For us to receive the commission payment that we use to pay the donation to your cause there has to be a connection from us to the retailer before you make your purchase.
You can create this connection by:
- Visiting our website and then searching for and visiting a retailer to make your purchase
- Using a link from one of our emails
- Using the easyfundraising Donation Reminder to 'claim' the donation
- Using our App (on iOS or Android) to search for and visit a retailer and then make your purchase
If you have got to the retailer to do your shopping in one of the ways listed above and your shopping donation still hasn't come through after a few days, you can report this to us as a missing claim.
If you find this keeps happening and your donations aren't coming through automatically, it could be because of the settings in your browser. To make sure that our tracking works, you need to make sure that you have enabled cookies and pop-ups.
Most browsers will update automatically so you may not know that something has changed until you stop receiving donations. The most common setting to update that would stop your donations coming through are your cookie and pop-up settings which may be changed to disabled. To fix this issue you would need to enable them again in the browser settings.
We have created a list of the most common tracking issues so if you work through these you should get to the bottom of why your donations aren't automatically coming through:
- Check the terms of the retailer - it could be that your shopping isn't eligible for a donation for example if you're not a new customer or if you're using a mobile device when you shop. You can see the terms set by each retailer on their listing with us, just search for them on the easyfundraising website and make sure that you qualify.
- Activate your donation each time you shop - the retailer needs to know we are the reason that you're shopping with them so you have to activate this connection before you start shopping each time. This includes if you're amending a grocery shop after you have initially checked out. You should try to complete your shopping in one go, if you don't any shopping previously saved in your basket or that you have added before activating the donation, may cause your claim to be declined. You can activate your donation using our website, Donation Reminder or app. Make sure you're signed into your account before you start searching for a retailer.
- Don't use any non-easyfundraising voucher codes - we have to be the reason you're shopping with the retailer for you to claim the donation through easyfundraising. This means that if you're using a gift voucher when you pay or if you use a voucher code or offer on your purchase that hasn't been given to you by easyfundraising, your claim may be declined.
- Don't use a private or incognito browser window - if you use a private or incognito browser window, it can stop some of the tracking that we use from working. If you can, use a dedicated browser for all your shopping so you know the settings are as they should be and where to check should something go awry. Also, make sure you don't have too many tabs open as this can send tracking haywire as well.
- You couldn't complete your shopping online - If you have a problem with your purchase online and have to call the retailer to complete the sale, this can invalidate your claim meaning you won't get a donation. We can't guarantee that if this happens we will be able to claim your donation for you but we will try if you let us know the details.
Here are some of the more technical checks you should make:
- In your browser, are your cookies enabled and pop-up blockers/ad-blockers disabled? If not, you will need to amend the settings so that your visit can be tracked to the retailer and your donation tracked back. If you're on a mobile device make sure you're not using pop-up blocker/ad-blocker or cookie protection apps.
- Make sure that JavaScript is enabled.
- We use affiliate links to track your visit and add your donation back to your account, some Anti-virus software and Firewalls can block these. To make sure this isn't your issue, make sure your firewall is also set so that cookies are enabled and pop-up blockers/ad-blockers are disabled.
Other tips to help you claim donations:
- When you're buying insurance, make sure you create a new quote and go ahead with buying the insurance in one go so that there is no other claim to the reason you shopped with them. This is especially important if you have used a comparison site when you started looking.
- Some retailers offer different donation amounts depending on what you buy, if you spot that the retailer offers more for one item that you're buying than another then make the 2 purchases seperately. This will ensure you get the best rate for each item rather than the lower rate being applied to the whole purchase. Don't forget you can check donation rates offered by each retailer in their listing on the easyfundraising website.
- If you're buying multiple insurance policies or mobile phone contracts, to make sure that you get a donation for each, buy each seperately, this way you should get a donation for each (unless in their terms they only offer one donation per customer).
If you spot anything else that can help others raise donations, or if you need some more help, please submit a request to our Support Team and we will be happy to help.