Purpose

The Friends for Good (‘FFG’) ongoing donation policy is committed to honouring and respecting the financial contributions that people make to FFG. The Organisation appreciates the importance of donations and wishes to establish appropriate principles of transparency and fairness in regard to the management of refunds.

Scope

This policy applies to all those who make financial donations to FFG and its employees and volunteers responsible for processing and managing financial donations.

Policy statement

FFG understands that persons who donate have considered their decision carefully and check donation amounts during transactions. FFG does recognises that errors occur, there may be changes to terms and situations when making an online donation or for donors to change their mind about the donation made. Errors can also be made by FFG or our financial institution.

Part 1: Arrangement Terms

• The initial terms agreed in terms of the direct debit arrangements are made between FFG and you.
• It is the responsibility of the donor to ensure that there are sufficient clear funds available in their account.
• FFG will give you at least 14 days’ notice in writing, by email or by phone when changes to the initial terms of the arrangement are made. This notice will state:
  • Next debit date
  • Any other changes to the initial terms
• If the donor wants to make changes to the direct debit arrangements, contact FFG. These changes may include:
  • Deferring the debit
  • Altering the schedule
  • Stopping an individual debit
  • Suspending the direct debit

Part 2: Cancellation Terms

• If the donor wishes to cancel the ongoing monthly donation arrangement, the donor must provide FFG 14 days’ notice in writing.
• Requests for cancellation can be sent by email or mail as follows: Email: click here or Mail: CEO, Friends for Good, 390 High Street, Northcote VIC 3070.

Part 3: Refund Terms

This policy outlines the circumstances under which FFG will refund a donation.

• If an error is made in making an online donation or if the donor changes their mind, we will honour all requests for refund that are made in writing within 14 days of the date the donation was made.
• The written refund request should include the details of the initial transaction including date, donation amount, donor's name, ID, tax invoice number and the nature of the error.
• Requests for refund can be sent by email or mail as follows: Email: click here or Mail: CEO, Friends for Good, 390 High Street, Northcote VIC 3070.
• FFG will fully examine all requests for refund and endeavour to ensure that genuine errors are rectified, however we are under no obligation to give refunds and the decision on refunds will be at FFG’s discretion.

Under this policy FFG will endeavour to handle donations in accordance with the following principles where appropriate:

Principles

• If an amount is adjusted by FFG, the original receipt issued for the incorrect amount will become invalid and a new receipt will be issued for the amount of the adjusted donation.
• FFG reserves the right to pass any administration transaction charges on to the donor.
• Refunds will be returned using the original method of payment – if donation has been made by credit card, the refund must be credited to the same credit card.
• Should an error be made by FFG or our financial institution(s), a refund of the full amount will be made once we are notified of the error in writing and all costs will be borne by FFG.
• All personal customer information held by FFG will be kept confidential except the information provided to our financial institution to initiate the direct debit to your nominated account.

Responsibility and policy owner

The owner of this policy is the Board of FFG. The owner is responsible for implementing the policy and achieving the desired outcomes. All FFG employees and volunteers responsible for receiving and processing donations shall:

• Respect and value all those who donate to FFG
• Ensure donation processes are secure and transparent
• Build trusting relationships with regular donors and partners
• Respond proactively to any issues arising in regard to donation refunds
• Communicate respectfully and professionally with those who request a refund or raise any issues or concerns that arise in regard to donation refunds.