On refunds, cancellations & ending your circle.

A note on intent

Donations to the Stories by Aradhana Foundation for Change are voluntary contributions made in support of our on-ground work — continuing care for the people whose stories we have documented, and reaching many more across India.

We receive contributions in three forms:

• —One-time crowdfunding campaigns for specific individuals featured in our videos (e.g., Deepali Ghosh, Mansukh Kaka). These funds are ring-fenced and used solely for the person they were raised for.
• —One-time general donations to the Foundation, pooled into our common fund.
• —The Foundation for Change Circle (FCC) — our recurring monthly donor community that sustains continuous care, follow-up and new stories.

Because of the nature of charitable giving, donations are generally non-refundable. However, we handle each refund request with care, transparency, and dignity.

When you can request a refund

We will consider refunds under the following circumstances:

• —You made the donation by mistake (wrong amount, accidental double-charge, or transaction processed twice).
• —You did not authorise the transaction (please report unauthorised charges immediately to both us and your bank).
• —A technical error on our end resulted in your donation being misprocessed.

Refund requests must be made within 30 calendar days of the original transaction.

How to request a refund

Write to us at foundation@storiesbyaradhana.com or call +91 98304 71770 with:

• —Full name on the donation
• —Email used during donation
• —Date and amount of transaction
• —Transaction ID (from your confirmation email)
• —Brief reason for the refund request

We aim to respond within 3 business days and process approved refunds within 7–10 business days to the original payment method.

Cancelling your Foundation for Change Circle membership

If you wish to step away from the FCC monthly donor community, you may cancel at any time by:

• —Writing to foundation@storiesbyaradhana.com, or
• —Calling +91 98304 71770.

Cancellations take effect from the next billing cycle. Any monthly contributions already processed before cancellation cannot be refunded except under the circumstances listed above. We are grateful for every month you walked with us.

Crowdfunding campaigns

Funds raised through a specific crowdfunding campaign (for an individual featured in our work) are used only for that person and that purpose. These funds are separately accounted for and cannot be redirected or refunded once the campaign goal has been met and disbursements have begun — except in cases of duplicate or unauthorised transactions.

International Patrons — membership cancellation

• —Monthly patron membership. You may cancel at any time directly from your PayPal account (Settings → Automatic Payments) or by writing to hello@storiesbyaradhana.com. Cancellation stops all future monthly charges from your next billing cycle.
• —Past monthly memberships are non-refundable. Because each month’s membership fee purchases that month’s content and community access — which has already been delivered — we do not refund past monthly charges.
• —One-time patron contributions are non-refundable once the payment has been captured, except in cases of duplicate charges, unauthorised transactions, or technical errors (report within 30 days to hello@storiesbyaradhana.com).
• —No Indian tax benefits. International patron contributions are not charitable donations and do not qualify for Indian tax exemption under Sections 12A / 80G. No 80G certificate is issued.

A small note on Income Tax Exemption certificates

If you have received an Income Tax Exemption certificate for a donation that is later refunded, please note that the certificate becomes void from the date of the refund, and you should not claim it in your tax filings. We will issue a confirmation of the void certificate on request.

Questions

We’re a small team — but a thoughtful one. For anything not covered here, write to us at foundation@storiesbyaradhana.com or call +91 98304 71770, and we’ll respond personally.