CarePortal Fund Training, FAQs, & Best Practices

Overview

This article introduces the option for any church to enable a CarePortal Fund (and request a CarePortal Card) within the CarePortal platform. This feature enables streamlined fundraising that remains separate from the church's internal accounts, budgets, or transaction processing costs and equips Church Leaders and Response Teams to serve more families and kids through CarePortal requests. 

Intended Audience

 

Included in This Article

• Watch the CarePortal Fund Training Video
• What is a CarePortal Fund & How Does it Help Churches?
• What are the Practical Benefits of Enabling a CarePortal Fund?
• CarePortal Fund FAQs

Watch the CarePortal Fund Training Video:

(to use or embed this video in your own resources, feel free to use this link)

What is a CarePortal Fund & How Does it Help Churches?

Enabling a CarePortal Fund allows a church to invite anyone to make tax-deductible donations that Church Leaders have stewardship of without requiring the church to have or use their own budgeted resources or online giving processes. Donations can be made by congregation members, community members, local businesses, and even strangers, and are available for the church to use in meeting vetted needs of families through open CarePortal requests. 

CarePortal covers tax liabilities and transaction processing fees for donors and gifts given to each church's CarePortal Fund, including end-of-year giving letters.

This feature and service was created for multiple reasons:

1. Many churches do not have the capability to collect online donations or the staff to handle the increased financial paperwork and liability that comes with these processes. Having a CarePortal Fund empowers these churches to be more involved in meeting the needs of their communities than they otherwise could be. 
2. Some churches simply prefer to bypass their church's financial structure and processes (including tax liability) if they can, which simplifies their ability to empower members to get involved in the community. 
3. Many donors already know and trust the CarePortal platform, a ministry initiative of The Global Orphan Project, which has maintained the Charity Navigator’s 4-Star rating and Guidestar’s Platinum Seal of Transparency for several consecutive years. And since any money given to a church's CarePortal Fund must be used for meeting CarePortal requests, donors can make their donation without questioning where their resources will go.

What are the Practical Benefits of Enabling a CarePortal Fund?

• Anyone with access to your Church or Champion Public Page can make a donation!
  The Give to our CarePortal Fund button is available publicly and to Church/Champion Leaders within their dashboard:
  

  
  
  *Note that users are currently required to create an account in order to donate through CarePortal. 
  
  

• CarePortal sends all end of year tax-related donor letters 
  At the end of the year, all donor letters are sent by The Global Orphan Project (non-profit developer of CarePortal) to donors who've given to help meet needs through CarePortal.
  
  

• Your church can directly use donor funds to meet local needs—as long as you're an approved Connecting Church with a CarePortal Card!
  
  By becoming a Connecting Church, your team gains access to a CarePortal Card, which allows you to claim funds your church has contributed to local requests through your CarePortal Fund. It’s a powerful way to equip your team to serve right at the point of care and make real-time purchases for families in need.

  👉 Keep reading How Does a CarePortal Fund Work with a CarePortal Card? to find out how it all works step by step!

💡 Interested in becoming a Connecting Church so your team can serve this way? Reach out to your Network Leader or Area Director to learn more!

CarePortal Fund FAQs

1. What is a "Dormant" CarePortal Fund?
   
   A dormant CarePortal Fund refers to a church or organization’s CarePortal Fund that has had no financial activity for 180 consecutive days. This means that no funds have been added, transferred, or used toward a request during that time.

   Once a Fund becomes dormant:

   • It may be subject to review by the CarePortal Finance Team.

   • Unused funds will be reallocated to ensure they are used to meet active needs in a timely manner, in alignment with the CarePortal Terms of Service.

   • The church or organization will receive multiple notices before any action is taken.

   
   
2. What Happens to Money in a Dormant CarePortal Fund?
   
   If there is no activity in a CarePortal Fund for 180 calendar days, CarePortal will automatically transfer and utilize this money to serve the critical needs of vulnerable children and families, and reserves the right to deactivate any CarePortal Fund.
   
   You will be alerted on two occasions before any money is moved from your CarePortal Fund:

   • The first month prior to the 180 days and

   • The second, one week prior.
     
     💡 To keep a Fund active, even a small donation (as little as $1) or using funds toward an open request will reset the 180-day timer and prevent the funds from automatically being swept.
     
     

3. How Does a CarePortal Fund Work with a CarePortal Card?
   
   It’s important to understand that your church’s CarePortal Fund balance is not the same as the balance on the church's CarePortal Card. 
   
   When someone donates to your church’s CarePortal Fund, those funds are not automatically added to your CarePortal Card.
   
   To move money from your CarePortal Fund onto your CarePortal Card, you’ll need to follow these steps:

1. Respond to an open request
   • When submitting your response, make sure your CarePortal Fund is selected as the contribution source.
     
     
     
     
2. Take the Lead on the request
   • After submitting your response, you’ll see the option to Take the Lead. You as the contributing church will have 30 minuted to Take the Lead before other Connecting Churches are notified via email of the available resources.
     
     
     
     
   • If you choose to Take the Lead, any funds contributed to the request—whether by you or others—will be transferred directly onto your CarePortal Card.
     
     
3. Once the transfer is complete:

• You’ll receive a confirmation email letting you know that funds have been added to your card.
  
  
• You can view your updated balances for both your CarePortal Fund and CarePortal Card by clicking on the Transactions tab under Request Management in your menu. Once there:
  
  • Use the tabs at the top of the table to toggle between your Fund and Card ledgers.
  • Then click the "View Totals" button in the top right corner to see your current balance for whichever ledger you're viewing.

A quick reminder:

• • Fund-to-Fund transfers aren’t supported, and all fund usage must be tied to a specific open request.

Have more questions about how CarePortal Cards work? Check out these other resources!

• CarePortal Card FAQs & Best Practices
• Should My Church Become a Connecting Church?

Who Can Give to a CarePortal Fund?

Giving money to a CarePortal Fund is different from directly Funding specific items on an open request as part of a response. Anyone can give to a church’s CarePortal Fund.

Giving Through a Church’s Public Page

• When a CarePortal Fund is enabled, any CarePortal user can give into a church's CarePortal Fund through that church's public page (button shown below). 
  
  
  
  
• If someone who does not have a CarePortal username and password clicks this button, the platform will guide them through a simple process of entering their name, email address, and ZIP code. This creates a basic user profile and allows them to:
  
  • • Give to any church’s CarePortal Fund
    • Respond to open CarePortal requests in the future (if they choose)
    • Receive a year-end tax receipt, which requires contact info

Giving from a Church Leader Dashboard

Church Leaders also have the ability to give to their church’s CarePortal Fund through the Transactions or Settings pages within their CarePortal dashboard via the Fund My Organization button.

How the Donation Process Works

For signed-in users, the process is simple:

1. Type the amount to give
2. Add or select a contribution source
3. Click Submit Donation

A confirmation email will be sent immediately, and an end-of-year tax-deductible receipt will be sent automatically at the proper time.

Giving by Check

Another way to add money to your CarePortal Fund is by mailing a check. This is ideal for larger donations, as it eliminates processing fees.

Make the check payable to CarePortal, and be sure to:

• Designate the church exactly as it appears in CarePortal (include the Church ID found in your URL if you can!)
• Write the following in the memo line:
  Donation to [Church’s Name] CarePortal Fund

Send checks to:

CarePortal
3161 Wyandotte St
Kansas City, MO 64111

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Final Thoughts

Thank you for your generosity and for being part of the CarePortal network. Whether you're giving to a specific request or into a church’s Fund, your support is helping local churches serve vulnerable children and families in meaningful, lasting ways.

If you have any questions or need help giving, we’re here for you! 📩 Email us anytime at [e-mail]