Frequently Asked Questions
In which states is the explore solar/receive a donation service available?
California and North Carolina.
What does '$50+' mean?
The amount we can give is ultimately determined by the number of people who choose to go solar--the program is made possible financially through the marketing budgets of our solar education partners. For various reasons, people in some places adopt solar at different rates than others. To see what the exact donation is in your state, read the next question and answer.
What is the exact donation for where I live?
California: $100
North Carolina: $50
What are people saying about their experience with Ovanova?
"Wonderful company. They do what they say. Our school Westchester Secondary Charter School has already received the benefits both financially and product-wise. One of our board members is thrilled by their new solar panels. Thank you Ovanova." - Judith F., Westchester Secondary Charter School, CA
"Thanks Ovanova for making this such a painless process. I learned a lot about solar energy production and the subsidies that my state offers for converting to solar. In the end, the benefits did not necessarily outweigh the costs in my particular state, but never once did I have a sales person try to pressure me and sell me on it. It was purely educational. Glad I took the time to learn about solar with Ovanova." - M. Skalka, NC test user.
"Using Ovanova to raise money for our organization has been a refreshing experience. It was easy for me to get information on going solar without the stress. Instead of dealing with pushy salesman trying to close a deal, I was contacted by a customer service agent who collected information one time and supplied me with three proposals I could compare and choose from. This made me feel more in control while saving me time and hassle. I know I will get the best installation because of their contractor vetting process and I know I will get the best quotes out there because of the bidding process the contractors do to get my business. Maria, the customer service agent, was polite, treated me with respect, made sure I knew what to expect, and made sure all my questions were answered without trying to sway my decision. She also emailed me a few times after our initial call to update me and to be sure I knew what was happening with the process. I will definitely recommend this service. The bonus is that no matter what I decide- to go solar or not with their service, my organization will benefit just from me finding out what solar might look like for me."--Mark B., California
Where does the money come from?
The marketing and advertising budgets of the solar education partners in our network.
How do you choose the states where your service is available?
We serve communities in the places where people are losing money right now by continuing to use old-fashioned energy.
What about people who rent or live in different states?
Renters and people in the states not listed above cannot use the 'receive a quote, create a donation' service. However, we recently partnered with Arcadia Power to allow us to serve renters and homeowners in all fifty states with a slightly different offer.
When a supporter chooses to have half their energy replaced with clean energy at no cost to them, the community organization will receive $5.
When they choose to pay an additional $0.015/kWh to have 100% of their energy be clean energy, we donate $50 to the cause.
How do you choose the solar education companies you partner with?
We created our service by listening to leaders of community organizations.
We understand the most important thing to organizations is their relationship with supporters. All of the companies we work with agree to three things before we accept them into our network.
1. No in-home visits from salespeople.
The entire educational process is done online and over the phone so the quality of the interaction can be standardized and miscommunication easily corrected. Some partners have the ability to send someone to your home if you request it directly, but this service is not available in all places nor is it encouraged.
2. Never resell your supporters' information to spammers.
We heard horror stories of people receiving endless phone calls from solar companies they had never consciously agreed to speak with. After your supporters learn what they can save by using solar, they will not be contacted again without their consent.
3. Deliver outstanding, objective value.
Our partners either work with multiple solar installers using unique systems they've created to 'do the shopping for you', and find the best value, or they offer a special price well below market value to people using our service because they believe in what we are doing for communities, and want to be a part of it. As our network expands, the savings will as well. As of now, the homeowners using our service are saving just under $5,000 on average, compared to market rates.
What types of organizations can use our service to raise funds?
Any. The sun shines on all of us. We are radically inclusive, just like the sun.
If you have an organization of people who trusts you and would care to support your cause, we will create a campaign page for you. We don't care if you are a Boy Scout Troop, a church group, book club, burning man camp, blog author, rock star, social media maven, a national non-profit, someone who wants to use raising solar awareness to raise money for an idea, business, or project, a community who wants to support a family going through a difficult time, or a group of buddies who want to use the money you raise to have a party for your fantasy football league. The sun shines on all of us.
One thing we won't do is hide where the money goes. The campaign form will clearly state which organization, group, community or cause will be receiving the funds.
Who can use the service to give back by exploring solar?
People who own a home, building or property which receives, or could receive, enough sunlight to go solar.
When will the donations be sent?
We will send the $100 gift to the organization within six weeks of a home, building, or property owner receiving a solar quote.
In most cases your organization receives these funds within six weeks, but it could be sooner depending on how long it takes supporters to complete the process, which is very flexible and based on their schedule.
How will our community members' information be protected?
We operate a secure site platform, share your supporters' information with only one solar education partner, and all Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is anonymized before being shared with the solar installation network. This information is never resold by us or our partners, per contractual agreement before we accept them into our network.
Who are the installers?
All installers in the networks of our solar educational partners are pre-screened local and regional installers (the kind who are licensed, bonded, insured, highly rated and professional).
What about corporate matching funds?
If you have a corporate partner who does matching funds, ask them about it. They could also use the sponsorship as a way to show their support for the environment.
How can we receive information about who has accepted our invitation and completed the process?
We will provide this information upon request, and as we develop our technology it will be readily available on demand.
How do we sign up?
Visit our homepage and follow the links. We'll create a custom campaign for you and be in touch with some tools to help you spread the word.
Additional Contact Info:
Emailing ovanova@ovanova.co and our facebook page are the best ways to reach us.
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