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Financial aspects

Why does Akvo charge money for its services?

It costs money to develop and run Akvo.org. Sponsors and investors are subsidising the initial building of the Akvo platform, but we need to be self-sustainable in the long run. We believe this is best achieved by charging a small fee for the services which we offer.

Akvo is a non-profit and we charge the smallest fee possible for the work we do. Most importantly, for Akvo to be accountable to users rather than to funders, users pay us to continue developing tools which are useful to them, rather than what funders think they need.

We also believe that if people wouldn’t be willing to pay even a small fee for the Akvo tools, they are probably not worth having, and we shouldn’t be working on them. We want our customers to tell us what they need and how we can improve the value they get for their money.

All Akvo pricing information is available here.

What are the prices Akvo charges?

Akvo charges a small fee for the services we offer through the Akvo Marketplace (donation system) and the Akvo Really Simple Reporting system. Akvopedia is accessible free of charge.

All Akvo pricing information is available here.

Do you have different prices for Northern and Southern-based NGO?

Yes. Southern-based NGOs typically pay half of the fee that Northern-based NGOs pay.

Can I try out the Akvo services for free?

Yes. If you are an approved Field partner or Support partner, you can have access to one project for free in Akvo. You can try out both the Marketplace and the Really Simple Reporting system.

Can we get a discount on Akvoʼs fees?

If you plan to maintain a large number of projects (50+) or large programmes (1 million Euros or more) on Akvo.org, please contact us at peter [at] akvo.org to discuss a strategic partnership.

How does Akvo define a “project” versus a “programme”?

Akvo defines a project to be a small-scale international development project in one location, that fits within one of our focus areas - for example a water and/or sanitation project (installation, capacity building/training, education, etc). A project generally has a total budget under 35,000 Euros.

A programme consists of multiple smaller components in multiple locations, typically with larger budgets and more partners involved.

Why does Akvo make a distinction between projects and programmes?

We try to have a fair pricing model for our partners which also is easy to understand. We donʼt think it would be fair if programmes with a budget of 300,000 Euro pay the same amount to use Akvo RSR as a project which has a budget of 3,000 Euro.

Does 100% of the money that is donated go to the project?

Individual donors who donate money to projects or programmes on Akvo.org do not pay any fees, and Akvo does not take a cut of the donation. Payment gateways such as Paypal or iDeal, however, may charge a percentage fee of the donation or a fixed fee. An institutional donor which donates money to a project on Akvo.org pays a fee of 2.00% on top of the donation.

Akvo is working with the Rabobank to devise a payment system in which as large a share as is possible goes to the project.

Can anyone donate money to projects?

Yes. Projects that need funds have a donate button, through which individuals can donate money. Organizations or companies that want to donate can contact Akvo directly at donations [at] akvo.org. Akvo only accepts funds from reliable and trustworthy sources.

How do I know the donation system used by Akvo is secure?

At the moment, we use PayPal and iDeal, which both are well-established and trusted payment gateways.

Our partner for financial matters is the Rabobank, a large Dutch bank with AAA status and a long track record in implementing secure online payment systems. Currently, they are developing the on-line payment system, which will handle all payments. The Akvo accounts are audited every year by independent public accountants.

How do I know the money goes to projects worthy of support?

All Akvo projects have both a Field partner which implements the project and a Support partner which ensures quality. Akvo pays careful attention to the selection of partners that can use the Akvo system. For an overview of the roles and responsibilities of Field and Support partners, please go to the Partner rules page.

How can I use Akvo to find money for my project?

If you are an Akvo partner and have defined a project together with a Support partner, you can post the project on the Akvo Marketplace. Then, you can use our tools to raise funds. For example, you can place an Akvo widget on your own website, which has a donate button on it.

What does it cost to use the Akvo Marketplace system to find money for a project?

This depends on several factors. You can find all the information on the prices page.

What does it cost to use the Akvo RSR system for reporting and feedback of a running project?

This depends on several factors. You can find all the information on the prices page

Will Akvo improve the rates of donation to my projects and why?

When your project is in the Akvo Marketplace, it is visible in many places. In addition to the Akvo website, your project can appear on websites which make use of Akvo widgets to show a selection of projects. This can be your own website, a Support partner website, external fundraising websites, etc.

Secondly, putting your project in Akvo Marketplace is the easiest way to get a ‘Donate’ button on your project. Setting up an online payment system represents a significant overhead for small organizations, and is therefore often not feasible. With Akvo Marketplace, you get full donation functionality for only a small fee.

Unfortunately, money usually does not drop from the sky. Therefore, it is very important that you use the Akvo tools in the optimal way, to increase the chance that your project attracts funds. Akvo provides helpful information on how to do this.