Donation Terms & Conditions / Donation Policy

1. Introduction

Shyamsharanam Skills and Livelihood Foundation (“SSLF”, “Foundation”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a Section 8 not-for-profit organisation established to undertake charitable, educational, skill development, employability, livelihood, social welfare and other activities in accordance with its constitutional documents and applicable law.

SSLF accepts voluntary donations and contributions to support its charitable and social-impact activities.

This Donation Terms & Conditions / Donation Policy (“Donation Policy”) sets out the terms applicable to donations and contributions made to SSLF through its authorised channels.

By making a donation to SSLF, the donor acknowledges that they have read and understood this Donation Policy.

2. Purpose of Donations

Donations received by SSLF may be used to support charitable and public-benefit activities falling within the Foundation's permitted objects and applicable law.

Depending upon the nature and purpose of the donation, funds may support activities including, where applicable:

• Education and digital literacy
• Vocational and skill development
• AI and digital skills programmes
• Employability and livelihood development
• Entrepreneurship and career development
• Women empowerment
• Youth development
• Rural development and livelihood
• Food distribution
• Blanket and essential-item distribution
• Health, sanitation and community welfare
• Child development and welfare
• Senior citizen welfare
• Environmental activities
• Sports, yoga and youth activities
• Research, surveys, seminars and awareness programmes
• Disaster and emergency relief and rehabilitation
• Other lawful charitable activities undertaken within SSLF's permitted objects

SSLF may modify, expand, suspend or discontinue a particular programme depending upon beneficiary requirements, available resources, operational feasibility, legal requirements and organisational priorities.

3. Nature of Donation

Donations made to SSLF are voluntary charitable contributions.

A donation:

• Does not create any ownership interest in SSLF
• Does not create any membership or management right
• Does not constitute an investment
• Does not carry any financial return
• Does not create an employment or partnership relationship
• Does not entitle the donor to any share in SSLF's income or assets

Unless expressly agreed under a separate lawful written arrangement, a donation is not payment for goods or commercial services.

4. Authorised Modes of Donation

SSLF may accept donations through lawful and authorised modes, including, as applicable:

• Online payment gateway
• UPI
• QR code
• Bank transfer
• Cheque
• Demand draft
• Cash, subject to applicable law and prescribed limits
• Other authorised banking or digital payment methods
• Other lawful modes approved by SSLF

The availability of a particular donation mode may change from time to time.

SSLF may discontinue, suspend or modify any donation channel without prior notice where reasonably required for operational, security, banking, regulatory or compliance reasons.

5. Official Donation Channels

Donors should make contributions only through donation channels officially provided or expressly authorised by SSLF.

SSLF does not authorise individuals to collect donations through personal bank accounts, personal wallets or unauthorised payment channels while representing themselves as authorised representatives of SSLF.

Donors should verify the authenticity of a donation request before making payment.

Any suspected fraudulent use of the SSLF name, logo, website, payment details or identity should be immediately reported to SSLF.

6. General Donations

A donor may make a general donation without selecting a specific programme or activity.

General donations may be utilised by SSLF for charitable programmes, beneficiary support, programme implementation and reasonable organisational and administrative requirements, subject to applicable law and the Foundation's governing documents.

7. Purpose-Specific Donations

Where SSLF provides purpose-selection options, donors may indicate a preferred purpose, including:

• General Donation
• Education
• Skill Development
• Food Distribution
• Blanket Distribution
• Women Empowerment
• Rural Development
• Other available charitable purposes

SSLF will make reasonable efforts to utilise purpose-specific donations for the indicated purpose.

However, where the specified programme:

• Has already been completed
• Has been discontinued
• Cannot reasonably be implemented
• Receives funds in excess of its reasonable requirement
• Becomes legally or operationally impracticable, or
• Cannot be undertaken for circumstances beyond SSLF's reasonable control

SSLF may, subject to applicable law and any restriction expressly accepted by SSLF in writing, utilise the funds for another closely related charitable purpose or another lawful charitable activity of the Foundation.

8. Donor-Imposed Restrictions

A purpose selected through an online donation form or written communication does not automatically create a legally binding restriction on SSLF.

Where a donor wishes to make a materially restricted or specifically earmarked contribution, the donor should contact SSLF before making the donation.

Any such restriction shall apply only if expressly accepted by SSLF in writing and to the extent permitted under applicable law.

SSLF may decline a proposed restriction where it is inconsistent with:

• Its constitutional documents
• Applicable law
• Tax requirements
• Programme requirements
• Operational feasibility

9. Donation Information

For donation processing, accounting, receipt generation, statutory reporting and other lawful purposes, SSLF may collect information including:

• Donor name
• Mobile number
• Email address
• Address
• PAN, where required
• Donation amount
• Date of donation
• Transaction/reference ID
• Mode of payment
• Selected donation purpose
• Other information reasonably required for lawful donation processing and reporting

Donors are responsible for providing accurate and complete information.

10. Payment Processing

Online donations may be processed through third-party banks, payment gateways or payment service providers.

The relevant payment service provider may have its own terms, conditions and privacy practices.

SSLF does not control the independent systems, processing procedures, downtime, technical failures or policies of third-party payment service providers.

Where a payment is unsuccessful, pending, declined or reversed, the donor may verify the transaction with the relevant bank or payment service provider and may contact SSLF with the transaction details.

11. Donation Receipt and Acknowledgement

SSLF may issue an acknowledgement or donation receipt for donations received through its authorised channels.

Where a valid email address is provided, the acknowledgement or receipt may be sent electronically.

A bank or payment-gateway transaction confirmation does not necessarily constitute the statutory donation certificate required for claiming a tax benefit.

Where applicable, statutory donation documentation shall be handled in accordance with applicable law and the requirements applicable to SSLF.

12. Section 80G and Tax Benefits

SSLF is registered under applicable provisions relating to charitable institutions, including Section 80G, subject to the terms and conditions of its approval and applicable law.

Any tax deduction or tax benefit relating to a donation shall be available only to the extent permitted under applicable income-tax law and subject to applicable conditions, including:

• Eligibility of the donor
• Nature of the donation
• Mode of payment
• Applicable qualifying limits
• SSLF's approval/eligibility at the relevant time
• Statutory reporting requirements
• Other conditions prescribed under law

SSLF does not guarantee that every donor will receive a tax deduction or any particular amount or percentage of deduction.

Donors should independently verify their tax eligibility and may seek professional tax advice where appropriate.

13. Cash Donations and 80G

SSLF may accept cash donations where legally permissible and subject to applicable law, accounting requirements and prescribed limits.

However, acceptance of a cash donation does not mean that the donor will necessarily be eligible for a Section 80G deduction.

Accordingly, donors seeking an applicable Section 80G tax deduction should use an appropriate non-cash mode and comply with all applicable tax requirements.

14. PAN and Statutory Information

Where required under applicable law for statutory reporting, tax compliance or issuance of applicable donation documentation, SSLF may request the donor's PAN and other prescribed information.

The donor is responsible for providing correct information.

If required information is incomplete, incorrect or unavailable, SSLF may not be able to complete statutory reporting or issue applicable documentation in the required manner.

15. Form 10BD and Form 10BE

Where applicable under the Section 80G framework, SSLF may be required to report donation information to the Income Tax Department through Form 10BD and provide the applicable Form 10BE donation certificate to eligible donors.

The Income Tax Department states that Form 10BD is a mandatory statement of donations for eligible 80G reporting institutions, and Form 10BE is the certificate issued to donors after the applicable reporting process.

The donor should ensure that the information provided to SSLF is accurate and sufficient for statutory reporting.

16. Utilisation of Donations

SSLF intends to use donations responsibly and in accordance with:

• Its constitutional documents
• Applicable law
• Valid donor restrictions accepted by SSLF
• Applicable tax requirements
• Applicable grant or funding conditions
• Approved charitable programmes and activities

Depending upon the nature of the funds and the programme, reasonable expenses required for effective implementation and administration of charitable activities may include:

• Programme personnel
• Training and educational resources
• Venue and infrastructure
• Equipment and technology
• Beneficiary support
• Transportation and logistics
• Communication and outreach
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Documentation and reporting
• Accounting and audit
• Statutory and professional compliance
• Reasonable administrative support
• Other legitimate programme-related expenses

SSLF does not represent that 100% of every donation will be spent directly on a particular beneficiary or individual activity.

17. Surplus or Unutilised Purpose-Specific Funds

Where a donation is received for a specific purpose and the amount received exceeds the reasonable requirement of that purpose, or the intended purpose subsequently becomes impracticable or unavailable, SSLF may, subject to applicable law and any accepted donor restriction, utilise the surplus or remaining amount for a related charitable purpose or another lawful charitable activity of SSLF.

Where required by law or a written funding arrangement, the applicable legal or contractual requirements shall prevail.

18. Donation Is Not an Investment

Donations made to SSLF:

• Do not earn interest for the donor
• Do not provide a financial return
• Do not represent an investment
• Do not create ownership rights
• Do not create a right to participate in SSLF's assets, and
• Do not entitle the donor to repayment merely because the donor later changes their mind

19. Refund and Cancellation

A completed donation is generally treated as a voluntary charitable contribution and is not automatically refundable merely because the donor changes their mind.

However, SSLF may consider a refund or correction in appropriate circumstances, including:

• Duplicate payment
• Demonstrable technical error
• Unauthorised transaction
• Payment credited incorrectly
• Payment reversal
• Other exceptional circumstances approved by SSLF

Refund requests should be submitted promptly with relevant transaction details.

Any approved refund may be subject to verification, banking procedures, payment-gateway procedures and applicable law.

Detailed provisions relating to refunds and cancellations may be provided in SSLF's separate Donation Refund & Cancellation Policy.

20. Duplicate or Erroneous Transactions

If a donor believes that a donation was made more than once because of a technical or payment error, the donor should contact SSLF promptly.

The donor may be asked to provide:

• Name
• Email/mobile number
• Date of transaction
• Donation amount
• Transaction/reference ID
• Relevant payment information

SSLF may verify the transaction with the relevant bank or payment service provider before taking corrective action.

21. Unauthorised or Fraudulent Transactions

If a donor believes that a transaction was made without their authorisation, the donor should immediately contact the relevant bank or payment service provider and inform SSLF.

SSLF may request transaction details and supporting information for verification.

Where legally required or appropriate, SSLF may cooperate with banks, payment service providers, law-enforcement authorities and other competent authorities.

22. Third-Party Payment Service Providers

Donation payments processed through a third-party payment gateway, bank or payment service provider may be subject to that provider's own terms and conditions.

SSLF is not responsible for third-party:

• System downtime
• Banking network interruptions
• Payment processing delays
• Technical failures outside SSLF's reasonable control
• Service interruptions
• Independent policies and procedures

This does not limit any rights available to donors under applicable law.

23. Donor Privacy

SSLF respects donor privacy.

Information collected in connection with donations may be used for:

• Processing donations
• Issuing receipts
• Statutory and tax reporting
• Accounting and audit
• Donation-related communication
• Programme and impact updates
• Lawful fundraising communication
• Compliance and record keeping
• Other purposes described in SSLF's Website & External Privacy Policy

SSLF will handle personal information in accordance with its Privacy Policy and applicable law.

24. Donation-Related Communications

Subject to applicable law and communication preferences, SSLF may communicate with donors regarding:

• Donation acknowledgements
• Receipts and statutory documentation
• Programme updates
• Impact reports
• Fundraising initiatives
• Charitable programmes
• Events or campaigns
• Other relevant organisational communications

Donors may contact SSLF regarding their communication preferences or applicable opt-out requests.

25. Donor Appreciation Certificate

Where SSLF offers a physical appreciation certificate or acknowledgement, it may be sent to the donor by courier or another suitable delivery method based on the information provided by the donor.

Such an appreciation certificate is an acknowledgement of support and is not a substitute for a statutory donation certificate, including Form 10BE where applicable.

Delivery is subject to availability of accurate postal information and courier services.

26. Donor Recognition

Where appropriate, SSLF may acknowledge or recognise donors in its reports, publications, website or other communication materials.

SSLF will consider applicable privacy requirements and donor preferences.

A donor who does not wish to be publicly acknowledged may communicate this preference to SSLF.

27. No Guarantee of Specific Outcome

SSLF endeavours to use donations responsibly and effectively.

However, charitable programmes may be affected by:

• Beneficiary requirements
• Funding availability
• Programme feasibility
• Government or regulatory requirements
• Natural disasters
• Operational circumstances
• Third-party dependencies
• Other circumstances beyond SSLF's reasonable control

Accordingly, SSLF does not guarantee a particular educational, employment, livelihood, social-impact or other individual outcome from any donation.

28. Foreign Contributions

SSLF's donation arrangements are currently intended primarily for Indian donors and lawful domestic contributions.

SSLF does not represent that it is authorised to accept foreign contributions unless the applicable legal requirements, registrations, permissions and compliance requirements have been satisfied.

Any future acceptance of foreign contribution shall be subject to applicable law, including the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, where applicable.

29. Unlawful or Prohibited Funds

SSLF may refuse, return, suspend, investigate or otherwise deal with a donation where there is a reasonable concern that the funds:

• Are connected with unlawful activity
• Involve fraud or misrepresentation
• Violate applicable law
• Are subject to a legal dispute
• Create an unacceptable compliance risk, or
• Cannot lawfully be accepted or utilised by SSLF

Where legally required, SSLF may report or cooperate with the appropriate authorities.

30. Donations Through Third Parties

Where a donor makes a contribution through a third-party fundraising platform, intermediary, campaign or other organisation, the terms of that third party may also apply.

Donors should verify the identity and authority of any third party claiming to collect donations on behalf of SSLF.

Unless expressly authorised by SSLF, no third party is permitted to represent that it has authority to collect donations on behalf of SSLF.

31. Fraud Prevention

Donors should verify the authenticity of any donation request using the SSLF name, logo, website or identity.

SSLF will not knowingly authorise an individual to collect donations through a personal bank account, personal wallet or unauthorised payment channel while representing that such channel is an official SSLF donation account.

Suspected fraudulent use of SSLF's identity should be reported immediately at: info@shyamsharanam.org.

32. Changes to Donation Policy

SSLF may update this Donation Policy from time to time to reflect:

• Changes in applicable law
• Changes in tax or regulatory requirements
• Changes in payment systems
• Changes in donation processes
• Organisational changes
• Improvements to its policies and procedures

The updated version may be published through the appropriate SSLF website channel.

The “Last Updated” date indicates the latest revision of this policy.

33. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

This Donation Policy shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws applicable in India.

Subject to applicable law, disputes relating to this Donation Policy shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the competent courts at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India.

34. Severability

If any provision of this Donation Policy is determined to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue to remain effective to the extent permitted by law.

35. No Waiver

Failure by SSLF to enforce any provision of this Donation Policy at any particular time shall not constitute a waiver of its right to enforce that provision subsequently.

36. Contact Information

For donation-related questions, receipt issues, transaction concerns, refund requests or other donation matters:

Shyamsharanam Skills and Livelihood Foundation (SSLF)

37. Document Control