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Verify Charity Status Task

The "Verify Charity Status" task allows you to ask your applicants to provide verification of their charity using either the 501(c)3 number generated by the IRS or from the CRA as a CRA Registered Charity. This article will outline how to add a Verify Charity Status Task, the basic settings of the task, and what happens on the user's end with interacting with the task.

To create a Verify Charity Status task in your site:

  1. Go to your Workflow
  2. Click on the Name of the stage to access the stage configurations
  3. Click on the Tasks tab
  4. Click on the + icon
  5. Select Verify Charity Status
  6. Complete the task settings as listed below
SettingsDescription
TitleThis is the name of the task that will be visible to your applicants within their task list.
Charity TypeSelect the Charity Type to verify:
- 501(c)3
- CRA Registered Charity
DescriptionThis description is shown to applicants who complete this task.
Specifying instructions is optional. When checked, the Visual Editor is displayed which allows the content to be formatted accordingly. This description will be visible to your applicants within the application underneath the task.
OptionalMake your task Optional.
By default your task will be required to complete. If you wish to allow your applicants to proceed without completing the task you can set the task to be optional.
DeadlineSet a deadline on your task.
Decide if you wish to prevent applicants from completing the task after a certain date.
Prevent EditingEnabling this setting will mean that applicants will not be able to edit the task once they have fully completed it.
PrerequisitesThe tasks you set as Prerequisites will need to be completed in the site before this task becomes available. A common example of this is if you wish to force your applicants to complete a Basic Information form task before another task becomes available.
TIP! Select "Hide task until prerequisites are met" if you wish to make it clear to your applicants that they need to complete the prerequisite first.
Set who can edit this task Determine who this task is to be edited by:
- Applicants & Collaborators
- Applicants Only
- Collaborators Only
Applicants refer to the owner/ creator of the application and Collaborators refers to any additional users added as members to the application.
If set to Applicant Only or Collaborator Only, the task will still be visible to the other user type, however, it will not be editable.

The 501(c)3 or the CRA Registered Charity list are lists set up by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), respectively, to compile a list of charities and organizations that are tax-exempt.

SurveyMonkey Apply uses these compiled lists to allow you as an administrator to verify an applicant's charity or organization during the application process.

When the applicant logs into their application they will be able to see the Verify Charity Status task within their application. They can select "Start" to begin the task where they will then be asked for their verification numbers:

  • 501(c)3: 9 digit - Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • CRA Registered Charity: 15 characters (containing 2 letters) - CRA Business Number (BN)

Once they have selected "Verify," SM Apply will check their EIN/BN against that of the associated database in order to confirm. We will also be able to pull in basic information about the charity including:

  • EIN or BN Number
  • Company Name
  • City
  • State/Province
  • Country

NOTE: If the charity is not verified by SM Apply, we would recommend ensuring that the number was entered correctly within the applicant task and that the number exists within the appropriate list.