Donation & Refund Policy

Supporting COTSA

Donations to COTSA help support our charitable mission, community programs, cultural initiatives, educational activities, events, organizational operations, and other work that advances our nonprofit purposes.

Donations are voluntary charitable contributions. Unless otherwise expressly stated, making a donation does not create a contractual right to receive goods, services, benefits, or control over COTSA's activities.

Tax-Deductible Contributions

Contributions to COTSA may be tax-deductible to the extent permitted by applicable federal and state law.

The tax treatment of an individual contribution depends on the circumstances of the donation and the donor. COTSA does not provide individual tax, accounting, financial, or legal advice.

Donors should retain their donation receipts and consult a qualified tax professional regarding questions about the deductibility of a contribution.

Online Donation Processing

COTSA may use independent fundraising and payment technology providers to securely facilitate online contributions.

These services may include Give Lively and payment processors or financial technology providers supported by the fundraising platform.

When you make an online donation, payment information such as credit card or bank account details may be transmitted directly to the applicable payment processor rather than stored directly by COTSA.

Transactions processed by an independent provider may also be subject to that provider's terms of use, privacy policy, security practices, and transaction rules.

Donation Receipts

Donors may receive an electronic or written acknowledgment of their contribution from COTSA or from the fundraising platform processing the donation.

Please review your receipt after making a contribution and contact us if your name, donation amount, or other relevant information appears incorrect.

Keep your donation acknowledgment with your personal records if you intend to claim a charitable contribution deduction.

Designated & Restricted Donations

Some fundraising campaigns may allow donors to indicate a preferred program, project, community, event, or charitable purpose.

When COTSA expressly accepts a contribution as restricted to a particular charitable purpose, COTSA will administer that contribution consistent with the applicable restriction and legal requirements.

A comment, note, or preference submitted by a donor does not automatically create a legally restricted gift unless COTSA has agreed to accept the contribution subject to that restriction.

If a designated project is completed, discontinued, fully funded, becomes impracticable, or can no longer be carried out as originally intended, COTSA will handle remaining funds in accordance with applicable law and any binding restrictions governing the contribution.

Recurring Donations

If you choose to make a recurring donation, contributions may continue according to the frequency and amount selected through the applicable fundraising platform until the recurring donation is canceled or otherwise ends.

Recurring donation settings, including cancellation procedures, may be managed through the platform used to establish the recurring contribution.

You may also contact COTSA if you need assistance identifying the appropriate process for a recurring donation.

Refund Requests

Charitable contributions are generally intended to be final once processed. However, COTSA understands that mistakes and unauthorized transactions can occur.

COTSA may consider a refund request when circumstances reasonably warrant review, including situations where:

• A donation was made in error
• An incorrect donation amount was entered
• A duplicate transaction occurred
• A transaction was not authorized by the donor
• A technical error affected the transaction

Refund requests are reviewed individually and are subject to applicable law, the status of the funds, and the policies and technical capabilities of the fundraising or payment provider involved.

Errors, Duplicate Charges & Unauthorized Donations

If you believe a contribution was processed incorrectly, duplicated, or made without your authorization, please contact COTSA as soon as reasonably possible.

Include enough information for us to identify the transaction, such as:

• Your name
• Email address used for the donation
• Date of the contribution
• Donation amount
• A brief description of the issue

Please do not send complete credit card numbers, bank account numbers, passwords, or other sensitive financial credentials by email.

Depending on how the donation was processed, COTSA may need to coordinate with the applicable fundraising or payment provider to investigate or resolve the request.

Payment Processing Fees

Online donation providers and payment processors may charge transaction or processing fees in connection with a contribution.

Any fees, optional contributions to a third-party fundraising provider, or other charges presented during checkout are governed by the terms displayed by the applicable provider.

COTSA does not control fees independently established by third-party payment providers.

Donor Privacy

COTSA respects the privacy of its donors and does not sell or rent donor personal information.

Donor information may be used for legitimate nonprofit purposes such as processing contributions, maintaining financial and tax records, providing acknowledgments, communicating with supporters, administering programs, and fulfilling legal obligations.

Additional information about how COTSA handles personal information is available in our Privacy Policy.

Changes to This Policy

COTSA may update this Donation & Refund Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our fundraising practices, payment providers, programs, or applicable requirements.

The date displayed at the top of this page identifies the most recent update.

Questions About a Donation

If you have a question about a contribution, receipt, recurring donation, duplicate transaction, or refund request, contact COTSA using the information below.