Estimated read time: 9 minutes
Overview
The CarePortal Fund allows a Church or Champion to receive tax-deductible donations directly within the CarePortal platform.
This feature provides a streamlined way to raise and steward resources specifically for meeting CarePortal requests — without routing funds through your Church’s internal accounts or online giving systems.
In this article, you’ll learn how the CarePortal Fund works, how to enable it, and how it supports your Church’s or Champion's ministry.
Intended audience
Included in this article
CarePortal Fund FAQs
- Who can enable a CarePortal Fund?
- Who can use a Church’s CarePortal Fund?
- What is a dormant CarePortal Fund?
- What happens to money in a dormant CarePortal Fund?
- How does a CarePortal Fund work with a CarePortal Card?
- How do I move money from my CarePortal Fund onto my CarePortal Card?
- How can I check my Fund or Card balance?
- Who can give to a CarePortal Fund?
- How does the donation process work?
- Can I give by check?
CarePortal Fund basics
When a Church enables a CarePortal Fund, donors can make tax-deductible gifts directly within the CarePortal platform. These funds are held securely and may only be used to meet open CarePortal requests.
Donations may come from:
Congregation members
Community members
Local businesses
Supporters outside your Church
All Fund dollars are designated exclusively for serving families through CarePortal.
Fees and processing
Funding a request by credit card includes a 2.5% processing fee and a 5% platform fee.
There are no required fees when donating to a Church’s CarePortal Fund.
There are no required fees when using Fund dollars to support a request.
Tip: Read more about Understanding Processing & Platform Fees.
Tax receipting and donor confidence
CarePortal manages tax receipting and year-end giving letters on behalf of donors.
Many donors already know and trust CarePortal, a ministry initiative of The Global Orphan Project. The organization has maintained Charity Navigator’s 4-Star rating and Candid's Gold Seal of Transparency for several consecutive years.
Funds given to a Church’s CarePortal Fund may only be used to meet verified CarePortal requests. This provides clarity and confidence about how gifts are stewarded.
Practical benefits of enabling a CarePortal Fund
1. Community giving is simple and accessible
- Anyone with access to your Church or Champion Public Page can donate directly.
- The
Give To Our CarePortal Fundbutton is visible publicly and to Church/Champion Leaders from within their dashboard. - This opens the door for support from individuals, businesses, or others in your local community, not just your congregation.
Tip: Donors are required to create a CarePortal account (name, email, and ZIP code) in order to give. This ensures a secure giving experience and allows CarePortal to issue tax receipts.
2. Year-end tax letters are handled for you
CarePortal automatically sends tax receipts through The Global Orphan Project.
Your Church does not need to manage donor documentation.
3. Connecting Churches can use their Fund directly
Best Practice: To utilize your Church’s CarePortal Fund directly, your Church must be an approved Connecting Church with an active CarePortal Card.
If your Church meets these requirements, you can:
Transfer Fund dollars to your Card
Make real-time purchases
Respond quickly to needs
Maintain visibility and accountability
Interested in becoming a Connecting Church? Reach out to your Network Leader or Area Director to get started!
4. Greater visibility and trust
All Fund and Card activity is visible in the Transactions tab within your dashboard.
This transparency builds trust with donors and leadership.
CarePortal Fund FAQs
1. Who can enable a CarePortal Fund?
Churches:
Only the Primary Point Person or Network Leader can enable the Church’s CarePortal Fund from the Church Settings page.
Champions:
Champions always have a Fund enabled for each Response Team.
2. Who can use a Church’s CarePortal Fund?
Only authorized Church Leaders can utilize a Church’s CarePortal Fund.
This includes:
Primary Point Person
Connecting Church Leaders (if applicable)
Other Church Leaders with permission to Take the Lead on requests
Funds must always be applied to a specific open CarePortal request.
Funds cannot be withdrawn or used outside the CarePortal platform. Funds can only be transferred to other Churches under specific circumstances. Please reach out to CarePortal Support for more information regarding transferring funds.
3. What is a dormant CarePortal Fund?
A Fund becomes dormant after 180 consecutive days of no activity.
This means:
No donations
No transfers
No use of funds toward requests
The Church will receive advance notice before any action is taken.
4. What happens to money in a dormant Fund?
If there is no activity for 180 days, remaining funds may be reallocated to meet active CarePortal needs in alignment with the CarePortal Terms of Service.
Churches receive:
A notice one month before
A notice one week before
Even a $1 donation or using Fund dollars toward a request resets the timer.
5. How does a CarePortal Fund work with a CarePortal Card?
For Connecting Churches:
A donor gives to your CarePortal Fund.
You respond to an open request using Fund dollars.
You Take the Lead (separate step).
The money transfers to your CarePortal Card.
You then use the Card to purchase items for the family.
Note: Money from a CarePortal Fund cannot be transferred to another church's CarePortal Fund.
6. How do I move money from my Fund onto my CarePortal Card?
To move money, a leader with CarePortal Fund management permissions must follow these steps:
Respond to an open request.
Select your CarePortal Fund as the contribution source.
Take the Lead on the request. (If you do not Take the Lead within 30 minutes, there's a chance that another church close to the family will Take the Lead and have your donation transferred to their CarePortal Card.)
Once complete, the money is transferred automatically to your Card, and you receive an email confirmation.
7. How can I check my Fund or Card balance?
Log in to your Church Leader account.
Navigate to Request Management.
Click the Transactions tab.
Toggle between Fund and Card tabs.
Click
View Totalsto see balances.
8. Who can give to a CarePortal Fund?
Anyone can donate to a Church’s CarePortal Fund. Donors must create a CarePortal account in order to receive a confirmation email and a year-end tax receipt.
Giving through a Church’s Public Page
When the Fund is enabled, donors can click the Give To Our CarePortal Fund button on your Church’s Public Page.
If someone does not yet have an account, they will be prompted to:
Enter their name, email, and ZIP code
Create a simple user profile
Receive a tax-deductible receipt at year-end
Creating an account also allows them to:
Give to other Churches’ CarePortal Funds
Respond to future CarePortal requests
Giving from the Church Leader Dashboard
Church Leaders may also donate directly from their dashboard by selecting the Fund My Organization button located under:
The Transactions tab or
The Settings page
9. How does the donation process work?
Donors:
Enter an amount
Select a payment method
Submit the donation
10. Can I give by check?
Yes! Giving by check is a great option for larger donations and helps CarePortal avoid covering processing fees.
To donate by check:
- Make the check payable to CarePortal
- Designate the church name and ID exactly as it appears in CarePortal (include the Church ID from the URL if possible)
- Example: https://system.careportal.org/church/99119/dashboard
- Write in the memo line:
Donation to [Church’s Name] - [Church ID] CarePortal Fund
Mail checks to:
CarePortal
3161 Wyandotte St
Kansas City, MO 64111
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