FAQs

FAQ

Common questions that come up when working with the Australian Sports Foundation


Information for Donors

I don't recognise a transaction on my bank statement?

In an environment where cybercrime is on the rise, donation and fundraising sites are not immune from deception or fraudulent activity. It is of the highest importance to the ASF that all donations are made for intended, legitimate purposes. As such, the ASF continues to make improvements to our anti-fraud measures to prevent malicious activity.

If you have knowledge of any suspicious donations or have experienced unauthorised transactions on your credit card, we encourage you to contact your banking institution and register the activity with the ASF.

Please contact ASF on 02 5112 0990 or email info@asf.org.au

What payment methods does the ASF accept?

The following payment methods are available when donating online: 

  • Visa 

  • MasterCard 

  • American Express 

  • EFT 

  • Direct Debit (for donations of $10,000 or less)

  • Apple Pay

  • Google Pay

Can I donate offline?

While donating online is the most convenient and efficient way to give to a project, we understand that some people prefer to do things manually. You can obtain a manual donation form from the organisation or individual fundraiser you are donating to, or by contacting our Support team

Can I donate anonymously?

Yes! When donating online, you can tick a box to remain anonymous. This will mean that only your donation amount (and message, if you leave one) will be displayed on the project page.  

Your name and contact details will be made available to the club or individual fundraiser you are donating to, so they can thank you for your generous support. However, fundraisers are notified that you do not wish your donation to be publicly acknowledged. 

How do I find the fundraising project I want to donate to?

Each fundraising project has a unique URL for donations. You can get this link by: 

  • Searching for an organisation or individual fundraiser on the Explore Projects page of the ASF website 

  • Asking the fundraiser to send you the URL for the specific project they would like you to support with a donation. 

Will the ASF pass on my full donation to the project I'm supporting?

The ASF is a small non-profit organisation. To cover the operating costs of running a fundraising platform, and to provide support to our organisation and individual fundraisers, we do retain 5% of online donations and 6% of offline/ manual donations.

Paying by credit card or Apple Pay/Google Pay will incur merchant processing fees, however, you have the option to “top up” your donation when donating online so that more money gets to your chosen project. 

Can I pay my registration fees through the ASF and claim a deduction?

No – only voluntary donations and gifts are eligible for a tax deduction through the ASF. Additionally, donors cannot receive a material benefit in return for their donation.  

Payments for membership, registration or any other fees, levies or charges are not gifts/donations, and should not be made on the ASF platform and claimed as a tax deduction.  

It is the taxpayer who makes a claim for a deduction on their tax return and the onus is on the taxpayer to assure themselves of their eligibility to claim a deduction for a particular gift to ASF, as with gifts to any other Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR).

When will I receive my donation receipt?

Donations take 1-2 business days to be reconciled by our Finance team, you should receive a tax-deductible receipt shortly after this.  

As our receipts are system-generated, we recommend checking your junk or spam folder. If you still haven’t received a receipt after 3 business days of making your donation and finalising your payment, please contact our Support Team

I am not seeing a confirmation message after I have clicked donate, has my donation been processed?

Once you have entered the details of your donation and click on “Donate Now” (for credit card) or “Pledge Now” (for EFT), the page will usually load for a few seconds and then take you to the “Thank you” screen.  

If you remain on the donation page, scroll through the page to review any error messages. 

If your donation was successful, along with seeing the thank you screen, you will receive an instant confirmation email from us (check your junk or spam folder).  

What do I do if I'm having issues with the website or donation form?

The ASF platform works best using Google Chrome or Safari. If you’re using one of these browsers and are still having problems, please contact our Support Team

Donations

How can donations be made to my fundraiser?

ONLINE

The following payment methods are available on your online project page:

  • Credit Card (Mastercard, Visa and American Express)

  • EFT

  • Apple Pay

  • Google Pay

  • Direct Debit (for donations of $10,000 or less)

  • Donors can opt to make a one-off donation or a recurring monthly gift. 

OFFLINE

You can access a manual donation form template for each of your projects on the ASF platform. Completed donation forms can be returned to us for processing via the secure upload section of the platform.  

Find out more here- refer to the Processing Offline and Cash/Cheque Donations guide 

ADDING A DONATION TO A MEMBERSHIP FEE OR OTHER TRANSACTION

You can include a request for donation when collecting payments such as membership/registration fees, ticket purchases or any other transaction.  

Find out more here- refer to the Add On Donations guide 

Who can donate to my fundraising project?

Anyone can donate to your project, including individuals, businesses, trusts and foundations.  

For some projects and individual fundraisers, where there are clearly identified beneficiaries, the ATO has some restrictions on donations from relatives and associates. More information on this can be found here.  

Does the ASF charge any fees?

It is free to sign up with the ASF.  As we are a small non-profit, we do retain a small percentage of all donations to cover the costs of running a fundraising platform and to provide fundraising support to many organisations, clubs and individual fundraisers. To cover these costs, we retain 5% of online donations and 6% of manual/offline donations. 

If a donor donates by credit card or Apple Pay/Google Pay, the following merchant fees apply:

  • Direct Debit / EFT: 0.0% fee per transaction

  • Mastercard / Visa: 1.0% fee per transaction

  • American Express: 2.0% fee per transaction

  • Apple Pay / Google Pay: 1.7% + 15c fee per transaction

These fees will be deducted from the donation amount allocated to the nominated project, however, donors have the option to "top up" their donation to cover these fees so more money goes to your project. 

Can donations of goods/property be made through the ASF?

The ASF can accept donations of goods/property (i.e. something tangible/physical) with a minimum value of $5,000. 

 Examples of acceptable items include: 

  • sporting goods and equipment 

  • sports memorabilia and historical items 

  • freehold land and property (not leasehold) 

  • items to be raffled or auctioned off for your campaign  

Please contact the Fundraising Support Team for information about the process involved in accepting donations of goods/property. 

Fundraising with ASF

What can I fundraise for?

You can fundraise for anything that develops sport in Australia. This includes anything from equipment and uniforms, coaching and development, team travel to facility development and scholarship or welfare programs and much more. 

For individual fundraisers such as athletes, coaches and officials, this can be anything to help you with your sporting career including training or competition travel, coaching and accreditation, equipment and apparel, medical services and much more. 

How can I sign up?

Our online sign-up process is simple and only takes 5-10 minutes. 

Sign up for free today.

Can I fundraise for multiple purposes?

Yes! You can set up as many fundraising projects as you need. They can all be active at once, or you can switch them on/off as required. 

What difference does tax deductibility make?

Any donation to the ASF of $2 or more is tax deductible. The ability to claim a tax deduction means that the cost of donating to a project on the ASF platform is substantially reduced (typically by 32% to 45% depending on the donor’s tax rate).  

For example, if a donor donates $1,000 to the ASF for your project, they will receive a tax refund of $450 (based on the assumed top income tax rate of 45%), and therefore the actual cost of that donation will only be $550. 

What are the benefits of fundraising with the ASF?

When you sign up with the Australian Sports Foundation you get: 

  • access to our unique tax-deductible sports fundraising platform, which allows you to set up projects and track live donation information,  

  • a personalised project page with an online donation form,  

  • access to tools, tips and templates to make your fundraising easier, 

  • fortnightly distribution of the funds you raise, and 

  • other revenue-raising opportunities such as rebates, grants and a sports charity raffle. 

How long does it take to set up a fundraising project?

Once you’re signed up with the ASF you can create and activate a fundraising project on the ASF platform in a matter of minutes! All you need is a few details about what you’re fundraising for and at least one image (so we can create a project page and online donations form for you). 

Once all the details of your project have been completed, submitted and approved, it will be online and ready to accept donations immediately! 

The fundraising portal

What is my platform username?

Your username is generally the email address you use for your ASF correspondence. If you’re unsure what this is, please contact our Support Team

How can I get access to the ASF platform?

EXISTING CONTACTS 

Select ‘Login’ from the top menu on the ASF website. If you didn’t receive a ’Welcome to the ASF Platform’ email from us with your login details, please contact our Support Team

If you’ve forgotten your password, you can reset it on the login page. You’ll be emailed a link to create a new password (be sure to check your junk/spam folder). 

NEW CONTACTS 

If you’re a new contact for an existing fundraiser, please contact our Support Team to request access. For privacy reasons we will need to verify that you are an authorised contact before providing you with access. 

What is the ASF platform?

When you sign up with us, you will get access to the ASF platform, which allows you to set up projects, track your live donation activity and gives you access to tools, tips and templates to make your fundraising easier. 

We will also give you access to other revenue raising opportunities such as rebates, grants and a sports charity raffle. 

Can I add or remove contacts from our account?

To update contacts for your account, you will need to contact our Support Team. Simply provide the name, email, mobile and position of the person you would like to add, and advise of any old contacts that need to be removed (if applicable). 

What can I do on the ASF platform?

The ASF platform has everything you need to manage your fundraising projects. You can: 

  • Create/edit projects 

  • Edit contact and bank details 

  • Access live donation and payment information 

  • View your payments from the ASF 

  • Submit expenditure reports 

 Please refer to our platform user guides for more information. 

Your ASF fundraiser

How do I find my ASF member number?

When you sign up with the Australian Sports Foundation, you will be provided a six-digit ASF member number. This is your unique identifier, which you will be asked for as proof of your fundraising partnership when applying for ASF grants and utilising our partner discounts and rebates.  

To find your ASF member number, simply log in to the ASF platform, you will see the six-digit number below your name in the top right-hand corner.  

If you are unable to login to the ASF platform, please contact us by emailing info@asf.org.au

How do I create a fundraising project?

Login to the ASF platform, click on “Launch a Fundraising Project” and follow the prompts.  

All you need is a few details about your fundraising and at least 1 image.  We have created some useful guides for creating a project on the ASF platform: 

Can I see who has donated to my fundraising project?

The ASF platform contains live donation information so you can see who has donated to your project/s, when, how much and their contact details so you can thank them. 

Find out more here- refer to the How to Run Donation Reports guide 

Can I make changes to my fundraising page after it's been activated?

Yes! You can edit your projects at any time in the ASF platform

Find out more here- refer to the How to Edit an Existing Project guide 

How do I promote my project?

Each project has a unique URL to share online with members, supporters, parents and anyone else that may be a potential donor.  

Check out our Fundraising Guidebook 

How should I thank my donors?

Research shows that by thanking a donor, you have a 50% better chance of receiving another donation next time you ask! And you have a 40% chance of increasing the donation amount if you let your donors know how their money was spent, how much it was appreciated, and the impact their donations have had.  

How you show your appreciation may depend on the size of their gift, but we suggest following up with donors within 1 week of receiving their gift. This may be an email or letter, a phone call or video message, a certificate or plaque, a shout out on social media or an event. 

Check out our tips for thanking donors here 

Other ways to raise funds through the ASF

Once signed up, you can activate these offerings at any time in the Programs section of the ASF platform. 

PLAY FOR PURPOSE 

Play for Purpose is an online raffle for sporting clubs and charities designed to create a highly efficient and cost-effective platform to raise funds for their cause.  

As a club or sporting organisation, you can apply to be a part of Play for Purpose and if accepted, you can sell raffle tickets for your project. There are over $500,000 worth of prizes there is a guaranteed minimum of at least 50% of every ticket sold supporting your cause.   

Apply online here

Play for Purpose Information 

Payments and reporting

Do I have to let the ASF know how the funds I raised were spent?

We need to make sure tax-deductible donations are being used appropriately.  

For each payment you receive from us, you will be asked to submit an expenditure (acquittal)declaration’ in the ASF platform. This will take less than 5 minutes and simply states that you have or will use the funds for the intended purpose - to develop Australian sport. All fundraisers will need to retain records though, just in case they’re asked to substantiate expenses at some stage. 

Find out more here- refer to the Reporting Your Expenditure (Acquittals) guide 

Are there any circumstances when I wouldn't receive my payment?

We may hold payments if you have breached the terms of our fundraising agreement or if you have failed to complete an expenditure (acquittal) declaration or report on time. In either circumstance we would hold the funds for your project and work with you to fix the issue, so you would be eligible to receive payments again.  

How can I tell what donations were included in a payment?

Each payment we make to your account will be recorded in the ASF platform, including a start and end date. These dates can be used to create a donation listing in the Reports section of the platform.  

Find out more here- refer to the How to Run Donation Reports guide 

How do I know if a payment has been made to my bank account?

Each time we make a payment, all fundraiser contacts will be sent an email notification. You can review the details of each payment on the ASF platform. 

Find out more here- refer to the Grant Payments guide 

Does the ASF include GST in payments?

Our payments are a taxable supply so if your organisation is registered for GST, we will add 10% when remitting funds to your bank account. 

GST-registered organisations will find a recipient-created tax invoice (RCTI) in the Payments section of the ASF platform. This will help in passing on the GST portion of payments to the ATO. 

How can I access the money I've raised?

We pay out donation funds twice a month. This is an automatic process, so other than making sure we have your correct bank account details, you don’t need to do anything. 

  • Donations processed 1-15th are remitted on the last day of that month, and 

  • Donations processed 16-30th/31st are remitted on the 15th of the following month. 

How can I check my ASF account balance?

On the Home page of the ASF platform, there is a “How Am I Tracking” section, and one of the displays is a Current Account Balance. This is the amount you have raised that is yet to be paid out. 

Can I review/edit my bank account details for payments?

Yes, for security reasons this must be done by fundraisers in the Account section of the ASF platform.  

Find out more here- refer to the Complete Platform Guide 

Troubleshooting

I am trying to register for Play for Purpose in the ASF platform but cannot activate?

Play for Purpose applications need to be made at https://playforpurpose.com.au/sporting-club-benefits.  

Once you have completed the application, the Play for Purpose team will be in touch with you to set up your raffle microsite so you can start selling tickets. Information on payments and expenditure reports (acquittals) are available on the ASF platform

Where can I find the ASF platform login page?

The platform login URL is https://platform.asf.org.au/asfportal/s/login/ - try bookmarking this page for future reference. 

Alternatively, you can find a login button at the top right of the ASF website

I have tried to reset my password, but have not received the email.

Some email providers will automatically filter our emails to your spam or junk folder, so be sure to check there. The email can also take a few minutes to come through, however if you have still not received it after half an hour, please contact our Support Team

I can't see the information I'm looking for in a report

The Reports view will often appear condensed in your browser, so that all information can be seen. You can expand columns to see their contents by hovering your mouse over the title, clicking and dragging the column. Some reports also require that you scroll across to access all of the information.  

You can also export reports to an Excel spreadsheet- check out our user guides for more tips on getting the most out of the ASF fundraising platform. 

I got notified that I would be receiving my funds but cannot see them in my account

Grant approval emails are usually sent out the week before scheduled payment runs (15th and 30th/31st monthly) and it can take a couple of days for a payment to hit your bank account after the ASF has made the transfer.  

If you still cannot see the deposit after 3 business days, log in to the ASF platform and check your bank details in the "Account" tab. If there is an error, update your bank details before contacting our Finance team on (02) 5112 0990. 

My YouTube video is not showing on my project page

For YouTube videos to show on our website you only enter the YouTube ID, rather than the entire URL (e.g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wps_3k8Y2f8&feature=youtu.be) You will also need to link to a specific video, not a channel. 

Check out our user guides to find out how to update the YouTube ID for your project.