Q: What are funding goals?
A: Within the application process, families create funding goals indicating what bills they are raising money for, how much the bills are, and for how long they are requesting assistance.
When a family’s campaign is approved and published, donations are made directly through this website. These funding goals are visible to donors, giving them the opportunity to choose exactly where their donations are contributed. Donated dollars raised towards a specific funding goal are always paid out directly to the servicer/provider of that bill.
As donations are received, families can submit requests to withdraw money from each individual funding goals. To make this request, the family must upload documentation of their bill, such as a billing statement, invoice, or signed written agreement. Spare Key staff then approves the withdrawal or requests additional information based on the documentation submitted by the family.
Once the request is verified for accuracy and accepted, Spare Key mails a check directly to the provider. Spare Key never distributes donations made on Help Me Bounce to families’ personal accounts.
Q: Can families edit their funding goals?
A: Yes. Families can edit the servicer information, the number of months, and the monthly amount of their funding goals throughout the time their campaign is published on Help Me Bounce.
IMPORTANT: Families cannot transfer donated funds between funding goals. Help Me Bounce gives donors the power to choose where to apply their donations. Spare Key guarantees their donation goes towards the funding goal of their choosing. Therefore, when funds come in from individual donors, we cannot transfer those donations to a different funding goal.
If a family decides they no longer want to raise money for a specific funding goal, they may reach out to support@helpmebounce.org to “Archive” that funding goal. This will ensure no future donations are given to that specific funding goal.
Q: What happens to remaining funds once a family’s campaign expires?
A: When a family's campaign is published on Help Me Bounce, it is live and visible on the platform for a six-month period. At the end of their 6-month campaign, families have the option to renew their campaign for an additional 6-month period with the verification from a social worker/medical professional, or let the campaign expire. Either way, the funds raised through their Help Me Bounce campaign remains available to withdraw at any time.
Q: When do families have access to donations?
A: All donations made to a family’s Help Me Bounce campaign are immediately available for withdrawal. The family can log into their account to request funds be mailed to the servicer or provider of the bill anytime there are available funds in that goal.
Q: Can I get a get reimbursed for expenses I already paid for?
A: No. We cannot reimburse individuals for expenses that have already been paid, because Spare Key does not make payments directly to individuals. All payments from Help Me Bounce must be paid directly to servicer or provider of each funding goal.
Our Help Me Bounce platform currently has 17 funding goal options to choose from. If you are not sure which funding goal you should use, please email support@helpmebounce.org for assistance.
Q: How can I donate?
A: We have two ways for you to donate. You can donate directly to Spare Key, and you can donate directly to a family on Help Me Bounce.
To donate to Spare Key, just visit https://sparekey.org/donate. Here you have the ability to enter a one-time donation, or to set up a recurring donation to show your support for Spare Key’s mission.
To donate directly to a family, visit our Find A Family page. Here you can search for a specific family, a family facing a medical situation that has affected you, or a family in your state. You decide where your donation goes and 100% of that donation goes directly to the family you pick. Spare Key doesn’t take a cut!
