Here is the updated donation and refund policy for Open Hand Outreach, incorporating a clear policy on designated gifts, general funds, and overfunded disaster relief projects.

 

Donation & Refund Policy

Open Hand Outreach is dedicated to providing swift, vital relief to individuals and communities impacted by natural disasters and acute crises. Because our teams deploy immediate resources—such as emergency food, clean water, medical aid, and shelter—donations are generally non-refundable once committed.

 

Standard Refund Criteria

While donations are considered final, Open Hand Outreach will process refund requests under the following conditions:

 

• Accidental Duplicate or Erroneous Transactions: If you made a duplicate donation or entered an incorrect amount, please notify us within 30 days of the transaction date. Verified errors will be refunded in full to the original payment method.

   

• Unauthorized or Fraudulent Activity: If your card or financial account was used without authorization, contact us immediately so we can issue a full refund and assist in securing your information.

   

• Recurring Donation Adjustments: You may cancel or modify recurring monthly or annual gifts at any time. Cancellations stop all future charges immediately; previous charges remain subject to the standard 30-day error policy.

   

Designated Contributions & Overfunded Projects

Open Hand Outreach accepts both general contributions and donations designated for specific disaster relief efforts.

 

• General Fund Donations: Gifts designated to our Where Needed Most (General Fund) give us the critical flexibility to respond instantly to newly emerging crises, maintain emergency supply stockpiles, and support under-reported disasters that receive limited media attention.

   

• Designated/Restricted Funds: When you donate to a specific disaster, region, or named relief fund, 100% of your gift (less standard payment processing fees) is allocated directly to that specific effort.

   

• Overfunded or Fully Funded Projects: On occasion, contributions for a specific disaster response may exceed the financial requirement needed to fully address the immediate and long-term recovery efforts for that event. In the event a disaster project becomes fully funded or operational conditions prevent us from deploying funds as originally intended, Open Hand Outreach reserves the right to reallocate excess funds to other active disaster relief efforts where the need is greatest.

   

Donor Intent Policy: Reallocating excess funds ensures that donor gifts continue to save lives and alleviate suffering without delay, rather than sitting idle in restricted accounts.

Tax Receipt Adjustments

If a refund is issued for a donation for which an official tax receipt was generated, that tax receipt becomes null and void. Donors are legally obligated to ensure refunded amounts are not claimed as tax-deductible contributions on local or federal tax returns.

 

How to Request Assistance

To submit a refund request or inquire about a specific donation allocation, please reach out with your full name, donation date, payment method, amount, and request details:

 

ChannelContact Info

Email info@ohousa.org

Phone480-623-5203

MailOpen Hand Outreach, Attn: Donor Services 13314 Mapledale Street Norwalk CA 90650

Approved refunds are processed to the original form of payment within 5 to 10 business days.