Frequently asked questions

Yes, and it is free to apply. Destined for Success pairs first generation and underserved college students with donors who help cover tuition, books, and supplies, and with mentors who help with college prep and career guidance. You apply with your school issued email address ending in .edu or .org, build a profile with your photo, school, and goals, and our team reviews it by hand before any supporter can see it. Start at destinedforsuccess.org/sign-up?role=student.

It is free for students and there is nothing to pay back. Support you receive is a voluntary gift, not a loan and not an investment, so there is no repayment, no interest, and no ownership stake for the person giving. Mentorship is always free for students too. You are never charged to apply, to appear on the platform, or to be matched with a mentor.

You need to be a college student with a school issued email address that ends in .edu or .org, and you need to complete a full profile with your photo, your school, and the goals you are raising support toward. First generation and underserved students are who the platform was built for, and many students on it attend HBCUs. Every application is reviewed by a person before it goes live, so a complete and honest profile matters more than anything else.

No. All messaging happens on the platform and is reviewed for safety. Supporters cannot reach you outside the platform unless you explicitly agree to it, and moving a conversation to a call, a video, or an in person meeting is always your choice. Anything that feels wrong can be reported through our report tool at any time.

Sign up at destinedforsuccess.org/sign-up?role=donor, which is the same entry point for everyone offering support, then choose mentoring when you set up your profile. Our team reviews and approves every mentor profile by hand before you get access, and you are emailed the moment you are approved. After that you can browse students, connect, and schedule mentorship meetings through the platform.

No. Time counts on its own. Mentors give college prep and career guidance and nothing else is required, and plenty of people on the platform mentor without ever sending a dollar. You are welcome to do both if you want to, but the two are entirely separate choices.

Even an hour a month helps, and that is genuinely the bar. You tell us what you can offer, students tell us their goals, and we match on that basis so nobody is set up to overcommit. Meetings are scheduled through the platform and mentorship is always free for the student.

College prep and career guidance, which in practice means the things nobody hands first generation students automatically. Choosing courses and a major, finding internships and applying for them, building a resume, preparing for interviews, and figuring out what a career in a given field actually looks like from someone who has done it. You are not expected to be a financial advisor or a therapist, and the community guidelines set out where the boundaries are.

Not yet. We operate as a community platform while our 501(c)(3) application is in progress. Until it's granted, donations are personal gifts and are not tax-deductible — we'll update this site the moment that changes.

All of it. You send support directly to the student through an outside service of your choice. Destined for Success does not process, hold, or move the money, and takes no cut. The only fees that could apply are whatever the outside service you use normally charges.

No. Every gift is a voluntary charitable gift — not an investment, loan, or purchase. You receive no ownership stake, no repayment, and no financial return, and the student is under no obligation to do anything in return. Give what you're comfortable giving to the students and goals you believe in.

Students set their own goals, and we don't guarantee that any goal will be fully funded. A goal is a target, not a promise. Any support a student receives along the way is theirs to put toward their education.

Because the platform never holds or moves the money — it goes directly between you and the student through an outside app — we cannot reverse a payment. Any refund is strictly between you and the student through the service you used. We're glad to help mediate, but we can't move funds ourselves.

Supporters can upload a screenshot or link as a record. We use it only to confirm the amount and keep track of the support given. We never see, hold, or touch the money itself.

Students apply with a school-issued email (ending in .edu or .org) and complete a full profile with their photo, school, and goals. Our team reviews and approves every application by hand before it's visible to supporters — no profile goes live automatically. We do not independently verify a student's financial need or how they use the support they receive beyond this review.

The account details you provide, your profile, your messages on the platform, and a record of support given. We share data only with the service providers we need to run the platform, we never sell it, and we only disclose it to law enforcement when legally compelled. Our Privacy Policy lists every provider.

Any move off the platform — a call, a video, or an in-person meeting — is always the student's choice and happens at your own judgment and risk. We don't supervise, control, or record off-platform interactions and aren't responsible for them. Please report anything concerning through our report tool.

Once you're approved, you can message students through the platform. All messages stay on the platform and are reviewed for safety. Contacting a student off the platform requires that student's explicit consent.