Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ekō?

Ekō is a global consumer group that exists to curb the growing power of big corporations.

Launched in 2011 we use the power of online tools to run campaigns that mobilize millions of people to take action to make social change. Our community is made up of a dedicated staff team who coordinate campaigns with our millions of members around the world.

Ekō is registered as a 501(c)4 social welfare nonprofit incorporated in the United States of America.

Donations

How can I donate?

It’s super easy to donate to Ekō. Just visit: https://actions.eko.org/a/donate. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, JCB, American Express, or Paypal. If you live in Europe you can also set up your recurring donation via Direct Debit.

Our donations page assumes you wish to make a one-off donation – if you wish to make a recurring donation you will need to check this option when making your donation.

You can also donate by check/cheque in any currency by making it out to Ekō and sending it to:

Ekō

2443 Fillmore Street #380-1279

San Francisco CA 94115.

What happens if I change my mind about my donation?

We understand that circumstances change and you may wish to cancel your donation. We operate a no-questions-asked refund policy for any member that wishes to withdraw their donation. If you’d like a refund, please send us a message

I made a mistake with my monthly donation! How can I change or edit my donation?

If you created an account, you can login at our members’ management portal at members.eko.org. Make sure to use the same email that you use when you receive emails and take action with Ekō.

There, you can delete any payment method you no longer want associated with your account. To save a new payment method to your account, you’ll need to go to https://actions.eko.org/a/donate and make a donation (it can be as small as $1!) and opt to save your payment information.

Alternatively, contact our Member Services team at info@eko.org who can make edits for you.

Are my donations to Ekō tax deductible or eligible for schemes like UK gift aid?

As a 501(c)4 organisation, small donations (under $1,000) aren’t tax deductible or eligible for schemes like the UK’s Gift Aid. For more information on tax deductibility where you live, please contact your local tax authorities.

If you are domiciled in the United States we can take tax-deductible contributions over $1,000. Please send us a message for more information about this option.

Do you accept direct bank transfers?

At the moment, we don’t accept direct bank transfers, but we are working on making that available to members. In the mean time, you can donate via credit card, Direct Debit (in Europe) or Paypal: https://actions.eko.org/a/donate

What currencies do you accept?

At present, we accept AUD, CAD, EUR, GBP, NZD and USD for Visa, Mastercard, and American Express donations. We accept donations made in any currency via Paypal.

Do you solicit donations over the phone?

Yes, we run telefundraising campaigns to build relationships with our donors. Talking to our donors allows us to explain the impact of their donation. To learn more about how we are funded, visit the Funding page.

Do you accept donations by telephone?

Unfortunately, we don’t accept donations by telephone at the moment, with the exception of telefundraising campaigns. In the mean time, you’re able to make a donation via credit card, Direct Debit (Europe) or PayPal at eko.org/donate

Can I donate via Paypal?

Yes, we do accept donations via Paypal, you can send us your donation through your Paypal account at: https://actions.eko.org/a/donate

What credit and debit cards do you accept?

We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, JCB, and American Express from most global banks.

You can donate by credit here: https://actions.eko.org/a/donate

Will I receive a receipt for my donation?

Following a lot of feedback from members, we have decided to not send a receipt for your donation as standard. However, if you would like to receive a receipt or an acknowledgment of your donation, please contact us at donations@eko.org.

What is a CVV number and why are you asking for it?

The CVV Number ("Card Verification Value") on your credit card or debit card is a 3 digit number on the back of VISA, MasterCard and Discover branded credit and debit cards. On your American Express branded credit or debit card it is a 4 digit numeric code. You can find out more information here: https://www.cvvnumber.com

Financial Information

Where is Ekō registered?

Ekō is a registered 501(c)4 social welfare nonprofit incorporated in the District of Columbia, United States. We’re also registered in the states of California and New York in the United States and have branches in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

What is a 501(c)4 nonprofit?

A 501(c)4 organisation is a type of tax-exempt nonprofit organization in the United States. In the US both 501(c)3s and 501(c)4s are qualified as tax-exempt organizations under tax law. However (c)3 organizations may only do charitable work (as defined by the tax authorities) while c(4)s can also engage in lobbying of public officials and work with trade unions, which is a key part of our work challenging corporate power. Because we are not a 501(c)3, contributions to Ekō are not tax deductible.

Is Ekō audited?

Yes. Ekō is regularly audited by Lederer, Levine & Associates, LLC, an independent accounting firm based in the United States. We have always received what is called a “clean opinion,” namely that no irregularities have ever been found and that we follow all relevant accounting rules and procedures.

How are you funded?

Ekō doesn’t accept any contributions from governments or corporations: we are mainly funded by people like you. We are also funded by a small number of foundations and trusts. Please see this chart for more detail on the proportion of grants to independent small online donations.

Our goal is to be increasingly funded primarily by small individual contributions. This funding model means we are able to stay independent, keep pressure on governments and corporations, and respond quickly to crisis situations.

How do you spend your money?

Below is a breakdown of how we spend our money. We are a very lean organization and staff so we minimize overheads and spend the vast majority of our money on running campaigns.

What happens when you raise more money than you need for a given campaign?

Our members are extremely generous with their donations and we sometimes raise more money than we need for a particular action or request. In this circumstance, any additional money is used to fund a range of core program activities at Ekō, such as our staff and the technology that allows us to run and win our campaigns.

We operate a no-questions-asked refund policy for any member that wishes to withdraw their donation.

Privacy & Data Protection

I want to unsubscribe

It’s really easy to unsubscribe, just follow this link and click unsubscribe

How are you protecting my data?

Ekō uses industry standard security measures to protect the information collected by this Site. For more information please visit our Privacy Policy.

How do you use my credit/debit card details?

When you contribute to Ekō online, we collect credit card information from you. That information is used solely for processing your contribution, it is not stored by Ekō; and is never disclosed to anyone, for any purpose other than for processing your contribution. When contributing through an express donation, your card details are stored by our payment provider, Braintree Payments (owned by Paypal), who places a huge emphasis on security and handles billions of dollars in payments every year. Read more about how Braintree secures your data here.

I want to change my contact details, email address or postal address but I cannot find a way to login to your site and do it - can you help?

It is not possible for you to login to our site yourself and change/edit your contact details. Please send us a message with the information you’d like to change and we’ll do the rest.

How did you get my email address?

We only send emails to people that have taken actions on our website. If you’d rather not receive emails from us you can unsubscribe at any time here.

Campaigns

What are you currently campaigning on?

You can see what our current campaigns are by visiting our Campaigns page.

How do I remove my name from a petition?

It’s really easy to remove your signature from a petition. Please send us a message and we’ll remove your name quickly.

Where can I send a suggestion for a campaign?

Please send campaign ideas to us by sending us a message.

I have information I’d like to share with the team about a campaign, how do I do that?

If you have information you’d like to share with the staff team you can by sending us a message.

Do you send updates on a campaign? Where can I find this information?

We do periodically send updates on campaigns when there is a new development and we try to send a ‘what we’ve been up to’ email twice a year to let you know about any campaign wins or developments that you may have missed.

I have a complaint about a campaign - how do I get in touch?

If you would like to contact us and make a complaint about any aspect of a campaign you can get in touch by sending us a message.

Staff

Can I work for you? Are you recruiting?

We are always on the lookout for talented people in a range of specialties. Please visit our Jobs page to see our latest vacancies.