligible by the time of the donation’s disbursement to the nonprofit by the charitable fundraising platform. 

When we identify a donation that can no longer be disbursed due to a change in a nonprofit’s status, we send you an email notification advising them that the donation can’t be completed as originally directed and urging you to reallocate the funds to another nonprofit.

Disbursement of Giving Basket donations takes place within 30 days of the close of the month in which the donation was made. For example, donations to a nonprofit made in March are disbursed to that nonprofit before the end of April.

In some cases, the donation in question may date from as far back as June 2024. This is a special circumstance due to timing. Our reallocation tools were just launched in June 2025, allowing us to alert donors of unfulfillable donations from the past year.  

Are my donated funds secure? Where are they now?

All unfulfillable donations are securely held by the Give Lively Foundation, Give Lively’s partner charity. As mentioned below, all Giving Basket funds first pass through the Give Lively Foundation, which then re-grants them to other nonprofits. All funds remain with the Give Lively Foundation until you reallocate them or, after 30 days, the Give Lively Foundation does this on your behalf.  

Are there fees for this reallocation?

There are no additional fees for donation reallocations. Neither you nor the nonprofit is charged.

Can I receive a refund instead?

In accordance with Give Lively’s Terms of Use, a donation cannot be cancelled or returned to you. Further, the law does not allow Give Lively to issue a refund as a remedy. As described below, in the eyes of the law, your donation via the Giving Basket, powered by Give Lively, is in fact a successful and complete charitable contribution to the Give Lively Foundation, regardless of whether that contribution is re-granted to the nonprofit you selected or to another nonprofit eligible to receive funds. 

Although we hope this changes in the future, we are required to offer alternative nonprofits for your donation instead of a refund. Learn more about how the Give Lively Foundation works.

How do I reallocate unfulfillable donations?

Read full information about how to reallocate unfulfillable donations.

When will the new nonprofit receive my donation? 

Once a new nonprofit is selected, Give Lively disburses the reallocated donation within 30 days of the close of the month in which the new nonprofit was selected. For example, if you reallocated donations in March, funds are re-granted before the end of April.

Within the Give Lively User Portal, view any donation receipt to look for the status badge letting you know whether the reallocation is “Pending Disbursement” or “Sent.” (A “Reallocation Requested” badge notes an unfulfilled donation in need of reallocation.)

Will I receive an updated receipt for tax purposes?

We do not send an updated receipt.

While your donation receipt does show the name of the nonprofit to which you made a charitable contribution, all funds first pass through the Give Lively Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that collects charitable contributions and then re-grants them to other 501(c)(3) public charities and private operating foundations across the United States. It is the Give Lively Foundation that bestows tax-deductibility on the charitable gift.

More specifically, a donation is listed on your receipt as a "Donation to [nonprofit name], Directed through the Give Lively Foundation” with the EIN of the Give Lively Foundation.​ After the reallocation, the final destination of the donation is different, but, for tax purposes, the Give Lively Foundation stays the same. Learn more about how the Give Lively Foundation works.

In the absence of a receipt, how can I confirm that the reallocation was completed?

Since you do not receive an email notification or an updated receipt once a reallocation is made, you can always confirm the reallocation request through the User Portal.

I donated to multiple charities when I made my donation through Charity Navigator’s Giving Basket. Do I need to reallocate all of them?

Whether you donated to multiple charities in one checkout or across several checkouts, you can see which donations can’t be fulfilled in the Give Lively User Portal. You only need to reallocate the specific donations that can’t be completed as you originally directed; all other donations have been processed.

Look for the status badge of any donation receipt letting you know whether the reallocation is “Pending Disbursement” or “Sent.” (A “Reallocation Requested” badge notes an unfulfilled donation in need of reallocation.)

Can I split my reallocated donations between multiple nonprofits?

This is not an option. You can only select one nonprofit to receive all of your currently-identified unfulfillable donations. In the event of future unfulfillable donations, you may choose a different nonprofit at that time to receive those unfulfillable donations, but we do not currently support multiple beneficiaries for these funds.

The new nonprofit is selected within the Give Lively User Portal, where you can search a database of more than 60,000 eligible nonprofits – all Give Lively members or nonprofits that have previously received donations through Charity Navigator’s Giving Basket. You can also pick from an initial selection of nonprofits curated by Give Lively.