Frequently Asked Questions

GiveCheck is a verified giving platform for startups and solopreneurs. Connect your Stripe, donate to verified nonprofits, and earn a public badge and leaderboard ranking. It’s like Product Hunt or TrustMRR, but for charitable giving — verified by API, not self-reported.

MRG is a new metric that tracks the percentage of your monthly revenue that goes to verified charitable donations. Think of it as the giving equivalent of MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue). It’s verified via API, displayed publicly, and competitive.

Free under $1K MRR. Above that, 0.29% of your verified MRR, capped at $29/month. No hidden fees.

Sign up for the waitlist. Once onboarded, connect your Stripe account, choose nonprofits to donate to, and start climbing the leaderboard.

Primarily solopreneurs and indie hackers making $1K–$50K+/month who want a systematic, verified way to give back. Also great for small startups and agencies seeking consumer/talent trust signals.

Only aggregate revenue metrics from your Stripe account (total revenue, MRR, charges). We use read-only Stripe Connect access. We never see customer data, payment methods, or personal financial details.

We pull balance_transactions directly from your Stripe account via read-only API — no manual entry, no self-reporting. Revenue is calculated as gross charges minus refunds (net revenue) over a rolling 30-day window.

Revenue syncs on a rolling 30-day window anchored to your donation date. Your badge and leaderboard position update daily as new transactions come in.

No problem — we use whatever transactions exist in your Stripe account from the last 30 days. You can set your giving % and start your first period immediately on Day 1.

Yes. We use a restricted Stripe API key scoped to Balance → Read Only. We can only view aggregate revenue data — we can never make charges, access customer info, or modify your account. Keys are encrypted at rest.

Go to your dashboard and click "Connect Stripe." You'll create a restricted API key in your Stripe dashboard (Developers → API Keys → Restricted key) with Balance → Read Only permission, then paste it in. The whole process takes about 2 minutes.

Only: balance_transactions (to calculate net revenue = gross charges minus refunds). We do NOT access: customer data, payment methods, payout schedules, or any personal information. The restricted key is scoped to Balance → Read Only.

MVP supports Stripe only. Lemon Squeezy, Gumroad, PayPal, and Shopify support are on the roadmap. If you process revenue through multiple providers, connect your primary one for now.

Yes, at any time from your dashboard settings or directly from your Stripe account. If disconnected, your badge will display "Unverified" until reconnected.

All donations route through Every.org, which has 1.2M+ registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits. You choose where to give — a specific nonprofit, a curated list, or a bucket fund. GiveCheck verifies the donation automatically.

Yes, 100%. Every.org is a registered 501(c)(3), so you receive an official tax receipt directly from them for every donation. GiveCheck never touches the donation funds.

You can search Every.org’s 1.2M+ nonprofit database, use GiveCheck’s curated list, or contribute to a bucket fund. If your preferred nonprofit isn’t on Every.org, you can invite them to join.

Pooled thematic funds (like the HtC Commons Fund, Open Source Fund, or Climate Fund) where your donation is distributed across vetted nonprofits in a specific cause area. Great if you don’t want to research individual charities.

No. GiveCheck is a verification platform only. Donations go directly from you to Every.org to the nonprofit. GiveCheck separately charges a small SaaS verification fee via its own Stripe account.

A dynamic JavaScript widget you embed on your website that shows your verified giving percentage in real-time. It auto-updates and links to your public GiveCheck profile.

Primary sort is by giving percentage (the great equalizer — a bootstrapper giving 15% outranks a funded startup at 2%). Ties are broken by absolute dollars given. Rankings update daily based on rolling 30-day net revenue.

An exclusive tier for companies donating 10% or more of their gross revenue. The badge gets a distinctive orange treatment and premium leaderboard positioning.

If your giving verification fails (missed donation, disconnected Stripe, etc.), your badge immediately turns gray and displays "Unverified." Reconnect and resume giving to restore it.

No. GiveCheck’s Terms of Service strictly prohibit static badge imagery. The badge must be embedded as a live JS widget to ensure it reflects real-time verification status. Violators receive automated cease & desist notices.

0.29% of your verified monthly MRR, capped at $29/month. Free under $1K MRR. Examples: $5K MRR = $14.50/mo, $10K+ MRR = $29/mo (capped).

Yes. The GiveCheck platform fee is billed separately from your charitable donation. Your full donation amount goes to the nonprofit.

Custom enterprise pricing. Auditing companies at this scale requires resolving multiple payment gateways and complex accounting, so verification requires a customized annual contract.

Yes. Cancel from your dashboard. Your badge will gray out and display "Unverified" after cancellation.

Lemon Squeezy, Gumroad, PayPal, and Shopify integrations are on the roadmap.

Currently US-only charities/tax rules. International support is planned.

A developer API for querying verified giving data programmatically.

A marketplace for listing and acquiring giving-verified startups.

Track giving ROI: badge impression traffic, talent acquisition impact.

Vote on which nonprofits get featured in bucket funds.