This is realistic sample copy for design purposes — illustrative placeholder text, not legal advice. Each community sets its own refund stance within these mechanics; confirm yours with counsel.
01The principle
Givana is software that helps communities receive gifts; we don't hold your money. Funds settle into each community's own connected payment account. That shapes everything below: the community owns the relationship with its donors, and the community decides refunds — Givana provides the buttons, records, and safeguards to carry them out cleanly.
02Who issues refunds
Refunds are issued by the receiving community, using their dashboard, against the original gift. Givana staff do not refund donations on a community's behalf except where required by the payment processor or by law.
Because the gift settled into the community's account, the refunded amount is returned from that same account back to the donor's original payment method.
03When a refund applies
Common, reasonable cases a community may choose to honour:
- Duplicate gift — the same gift was submitted twice in error.
- Wrong amount — a clear typo (for example, an extra zero).
- Unauthorised charge — the donor did not make or approve the gift.
- Wrong fund — where the community prefers to refund and re-take rather than reallocate.
Gifts are generally non-refundable once knowingly given, but communities may always choose to refund at their discretion and many do as an act of good faith.
04How to request one
If you're a donor, the fastest route is to contact the community directly — their name and contact appear on your receipt. If you're a community administrator:
- Open the gift in Dashboard → Donations and confirm it has settled.
- Choose Refund and select a full or partial amount.
- Confirm — the action is recorded in your audit log with who issued it and when.
- The donor is notified, and the amount is returned to their original payment method.
05Timing & fees
Once issued, refunds typically appear on the donor's statement within 5–10 business days, depending on their bank. The refunded gift amount is returned in full.
- Processor fees on the original gift may not be returned by the processor; this varies by region and is outside Givana's control.
- Where a donor chose to cover fees, the covered amount is refunded alongside the gift.
- Givana does not charge an additional fee to process a refund.
06Disputes & chargebacks
If a donor disputes a charge with their bank instead of requesting a refund, the payment processor manages the chargeback process. Givana surfaces the dispute in the community's dashboard and notifies the account owner so they can respond with evidence in time.
We encourage donors to contact the community first — a direct refund is faster and simpler for everyone than a formal dispute.
07Contact
Donors: please reach the community shown on your receipt first. For platform-level questions about how refunds work, contact us.
Email: support@givana.app
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