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Donor FAQs

Signal is a nonprofit sustained only by the people who use and value it.

Donate to Signal

Donate inside Signal app

  • On your phone, go to Signal Settings profile_avatar.png > sustainer-heart-outline.png Donate to Signal > Donate > Make a monthly or one-time donation and follow the prompts.
  • Payment types:
    • Supported Credit Card, Debit Card
    • PayPal
    • Apple Pay
    • Google Pay
    • Bank Direct Debit
    • SEPA
    • iDEAL

Other ways to donate
These donation methods do not support in-app badges.

  • Donate Cryptocurrency, Stock, or a gift from your Donor Advised Fund on Signal's website.
  • Send a check to the address below. For checks of $5,000 or more, please email donate@signal.org to notify us of your incoming donation.
    Signal Technology Foundation
    650 Castro Street, Suite 120-223
    Mountain View, CA 94041
    USA

Why donate?

Signal is built for you, not your data and not for profit. Signal is committed to protecting free expression and enabling secure global communication through open source privacy technology. Your donation pays for the development and operations of an app used by millions. No ads. No trackers. No surveillance.

Are donations required? 

No.

Can I be a monthly donor and give a one-time donation?

Yes. These are separate charges and offer separate badges.

Troubleshoot Donations

  1. Update to the latest version of Signal.
  2. Try to Donate again.
  3. Try another payment method.
  4. Contact your bank for more information.
  5. Still having issues? Go to Signal Settings profile_avatar.png > Help > Contact us. Make sure to include the debug log and share which currency you are donating with.

Why is my donation pending?

Bank transfer donations may take up to 14 days to clear. You will see this message as Signal is waiting for a response from your bank. 

What do I do if I see an error processing the payment?

  • The bank account provided has insufficient funds to complete this purchase.
    Add funds to your bank account, then try again. 
  • Verify your bank details are correct and try again.
    Carefully check the number, expiration, and security code. Re-enter information, then try again. If you believe this is happening in error, please contact us to let us know what type of card this is.
  • The bank details provided could not be processed.
    Try another payment method or contact your bank for more information. The transaction may be blocked or there is other information your bank can provide.

Cancel donations

Click here to view the steps listed below.

 

Changes, Charges, and Cancellations

How can I change the donation amount?

  • Select the new monthly level or one-time donation and follow on-screen directions to confirm payment.
  • You will be charged the full amount when you make this change.

How can I change the card or payment method?

  • You must cancel your recurring donation and setup a new one.
  • You will be charged the full amount when you make this change.

Is my payment information linked to my Signal account?

No. Your payment information is not associated with your Signal account. Using the anonymous credential scheme that we introduced for Signal private groups, clients make payments and then associate a badge to their profile such that the server can authenticate the client is in the set of people who made a payment, but doesn’t know specifically which payment it corresponds to.

Do Apple or Google get a cut of my contribution?

No.

Why is there a minimum donation for credit cards?

We are grateful for all donations received. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for fraudsters to use donation mechanisms such as ours to test stolen credit cards to see if they work. Those people tend to use a very small amount for their testing: a minimum donation amount helps to deter this fraudulent activity.

How can I cancel recurring donations?

Badged donations

  • Active users
    On the phone, go to Signal Settings profile_avatar.png > sustainer-heart-outline.png Donate to Signal >  Manage Subscription > Cancel Subscription > Confirm.
  • Uninstalled without deleting your account?
    You can reinstall Signal, recover your account with your Signal PIN, then delete the account within the app. If you can not follow steps to delete the account, the donation will automatically cancel within 60 days from the uninstall date and may process up to two months of donations before it is cancelled. 
  • Reinstalled and recovered with a Signal PIN?
    If you recovered your account with your Signal PIN, your monthly donation is still active. Follow steps to cancel for active users.
  • Reinstalled without a Signal PIN?
    It will automatically cancel within 60 days from the uninstall date. You may be charged for two months.

Website donations

  • To cancel recurring donations via PayPal, please follow steps from PayPal’s support page here. PayPal requires you as the donor to log into your PayPal account and edit the donation there directly.
  • To cancel recurring donations via credit card or other methods, please follow steps from Donorbox’s support page here.

 

Taxes and Receipts

What is Signal Technology Foundation?

Signal Technology Foundation is the nonprofit organization that supports Signal Messenger, and its mission of developing open source privacy technology that protects free expression and enables secure communication around the world. Signal Technology Foundation is a nonprofit 501c3 tax-exempt organization based in the United States. We don’t run ads, but we still need to pay for servers and staff. If you count on Signal, we're counting on you.

Are my donations tax deductible?

Signal Technology Foundation is a nonprofit public charity established in the United States that is tax-exempt under section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Our Tax ID Number is 82-4506840. Refer to the tax code or consult a tax professional to determine whether your donation is tax deductible. 

If I make a donation, how do I get a receipt?

Badged donations

  • View and save receipts on your phone. Go to Signal Settings profile_avatar.png > sustainer-heart-outline.png Donate to Signal > Donation Receipts. If a receipt is available, select it. Then, save, print or share the receipt.
  • If you reinstalled Signal, receipts from previous donations will not be available.

Website donations

  • You will receive a tax receipt via email when you make a contribution through our website. Depending on the payment method used, it can take 1-7 business days for the receipt to arrive.

How can I get my company to match my donation?

Great question! Check with your Human Resources department to see if they have a matching program and how to request a matching donation. Signal’s Tax ID Number is 82-4506840, and we can be reached at donate@signal.org.

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