Ask which outcome is being requested
A donor may want a future instruction stopped, a past payment reviewed, or both. Record those as separate requests with the relevant dates, using the nonprofit’s approved records. Do not promise a refund, a processing date or a particular legal entitlement. This guide concerns routing and evidence, not the merits of a donor’s claim. The organization’s responsible team must apply its own policies and any applicable requirements, seeking qualified advice where necessary rather than relying on a website checklist.
Identify the transaction state before the route
4aGoodCause’s official guidance places refunds in the payment gateway and distinguishes an unsettled transaction’s void route from a settled transaction’s refund route. The operator must verify the actual state and available action in the account. This publication does not access that account or execute either action. A screenshot of a gift record is not sufficient authority to move money. If the processor, status or responsible person is unclear, leave the case open and ask the authorized administrator to investigate.
Keep the money and the instruction separate
Our original handover pattern has a payment-review line and a future-gift line. Completing one does not silently close the other. For example, a fictional request says “please stop next month and review yesterday’s charge.” A confirmed cancellation can close the future instruction task while the earlier charge remains under review. Avoid creating a replacement instruction as a workaround. If the request names a different bank account or unfamiliar return destination, route that anomaly through the fraud-escalation process rather than improvising a transfer.
Give a factual completion message
The approved reply should describe only the action actually confirmed, the date checked and the next contact route. “The request has been passed to the finance owner” is different from “the refund has completed.” Keep provider references private and avoid guaranteeing when a bank will display an outcome. Preserve the original request and the decision record in the organization’s approved location. A changed subscription, a submitted refund request and a completed refund are separate states; make that distinction legible to whoever inherits the case.
Sources used for this page
These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.
- 4aGoodCause: Refund and void routes — Merchant documentation · help.4agoodcause.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-30
- 4aGoodCause cancellation — Merchant documentation · help.4agoodcause.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-30