MENTALLY ANONYMOUS

Donation, Refund & Tax-Deductibility Policy

1. Purpose and Scope

This Donation, Refund & Tax-Deductibility Policy explains how Mentally Anonymous receives, processes, acknowledges, manages, and, where appropriate, refunds charitable contributions, sponsorships, recurring gifts, event-related gifts, and other forms of donor support.

The purpose of this policy is to protect donor trust, promote financial transparency, support responsible stewardship, reduce misunderstanding, and ensure that the organization communicates accurately about tax matters, receipts, and the intended use of funds.

This policy applies to donations and gifts made through the Mentally Anonymous website, donation pages, online fundraising platforms, payment processors, event campaigns, mailed checks, bank transfers, corporate contributions, sponsorships, and other authorized giving channels.

2. Mission Stewardship Statement

Mentally Anonymous receives donations in support of its mission to create compassionate, judgment-free spaces for mental wellness awareness, community support, faith-and-mental-health education, stigma reduction, workshops, outreach, volunteer engagement, and related initiatives.

All gifts are received as acts of trust. Mentally Anonymous is committed to using donated funds responsibly, ethically, and in alignment with its charitable, educational, community-building, and mission-centered purposes.

3. Accepted Donation Methods

Mentally Anonymous may accept donations through one or more of the following methods, subject to availability and organizational approval:

– One-time online donations through the website or approved donation platform.

– Recurring monthly or periodic donations.

– Event or campaign-specific contributions.

– Corporate gifts, sponsorships, or partnership support.

– Mailed checks or other offline contributions where authorized.

– In-kind gifts, goods, professional services, or donated property, only when approved in advance.

– Matching gifts or donor-advised fund gifts, where accepted by the organization and permitted by the relevant third party.

Mentally Anonymous reserves the right to decline, return, or place conditions on any gift that may compromise its mission, legal obligations, public trust, independence, safety standards, financial accountability, or ethical commitments.

4. General Donation Policy

Unless expressly stated otherwise, donations to Mentally Anonymous are voluntary contributions made without expectation of a personal financial return, private benefit, ownership interest, or guaranteed service in exchange.

Donations may be used to support the organization’s general operations, programs, workshops, outreach, technology, community education, volunteer development, administrative costs, donor communications, compliance, fundraising infrastructure, and other mission-aligned needs.

When donors give to a specific campaign, program, or purpose, Mentally Anonymous will make reasonable efforts to use the gift for that stated purpose. However, if a program is changed, completed, discontinued, overfunded, delayed, or no longer feasible, the organization may use the funds for a substantially similar purpose or for the area of greatest mission need, unless a legally binding written restriction has been accepted by the organization.

5. Recurring Donations

Recurring donors authorize Mentally Anonymous and its payment processor to charge the selected payment method according to the donor’s chosen frequency and amount.

A recurring donor may request cancellation or modification of a recurring gift by using the donor account tools provided by the payment processor, following the instructions in the donation confirmation email, or contacting Mentally Anonymous at [Insert Donor Support Email].

Cancellation requests should be submitted at least five business days before the next scheduled charge when possible. Mentally Anonymous will make reasonable efforts to stop future charges promptly, but cannot guarantee cancellation of a payment already processed or already in transmission by the payment platform.

6. Refund Policy

Because donations are generally used to advance mission work and may be processed through third-party platforms, donations are generally non-refundable once completed. However, Mentally Anonymous recognizes that mistakes and unauthorized transactions may occur.

Refund requests may be considered in the following circumstances:

– Duplicate donation: The same donor is charged twice for the same intended gift.

– Donation amount error: The donor accidentally entered an incorrect amount or the donation platform processed a materially different amount than the donor intended.

– Unauthorized transaction: The donor reasonably reports that the gift was made without authorization.

– Technical or processing error: A payment processor, website, or donation form error caused an unintended charge.

– Event or campaign change: An event, campaign, or restricted purpose is canceled or materially changed, and the organization determines that a refund or redesignation is appropriate.

– Other exceptional circumstances: The organization determines, in its discretion, that refunding the gift is fair, responsible, and consistent with donor trust.

To request a refund, the donor should contact Mentally Anonymous at [Insert Donor Support Email] and provide the donor name, donation date, donation amount, payment method used, transaction confirmation if available, and a brief explanation of the issue.

Refund requests should be made as soon as possible and preferably within thirty days of the donation date. Requests submitted after that period may still be reviewed, but approval may depend on payment processor rules, accounting limitations, campaign restrictions, and whether funds have already been committed or used.

Approved refunds will generally be issued to the original payment method when available. Processing times may vary based on the payment processor, donor bank, card issuer, or donation platform. Transaction fees may be non-refundable when the payment processor does not return them to Mentally Anonymous.

7. Chargebacks and Payment Disputes

Donors are encouraged to contact Mentally Anonymous first if there is a concern about a donation, duplicate charge, incorrect amount, or recurring gift. Direct communication usually allows the organization to resolve issues faster and more cooperatively than a payment dispute.

If a donor initiates a chargeback or payment dispute, Mentally Anonymous may provide relevant documentation to the payment processor, including donation confirmation details, receipt records, recurring gift authorization, communication records, or refund correspondence. Fraudulent or abusive disputes may result in restricted future giving access.

8. Tax-Deductibility Statement

Mentally Anonymous must not state or imply that donations are tax-deductible unless the organization’s eligibility to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions has been confirmed.

If Mentally Anonymous is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions, donations may be deductible to the extent allowed by law. Donors are responsible for consulting their own tax advisors regarding the tax treatment of their gifts.

If Mentally Anonymous has not yet received tax-exempt recognition, has an application pending, operates through a fiscal sponsor, or is using another legal structure, the Donate page and receipts should clearly state the correct current status. The organization should not use the phrase ‘tax-deductible’ unless the basis for that statement is confirmed and documented.

 

9. Donation Receipts and Written Acknowledgments

Mentally Anonymous will make reasonable efforts to provide donation receipts or written acknowledgments for contributions received through approved channels. Donation receipts may be sent by email, issued through the donation platform, mailed, or provided as part of a year-end donor statement.

Donation acknowledgments should include, where applicable, the organization’s name, donation date, amount of cash contribution, description of non-cash contribution if applicable, and a statement indicating whether goods or services were provided in exchange for the gift.

For gifts involving goods, services, event benefits, tickets, meals, merchandise, or other donor benefits, only the amount exceeding the fair market value of goods or services received may be potentially deductible, if the organization is eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions and applicable law permits the deduction.

Donors are responsible for retaining receipts, confirmations, acknowledgments, canceled checks, bank records, card statements, or other documentation needed for their own records and tax filings.

10. Quid Pro Quo Contributions, Events, and Sponsorship Benefits

A quid pro quo contribution occurs when a donor makes a payment partly as a contribution and partly in exchange for goods, services, admission, recognition, promotional value, meals, merchandise, or other benefits.

When Mentally Anonymous offers event tickets, sponsorship packages, tables, advertising benefits, branded recognition, or other benefits in connection with a donation, the organization should disclose the estimated fair market value of the goods or services provided and identify the portion of the payment that may be treated as a charitable contribution, if applicable.

Event registration fees, ticket purchases, sponsorship benefits, merchandise purchases, auction purchases, and other transactions may not be fully tax-deductible. Donors and sponsors should consult their tax advisors regarding deductibility.

11. Designated, Restricted, and Campaign-Specific Gifts

A designated gift is a donation given for a stated program, campaign, initiative, event, or purpose. Mentally Anonymous will make reasonable efforts to honor donor designations that are consistent with the organization’s mission and accepted by the organization.

A donor restriction is only binding if it is expressly accepted by Mentally Anonymous in writing by an authorized representative. Informal comments in a donation note, email, or form submission may be considered donor preference rather than a legally binding restriction unless expressly accepted.

If a designated program becomes impracticable, fully funded, delayed, changed, or discontinued, Mentally Anonymous may contact the donor to discuss redesignation, or may use the funds for a similar mission-aligned purpose where legally permissible.

12. In-Kind Gifts, Donated Goods, and Professional Services

Mentally Anonymous may accept in-kind gifts only when the gift supports the organization’s mission, can be used or managed responsibly, and does not create undue burden, safety risk, storage cost, liability, conflict of interest, or reputational concern.

Donors of non-cash gifts are responsible for determining the value of donated property and obtaining any required appraisal or tax documentation. Mentally Anonymous will generally provide a description of the donated item but will not assign tax value to the donor’s property unless specifically advised by qualified counsel or accounting professionals.

Donated professional services, volunteer time, or pro bono services may be deeply valued by the organization, but their tax treatment may differ from cash and property contributions. Donors should consult a tax advisor regarding deductibility.

13. Donor Privacy and Public Recognition

Mentally Anonymous respects donor privacy. Donor names, contact information, donation history, payment details, and communication preferences will be handled in accordance with the organization’s Privacy Policy.

Mentally Anonymous will not intentionally sell donor personal information. The organization may share limited donor information with authorized service providers, payment processors, donation platforms, accounting support, compliance professionals, or other vendors only as reasonably necessary to process gifts, issue receipts, maintain records, communicate with donors, comply with law, or administer organizational operations.

Donors may request that their gift be treated anonymously in public-facing materials. Mentally Anonymous will make reasonable efforts to honor anonymity requests, subject to accounting, legal, reporting, and administrative requirements.

14. Use of Third-Party Donation Platforms and Payment Processors

Mentally Anonymous may use third-party donation platforms, payment processors, card processors, email systems, CRM tools, analytics services, or accounting tools to process donations and maintain donor records.

Third-party platforms may have their own terms of service, privacy policies, refund rules, transaction fees, recurring donation controls, and data practices. Donors should review the relevant third-party terms when completing a donation.

Mentally Anonymous is not responsible for delays, temporary outages, bank processing times, card issuer decisions, or third-party platform limitations outside its reasonable control, but will make good-faith efforts to assist donors with donation-related concerns.

15. Financial Stewardship and Administrative Costs

Mentally Anonymous may use donated funds for direct program work as well as reasonable administrative, technology, compliance, professional, fundraising, communication, insurance, operational, and infrastructure costs necessary to sustain responsible mission delivery.

Effective stewardship includes both visible community programs and the behind-the-scenes systems required to run them safely and lawfully. Donor support may therefore be used for program services, leadership support, donor systems, website tools, payment processing, volunteer coordination, educational materials, event logistics, professional services, reporting, and other mission-supporting needs.

16. Changes to This Policy

Mentally Anonymous may update this Donation, Refund & Tax-Deductibility Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, tax status, organizational practice, donation platforms, payment processing rules, fundraising campaigns, or governance decisions.

The updated version will be posted on the website with a revised effective date or last updated date. Continued use of the donation page after a policy update means the donor acknowledges the updated policy as it applies to future donations.

17. Contact for Donation Questions

Questions about donations, receipts, recurring gifts, refund requests, donor privacy, or tax-deductibility statements may be directed to: