Donation and Refund Policy

Effective date: August 29, 2026

1. Donations are gifts, not purchases

SPARKS Book Club is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. When you give, you're making a charitable gift rather than buying a product, and you receive no goods or services in return. Because gifts are put to work quickly — books and supplies are ordered ahead of each session — donations are generally final and non-refundable.

That said, we would always rather fix a genuine mistake than keep money someone didn't mean to give.

2. When we will refund a donation

We refund promptly, and without argument, in these cases:

• A duplicate gift. You were charged twice for what was meant to be one donation.
• The wrong amount. You meant to give $50 and gave $500 — a typo or an extra zero.
• An unauthorized charge. Someone used your card without your permission. Tell your bank as well as us.
• A processing error on our side or the bank's.
• You simply changed your mind and tell us within 15 days. We'd rather you feel good about giving than feel trapped by it.

3. How to ask for one

Email becca@sparkslearning.org with:

• the name on the donation,
• the approximate date and amount,
• and the reference number from your receipt, if you have it.

You don't need to explain yourself. We aim to reply within 2 business days.

4. How refunds are issued

• Refunds go back to the original card. We can't send them anywhere else.
• We process approved refunds within 5 business days of agreeing to them.
• Your bank then takes its own time to post it — usually 5 to 10 business days, which is outside our control.
• We refund the full amount. We don't deduct processing fees from what you get back.

5. What a refund means for your tax receipt

If a gift is refunded, it's no longer a charitable contribution and can't be claimed as a deduction. If we've already sent an acknowledgment letter, we'll send a corrected one. If the refund crosses into a new tax year, please tell your tax adviser.

6. Exchanges

We don't sell goods, so there's nothing to exchange. We don't operate a shop, and nothing on this site is a purchase. If you'd like a gift redirected to a different part of the program, email us and we'll do our best — though we usually direct funds wherever the need is greatest.

7. Disputed charges

If you don't recognize a charge from us, please email us before disputing it with your bank. A chargeback costs the program a fee on top of the amount, and nine times out of ten it's something we can explain or refund in a single message. Charges from us appear on your statement under the SPARKS Book Club name. If you see something you can't place, email us before disputing it and we'll identify it for you the same week.

8. Contact us

Email becca@sparkslearning.org. A real person reads it.