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Giving ​

The Give page is where you can support Upstate International with a recurring gift or a one-time donation. Members and non-members alike can give — you do not need an account to make a one-time donation or start a recurring gift.

You can reach it from the Give link in the header or footer, or go straight to https://portal.uibeta.org/give.

To join or renew a membership (Gateway, Crossroads, or Patron), use the Membership page — membership is not offered on Give.

Ways to Give ​

The Give page is one form with two tabs:

  1. Recurring (the default) — Set up an automatic weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual gift.
  2. One Time — Make a single donation. A one-time gift does not include membership.

You complete payment on the Give page itself. Gifts are not added to your cart.

Making a Recurring Gift ​

  1. Open https://portal.uibeta.org/give. The Recurring tab is selected by default.
  2. Choose how often you want to give from the frequency dropdown (it reads Give Monthly until you pick another cadence) — weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually.
  3. Pick a suggested amount from the grid, or choose Other and type your own.
  4. If your recurring gift (annualized) meets Upstate International's membership-qualifying amount, a preview shows which membership tier it unlocks and how many family members you can add. This updates live as you change the amount or frequency.
  5. Optionally check cover processing costs (see below). The amount next to the checkbox updates with your gift, and the cover applies every scheduled charge.
  6. Sign in or enter your email; if you are giving as a guest you also create a password (at least 8 characters) and give your first and last name; everyone gives a phone number and a mailing address.
  7. Click the Give button (it reads Give Now until you choose an amount, then shows the amount — for example Give $50.00/mo, including the processing cover if you checked it). After you click it, the card form appears on the same Give page; a recurring gift is confirmed with the Start My Recurring Gift button; Edit takes you back to the form if you want to change the amount or your details. You never leave the Give page.

Once your first payment clears:

  • If your gift qualifies, your membership activates automatically at the matching level, and you'll get an email confirming it.
  • If your gift is below the qualifying amount, it still goes through as a straightforward recurring donation — no membership is attached, and you can raise the amount later if you'd like one.

Because your membership level follows what you give, changing your recurring gift amount later can raise or lower your membership level to match it. You'll get an email whenever your level changes.

If you already hold a paid annual membership, starting a recurring gift never changes or replaces it — your annual membership continues exactly as it did before, and your recurring gift is recorded and credited separately. You can hold both a paid membership and a recurring gift at the same time.

Over the course of a year you may receive up to three emails about your recurring gift: one confirming your membership when it first activates, one whenever your membership level changes, and a yearly summary confirming your gift and membership are both still active.

If lowering your recurring gift would bring your membership down to a lower tier, that change does not happen right away. Your current membership benefits continue through the end of your current billing period, and you'll get one email letting you know the date your new tier takes effect. If you raise your gift back up before that date, the change is cancelled automatically and you keep your current tier — no action needed on your part.

If a lower gift means your account no longer funds enough family slots for everyone currently on it, nobody loses their access because of the amount going down. Your existing family members keep their access; the lower slot count only affects whether you can add someone new later.

After payment you land on a thank-you page headed Your Recurring Gift Is Set Up. To change or stop an existing recurring gift later, use Account → Recurring gift at https://portal.uibeta.org/account/giving (see below) — do not start over on Give unless the gift has already fully ended.

Changing or stopping a recurring gift ​

Only the account owner can manage a recurring gift. Family members on the account cannot change or stop it.

Open Account → Recurring gift at https://portal.uibeta.org/account/giving. There you can see the current amount, how often it is charged, any membership benefits the gift unlocks, and the next charge date.

To change the amount or how often you give:

  1. On https://portal.uibeta.org/account/giving, use Change my gift.
  2. Choose a new amount and/or frequency, then confirm the dialog. The dialog names the new amount and the next charge date.
  3. A change never bills mid-cycle — the new amount takes effect on the next scheduled charge.

A card on file is required before a change can be made. Update it at Account → Settings → Payment method (https://portal.uibeta.org/account/settings/payment-method), then return to Recurring gift to finish the change.

To stop the gift:

  1. On https://portal.uibeta.org/account/giving, click Stop this gift.
  2. Confirm the dialog. The gift keeps charging (and your membership stays active) through the end of the period you already paid for, then stops. You get a confirmation email with that end date.
  3. Before that date, click Keep my gift to reverse the stop — no second confirmation.

After the gift has fully ended, start a new one from https://portal.uibeta.org/give. You cannot restart it from Recurring gift.

Not the same as a missed payment

If a payment fails, you get a separate 30-day grace window to update your card (see below). That is not the same as choosing to cancel: voluntary cancel keeps benefits through the paid period end; a payment problem keeps benefits for 30 days while you fix the card.

Making a One-Time Gift ​

  1. Open https://portal.uibeta.org/give and select the One Time tab.
  2. Pick a suggested amount from the grid, or choose Other and type your own.
  3. Optionally check cover processing costs (see below).
  4. Enter your email and name (no password — a one-time gift does not create a membership), plus a phone number and a mailing address.
  5. Click the Give button (it reads Give Now until you choose an amount, then shows the amount — for example Give $50.00). After you click it, the card form appears on the same Give page; Edit takes you back to the form if you want to change the amount or your details. You never leave the Give page.

A one-time gift supports programs today. It does not include membership. To become a member, go to Membership.

You can give as a guest with just your email address, or sign in first so the gift is tied to your account. After payment you land on a thank-you page headed Thank You for Your Gift! and receive a tax receipt by email.

Gift limits

Donations must be more than $0. The maximum online gift is $100,000 — to arrange a larger donation, contact Upstate International staff directly.

Prefer to pay by check? Make a pledge ​

If you would rather mail a check or drop it off, you can pledge a one-time gift online and pay later. Nothing is charged online. Pledges are for one-time gifts only; recurring gifts are card or bank.

  1. On the One Time tab, choose your amount.
  2. Under the Give button, click Make a pledge (next to "Prefer to pay by check?").
  3. Enter your email and name (phone is optional), then click Pledge $….
  4. If you are not signed in, we email you a link to confirm your pledge. Click it within 7 days. Can't find it? Use Send it again on the page. If you are signed in with a verified email, this step is skipped.
    • If the page says We couldn't send your email, your pledge is saved but the link didn't go out. Click Send it again. If that still fails, email info@upstateinternational.org.
    • If you ask for a new link after the 7 days are up, the page says This pledge has expired. Click Make a new pledge to start over.
  5. Once confirmed, you see your reference code and how to pay, and we email you the same details:
    • Make the check payable to Upstate International and write your reference code on it.
    • Mail it, or drop it off at the office during office hours (both addresses are shown).

Your tax receipt is emailed once staff record that your check arrived. It shows the amount and the date the check was received. If you have questions about your pledge, Upstate International staff may call to help. A pledge that is never confirmed is removed after 7 days.

To pay by card instead, click Pay by card instead on the pledge form.

If a Payment Doesn't Go Through ​

Recurring gifts are usually a card that expired or was reissued — not a sign of a problem on your end. If a scheduled payment on your recurring gift doesn't go through:

  • Your membership stays active for 30 days while you get a chance to fix it — you don't lose access right away.
  • You'll receive more than one email reminder during that window, so it's hard to miss.
  • You can update your card yourself at any time by going to My Account → Settings → Payment Method. Once your new card is on file, we'll try the payment again right away.
  • As soon as a payment succeeds, you'll get a short confirmation email and your account goes back to normal — there's nothing else you need to do.

If the 30 days pass without a successful payment, your membership ends and any family members on the account are notified individually that their access has ended. If you get your recurring gift going again later, your household's access comes back automatically — no need to re-invite anyone.

Cover the Processing Fee ​

When you make a gift — recurring or one-time — you can check the option to add a small amount to cover processing costs. Card processors charge a fee on every transaction; covering it means more of your gift reaches Upstate International's programs.

  • The exact amount is shown next to the checkbox (for example, "Add $1.81") and updates as you change your gift amount.
  • On a recurring gift, the cover is added to every scheduled charge.
  • It is completely optional — leave it unchecked and your gift goes through at the amount you entered.
  • If you cover the fee, the extra is added on top of your gift. Your tax-deductible gift amount on the receipt and thank-you page is still just your donation, not the fee coverage.

Coupons Do Not Apply to Donations ​

Coupon and discount codes never reduce a donation. Gifts are completed on the Give page, not in the cart, so there is no coupon field when you give. If you also have a class, event, or membership in your cart, you check those out separately — a coupon still discounts those items. See Checkout for more.

Your Tax Receipt ​

One-time gifts ​

After a successful one-time donation, you receive a donation tax receipt by email. It includes:

  • Your gift amount (the donation itself — not any fee coverage you added).
  • Upstate International's legal name and EIN (tax ID), which you need for tax purposes.
  • The IRS acknowledgment that no goods or services were provided in exchange for your gift.
  • If you gave as a guest, a link to set up your account so you can see your giving history later.

Recurring gifts (each charge) ​

Every successful recurring charge gets its own tax receipt by email — not one receipt for the whole year. That receipt includes the charge amount, legal name, EIN, and an IRS-style fair market value (FMV) disclosure for any membership benefits that charge funded:

  • When the charge grants or sustains a membership tier, the receipt shows the prorated FMV of that tier (and any family slots) and the deductible portion (charge minus FMV, never below $0).
  • When the charge does not add membership from the gift (for example you already hold a paid annual membership, or the gift is below the qualifying amount), the receipt shows $0 FMV and treats the full charge as deductible, with wording that makes that clear.

Staff can also send a calendar-year giving summary email later (line items with the same FMV rules) — that is a staff tool, not something you trigger yourself.

Beyond the receipt emails, every recurring-gift charge also shows up as its own row in your account's Payment History — one row per charge, with the membership tier your gift funded named right on the row.

If you do not see the receipt

Check your spam or junk folder. If it has not arrived after a few minutes, contact Upstate International staff with the date and amount of your gift and they can look it up and resend it.

Need help? Contact Upstate International staff if a donation does not go through, you did not receive your tax receipt, or you want to arrange a larger gift. To change or stop a recurring gift yourself, see Changing or stopping a recurring gift.

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