How Givmo works
A Givmo account is a donor-advised fund (DAF) — a charitable giving account sponsored and administered by Givmo Charitable Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity. Here's what happens at every step, from your first contribution to the moment a charity receives your grant.
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Step 1
Open your fund
Download the Givmo app and sign up — Givmo Charitable Fund establishes a donor-advised fund account for you. Opening an account is free, with no account minimums and no annual membership fees. U.S. citizens who are 18 or older — as well as U.S. corporations and trusts — can open one.
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Step 2
Contribute
Add money to your fund with Apple Pay, Google Pay, a credit or debit card, or bank transfer. Every contribution is an unconditional and irrevocable charitable gift: once it clears, it can't be returned or withdrawn, and Givmo Charitable Fund holds exclusive legal control over it. That isn't fine print — the rules governing donor-advised funds require it, and it's what makes a contribution potentially deductible in the first place.
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Step 3
Recommend grants
Search over a million verified U.S. charities and recommend grants of any amount, whenever you like. You can choose to donate anonymously, and you can attach a public note or private instructions to a grant — though how funds are used is ultimately the charity's decision.
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Step 4
The Fund reviews
Givmo Charitable Fund reviews every recommendation, confirming the recipient's tax-exempt status and that the grant will be used for charitable purposes. Grants go only to verified U.S. 501(c)(3) public charities listed by the IRS, with screening that excludes identified hate groups.
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Step 5
Delivered fast
Givmo works to send each approved grant as soon as it's able — on a rolling basis as funds settle and the charity's payment details are confirmed, never gated on a minimum or a batching threshold. Grants are sent as an electronic transfer or a check — generally within 30 days after the end of the month when the charity has consented to receive funds from Givmo, and within 45 days when it hasn't. If a recommended charity turns out not to be eligible to receive the funds, you'll be notified and can recommend an alternative; the Terms of Service describe that process.
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Step 6
Receipts and records
You get a confirmation for every transaction in the app and by email, plus a consolidated annual summary of your giving emailed at year-end. Current or prior-year reports are available on request, right from the app — one place for everything you need at tax time.
About the tax deduction
Because your gift is complete when it clears, you may be eligible to claim a charitable income-tax deduction for the year in which you contribute — depending on your individual tax situation, and subject to the substantiation requirements and income-based limits that apply to you. You must itemize to claim it: contributions to a donor-advised fund aren't eligible for any non-itemizer ("above-the-line") charitable deduction. Givmo does not provide tax advice; please consult your own tax advisor.
What "donor-advised" means
You hold advisory privileges: you recommend which charities receive grants, how much, and when. Givmo Charitable Fund reviews every recommendation and holds final approval, along with exclusive legal control of contributed funds. That structure is what the rules governing donor-advised funds require — and it's the basis on which your contributions may be deductible when you make them.
Questions about fees, grant timing, or closing an account? See the FAQ. The Terms of Service govern every Givmo account and are authoritative if anything on this page differs.