Getting Started
Basics and essentials for parents and donors
What is Changemaker?
Changemaker enables generous people to support organizations they care about with digital spare change. Most commonly, a school, classroom, or charity.​
Changemakers can register any debit or credit card they have in their wallet. Once registered, each transaction on that card will be rounded up to the nearest dollar and donated to their organization.
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“Round-up” is a term used to refer to your spare change after making a credit/debit card transaction. For example, if you bought lunch for $7.61 on a credit/debit card that is registered for change round-up, the corresponding change it would take to round-up to the nearest dollar, $0.39, would be donated directly to the school.
Changemaker donations are processed once a month. At the beginning of the month, all the changes from the last month will be calculated and donated to your organization. Upon registration, you can set a minimum and maximum for your monthly total.
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Every purchase means a little more when you're a Changemaker!
How do I sign up my student?
You can sign up your student by creating a parent account via the fundraising link that was provided to you by your school.​
Click the "Parent" button.
When creating your parent account, you will be prompted to add your student(s). You have the option to add as many student(s) as you would like by clicking the "+Add another student button".
You will then be prompted to make a donation for your student. If you would like to make a donation, select the type of donation you would like to make (Round Up or Fixed Monthly), select your limits, and click "Donate". If you would like to skip this step for now, you are welcome to.
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After, you will be given the opportunity to share your student's fundraising page with friends and family. Simply, type the name and number of anyone you would like to share it with.
I need help making a donation
The first step is to create your account using your school's or organization's fundraising link. Your school, organization, or student should provide this link to you so that you can get started.
Follow the prompts to register your card, which will only takes a few minutes. It will look similar to this:
If your the link looks more like this picture:
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Click on the button that best fits you. If you are a parent, click on the parent button. If you are a student (over the age of 13) creating your own account, click the student button. If you are a teacher, click the teacher button. If you are someone that wants to support the school, but does not fall into one of these categories, click the donor button.
Once you select the appropriate button, enter your name, email, phone number, etc.
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You will then be prompted to confirm your account with a code.
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*Please note: if you are a student, we encourage you to share your specific fundraising page with your friends and family so that they can make a donation for your school or organization.
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You will then be guided through the rest of the process.
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We encourage you to share this with your friends and family so they can support your school!
What are my donation options?
The Changemaker Initiative offers 2 different types of donations.
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Change Round Up Donation- This donation option allows you to donate your digital spare change. You can register any debit or credit card in your wallet. When setting your card you'll be asked to set a minimum and maximum amount for your monthly donation. For example, if you set a $15 minimum and a $30 maximum, you will donate at least $15 for that month (because that is your minimum) and no more than $30 that month (because that is your maximum). But, if your change rounds up to be somewhere in between those two amounts (for example, $17.50), then that amount will be donated.
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Fixed Monthly Donation- This donation option allows you to choose a set amount that you would like to donate each month. For example, you can donate a flat $30 a month.
*Please Note*
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The Changemaker Initiative does not have a one-time donation option.
The Changemaker Initiative is designed to help schools develop a large base of small, recurring donations. Recurring donations are the most empowering to an organization. Creating a steady, reliable base of donations is the goal of our program.
All monthly and roundup donations can be paused or cancelled at any time.
The donation must remain as an active, recurring donation in order for the donor to count as a Changemaker.
Why am I logging in to my card provider?
In order for Changemaker to process your Change Round-up donation, you have to authorize it, by logging into your card account. The financial institution that supports your card is usually listed on the back of your card.​
This will allow Changemaker to pull the date and amount of each transaction on your registered card, so that we can calculate and process your Change Roundup Donation.
How to share your student's fundraising page.
In most cases, your classroom or school will share a Changemaker page. Please share the link that was given to you with anyone you want to invite to participate.
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If your family or student has been asked to create a personal Changemaker page, you can watch this video on how to find your personalized Changemaker link.