Effective Date: 1ST July, 2026
Organisation: Youths for Rural Education and Job Creation Initiative (Y4RED Initiative)
Website: www.y4red.com
Email: donate@y4red.com
- Purpose of this Policy
This Refund & Cancellation Policy explains how Youths for Rural Education and Job Creation Initiative, also known as Y4RED Initiative, handles refunds, cancellations and chargeback requests relating to charitable donations made through our website, payment links, fundraising campaigns or approved donation channels.
Y4RED is a non-profit organisation working to expand opportunities for children and young people in underserved rural communities through early childhood education, foundational literacy and youth development programmes. Donations made to Y4RED are charitable contributions and are used to support our mission, programmes, operations and community impact work.
- General Donation Policy
All donations made to Y4RED are voluntary charitable contributions. Because donations are not payments for goods or commercial services, they are generally non-refundable once successfully processed.
However, Y4RED understands that genuine errors may occur. Refunds or chargeback approvals may be considered in limited circumstances, especially where there is evidence of a technical error, duplicate transaction, unauthorised transaction or incorrect amount charged.
- Circumstances Where a Refund May Be Authorised
Y4RED may approve a full or partial refund in the following circumstances:
- a. Duplicate Donation
A refund may be authorised if a donor is charged more than once for the same intended donation due to a technical error, network issue, payment retry, system delay or accidental duplicate submission.
- b. Incorrect Amount Charged
A refund may be authorised where the amount charged is different from the amount the donor intended to give, particularly where the error resulted from a technical fault, payment gateway error, currency conversion issue, website error or accidental input mistake that is reported promptly.
For example, if a donor intended to give ₦5,000 but was charged ₦50,000 due to an obvious error, Y4RED may refund the excess amount or issue a full refund, depending on the circumstances.
- c. Technical Processing Error
A refund may be authorised where a donation was processed incorrectly because of a verified technical problem with the website, payment gateway, donation form, bank network or transaction system.
This may include failed transactions later charged, delayed confirmations leading to repeated payments, payment errors caused by system malfunction, or other payment processing faults.
- d. Unauthorised or Fraudulent Transaction
If a donor believes their card, bank account or payment details were used without permission, Y4RED will review the complaint and may authorise a refund where the claim is reasonably supported.
In such cases, the donor may also need to contact their bank, card provider or payment service provider immediately, as unauthorised transactions may be subject to bank or card network investigation processes.
- e. Recurring Donation Charged After Cancellation
Where a donor has cancelled a recurring donation before the next scheduled charge date, but the donation is still processed due to a system or administrative error, Y4RED may refund the affected transaction.
- f. Campaign-Specific Error
Where a donation was made to a specific campaign that is no longer active, was incorrectly displayed, or cannot reasonably be delivered or reallocated in line with the donor’s original intention, Y4RED may contact the donor to request consent for reallocation. If the donor does not agree to reallocation, a refund may be considered.
- g. Other Exceptional Circumstances
Y4RED may, at its discretion, consider refund requests in exceptional cases where refusing a refund would be unfair, unreasonable or inconsistent with our values of dignity, accountability, respect and equality.
- Circumstances Where a Refund Will Usually Not Be Authorised
Y4RED will generally not authorise a refund where:
The donor simply changes their mind after making a valid donation.
The donation has already been allocated, committed or spent on programme activities.
The donor disagrees with Y4RED’s lawful use of unrestricted funds after making a general donation.
The donor cannot provide sufficient information to identify or verify the transaction.
The request is made long after the donation and funds have already been used for charitable purposes.
The donation was made by the donor knowingly, voluntarily and without evidence of error, fraud or technical failure.
The refund request is connected to a dispute between the donor and a third party not acting on behalf of Y4RED.
- Donation Chargebacks
A chargeback occurs when a donor disputes a donation transaction directly through their bank, card provider or payment service provider.
Y4RED encourages donors to contact us first before initiating a chargeback, so we can review and resolve the issue quickly and fairly.
Y4RED may accept or authorise a chargeback where:
The donation was processed more than once due to a technical error.
The donor was charged the wrong amount.
The transaction was unauthorised or fraudulent.
A recurring donation was charged after proper cancellation.
There is clear evidence that the payment was processed in error.
Y4RED cannot reasonably verify that the donation was authorised.
Y4RED may dispute or decline a chargeback where:
The donation was validly authorised by the donor.
The donor received clear confirmation of the donation.
There is no evidence of fraud, technical error or duplicate payment.
The donation has already been allocated or used for charitable purposes.
The chargeback appears to be mistaken, abusive or inconsistent with the available transaction records.
Where a chargeback is raised, Y4RED may provide relevant transaction records, receipts, donation confirmations or communication history to the payment processor, bank or card network as part of the dispute review process.
- Cancellation of Recurring Donations
Donors who set up recurring donations may cancel future donations at any time by contacting Y4RED through our official email address or through the relevant payment platform, where available.
Cancellation requests must be received before the next scheduled donation date. If a cancellation request is received after a recurring donation has already been processed, that donation will usually be treated as valid unless it was charged due to technical or administrative error.
Cancelling a recurring donation stops future payments. It does not automatically refund donations already processed.
- How to Request a Refund
To request a refund, donors should contact Y4RED at:
Email: donate@y4red.com
Subject Line: Refund Request – Donation Transaction
The request should include:
Full name of the donor.
Email address used for the donation.
Phone number, where available.
Date of donation.
Amount donated.
Payment method used.
Transaction reference or receipt number.
Reason for the refund request.
Any supporting evidence, such as screenshots, bank alerts or payment confirmations.
Y4RED may request additional information to verify the transaction and assess the request.
- Timeframe for Making Refund Requests
Refund requests should be submitted as soon as possible after the donor becomes aware of the issue.
For duplicate payments, incorrect amounts or technical errors, donors are encouraged to contact Y4RED within 14 days of the transaction. Requests made after this period may still be reviewed, but refunds may not be possible if the funds have already been allocated or used for charitable purposes.
- Refund Review and Approval Process
All refund requests will be reviewed by Y4RED’s authorised finance, operations or leadership representative.
Y4RED will consider:
The reason for the request.
Evidence provided by the donor.
Transaction records from the payment platform.
Whether a technical error occurred.
Whether the donation has already been allocated or spent.
Any legal, financial, donor protection or payment processor requirements.
Y4RED aims to respond to refund requests within a reasonable timeframe. Approved refunds will usually be returned through the original payment method used for the donation, unless this is not possible. Final timelines may depend on banks, card networks and the payment channel.
- Processing Fees and Exchange Differences
Where payment processors, banks or card providers charge transaction, refund, currency conversion or processing fees, the final amount received by the donor may be affected by those third-party charges.
Y4RED does not control bank charges, card network fees, exchange rate differences or processing timelines imposed by external payment providers.
- Restricted and Unrestricted Donations
Where a donor gives to a specific campaign, project or programme, Y4RED will make reasonable efforts to use the donation for that stated purpose.
Where a donation is unrestricted, Y4RED may apply the funds to any area of its charitable work, including early childhood education, foundational literacy, youth development, programme delivery, safeguarding, monitoring and evaluation, volunteer support, learning materials, administration and operational costs necessary to deliver impact.
Refunds will not usually be granted simply because a donor later disagrees with the use of unrestricted funds, provided the funds are used in line with Y4RED’s mission and charitable objectives.
- Fraud Prevention
Y4RED reserves the right to refuse, hold, investigate, reverse or report any donation that appears suspicious, fraudulent, unlawful or inconsistent with our safeguarding, financial accountability or anti-fraud obligations.
Y4RED may also cancel a recurring donation arrangement if suspicious activity is detected.
- Donor Receipts and Records
Where a refund is approved, Y4RED may cancel or amend any donation receipt, acknowledgement, public recognition or financial record relating to the refunded donation.
If a partial refund is issued, Y4RED may update the donor’s record to reflect the final donation amount retained.
- Final Decision
Refund and chargeback decisions will be made fairly, transparently and in good faith. Y4RED reserves the right to make the final decision on refund requests, subject to applicable law, payment processor rules and bank or card network requirements.
- Contact Us
For questions about this policy, donation refunds, recurring donation cancellations or payment errors, please contact:
Youths for Rural Education and Job Creation Initiative (Y4RED Initiative)
Website: www.y4red.com
Email: donate@y4red.com
Location: Divine Building, Eze Ajibo Road, Ohatekwe Agalegu Ishieke, Ebonyi State, Nigeria