Frequently asked questions

6 Questions

Einstellung der Plattform

Warum ist es nicht mehr möglich, ein Gruppenkonto zu eröffnen?

Mit schwerem Herzen müssen wir die elinor Plattform einstellen. Aus diesem Grund sind keine Neuregistrierungen möglich. Weitere Informationen findest du in unserem Abschiedsbrief.

Warum können keine Mitglieder eingeladen werden?

Mit schwerem Herzen müssen wir die elinor Plattform einstellen. Aus diesem Grund ist die Einladung neuer Mitglieder nicht möglich. Weitere Informationen findest du in unserem Abschiedsbrief.

Was passiert mit dem Geld, was auf unserem Gruppenkonto liegt?
  • Ab dem 31. Oktober 2023 werden keine Einzahlungen mehr möglich sein.

  • Bis zum 30. November 2023 müsst ihr eure Gruppenkonten aufgelöst haben (eine kleine Anleitung dazu findet ihr hier). Die Gelder, die darauf liegen, sind nach wie vor sicher. Bitte sorgt dafür, dass ihr ein Konto findet, auf das ihr euer Geld überweisen könnt, um eure Initiative oder Projekt weiterzuführen.

Was müssen wir als Gruppe beachten?

Bis zum 30. November 2023 müsst ihr eure Gruppenkonten aufgelöst haben (eine kleine Anleitung dazu findet ihr hier). Die Gelder, die darauf liegen, sind nach wie vor sicher. Bitte sorgt dafür, dass ihr ein Konto findet, auf das ihr euer Geld überweisen könnt, um eure Initiative oder Projekt weiterzuführen.

How can I close a group?

You vote on the group dissolution as a group. In your group contract you can see with which majority and in which period you decide about the dissolution of your group.

In your group under "Group Contract" > "Details" you will find the button "Close Group".

  • Click on it to start the voting.

  • Select the reason for the group dissolution from the menu and enter a bank account to which the remaining group assets should be transferred after successful voting.

  • Finally click on the button "Start vote".

All group members will be notified and asked to vote.

After the group resolution, you can delete your user accounts in your respective profiles. Please click on your names in the top right corner to open your profiles and then click on the "Delete user account" button at the bottom of the page.

Gibt es Alternativen zu elinor?

Als Alternative zu elinor könnt ihr überlegen, einen nicht eingetragenen Verein (n.e.V.) zu gründen oder euch Open Collective oder Gnosis Safe anschauen.

  • Die Gründung eines nicht eingetragenen Vereins geht schneller als eine klassische Vereinsgründung und ermöglicht euch, bei eurer lokalen Bank ein Konto zu eröffnen. Mustersatzungen findet ihr online.

  • Open Collective ist eine Fundraising- und Geldverwaltungsplattform und eignet sich insbesondere für gesellschaftlich aktivistische Graswurzelbewegungen.

  • Gnosis Safe ist ein dezentrales Vermögensverwaltungs- und Verwahrungsprotokoll. Es eignet sich vor allem für Krypto- oder Tech-Affine.

4 Questions

First Steps

Why do I have to join the elinor Treuhand e.V.?

In order to manage funds in groups it is necessary to have a legal entity that holds your funds on a trust basis. Therefore an association is the simplest option. The membership in the association is free of cost and can be cancelled at any time. You can find more information here.

How do I create a group?

After registrating on the platform, please click on "Create group", fill the form with general information about your group (for example the name and the aim of your group) and then determine the framework conditions for the group contract.

You can find more information here.

How can I enter a group?

There are two different ways to enter a group:

  • Creating an own group
  • Entering an existing group

Under the menu "Groups" you can find all existing groups. Groups can may have different entry conditions:

  • On member invitation
  • On member invitation with vote.

The "Free to join" entry condition has been removed for security reasons.

In order to become an active member of the group you need to approve the group contract.

How can I invite new members to join my group?

In your group you may find the section "Members", please click on plus and enter the email adress of the people you want to invite. They will be notified by email and can join the group after successfully registrating.

5 Questions

Group Account

Is a group account convenient for me?

A group account is convenient, if you want to manage money jointly, democratically and digitally. The group account is not just an account, it partially replaces a legal form that you would otherwise need to start joint actions and manage the associated cash flows. Our users are activists, school classes, political groups or shared living projects.

What is the legal structure of the group account?

The group account is not a private bank account, but a bookkeeping account, which is held for you by elinor Treuhand e.V.. This creates a kind of fiduciary relationship since the association holds the funds for you.

Who can create a group account?

Everyone who registered on our plattform and joined the elinor Treuhand e.V. can create a group account.

Will I receive a card for my group account?

Currently we do not offer any cards, but we plan to do so in the future.

Can we have an association account through elinor?

Since we are not a bank, we do not offer association accounts. Since we ourselves are an association with a trust account at GLS Bank, we are not authorized to provide accounts for other institutions. We offer group accounts only to such groups, which due to their constitution do not have the framework to open a bank account themselves.

7 Questions

Incoming Payments

How can I make an incoming payment?

Incoming payments can easily be made via bank transfer. You can find your bank details in the dashboard of your group. Everyone can make an incoming payment, even those who don’t have an account on elinor and who are not members of your group. It is important to enter the code that you find under "Purpose", so that the payment can be assigned to your group.

For incoming payments by PayPal you can use this link:

https://paypal.me/elinorTreuhand?country.x=DE&locale.x=de_DE

Remember to add your specific purpose as message. Please note: Incoming payments via PayPal are imported every two weeks.

!!! Currently there are difficulties with our PayPal account !!! For this reason we are not able to accept PayPal payments for the time being. We are working at full speed to solve the problem in a timely manner. We ask for your patience and apologize for the inconvenience.

Can I make an incoming payment by PayPal?

For incoming payments by PayPal you can use this link: https://paypal.me/elinorTreuhand?country.x=DE&locale.x=de_DE

Remember to add your specific purpose as message. Please note: Incoming payments via PayPal are imported every two weeks.

!!! Currently there are difficulties with our PayPal account !!! For this reason we are not able to accept PayPal payments for the time being. We are working at full speed to solve the problem in a timely manner. We ask for your patience and apologize for the inconvenience.

Do I need to indicate a specific purpose if I want to make an incoming payment?

Yes, please do not forget to indicate the purpose that you find under "Bank details" so that our system can assign the incoming payment to your group account. However, if something goes wrong, please contact support@elinor.network with the description of the error.

Can I add individual notes to the mandatory purpose of payment?

Yes! When making payments to the group account you can add your own notes after the predefined purpose. So you have an even better overview of your transactions.

Why do I have two purposes?

The purpose (Donation) is public. You can release it externally. Incoming payments to the elinor Treuhand e.V. bank account with this purpose will be credited to your group account as an external donation.

The purpose (Personal) is personal for each user. If a user transfers money to the elinor Treuhand e.V. bank account by using his/her personal purpose, the incoming payment will also be credited to the group account and additionally it will be assigned to his/her user account.

I made an incoming payment but forgot to add the purpose. What can I do?

Please contact support@elinor.network with the description of the error.

How long does it take for an incoming payment to be credited?

An incoming payment will appear on your group account within the usual time of a bank transfer plus one day processing time. Over the weekend and holidays it can take a little more time.

Incoming payments via PayPal are imported every two weeks.

10 Questions

Outgoing payments

How can I make a transfer from the group account?

In order to make a transfer you need to request an outgoing payment. You can find out how to request an outgoing payment under: How can I request an outgoing payment?.

How can I request an outgoing payment?

In your group you can find the button "Create payment" under "Transactions". Click the button "Request outgoing payment" and fill out the form by entering information about the outgoing payment, the amount, the purpose and the bank details of the recipient's account. At the end click the start button.

Who can request an outgoing payment?

Every member of your group can request an outgoing payment.

How does the voting on outgoing payments work?

We provide you with a voting procedure. You determine who should be able to decide on incoming and outgoing payments. In your group contract you determine whether all group members or selected ones may vote.

You also determine the majority ratio in your group contract. This is based on the total number of votes and not on the total number of group members. At least 50% of the members entitled to vote must vote for each decision. Each group determines for itself how long the voting is opened and when it will close to be evaluated.

Can we send money only to members of our group?

No, outgoing payments can be made to all bank accounts that have a European or Swiss IBAN.

Group members can save their own bank details in their profile under "Saved bank accounts" > "Create bank account".

Is it possible to make an outgoing payment to a third person?

Yes, from your group account you can transfer money to other bank accounts. You can find more information here: How do can I enter external bank accounts? and How can I request an outgoing payment?

How can I set up a recurring outgoing payment?

When creating a request for an outgoing payment you can specify whether the the outgoing payment should be one-time or recurring.

You can set up a permanent money transfer order to the elinor group account in your own online banking. In your group you can find the exact bank details for your group account.

How can I stop a recurring outgoing payment?

In your group you can find all the pending outgoing payments under "Payment orders" > „Details“. If you click on "Outgoing Payment", you can scroll down and delete the recurring out-going payment.

How can I save bank details?

When creating a request for an outgoing payment you can enter the bank account to which the payment should be made. You can also check "Save for group" and add a description so that the other group members can also use these bank details when creating outgoing payments.

You can save your own bank details in your user account. Click on your name in the upper right corner and then on the button "Create bank account". Fill in all the fields and finally click on "Save bank account". After saving your account, you can click on the gear icon and define in which groups the bank account should be visible. This will allow other group members to easily select the bank account when creating outgoing payments.

You can find the bank accounts that are associated with your group under the "create payment" panel. Here the group admins or the bank account owners can add a description to each bank account or delete the bank accounts from the group.

Why aren‘t payments made by direct debit possible?

Payments made by direct debit are not possible on elinor because this could be used to bypass the group voting and we want to prevent misused outgoing payments.

8 Questions

Group changes

How can I change the settings (name, description, join mode, payment deciders, etc.) of the group?

All changes will be decided jointly. You can suggest a change to the group settings by editing the group contract.

In the dashboard of your group account you will find your group contract. Click on “Details” to open it. On the top right corner, you can click on "edit" and update the group contract. Finally, click on "create". The other group members will be notified of the change and can agree or disagree.

How can I close a group?

You vote on the group dissolution as a group. In your group contract you can see with which majority and in which period you decide about the dissolution of your group.

In your group under "Group Contract" > "Details" you will find the button "Close Group".

  • Click on it to start the voting.

  • Select the reason for the group dissolution from the menu and enter a bank account to which the remaining group assets should be transferred after successful voting.

  • Finally click on the button "Start vote".

All group members will be notified and asked to vote.

After the group resolution, you can delete your user accounts in your respective profiles. Please click on your names in the top right corner to open your profiles and then click on the "Delete user account" button at the bottom of the page.

What happens to the funds when a group account has to be closed?

The funds of a group must be paid out before the group is closed. When closing the group you will be asked to provide some bank details. If the group closure vote is successful, the remaining balance of the group account will be paid out to the provided bank details.

How can I assign the admin role to someone else?

As an admin you can change the role of every group member under "Members", by clicking on the gear icon next to the name.

What happens if the founder of the group is no longer active?

A group admin can’t leave the group. First of all, she/he/they has/have to assign the admin role to another member. (See How can I assign the admin role to someone else?)

How can I leave the group?

In your group you can find the button "Leave group" under "Members". Please note: If you are an admin, you can’t leave the group. First of all, you need to assign the admin role to another member.

How can I exclude a member from the group?

You can click on the gear icon next to the member's name under "Members" . This will open a new window. Here you can enter the reason and start the voting by clicking on the corresponding button. All members will be notified and asked to vote. The member whose exclusion is being voted on has not the right to vote.

How can I unlock my account?

Please write us at support@elinor.network

3 Questions

Group profile

What is the group profile page?

Your group profile page is a public page about your group. It helps you present your project and reach out to supporters. Customize your group profile and share the link by e-mail, messenger or on your social media, so everyone can contribute.

How can I edit the group profile page?

You'll find the link to your group profile page in the top right corner of your group. Group admins can click on "edit" and add or delete various widgets an then click on "Leave edit mode". The changes will be applied directly.

Why can't I edit the group profile?

The group profile can be edited only by group admins.

7 Questions

User fee

How much does elinor cost?

You decide how much you want to contribute to the costs for the operation and development of elinor. This is why we call the user fee “elinor contribution“. In your group contract under „user fee“ you can choose between a percentage of each incoming payment or a fixed monthly contribution and determine how much it should be. You can find more information here.

For the use of twingle we incur additional costs. For this reason, the elinor contribution for the groups with a twingle account must be at least 2.5%. This corresponds to what is charged internally by twingle.

Why should we pay a contribution for the use of elinor?

With your contribution you make our work possible. You finance our salaries, office space, and the technology and tools we need to work.

Only through you we can offer the elinor platform.

Which contribution fits our group?

You decide. Our recommendation is: groups that are supported by the contributions of their members (class funds through parent contributions, team funds through the team) often use a fixed contribution. Action-based groups, large groups and fundraising initiatives that are supported by a large number of supporters should pay a percentage contribution.

How can I set the elinor contribution?

When creating your group you will find the item Use fee. Here you can select the type of contribution and determine how much it should be.

How can I change the elinor contribution?

You can change the elinor contribution in your group under "Group contract" > „Details“ > "Edit". All group members will be notified so that they can vote.

What do we have to do to pay the elinor contribution?

After you have set your elinor contribution in your group contract, you don't have to do anything. The percentage contribution is automatically deducted each time you make an incoming payment and the fixed contribution is deducted on the first day of each month.

When is the monthly elinor contribution debited?

The monthly elinor contribution is debited on the first day of each month, if the group account balance is sufficient.

3 Questions

Fiscal issues

What should be considered for tax purposes when making incoming payments to the group account?

Incoming payments have to be considered as donations in favor of your group. Incoming payments until 20.000 € are tax-free. Higher incoming payments are taxable. For this you can use the outgoing payment function of the group account.

Should the funds on our group account appear on our tax return?

The funds that are in the group account do not have to appear on your tax return.

I made a donation to an elinor group. Can I receive a donation receipt?

We are not allowed to write donation receipts because our company ist not listed as non-profit.

3 Questions

Company

What is elinor GmbH?

elinor GmbH ist the company that provides the platform app.elinor.network

What is elinor Treuhand e.V.?

eloinor Treuhand e.V. is non profit-oriented association. The only aim of the association is: enabling the group accounts for projects, initiatives and groups, support of its members who need help after damages or particular living condition, research on different possibilities of risk prevention. The membership in the elinor Treuhand e.V. is a requirement for the use of elinor. The membership is free of cost. You can find more information here.

Why does elinor Treuhand e.V. exist?

This association works as a container that keeps the funds of its members. To them he returns the most important rights and responsibilities. This is the peer-to-peer approach that we’re trying to use to decentralize the places of monetary decision-making. You can find more information here.

4 Questions

Other

What happens with the money on the group account?

All money that flows through the elinor Treuhand e.V. in the respective group accounts is invested sustainably and ecologically at GLS Bank. GLS Bank is the world's first eco-bank. It offers its more than 300,000 customers all the services of a modern bank and makes money to an instrument of social shaping. You can find more information under www.gls.de.

How is the money secured at elinor?

All incoming payment in an elinor group account are held in custody by GLS Bank. GLS Bank is part of the legally recognized deposit protection system, which reimburses deposits up to 100,000 euros in case of bank insolvency. In addition, GLS Bank is a member of the protection scheme of the cooperative banks. This has been successfully fulfilling the task of averting imminent or existing economic difficulties at cooperative banks for over 90 years. For more information, visit www.bvr-institutssicherung.de.

Who is responsiple for the observance of the group contract?

The group contract is an agreement exclusively between the group members. The group itself is responsible for its observance. We can help as neutral facilitator in case of a conflict. Please write to info@elinor.network.

You didn‘t find an answer to your question?

Do not hesitate to contact us. Use our contact form and write us your request.