Donations and Refunds

What happens to your gift, what we will and will not do with it, and how to get it back if something went wrong.

Last updated 29 July 2026

What a donation is

A donation is a voluntary gift. It is not a purchase, it buys no goods or services, and it gives no rights over how the foundation is run.

We accept donations from individuals and organisations, in Nigeria and outside it. We do not accept a donation where we believe the money is not lawfully the giver's, where accepting it would compromise our independence, or where it comes with conditions we cannot meet. We will return such a donation and say why.

Currency and card charges

All donations are charged in Nigerian naira (NGN). That is the amount that leaves your account and the amount we receive.

The donation page can show an approximate figure in other currencies. That is a convenience for donors who do not think in naira, and it is an estimate only. The rate we display is refreshed daily; the rate you are actually charged is set by your card issuer at the moment of the transaction, and it will differ. Your bank may also add a foreign transaction fee we neither set nor receive.

If the difference between the estimate and your statement matters to you, tell us. We would rather know.

Choosing a programme

You may direct your gift to a particular programme. We will honour that.

Occasionally a programme is fully funded, or closes, and a directed gift can no longer be used as you asked. When that happens we will contact you and ask what you would like to do before moving it anywhere. We will not quietly reallocate a directed gift.

Undirected gifts go where the need is greatest, which is decided by our programme team, not by whoever asks loudest.

Receipts

Every completed donation gets a receipt by email, usually within minutes. It carries the amount, the date, the reference, and our registration details.

Not arrived? Check spam first, then tell us and we will resend it. A missing receipt is our problem to fix, not yours to chase.

Refunds

Donations are gifts, and gifts are not ordinarily refundable. But money given to a charity by mistake is not a gift, and we will not keep it.

We will refund in full, no questions asked, where:

  • You were charged more than once for the same gift.
  • The amount was wrong — a slipped decimal point, a wrong figure typed.
  • The donation was not authorised by the cardholder.
  • You changed your mind and tell us within 14 days.

Ask through the contact form with the reference from your receipt. We will acknowledge within 2 working days and, where a refund is due, process it within 10 working days. It returns to the card it came from; how quickly it appears is your bank's business, and usually takes a few days more.

After 14 days we will still listen. If a gift caused you real hardship — circumstances changed, or it was more than you could afford — say so. We would rather return money than keep money somebody needs. That is a decision we make case by case and we will not make you justify yourself at length.

If you think your card has been used fraudulently, contact your bank first. Tell us too and we will refund immediately and cooperate with whatever they need. Do not wait for us before protecting your account.

Monthly giving

A monthly gift continues until you stop it. You can stop it at any time, with no notice period and no conversation required — tell us and it ends.

We will never make cancelling harder than starting. If it takes you more than one message to stop giving us money, we have failed and we want to hear about it.

Tax

We make no claim about whether your donation is tax-deductible. That depends on where you are, what kind of donor you are, and rules that change. We are not qualified to advise on it and will not pretend to be.

We will give you a receipt with our registration details. What you can do with it is between you and your tax authority — ask someone qualified where you live.

What we will not do

  • We do not sell, rent or swap donor lists. Not with other charities, not with anyone.
  • We do not add you to our newsletter because you donated. That is a separate choice you make separately.
  • We do not use your name or story in fundraising material without asking you first, specifically, in a way you can decline.
  • We do not pressure repeat gifts. A receipt is a receipt, not the opening of a campaign.
  • We do not accept donations from children.

Where the money goes

We publish what we spend and on what. Where a figure is not yet available we leave it blank rather than estimating — a placeholder number on a charity's impact page is a made-up number, and we would rather show nothing.

Donation records are kept for 7 years for audit and reporting. What we hold about you and for how long is in the Privacy Policy.

Questions about this page

Write to us through the contact form or at info@cheermedics.org. We answer every message about privacy, safeguarding or a complaint — those are not marketing enquiries and they are not treated as such.