Giving terms

About these giving terms

These giving terms explain how pledges, plans, payments and recognition work. They are part of our Terms of use. Refunds and canceling are covered in our Refund and cancellation policy.

What the Fund does

The Fund has one purpose: to raise the Class's own gift for its Tenth Anniversary Endowment. Brothers of the Class pledge and give toward a goal of $30,000 in US dollars.

The Fund carries out that purpose by giving the Class's gift to the United Supreme Council's endowment at closeout. There it will support the Class's philanthropic work, its giving to good causes, over the long term.

Until then, the Fund holds the gifts in its own accounts. Stripe's processing fees, and any fees for disputed payments, are paid from the money the Fund receives. If you choose to add the processing fee to your payment, the Fund receives your full gift. At closeout, the Fund settles any remaining costs its charter allows, then transfers everything left to the United Supreme Council's endowment.

Limits that apply

• All amounts are in US dollars (USD).
• Bank debit needs a bank account in the United States. Cards from other countries are accepted.
• Custom gifts start at $50. A pledge cannot be more than the part of the $30,000 goal that Brothers have not already pledged.
• Each Brother has one open pledge at a time. To raise yours, ask the Committee.
• No scheduled gift is ever set after the campaign's close date.
• When gifts collected reach $30,000, new pledges stop.

Gifts, pledges and plans

You can give at a level or choose your own amount from $50. You can pay in one of these ways:

• Pay in full today.
• 2 payments: half today and half on a date you pick.
• 4 payments: a quarter today, then three more, a month apart unless the Committee sets another spacing.
• Monthly: equal payments each month, for up to 12 months.

Each payment after the first is a scheduled gift. Your pledge is split evenly across your payments. If it does not split evenly, the last scheduled gift takes the leftover cents. For example, a $1,000 pledge paid monthly for 3 months is $333.33, $333.33 and $333.34.

If the giving flow offers it, you can choose to add the processing fee to each payment. It is off unless you turn it on. The added fee depends on how you pay. It is about 2.9% plus 30 cents for a US card, a little more for a card from outside the US, and 0.8% for a bank debit, never more than $5. The review step shows the exact amount in dollars before you confirm. Your level and the Class goal count only your gift, not the added fee.

The Committee sets the plan limits, and the giving flow shows them before you confirm. If the Fund ever runs a challenge or other special offer, its conditions will be posted on the giving terms and shown where you take part.

How payments work

Payments are made through Stripe, a payment company. You can pay by card or by debit from a US bank account. Your card or bank details go straight to Stripe. They never pass through or stay on this site. See Payment details in our Privacy policy.

Your first payment is made when you confirm on the review step. Your card or bank statement will show WALLACECLASS2016.

Bank debits take up to 4 business days to go through. Until then, the payment shows as processing. It counts toward your pledge once it succeeds. If you type in your bank details by hand, Stripe first sends a one-cent deposit with a 6-digit code to confirm the account. Your first payment is debited after you enter that code.

When you pay by bank debit, Stripe shows you an authorization before you confirm. You give that authorization under these giving terms and the Terms of use. Stripe's authorization says you can cancel it with 30 days' notice. The Fund accepts much shorter notice. See Withdrawing a bank debit authorization.

After each payment clears, we email you a Gift acknowledgment (not a tax receipt) for your records.

Your agreement to scheduled gifts

If your plan has more than one payment, you agree that the Fund may charge the payment method you saved for each scheduled gift. Each charge is on its date, for the amount shown on the review step, or the new amount we email you after a change. You agree to this on the review step, before your first payment.

• When: each scheduled gift is charged at about 9:00 AM ET on its date. Dates follow US Eastern time.
• How much: your pledge split evenly, with the last scheduled gift taking any leftover cents, plus the processing fee if you chose to add it.
• Reminders: we email you 3 days before each scheduled gift.
• Your changes: on My gift, after you sign in, you can pay early, pay off your pledge or update your payment method. To change a date or your plan, or to raise your pledge, ask the Committee.
• Our changes: the Committee changes your plan, dates or amounts only when you ask, or when it settles open scheduled gifts at closeout. Before the next charge, we email you the new schedule, at least 7 days ahead for a bank debit. If you do not agree, tell us before that date and we will not charge the changed amount.
• New cards: if your bank replaces your card, Stripe may update the card details so your scheduled gifts keep working. If the card brand changes, for example from Visa to Mastercard, you may be asked to confirm the card on My gift before your next scheduled gift is charged.

If a payment does not go through, we email you. Then:

• Cards: if the bank may approve it later, we try again 3, 5 and 7 days after the first try. If the bank says the card can no longer be used, we do not try again and we ask you for another payment method.
• Bank debits: we try again only if there was not enough money in the account, at most twice, 7 and 14 days after the first try.
• If your bank asks you to confirm a payment, we do not try again on our own. You confirm it from our email.
• Each new try is made at about 9:00 AM ET on its date.
• If you update your payment method after a missed scheduled gift, we charge that gift to the new method soon after.
• A scheduled gift that still does not go through stays part of your remaining pledge. You can pay it from My gift at any time.

We record when you agreed, the IP address you used and the version of the terms you agreed to.

Recognition for givers

Givers are thanked and honored by level. Your level comes from the total of your cleared payments, and you earn it when your pledge is complete.

• Gold, $2,000: everything in Silver, plus the medal.
• Silver, $1,000: a certificate, cufflinks, a lapel pin, a listing in the 2027 journal ad and the 10th anniversary endowment card.
• Bronze, $500: a certificate.
• Gifts under $500: a thank-you letter.

The Committee may add a special honor for gifts above $2,000.

When items arrive: the Committee orders your items after you earn your level. They are mailed to you or presented at a Class meeting, as you choose. If you paid by bank debit, the Committee may wait up to 60 days after your last payment before it sends physical items, because a bank debit can be reversed during that time. Your certificate and your Gift acknowledgment (not a tax receipt) are not held. If an item you earned has not reached you, contact us.

Acknowledgments and records

After each payment clears, we email you a Gift acknowledgment (not a tax receipt) with the Fund's legal name, the amount and the date. Early each year, we email you a Giving summary, for your records, of the gifts you made the year before.

Honor roll

When the honor roll opens, it lists names and levels only, never amounts, and only as each Brother chooses to be listed.

Refunds and cancellations

Our Refund and cancellation policy is part of these terms. In short:

• Refunds: if you ask the Committee within 30 days of a payment, the Fund refunds it. Two Fund officers must both approve every refund: the Responsible Party and the co-signer. The refund goes back to the card or bank account you paid with.
• Canceling: to stop your remaining scheduled gifts, ask the Committee by email. Your request must reach us by 5:00 PM ET on the business day before your next scheduled gift. The Committee confirms by email within 2 business days. Your pledge keeps credit for what you already paid.
• Disputes: please contact us before you dispute a charge with your bank. We can often fix the problem faster.

When the campaign closes

Closeout starts when gifts collected reach $30,000 or on the campaign's close date, whichever comes first. The Committee sets the close date so the Fund can finish its transfer within the 24 months its charter allows.

When closeout starts, new pledges stop. The Committee decides how any open scheduled gifts are settled and tells each Brother affected before it changes them. Then the Fund transfers the money it holds to the United Supreme Council's endowment and closes its accounts.

Tax status

Questions

Email support@dsw2016.org or see Contact and support.