Donation and Refund Policy

Donation and Refund Policy

Last updated: August 5, 2026

Hike NWA is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered as a charitable organization with the Arkansas Secretary of State. Nobody here draws a salary. This page explains what happens to your gift, what you get back, and what to do if something goes wrong.

Your gift is tax-deductible

Hike NWA is recognized as a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our EIN is 42-2911997. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Unless we tell you otherwise at the time of your gift, no goods or services are provided in exchange for a donation, which means the full amount is generally deductible. If we ever offer something in return, we will state the value of it so you know what portion is deductible.

We are hikers, not tax advisors. For advice about your own return, talk to a tax professional.

Ways to give

Online. Our donation page uses a form provided by Zeffy. Zeffy handles your payment information directly and securely; Hike NWA never sees or stores your full card number.

Zeffy is free for nonprofits, which is why we use it—100% of what you give to Hike NWA reaches Hike NWA. Zeffy funds itself by asking donors at checkout whether they want to add an optional contribution to Zeffy. That optional contribution goes to Zeffy, not to Hike NWA, and you can set it to zero. Please do not feel obligated.

By check. Make checks payable to Hike NWA and mail to 412 Town Center NE #1044, Bella Vista, AR 72714.

Receipts and acknowledgments

Online donations generate an emailed receipt right after your gift goes through. Check the address you entered, and look in your spam folder if it does not arrive.

For gifts by check, we send a written acknowledgment. For any single gift of $250 or more, we provide the written acknowledgment the IRS requires for you to claim the deduction.

Need a replacement receipt or a year-end summary? Ask through our contact form and we will send one.

Refunds

Donations are gifts, so they are generally final. But mistakes happen, and we would rather fix one than keep money you did not mean to give.

If you entered the wrong amount, gave twice by accident, or see a charge you did not authorize, contact us through our contact form. If you reach us within 30 days of the gift we will refund it, no explanation needed. After 30 days, ask anyway—we will do what we reasonably can.

Refunds go back to the original payment method. Depending on your bank, it usually takes five to ten business days to appear. If we refund a gift, any tax receipt for it is no longer valid.

Recurring donations

If you set up a recurring gift, you can cancel it at any time, for any reason, using the link in your donation receipt or by contacting us. Cancelling stops all future charges. It does not refund gifts already made, though you can ask about a recent one under the section above.

How your donation is used

Unless you tell us otherwise, gifts are unrestricted, which means our board can direct them wherever the need is greatest across our mission:

• Hiker education—the guides, routes, trail information, and Hiking 101 workshops that help people start hiking with confidence.
• Community events—group hikes and events that get people onto the trail.
• Trail stewardship—caring for the local trails all of us use.
• Keeping the lights on—website hosting, insurance, supplies, and the ordinary costs of running a small nonprofit.

If you want your gift directed to a specific program, tell us and we will honor that where we practically can. If circumstances make a restricted gift impossible to use as intended, we will contact you before redirecting it.

Donor privacy

We do not sell, rent, trade, or share our donor list with anyone. Your name and contact information stay with the volunteers who handle our finances and thank-you notes.

One thing to know when you give online: Zeffy’s checkout includes a box asking whether your name may be displayed publicly. Leave it checked and your name and gift amount appear on the public donor list for our campaign. Uncheck it and your gift shows as “Anonymous” instead. Either way we still see your name on our end, so we can thank you and send your receipt. Zeffy explains this in their help article on anonymous donations.

Apart from that donor list, we recognize donors publicly only with permission. For the full picture of how we handle personal information, see our Privacy Policy.

Questions about a donation

Reach us through our contact form and we will get back to you.

Hike NWA
412 Town Center NE #1044
Bella Vista, AR 72714
EIN 42-2911997

That address is a mailbox we use for mail, not a physical office. Hike NWA operates in Bella Vista, Arkansas.