All you need to know about Gridmates

For Individuals


How is my energy contribution delivered to people in need?

You use your credit/debit card or paypal account to donate funds that will be used for bill payment. You buy a small amount of energy for people in need.

Is my energy donation Tax deductible?

Your contribution may be tax deductible since the recipient of the fund is a 501(c) 3 US nonprofit.

Is it safe to use Gridmates?

Yes. We use a secure payment processor (Paypal). We use industrial standards to protect your data.

Another site to create an account...so bored.

Trust us. Gridmates develops amazing services for you! We enable the giving of energy and you will enjoy it!

Are there any charges for me?

No.

Is the conversion between dollars and kWh exact?

It is an approximation based on average electricity prices ($/kWh).

What happens if I become an Ambassador of energy poverty?

Your energy campaign will help improve the lives of people in need! We will create a personalized webpage for your campaign to help you inform your network.

For Corporations


What is a corporate community challenge?

You can choose a fundraising event to support and provide a matching contribution, a free coupon or rewards to the donors of energy. We will create a personalized webpage for your corporation and make it easy for you to inform your network. You can login to your dashboard and watch analytics of the performance of your community challenge.

How can I create a corporate sponsorship for one of the fundraising events?

If your donation is smaller than $2000 you can make the donation online. If your sponsorship is larger please contact us to make an offline donation by check.

Are the corporate donations tax deductible?

Your contribution may be tax deductible since the recipient of the fund is a 501(c) 3 US nonprofit.

What are my obligations if I create a community challenge?

Please read our Terms of Use section Incentive Providers.

What are the benefits for my company?

By creating a community challenge your corporation will increase visibility, strengthen brand awareness and change lives! Gridmates platform will also provide analytics and demographics of the performance of your community challenge to help you enhance your marketing campaigns.

For Nonprofits


How can my nonprofit start raising funds for energy?

It is simple! Create an account in gridmates and start managing your fundraising events. That’s it.

How are the funds allocated?

Funds are directly deposited to your bank account using paypal payment processor. You need to have a paypal account to use gridmates. If you don’t have don’t worry. It takes 5-10 minutes to create one.

Are there any costs for the nonprofit?

Gridmates places a small nominal fee similar to a fundraising model. Please see our Terms of Use or contact us.

Which nonprofits are eligible to participate?

You need to be an agency/nonprofit in the US registered as 501 (c) 3. If you are an international organization please contact us.

Can I use the funds raised from gridmates for other purposes?

No. Funds raised using gridmates can only be used to help you pay your or your constituents energy needs.

Can I use gridmates to help my nonprofit pay for its own energy expenses?

Yes. You can use gridmates as a fundraising platform to help you pay for your energy needs. Before you start, don’t forget to start saving energy and reduce your monthly bills… it is easier than you think ;)

I already collaborate with a utility as part of the Customer Assistance Program. Can I still use gridmates ?

Of course. You can use gridmates as a new tool to raise funds that will help you pay for the energy needs of your clients.

What is the fund flow?

In real time! Once a person donates then you will see this information in your gridmates dashboard and bank account. In some occasions it might take 3 working days due to Paypal processing.

What are the characteristics of my fundraising event?

You can create up to 5 fundraising events per year. Each event has a goal (maximum $50,000), a duration (maximum 3 months) and a text/image description.

What are the characteristics of a successful fundraising event?

A nice picture and description that will engage people to participate. Then you need to inform your network of people about your event. Spread the word and energize lives!

For Utilities


How can gridmates benefit my company?

Gridmates is a software platform that enhances your Customer Assistance Programs (CAPs). Gridmates is an add on service to your existing solutions that will help you innovate in customer engagement but also reduce financial risks due to unpaid bills.

What is energy donation?

Gridmates is a fundraising platform that can be used for bill payment. Donation of energy can be thought as a third party bill payment charity towards your low-income customers.

Do I need to have smart meters and smart grid technologies deployed in my network?

No. It is not necessary to have such technologies deployed to use gridmates. In case you have smart grid technologies deployed gridmates can be integrated with your AMI and MDM system to further enrich service offerings for your customers.

Who will use Gridmates software?

Gridmates software can be used by the agencies/nonprofits that run your Customer Assistance Programs or by your social responsibility executive. With Gridmates you can create awareness campaigns and engage customers to donate for your low income people.

How are the funds allocated?

When a user makes a donation, the dollar amount is deposited to your bank account or the bank account of the nonprofit / agency of the CAP. The funds can only be used to pay the bills for the low income customers.

Are energy donations tax deductible for the users?

Donations may be tax deductible in case the nonprofit /agency of the CAP is a 501 (c) 3

Are the recipients of energy anonymous?

A low income customer is allowed to be anonymous in a general donation pool, for example a pool of Veterans in the city, or use his/her name and "story" to engage donors. Gridmates platform is an opt-in for low income customers.

Who is responsible to check if a customer is low income?

The agency/nonprofit or the utility is responsible to receive all the necessary documents that prove the eligibility of a person as low income. Please refer to LIHEAP criteria.

I am interested! What are the next steps?

Let’s make a pilot that will change the way we experience energy! Please contact us at contact@gridmates.com and we would be thrilled to provide more information!
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