Frequently Asked Questions

Tributive helps you give to causes you care about without thinking about it. Link a card, set a few preferences (causes, charities, and percentage splits), and Tributive will allocate small donations every time you use your card of $1.25. We batch the process meaning only after 40 transactions will we process donation via Stripe. Stripe is our external payment processor and processes all donor payments. Plaid provides read-only access to transaction data for the purpose of calculating donation triggers. No sensitive banking credentials are collected or stored by Tributive. All donations are sent to the Tributive Foundation, our registered 501(c)(3) that issues the tax receipt. On about a monthly basis, your contributions will be allocated to your preferred charity from the Tributive Foundation less administrative costs for the service. 

Yes and no, the round up feature at stores does not allow you to determine the charity or vet the charity on your own terms. It also doesn’t allow you the opportunity to get a tax refund for your donation. Instead, Tributive allows you to select your charities of choice and round up when you use your card for tax receipt for the full amount.

No, we only track when you use your card as a way to automate your giving. We use Plaid to connect your bank or card for read-only transaction monitoring. Plaid cannot move money or charge your account. It only provides transaction data needed to trigger donations.

Tributive Foundation receives your donation. The app facilitates the process and the Foundation disburses funds to the charities you choose and issues your tax receipt.

Yes. The Foundation issues an IRS-compliant receipt/acknowledgement which you can download from your account and keep for your tax records.

The Foundation pays a third party for a fee to cover development, hosting, security, payment coordination, donor support, and compliance. The fee is used to keep the platform secure and operating — it does not affect your tax deductibility. The fee is a cost of the Tributive Foundation and so your donation is fully tax deductible.

Donations are generally final after they are accepted and disbursed. We’ll consider refunds for duplicate charges, verified processing errors, or proven fraud. If funds have already been sent to a charity, a refund may not be possible. For refund requests, contact support at info@tributive.com and we’ll investigate.

If you contact your card issuer and file a chargeback, Stripe/payment processor rules apply. Chargebacks may result in the Foundation reversing a disbursement or deducting the chargeback fee from future distributions. We’ll work with you and the processor to resolve genuine disputes.

Payment processors may charge transaction fees (e.g., per charge). The Foundation’s financial reports will show gross donations and third-party processing fees. The Stripe processor fees and any ACH disbursement costs to charities are separate from the 12% administrative fee. All other costs, including Plaid fees, are included in the 12% administrative fee.

We collect the minimum data required to process donations and provide receipts: name, email, donation history, and transaction metadata (when you authorize Plaid). Optionally, we collect your birthday and address to help curate suggestions for you for charities within your demographics. We also store your preferences and allocation settings. Financial details (full card numbers, bank account numbers) are not stored by us — those are tokenized and handled by Stripe/Plaid.

We use bank-grade security: TLS 1.2+ for data in transit, AES-256 for data at rest, role-based access controls, MFA for admin accounts, and routine monitoring and audits. Our Security Policy (linked in Settings/Legal) outlines controls in detail.

We do not sell donor data.

You can unlink any connected account from the app under Settings. Removing a connection will stop new transaction tracking, but it does not retroactively remove donation history. To delete your full account and data, go to Settings and Delete Account (we retain donation receipts for IRS compliance).

You choose from our curated list of over 350,000 verified charities via search by category or name. You can set percentage splits (e.g., 50% to Food Bank, 50% to Nature Fund) so every donation is automatically allocated across your selections.

We verify charities using public IRS records (EIN verification) and data sources (Charity Navigator/Easy.org or direct confirmations). For the MVP we start with large, established charities and expand. The Foundation will regularly re-check charity status before disbursement.

Not at this time but in the future you can request one via the app. We will verify its IRS status before accepting allocations. If we can’t verify it, we’ll notify you and offer alternatives.

If a recipient loses exempt status before disbursement, we’ll endeavor to allocate the amount to one of your other preferred charities. If no other preferred charities are listed the Foundation will redirect funds to a board-approved charitable pool (IRS category) that aligns with your original selections. We’ll notify affected donors and that charity will be removed from the application until exempt status is returned.

We batch micro-donations every 40 tracked transactions. When your batch threshold is met, we create a single charge for that batch amount. You see batch charges on your bank statement; each batch is itemized in your Tributive donation history. When you are charged, you immediately earn a tax receipt through the Tributive Foundation.

The Foundation typically disburses monthly or in some cases quarterly depending on the volume and size of the donations.

Allocation preferences apply to future donations. Once a batch is charged and disbursed, allocations for that batch cannot be changed retroactively.

Year-end receipts and a tax summary are available in your account and can be generated for whatever time period you prefer in the application.

Yes — donations made to Tributive Foundation are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Receipts are provided for each donation. If you need personalized tax advice, please consult a qualified tax professional.

No. Tributive Foundation is not a donor-advised fund. Your preferences are advisory; the Foundation retains final authority over distributions, which preserves the Foundation’s nonprofit status.

The Foundation works with service providers operating under a written Services Agreement approved by the Foundation’s board (including recusal by any conflicted board member). The Foundation pays a fixed admin percentage fee for services at market rates; donations remain under nonprofit control at all times.

At this time charities do not promote on the app. Tributive may offer promotional packages to charities (clearly labeled as sponsored content). Any promotional arrangements are optional, transparent, and cannot compel a donor’s allocation. Promotional revenue supports the Foundation’s operations and reduces reliance on donor fees.

At this time, charities cannot promote or endeavor to influence your giving. In the future that may change. Charities may run educational content and sponsored placements, but your choices are always under your control. Sponsored content would be marked clearly and does not affect tax receipts or the Foundation’s allocation process.

Check your donation history in the app first. If there’s a discrepancy, contact us with the batch date and transaction ID and we’ll investigate.

Go to Settings → Delete Account and follow the prompts. For data retention reasons related to IRS compliance, we retain donation receipts for the legally required period (see Privacy Policy). For help, email info@tributive.com.

Yes, email us and our partnerships team will be in touch.

Yes, email us and our partnerships team will be in touch.