Millie's Role in the Donation Process
Millie helps connect donors, nonprofits, payment processors, and charitable giving infrastructure—but we do not directly hold, process, or distribute charitable funds ourselves.
Instead, Millie serves as the platform that facilitates the donation experience and routes donations through trusted third-party partners that specialize in payment processing and charitable grantmaking.
Specifically:
- Stripe our payment processor, securely stores payment information, processes donations, and maintains PCI DSS compliance standards (thus ensuring every donation through Millie is PCI compliant)
- Percent Impact Foundation/Goodstack, a registered 501(c)(3) donor-advised fund (DAF), receives charitable contributions and facilitates grant distribution to nonprofits.
- Millie provides the technology that connects donors, nonprofits, and these partners throughout the donation lifecycle.
This approach allows donations to be processed securely, supports tax-deductible charitable giving, and helps ensure compliance with applicable charitable regulations.
Step 1: The Donation Is Submitted
When a donor chooses to make a donation through Millie, they enter their payment information using a secure payment form powered by Stripe.
🔒 Credit card information is processed and stored by Stripe, our payment processor. Millie does not store full credit card details.
Step 2: Payment Processing
Once the donation is submitted:
- Stripe processes the payment
- Applicable payment processing fees are assessed
- Currency conversion occurs when required for international donations
- The donation is successfully settled and prepared for charitable distribution
At this stage, the funds are still within the payment processing workflow.
Step 3: Contribution to the Donor-Advised Fund (DAF)
When a donation is triggered in Millie, the charitable contribution is made directly through Stripe to Millie's donor-advised fund partner, Percent Impact Foundation/Goodstack.
Percent Impact Foundation is a registered U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity that facilitates charitable grantmaking to nonprofits around the world.
Tax Deductibility
For U.S. donors, charitable donations are generally considered tax-deductible once they have been contributed to the donor-advised fund, subject to applicable tax laws and individual circumstances.
Step 4: Compliance & Grant Review
Before funds are distributed, the donor-advised fund conducts any required compliance and charitable due diligence reviews.
These reviews help ensure that:
- Funds are distributed to eligible charitable organizations
- Regulatory and charitable giving requirements are met
- Donations are used in accordance with applicable laws and nonprofit regulations
The level of review may vary depending on the nonprofit, country, and grant type.
Step 5: Funds Are Sent to the Nonprofit
Once all required reviews are complete, the grant is distributed to the nonprofit organization.
Millie and its partners use the most efficient available payment method, including:
🏦 Bank Transfer (Preferred)
Fast, secure, and the most common method when the nonprofit has banking information on file.
💳 Card Payment
Available for certain organizations that accept charitable payments online.
📬 Check
Used when electronic payment options are unavailable.
💡All checks sent from Percent Impact Foundation include instructions on how to set up ACH transfers for future donations!
🙋♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't the nonprofit receive my donation immediately?
Donations must first move through payment processing and charitable compliance workflows before a grant can be issued to the nonprofit.
Why does Millie use a donor-advised fund?
The donor-advised fund provides the charitable infrastructure needed to facilitate tax-deductible giving, compliant grantmaking, and charitable fund distribution.
It also enables many of the giving experiences available in Millie—including employer matching, giving campaigns, pooled fundraising efforts, gift cards, and giving brackets—while ensuring donations are reviewed and distributed in accordance with charitable giving requirements.
Can nonprofits receive funds electronically?
Yes. Whenever possible, grants are distributed electronically via bank transfer, which is typically the fastest and most efficient payment method.