Donation and Refund Policy

Donation and Refund Policy

Effective Date: September 17, 2026
Last Updated: September 17, 2026

RGV Road to Recovery IA is grateful for the individuals, families, churches, organizations, and community partners who support our Christ-centered recovery mission.

This policy explains how donations are processed, how recurring gifts and restricted-purpose requests are handled, when a refund may be considered, and how purchases made through outside fundraising partners differ from direct charitable contributions.

1. Organization Information

RGV Road to Recovery IA
EIN: 41-4111343
Website: https://rgvroadtorecovery.org
Email: office@rgvroadtorecovery.org

2. Voluntary Contributions

Donations are voluntary gifts intended to support the mission, programs, administration, outreach, educational resources, and other lawful activities of RGV Road to Recovery IA.

Making a donation does not:

  • Purchase medical treatment or counseling;

  • Guarantee participation in a program;

  • Guarantee treatment or housing placement;

  • Create a professional or fiduciary relationship;

  • Entitle the donor to control organizational decisions;

  • Authorize access to confidential participant information; or

  • Guarantee a particular program result.

RGV retains responsibility for determining how accepted contributions are administered, subject to applicable law and any restriction expressly accepted by RGV in writing.

3. Donation Processing

Online donations may be processed through Givebutter and its payment-processing partners, which may include Stripe, PayPal, Venmo, or other available providers.

The payment provider may collect and process:

  • Donor name;

  • Email address;

  • Mailing address;

  • Telephone number;

  • Donation amount;

  • Payment method;

  • Billing information;

  • Recurring-gift instructions;

  • Transaction identifiers; and

  • Fraud-prevention and security information.

RGV ordinarily does not receive or retain a donor’s complete payment-card number or online banking credentials.

The payment provider’s terms, privacy policy, processing limitations, and security practices also apply to information submitted directly through its service.

4. Receipts and Donation Records

Givebutter or another payment provider may send an automatic email receipt following an online contribution.

Donors should retain:

  • The donation receipt;

  • Payment confirmation;

  • Canceled check or financial statement;

  • Any acknowledgment issued by RGV; and

  • Documentation concerning goods or services received in connection with the payment.

RGV will seek to provide acknowledgments containing information appropriate to the type of contribution, including whether goods or services were provided in return when applicable.

A donor who needs a duplicate or corrected acknowledgment may contact office@rgvroadtorecovery.org.

The donor is responsible for providing an accurate name, email address, mailing address, and other information needed for acknowledgment and recordkeeping.

5. Tax-Deductibility

The appearance of a Donate button or receipt does not by itself determine whether a payment is deductible.

The deductibility of a contribution depends on:

  • RGV’s applicable federal and state status at the time of the contribution;

  • The nature and purpose of the contribution;

  • Whether the donor received goods or services;

  • Whether the payment was made for the benefit of a particular individual;

  • The donor’s own tax circumstances; and

  • Applicable law.

A payment for books, merchandise, admission, services, housing, or other goods or benefits may be partly deductible, not deductible, or treated differently from an unrestricted charitable contribution.

RGV does not provide tax, legal, or financial advice. Donors should consult a qualified tax adviser and may verify an organization’s eligibility through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.

6. Goods or Services Provided to a Donor

When a donor receives goods or services in connection with a contribution, RGV will seek to identify:

  • The total payment;

  • A good-faith estimate of the value of the goods or services provided; and

  • The portion that may represent a charitable contribution, when appropriate.

Examples may include:

  • Event admission;

  • Meals;

  • Books;

  • Merchandise;

  • Sponsorship benefits;

  • Advertising recognition; or

  • Other items of more than insubstantial value.

The donor is responsible for determining the amount, if any, claimed as a charitable deduction.

7. Recurring Donations

A recurring donation authorizes the payment provider to process future contributions according to the frequency and amount selected by the donor.

A recurring gift continues until:

  • The donor cancels it;

  • The payment method fails;

  • The scheduled end date is reached;

  • RGV or the payment provider ends the recurring plan; or

  • Continued processing is otherwise prohibited.

A donor may request cancellation by:

  • Using the recurring-plan management option provided in the receipt or donor account;

  • Contacting Givebutter or the applicable payment provider; or

  • Emailing office@rgvroadtorecovery.org.

Cancellation requests should be submitted at least five business days before the next scheduled charge whenever possible.

RGV will make reasonable efforts to stop future charges after receiving and verifying the request. A payment already submitted or being processed may still be completed.

Canceling a recurring plan prevents future scheduled gifts but does not automatically refund previous donations.

Donors should retain written confirmation that the recurring plan has been canceled.

8. Donor-Requested Designations

A donor may express a preference that a contribution support a particular RGV program, campaign, project, publication, outreach effort, or other ministry purpose.

A designation becomes binding only when RGV expressly accepts the restriction in writing.

Unless otherwise required by an accepted written gift agreement, RGV retains full discretion and control over donated funds to ensure that contributions serve charitable and organizational purposes.

If a designated program or project:

  • Receives more funding than needed;

  • Is completed;

  • Is delayed;

  • Becomes impractical;

  • Is discontinued;

  • Cannot lawfully receive or use the funds; or

  • No longer requires the contribution,

RGV may use the funds for a substantially similar purpose or where they are most needed to advance the organization’s mission.

A donor who requires a legally restricted use should contact RGV and obtain a written gift agreement before making the contribution.

9. Contributions Intended to Benefit an Individual

A payment designated solely for a specific individual may not qualify as a charitable contribution.

RGV must retain appropriate discretion and control over charitable funds. RGV may decline, return, redirect, or reclassify a payment that:

  • Is earmarked exclusively for a particular person;

  • Would create an improper private benefit;

  • Is inconsistent with RGV’s mission;

  • Cannot be administered lawfully;

  • Creates unacceptable conditions; or

  • Was submitted using misleading or incomplete information.

Do not use a general donation form to transfer personal funds to a named participant, volunteer, employee, facilitator, housing resident, author, or other individual.

Contact office@rgvroadtorecovery.org before submitting a gift with unusual conditions.

10. General Refund Policy

Charitable contributions are generally considered final and nonrefundable.

RGV may consider a refund when:

  • The donation was duplicated;

  • The wrong amount was entered;

  • The wrong recurring frequency was selected;

  • The transaction was unauthorized;

  • A technical error caused an incorrect charge;

  • The donor made an identifiable and prompt mistake; or

  • Applicable law requires a refund.

A change in personal preference, disagreement with a lawful organizational decision, or dissatisfaction with the progress of a program does not ordinarily require RGV to refund a valid donation.

Refund decisions will be made individually after considering:

  • The reason for the request;

  • The date of the transaction;

  • Whether the funds have been spent, committed, transferred, or used;

  • Payment-provider rules;

  • Evidence supporting the request;

  • Legal and accounting requirements; and

  • Whether the payment involved goods, services, tickets, auction items, or other benefits.

Submitting a refund request does not guarantee approval.

11. How to Request a Refund

Send refund requests promptly, preferably within 30 calendar days of the transaction, to:

office@rgvroadtorecovery.org

Include:

  • Donor’s full name;

  • Email address used for the donation;

  • Transaction date;

  • Donation amount;

  • Transaction or receipt number;

  • Campaign name, if known;

  • Reason for the request; and

  • Whether the donation was recurring.

Do not email complete payment-card or bank-account information.

RGV may request additional information reasonably necessary to verify the transaction and requester.

Approved refunds will ordinarily be returned to the original payment method. Processing times depend on the payment provider and financial institution.

RGV will not issue a refund to a different individual, card, bank account, or payment destination merely upon request.

12. Payment-Provider Limitations

Refunds may be subject to Givebutter, Stripe, PayPal, Venmo, ACH-network, bank, or card-provider limitations.

Examples include:

  • Time limits imposed by the payment method;

  • Settlement requirements;

  • Availability of campaign funds;

  • Processing delays;

  • Nonrefundable fees;

  • Chargeback procedures; and

  • Restrictions on returning funds through a different method.

ACH contributions generally must settle before a refund can be processed. PayPal and other providers may impose their own maximum refund periods.

RGV cannot override a payment provider’s technical or legal limitations.

13. Givebutter Tips and Optional Processing Contributions

Givebutter may invite a donor to provide an optional tip or additional amount that supports Givebutter’s platform.

A Givebutter tip is separate from the donation made to RGV. RGV may not receive or control that tip and may be unable to refund it.

A donor seeking a refund of a Givebutter tip should contact Givebutter using the instructions on the transaction receipt and provide the relevant donation reference number.

RGV does not control Givebutter’s decision concerning a tip refund.

14. Chargebacks and Unauthorized Transactions

If a donor believes a transaction was fraudulent or unauthorized, the donor should promptly contact:

  • RGV;

  • The payment provider; and

  • The donor’s bank or card issuer.

RGV may investigate disputed payments and provide transaction records to payment processors, banks, law enforcement, or other appropriate parties.

Filing a knowingly false chargeback or falsely claiming that an authorized donation was fraudulent may violate the law and may result in suspension of donor or user privileges.

15. Fundraising Purchases Through Outside Sellers

RGV may receive proceeds or commissions when supporters purchase products through outside fundraising or affiliate partners, including Rada Cutlery, Flower Power Fundraising, Amazon, or similar sellers.

A purchase from an outside seller is a transaction between the purchaser and that seller. It is not automatically a direct donation to RGV.

The outside seller controls:

  • Product descriptions;

  • Prices;

  • Taxes;

  • Payment processing;

  • Shipping;

  • Delivery;

  • Returns;

  • Exchanges;

  • Warranties;

  • Product safety; and

  • Customer service.

Refund or return requests for outside purchases must ordinarily be directed to the seller under the seller’s policies.

The amount received by RGV, if any, may be only a portion of the purchase price. The purchaser should not assume that the entire purchase price is a charitable contribution.

16. Book and Merchandise Purchases

Payments for books, curricula, workbooks, journals, merchandise, or other products are purchases rather than unrestricted donations unless expressly stated otherwise.

Purchases through Amazon, another bookseller, or an outside retailer are governed by that retailer’s order, shipping, return, and refund policies.

Institutional orders placed directly through an authorized RGV or publishing program may be governed by a separate written invoice, order agreement, or payment policy.

Do not submit an institutional book payment through the general donation form unless specifically instructed to do so.

17. Events, Auctions, Sponsorships, and Tickets

Payments for tickets, auction items, sponsorship benefits, meals, admission, or event-related goods and services may have separate cancellation and refund terms.

Unless a campaign expressly states otherwise:

  • Event payments are generally final;

  • Auction purchases are generally final;

  • Failure to attend does not automatically convert the entire payment into a refundable amount;

  • The value of benefits received may reduce the deductible portion; and

  • Event cancellation or material changes will be addressed according to the particular circumstances.

Campaign-specific terms control when they conflict with this general policy.

18. Planned and Legacy Gifts

Planned gifts, estate gifts, beneficiary designations, charitable bequests, and other legacy arrangements may involve LifeLegacy or another outside provider.

Information provided through an outside planned-giving service is also governed by that provider’s terms and privacy policy.

RGV does not provide legal, tax, investment, or estate-planning advice. Donors should consult their own attorney, tax adviser, and financial adviser before completing a planned gift.

A planned gift may be subject to a separate written gift-acceptance agreement.

19. Gifts RGV May Decline

RGV may decline, return, or request modification of a proposed gift that:

  • Is inconsistent with the organization’s mission;

  • Is unlawful;

  • Contains unacceptable restrictions;

  • Creates excessive administrative expense;

  • Could expose RGV or others to inappropriate liability;

  • Would improperly benefit a private individual;

  • Requires RGV to make misleading representations;

  • Includes property that cannot reasonably be managed;

  • Creates reputational, safety, or ethical concerns; or

  • Cannot be accepted under applicable law or organizational policy.

RGV is not required to accept every proposed contribution.

20. Privacy

Donor information is handled according to the RGV Privacy Policy and applicable payment-provider policies.

RGV may use donor information to:

  • Process and acknowledge contributions;

  • Issue receipts;

  • Maintain financial and tax records;

  • Communicate about the donation;

  • Prevent fraud;

  • Respond to refund requests; and

  • Provide organizational updates when permitted.

RGV does not sell donor information for money.

Donors may request that a gift be publicly listed as anonymous. RGV may still retain the donor’s identity for internal, financial, legal, and tax records.

21. Changes to This Policy

RGV may update this Donation and Refund Policy as its campaigns, payment providers, fundraising activities, or legal obligations change.

The current version will be posted with its effective and last-updated dates.

Campaign-specific or written gift terms may supplement this policy.

22. Contact

Questions about donations, receipts, recurring gifts, designations, or refund requests may be sent to:

RGV Road to Recovery IA
EIN: 41-4111343
Email: office@rgvroadtorecovery.org
Website: https://rgvroadtorecovery.org

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