THE HOCKEY MUSEUM ACCEPTANCE OF DONATIONS AND REFUND POLICY
Thank you for your generous donation to The Hockey Museum, registered charity no. 1170979. We appreciate your support of our unique and important work to preserve, research and share the fascinating and inspirational history and heritage of hockey: to give hockey’s history a future.
To achieve this, Trustees ensure the long-term financial stability of The Hockey Museum by securing funding from a number of sources. The Museum actively seeks philanthropic donations and sponsorship from individuals and organisations in-keeping with its charitable status.
ACCEPTANCE OF DONATIONS
The principles followed by Trustees when taking decisions on the acceptance of donations are:
1. If funding enables the Trustees to fulfil their fiduciary responsibilities, including the care of the collection, this should weigh considerably in the decision whether or not to accept funding.
2. Trustees should not have regard to their own personal preferences and dislikes but should consider the matter exclusively on the basis of what is in the interests of the Museum.
3. Trustees should take the course of action which in their considered opinion is the best option for the Museum, balancing short- and long-term considerations.
4. Trustees must have regard to the needs of the Museum at the time and as then foreseeable.
5. Trustees must consider the intangibles, such as the reputation of the Museum (both with the general public and within the museum world) and impact on staff, other sponsors and visitors, as well as the tangibles, such as objects, facilities and endowments. Damage to a Trustee’s reputation or embarrassment to them should not be taken into account. Intangibles must be measured carefully, with the economic benefits of accepting the money being weighed against the potential cost of reputational risks.
The Hockey Museum considers each donation or sponsorship on its own merits. It is not possible for the Museum to accept a donation or sponsorship if:
1. It would be unlawful to accept it, or acceptance could give rise to an inference of complicity with illegal activities.
2. There is a significant risk that acceptance may cause harm to the Museum, and any such harm is likely to be disproportionate to the benefit the Museum will derive from acceptance of the gift or sponsorship.
3. The conditions attached to accepting the gift or sponsorship outweigh its value to the Museum.
4. The identity of a donor is truly unknown. Aside from low-level gifts collected in donation boxes or through online or postal donations, the identity of a donor who prefers to remain anonymous must be known to the Chair of Trustees, Treasurer, and the Trustee Head of Fundraising.
5. There is evidence of a risk that a donor or sponsor may not be able to honour the gift in full or in part.
REFUNDS
General Refund Policy
The Hockey Museum is unable to refund donations unless there is a clear error in the processing of the donation. This includes donations made in the wrong amount, or donations made to the wrong charity.
Exceptions
Under certain circumstances, The Hockey Museum may consider granting a refund for a donation. These circumstances include:
• Duplication: If you have made a duplicate donation, The Hockey Museum will refund the duplicate donation.
• Unauthorised Donation: If a donation was made without your authorisation, The Hockey Museum will refund the donation.
Refund Request Process
If you believe that you are entitled to a refund, please submit a refund request in writing to our charity by email (through our website contact form) or by post. Your refund request should include the following information:
• Your name
• Your contact information
• The date of your donation
• The amount of your donation
• The reason for your refund request
The Hockey Museum will review your refund request and make a decision within 30 days. If your refund request is approved, The Hockey Museum will issue a refund to the original payment method.
Please Note
• The Hockey Museum reserves the right to refuse any refund request that it deems to be fraudulent or frivolous.
• Refund requests must be submitted within 30 days of the date of the donation.