Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Yen Somu Bi platform?

The “Yen Somu Bi” (translates as “Let’s lend a helping hand”) project with funding from STAR Ghana Foundation under its Giving for Change program seeks to throw light on domestic philanthropic giving by building innovative research linked to fund-raising and advocacy platform. The platform built under this project is also named Yen Somu Bi www.yensomubi.org

Who can start a campaign?

Any locally registered civil society organization (CSO), community-based organization (CBO) or non- governmental organization (NGO) can start a campaign. All you have to do is complete the free registration for a campaigner’s account and get started.

What makes Yen Somu Bi platform different from the others?

On Yen Somu Bi, organizations can put up campaigns for both monetary and non-monetary donations. The platform is also built by an NGO for NGOs, CSOs and CBOs in Ghana. The initiative is to support local philanthropy growth in Ghana.

What can the campaign be about for?

You can raise money, talent or non-monetary help for anything you care about. For example: social causes, research, community engagement, volunteers for a building project, an educational project etc. The unique feature on Yen Somu Bi is that non-monetary donations (volunteers, building materials, books etc.) are all monetized and added on as a donation to your campaign.

What is the campaign approval process like?

Once you upload your campaign it goes through to our site administrators for a review. Within 24 hours of uploading your campaign, it will either be approved or rejected based on the platform’s eligibility criteria.

How long can I run my campaign?

You can run your campaign for as long as you want. However, it is advisable to run campaigns for a month or two. This is because there is the motivation to run and sustain awareness for your campaign for such a relatively short period and people tend to give more willingly when you create a sense of urgency.

How do I share my campaign once it has been uploaded?

Yes, you can start a campaign without a bank account as you are required to provide either a bank account or a mobile money account linked to your organization. criteria.

Can I start a campaign without a bank account?

Once you upload your campaign it goes through to our site administrators for a review. Within 24 hours of uploading your campaign, it will either be approved or rejected based on the platform’s eligibility criteria.

Can I keep the money although my target is not reached?

Yes, you will receive your donations even if you do not reach your target once the campaign period is over and you have sent a withdrawal notice to the site administrators by clicking on the “withdraw” button when it appears.

Can I raise more money than my target?

Yes, you can. The target is your goal, but you can always raise more.

How many times can I upload a fundraising campaign?

You can upload as many different fundraising campaigns as you want, but you can only have a maximum of two campaigns running on the platform at a time. This is to make room for every one campaign to get some form of attention from public users.

Which countries are supported?

For now, we are active only in Ghana.

How can I make a donation?

After you click on the "Donate now" button for the campaign you would like to support, you can donate using the following options:

• Via a local or internationally issued Visa or Mastercard

• Via your mobile money wallet: MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money, and Vodafone Cash

Can I use the platform with no internet connection?

Currently, the platform is web based and will need internet connection. There are plans to use a USSD code soon.

I am trying to donate with my local visa or Mastercard but it is not going through. Why?

If you want to donate with your Visa or Mastercard, please make sure your card is registered for online transactions. If not, you have to contact your bank to request that your Visa card is “Verified by Visa '' (VbyV) or your MasterCard is MasterCard Secure so you can use it for online payments. You only have to do this once, and after doing this, you can make online payments everywhere in the world.

Can I start a campaign without a bank account?

Once you upload your campaign it goes through to our site administrators for a review. Within 24 hours of uploading your campaign, it will either be approved or rejected based on the platform’s eligibility criteria.

When will I receive the donated money for my campaign?

For every donation received, a resource management committee will approve for funds to be disbursed upon receipt of a notice of withdrawal. The approval process will take between 24-48 hours and then a transfer is done. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee when you will receive your donated funds after we have initiated the money transfer via bank. Depending on your bank, it may take up to 3 working days for your campaign’s bank account to be credited. But with mobile money transfer, it will be immediate.

How do I know if someone has donated to my campaign?

Each campaign displays a list of donors even though some donors prefer to be anonymous.

Can a donor give anonymously?

Yes, they can. They can choose to be "anonymous" when they donate by not checking the "Display my name publicly on the campaign" box on the donation page or leave out their details entirely when donating.

Are there any charges?

There’s a 0.05% charge that is deducted from each donation as commission for the service provider. This is done at source and is not taken from the donor’s account.

Who processes the donation?

The Yen Somu Bi platform uses Korba365, a BOG licensed online payment services provider, to process donations.

Can donations only be made in cedis?

Donations can be made in cedis and in every international currency (but the donated amount will be converted to cedis).

How secure is Fundraising Africa?

Firstly, our platform has a secure server, which is shown by the “https” preface to its web address and there is a padlock attached to the web address. Https is a protocol for secure communication over a computer network which is widely used on the Internet. It provides authentication of the website and associated web server with which one is communicating, which protects against man-in-the-middle attacks. In addition to this https protection, access to the platform backend is secured with a two-factor authentication process. Donations received are also secured by our service provider Korba365 who are licensed by the Bank of Ghana.

How secure is your website when I use my international card?

Local and international transactions using Visa and Mastercard are directed to the respective payment interfaces where you can enter your details, undergo their security procedures, and make your payment.

How can I be sure the funds that are raised will be used for the purpose stated?

We require that organizations share their certificates of incorporation of NPO certifications before campaigns are approved. This gives us their business registration number and Tax Identification number to verify from the appropriate authorities. Then also, organizations must use their company’s bank account and mobile money account for campaign set up and also to receive the donations. If we suspect that the funds raised are used for a different cause than is stated on the campaign, we can do a random check of the campaign and institute punitive measures.