Goteo.org

Menu

• Start
• Discover projects
• Create a project
• Matchfunding
• Search
• Community
  • Activity
  • #CoronaZero
  • Ahora coMparte
  • Arrela't Alt Pirineu i Aran
  • Arrela't Alt Pirineu i Aran 2022
  • Arrela't Alt Pirineu i Aran 2024
  • BlueCrowdMED
  • Crowdcoop
  • Feminismos
  • Fiare Banca Etica
  • FiC & Goteo
  • Goteo Barcelona
  • I-UMA
  • Impacto ESS Goteo
  • La Guixeta
  • Lectura
  • LGTBIQ+
  • Migraciones
  • Reeixim l'OESST
  • Rural
  • Sostenibilidad y Medioambiente
  • Tu espacio de Economía Social y Solidaria
• Log in

• An
  approach to Goteo
• About
  the projects
• For
  promoters
• For
  co-financiers
• About
  local nodes

For co-financiers

1. Why should I invest in projects presented here?

   Goteo invites you to get to know projects which are looking for cofunding and other forms of collaboration. These are projects promoted by people who want to share in a free and open way the source code of what they know and plan, creating new opportunities in this way for the constant improvement of society in benefit of the commons.
   
   In addition, through Goteo you can:
   

   • access diverse projects focussed, produced and/or distributed from a free and open perspective.
     
   • help them financially according to your means (from €5), but also collaborating through abilities or concrete resources, or helping to disseminate the projects which most motivate you.
     
   • benefit from the access to shared materials as well as the individual rewards.
     
   • form part of a specialized social network with local impact and international reach from which numerous synergies and possibilities can emerge.

2. How do I choose which project to support?

   Projects are published organised, according to their goals, in different categories or themed sections: social, cultural, scientific, educational, technological, ecological. There is a wide variety of project - free culture, social action, free software and hardware, alternative economies, architecture, gastronomy, research, permaculture, learning...
   
   Take your time to research the projects under campaign and choose the one which is closest to you in subject matter, geographical proximity, and kind of rewards and shared materials. You'll surely find the one made just for you, one which you can become part of! If this is not the case, write us and tell us about other kinds of projects which we should help promote, or propose a project of your own :).

3. What do I receive in exchange for my help?

   As well as contributing to launching a project that interests you, with your contribution you can obtain different types of return, collective and individual, which are specified in each project.
   
   We are seeking for the viability of the projects for the promotors, but also for the best possible benefit to the community, with the objective of creating social capital and that other people can create opportunities, products and and economically sustainable services derived from the projects.
   
   If the project generates shared materials, you will be part of it. This material is a great value since it contributes social return to the investments made through the platform.
   
   The shared materials can be: sharing knowledge and free access to source code; derivative resources or services; training through didactic manuals, workshops and/or via Internet; rough materials, files and digitizable content (e.g. a template/pattern, a design, methodology or programme) that can be replicated, reused, remixed etc.
   
   You can also receive an individual reward which varies depending on the quantity you contribute. These rewards are exclusive and different and can be tangible (an object related to the project, a publication, a t-shirt etc.) or intangible (appearing in project credits or other high visibility spaces in the project, "premium" or advance access to contents, specially adapted services, participation in the production, private passes, invitations to parties and presentations, a share in the ownership of the project and possible benefits etc.)

4. ¿Cómo puedo contribuir a cofinanciar un proyecto?

   Once you have chosen a project under campaign in Goteo, you have to decide on how much to contribute, according to your possibilities, interests, the kind of reward you would like to obtain, etc. The minimum contribution is 5 €.
   
   While the other crowdfunding platforms only contemplate a single fund-raising campaign per project, in Goteo we have established two rounds of crowdfunding, of 40 days each (40+40). Thus, the contributions that fund a project can take place in any of the two rounds, throughout a sum total of 80 days.
   
   

   • First round: This is the critical crowdfunding round, when we raise funds on an "all or nothing" basis. Thus, it is crucial to achieve the budget defined as minimum by the project leaders in order to set the project in motion.. Is this minimum is not reached, the project won't obtain any of the committed funds. So, in this round, the money you commit will only be paid out from your bank account if the sum total obtained through all the contributions reaches the minimum budget by the end of the 40-day campaign.
   
   
   
   • 2nd round: If the minimum budget has been achieved throughout the first crowdfunding round, then the second round is launched, with the same duration - 40 days - linked to the optimum budget - which can allow the rest of project production and other tasks, related to sophistication or improvement. In this round, projects present their progress in real time, and all contributions by a co-financier are made effective, regardless of whether the optimum budget is completed or not.
     
   
   

   
   

5. What happens if a project does NOT reach the minimum financing?

   If the quantity of money raised in the first round does not reach the minimum established by the project promotor and you used credit card or PayPal as payment system, as the charge was made at the moment you commit funds to the project, your donation will be returned to your bank or PayPal account at no additional cost.
   
   In case you marked the option "Keep my donation into my Virtual Purse", or used your Virtual Purse as payment system, your money will be kept in the platform at your disposal any time you want to support any other crowdfunding campaign through Goteo, with no need to introduce your credit card or PayPal data again.
   
   The project itself will be archived, freeing up space and visibility for other projects on the platform.

6. Virtual Wallet

   The virtual wallet is a functionality that we have developed so that supporting projects is easier for you. You can access your virtual wallet from your dashboard My Wallet section, and it works as follows:
   
   On one hand, you can top-up your wallet at any time, so you will have an available balance to allocate to projects. When you recharge the wallet, your donation becomes effective to Goteo Foundation, so the corresponding donation certificate will be issued in the year that the recharge is made -and not when you assign the amount to the projects. Once the purse is recharged, you have a period of two years to allocate that amount to the projects of your choice. In case it has not been used within that period of two years, your donation will go to the Goteo Foundation.
   
   On the other hand, when you make a standard donation you can check the option "I want my donation to stay in my virtual wallet if the project does not reach its minimum goal". This way, if the project does not reach the minimum goal, instead of receiving a refund, your donation will stay in your wallet. This way you can allocate it to other projects of your interest, without having to re-enter your banking information or your PayPal account information. As in the previous case, you will have a period of two years to allocate that amount to projects. In case it has not been used within that period of two years, your donation will go to the Goteo Foundation.
   
   We make it easy for you :)
   

7. What if a project raises much more money than initially budgeted as optimum?

   This could happen, if the project draws a lot of interest among its co-financiers. In this case, aside from guaranteeing the fulfilment of individual rewards, the project leader must fulfil the goals they had proposed initially, in a manner equivalent to the possibilities offered by the funds raised.

8. Can I contribute more than once to the same project? ¿And contribute to more than one project at a time?

   Of course! You can make as many contributions to the same project as you like, throughout the 80 days that the project can be under campaign. Especially during the first round, this can be crucial in helping a project you're interested in reach the minimum budget in order to be eligible for a second round.
   
   And, yes, if you can, we also invite you to fund different project among all the ones published on Goteo.

9. How do I know if the project I have supported achieves its funding goals, or fails to do so?

   Whether your support has been financial, or you have collaborated or actively participated in the project's page (in any of the two funding rounds), you will receive an email to inform you whether the project has achieved its goals, or failed to do so.
   
   In the case of a positive outcome, as a co-financier, you will receive another email, confirming that the charge has been made against your credit card. Also, if you wish so, you will receive email notifications about any update or change related to the project you are supporting.

10. Does the entire sum I pay go to the project promotor?

    The promotor will receive between 95,2% and 94% of the money you contribute. This due to two commissions which are deducted. One is from the Goteo Foundation, 4% for services rendered (publication and use of management tools on the platform, project promotion, consultancy on all aspects of project presentation and communication). The other is bank charges of between 0.8% and 1.4% for payment processing or 3.4% + €0.35 on payments made through PayPal.
    
    In the case of payments with a different currency than the Euro an additional commission will be applied, both with payments through a credit card and PayPal, depending on the currency and bank.
    
    These commissions are discounted from the sums paid to the project promotor and only in the case that the project is financed. If the project is not financed as it does not reach the minimum figure, there no costs for cofunder nor promotor.

11. Which payment systems does Goteo use? Are they safe?

    There are three options for helping a project financially in Goteo: by credit card, PayPal, or Goteo Virtual Purse.
    
    You can use credit card in Goteo through the secure payment system of Banco Mare Nostrum
    
    This system is simple, easy to use and totally safe, used daily by millions of users worldwide, and with high levels of security to avoid the stealing of passwords or impersonation.
    
    In this way neither the Fundación Goteo nor the project promoters have access to your bank details in any part of the process.

    
    It is also possible to make contributions by Paypal, as long as the project promotor submits an enabled Paypal account. If not, contributions via PayPal won't be allowed.
    
    Finally, you can choose our Goteo Virtual Purse, which allows you to use credit in our system at your disposal any time you want to support any other crowdfunding campaign through Goteo, with no need to introduce your credit card or PayPal data again.

12. If I make a contribution, what information about me can the project leader have access to?

    The individual or entity that leads the project you have co-financed can only know your user name on Goteo, as well as the amount you have contributed and the individual reward you are entitled to in return.
    
    If the project achieves its minimum funding, and therefore your contribution becomes effective, the project leader will have access to the data you have specified for the shipment of your individual reward.
    
    For other kinds of communication, Goteo offers the capacity to send direct messages between project leaders and co-financiers, allowing one-to-one relationships to be established as much as both parties find adequate.

13. Which are the most common errors in credit card payments?

    - There might not be enough credit in the bank account associated with the card.
    - If the card is a credit card, maybe the card holder has gone beyond their monthly credit limit (this is more common towards the end of the month). The user should make sure they know their monthly credit limit and, if interested, should expand it and/or repeat their contribution.
    - It could be that the card holder has used unsupported credit cards, that is, any card that is NOT a Visa, Master Card, or Euro6000.
    - That the user has made some mistake when entering the credit card details.
    - There could have been a connection failure which could have triggered an error in the validation process between our server and the bank virtual card reader. It could be a case of a temporary connection failure for the user.
    - Maybe the user is using the Safari version 5 browser, which doesn't support https (secure) connections, and therefore
    generates an error in the kind of economic transactions that require secure connections.
    In the latter case, the solution would be to try and make the contribution using a different browser (Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Explorer...)
    - The user might have closed the page in the middle of the process.

14. What is Matchfunding?

    As a complement to individual contributions we are creating a social investment market which we call "Matchfunding", with contributions from public institutions, business and other private institutions which foment co-responsible investment in projects that rely on the support of the civil society.
    
    This market is nourished by distinct types of annual commitments and through specific, time-sensitive calls for projects (via pre-established formulas or through ad hoc agreements). This makes it possible to tie together in a personalized way contributions from different kinds of entities: to concrete projects, particular themes, geographic spaces, social commitments and licenses etc.
    
    The investing organisms can, through this market, give wings to some of their areas of concern and their programs, in an innovative way, as well as to their political obligations and social responsibilities. In addition, they obtain other advantages such as: participating in the generation of the formation of collective knowledge and socially innovative projects, closeness and direct dialog with emerging communities, visibility and recognition linked to projects that are related to the common good etc.
    
    The feeder capital is administered transparently and responsibly by Fundación Goteo which gives participating entities certain tax advantages.

15. How else can I help a project?

    In Goteo, apart from monetary contributions it is possible to contribute with your talent, contacts and other resources, ranging from concrete abilities that a project needs from 3rd parties (translators, testers, advisers etc.) to the loaning of material resources (transport, equipment etc.) and use of infrastructure (venus and other spaces etc.)
    
    Collaboration needed in any given moment will be found on the project page. From there you can also follow the development process, add comments, queries, suggestions and enter into a dialogue with the project promotors.

16. How can I help with promoting a project?

    Helping to promote a project online and among your contacts is a great kind of support. This way, you can help it obtain a wider outreach, go viral in communication, receive more attention and thus achieve its required budget in order to move forward.
    
    For this purpose, on each project page you will find a section which allows you to share it on different social networks, paste a direct link wherever you want, and even a widget code, with a visual summary of what this project aims for, and its progress, which you can embed in your blog, your web-site, etc.

17. How can I take part in the projects' creative process?

    On the platform you can view, suggest, and, in general, establish a conversation with the project promoters about their financial needs or calls to collaboration. You can also follow and comment on the development of the full process through the updates published on the project's main site. Finally, you can also receive email notifications on any news or change related to the project you are co-financing.

18. Is there any kind of protocol for possible deceits on behalf of the project leader?

    There is a contract, which is signed by both the project leader and the Goteo Foundation, through which the former commits, as sole responsible person, to complete their project in the case of it being eventually funded, and to fulfil all collective and individual commitments itemised and published on the platform.
    
    In case of failing to fulfil these commitments, and after trying out all other means, based on trust and direct contact among all the agents involved in Goteo, legal actions can be undertaken.
    
    Also, Goteo promotes the commons, open source and free knowledge, with the notion that sharing as much as possible what is created is not incompatible with making a living from it. We aspire to generated a pole of attraction on collective rewards which, more than plagiarism, would imply a reuse of functional things, inspiration, learning and progress, shared with the whole of society.

19. Are my contributions to projects tax-deductible?

    As you should already know, contributing on Goteo not only makes many projects that benefit us all a reality, but it's also tax-deductible! When making a contribution to a project you can deduct 25% of the amount contributed in your Income Tax return, in the case of individuals; or a 35% of the amount in the case of legal bodies through Corporate Income Tax.
    
    And we've been busy making it even easier for you:
    You can fill in or modify your details on Goteo up until December the 31st, in order to download your donation certificate for all your contributions on our platform throughout the year.
    
    How to download the certificate:
    
    1. Login into Goteo.org with your user name and password
    In case you don't remember your login details, in order to recover your password you will at least need to know your user name or email address used and ask for password recovery at this link: http://goteo.org/user/recover
    
    2. In your user panel, go to the "My Activity / Donation Certificate" tab, or click on the following link: http://goteo.org/dashboard/activity/donor
    
    3. Review and, if necessary, correct your details:
    IMPORTANT: bear in mind that if these details are not correct, the certificate will have no fiscal value.
    • Name and both surnames of the individual or address of the organisation.
    • Tax ID / VAT Number
    • Address (street, city/town, postcode, country)
    
    4. Once your details are correct, tick the "Accept" box and then you will be able to access the "Download the certificate" button IMPORTANT: bear in mind that, once you click on "Accept", you will no longer be able to modify your details.
    
    

    
    If you have made more than one contribution in Goteo.org, you will obtain a single certificate with the sum of all of them, and information updated to the date they were made on.
    
    
    The certificate is issued by the Goteo Foundation (http://fundacion.goteo.org/), the organisation which manages Goteo.org, filed in the Foundation Registry on January the 16th 2012, with number 1438, according to Bill 49/2002, December the 23rd, of Foundations and the Regulation of Foundations of State Competence.
    
    
    In case of any doubt or difficulty regarding donation certificates, you can contact us at: donate@goteo.org

20. Certificados de donación

    Las donaciones que realizas a través de nuestra plataforma son fiscalmente desgravables (en España), de acuerdo a la Ley 49/2002, de 23 de diciembre, de régimen fiscal de las entidades sin fines lucrativos y de los incentivos fiscales al mecenazgo.
    
    El documento fiscalmente válido que justifica la desgravación de tus donaciones es el certificado de donación que, desde la Fundación Goteo, proporcionamos a todas las personas que apoyan a proyectos a través de nuestra plataforma. Este documento puede ser presentado ante Hacienda para que se apliquen las deducciones que recoge la Ley 49/2002, como te explicamos brevemente en esta FAQ.
    
    A continuación, detallamos cómo puedes descargarte tu certificado de donación:
    
    0. Antes de nada, ten en cuenta que podrás descargar tu certificado una vez la campaña a la que has apoyado haya finalizado (no antes), y necesariamente antes de que finalice el mismo año natural (no después).
    
    1. Accede a Goteo.org con tu usuario/a y contraseña.
    En caso de que no recuerdes tus datos de acceso, para recuperar la contraseña necesitarás al menos saber tu nombre de acceso o el email utilizado y solicitar la recuperación a través de este enlace: http://goteo.org/user/recover
    
    2. Entra en la pestaña de tu panel de usuario Mi monedero/Certificado de donación
    
    3. Confirma tus datos fiscales y descarga tu certificado.
    RECUERDA: si tu aporte es de este mismo año, este certificado será válido para la declaración que presentarás el año que viene.
    
    Ten en cuenta que en cuanto hagas la confirmación de los datos ya no podrás modificar esa información para ese certificado. Si estos datos no son exactos el certificado no tendrá validez fiscal.
    
    Cuando confirmas los datos de un certificado, éste queda cerrado e inmodificable. Si, tras haber confirmado tu certificado, haces nuevas donaciones en el mismo año fiscal se genera un nuevo certificado que estará disponible y pendiente de confirmación de datos, y que podrás descargarte desde esta misma sección.
    
    El certificado está emitido por la Fundación Goteo (http://fundacion.goteo.org/), entidad que gestiona la plataforma Goteo.org, inscrita en el Registro de Fundaciones a 16 de enero del 2012 con el número 1438, según lo dispuesto en la Ley 49/2002, de 23 de diciembre, de Fundaciones y en el Reglamento de Fundaciones de Competencia Estatal. Puedes consultar más información en: http://goteo.org/about/donations
    
    IMPORTANTE: todas las aportaciones por las que ya hayas obtenido un certificado de donación de nuestra Fundación no se devuelven.
    Esto significa que si has hecho una donación vinculada a un proyecto concreto dentro de nuestra plataforma y éste no llega a su objetivo mínimo de financiación durante su campaña, tu aporte irá a tu monedero virtual pero no volverá a tu cuenta corriente (en caso de que seleccionases la opción para que tu aporte quedase en tu monedero). Sin embargo podrás destinar ese importe desde tu monedero virtual en Goteo.org a cualquier otro proyecto activo que desees en el momento que tú elijas, sin necesidad de volver a introducir tus datos bancarios ni de PayPal. Aquí tienes más información sobre cómo funciona tu monedero virtual.
    
    IMPORTANTE: Para las aportaciones directas a campañas que se inicien a finales de año y finalicen su primera ronda el año siguiente, TODOS los certificados se emitirán para el año siguiente. La Fundación Goteo no puede emitir certificados de donación hasta que la campaña no haya pasado a 2ª ronda (después de los primeros 40 días) y haya asegurado el 100% de la recaudación mínima.
    
    Para cualquier duda o problema sobre el tema de certificados de donaciones puedes contactarnos en el email: donate@goteo.org

21. Can I donate in a different currency?

    Yes. The Goteo.org platform has a system which allows viewing multiple currencies. On the one hand, from your user panel you can choose a default preferred currency in order to see the Goteo projects, and, on the other, when creating a project, you can choose in what currency you would like to define the costs that will appear in the Needs section on your campaign's public page.
    
    Nevertheless, bear in mind that we manage all donations in Euros, according to the exchange rate on the date of the transaction.