How to handle refund requests from donors
Glass Register is funded solely by voluntary contributions from donors. Some donors may request a refund or want to adjust their contribution after making their donation. This article provides the information you will need to handle a donor's refund request.
What is the voluntary contribution to Glass Register?
We are able to keep Glass Register free to nonprofits thanks to the generous, voluntary contributions made by donors. In addition to offering our online donation forms and fundraising platform for free, we also cover all processing fees on behalf of organizations using Glass Register. When a donor gives $500 to your nonprofit through your Glass Register donation form, you receive $500 towards your mission. The donor may also choose to make a voluntary contribution to help us keep the platform free. When they do, that helps us cover the fee not just for their donation, but for every other donation where the donor did not choose to make a voluntary contribution.
In every case, the additional contribution to keep Glass Register free to nonprofits is voluntary. We recognize that not every donor can or will want to contribute, so if a donor asks for a partial or full refund of a contribution, we can issue a refund.
Can I issue a refund through our Stripe account? Does the voluntary contribution to Glass Register get refunded?
A common question we receive is whether or not you can issue the refund independently through your Stripe account, and if so, will the donor's voluntary contribution to Glass Register also be refunded. The answer is no. The donation to your nonprofit and the contribution to Glass Register are treated as separate payments. The voluntary contribution is processed as a separate transaction and serves as a vital source of income for Glass Register to cover operational costs and maintain our 100% fee-free model for nonprofits.
What to do when your donor requests a refund
Donors' voluntary contributions are not made directly to your nonprofit. Rather, they are processed through Glass Register, and as a result your nonprofit cannot issue a refund for the contribution amount independently.
We encourage you to tell your donors that you choose Glass Register so that 100% of every donation goes to your nonprofit, not towards paying fees. Their contribution to Glass Register also makes high quality online fundraising technology accessible to nonprofits across North America.
Our sole source of funding is voluntary contributions from donors. Their contributions allow us to cover processing fees for all nonprofits using Glass Register. The donor may want to consider covering just the processing fees (typically about 5% of the amount of their donation) rather than the full suggested amount.
When a donor requests a contribution refund, contact our team. Be sure to include all relevant details, like:
- The donor's name
- The donor's email
- The date of the transaction
- The amount they wish to be refunded.
Once you send the refund request to us, we will handle the refund directly. The donor will be sent an email confirming the refunded amount. Refunds may take up to 5-10 days to appear on the donor's original payment method.
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