# Receiving contributions For general guidance about receiving contributions through Open Collective, check out [their documentation](https://documentation.opencollective.com/getting-started/understanding-contributions). ## Payment methods Contributions made by credit/debit card are automatically credited to your Collective's balance. Contributions made by bank transfer are credited to your Collective's balance when we receive them. Each contribution has its own six-digit reference number, which should be included in the payment reference. {% hint style="warning" %} If a bank transfer is made without including the right reference number, the funds may not be credited to your Collective's balance. {% endhint %} ## Purchases vs. donations When creating a [contribution tier](https://documentation.opencollective.com/collectives/raising-money/setting-goals-and-tiers), you'll be asked to select a receipt type. The receipt type you should select depends on whether the contribution is for a purchase, or for a donation. ### Purchases If there is *any* way the donor could obtain a material benefit from a contribution in a given tier, then it is a purchase, and you **must** select `Non-Donation Payment Receipt` for that tier. This includes: * Merchandise and ticket sales * Workshops and training, even if the training is free of charge for other participants * Other goods or services ### Donations If there is no material benefit available to the donor from from a contribution in a given tier, then it is a donation, and you should select `Donation Receipt` for that tier. {% hint style="info" %} Even if there's no direct link between a contribution and a benefit, you shouldn't describe your tiers in such a way that it could be confused. For example, avoid using phrases like "covers the cost of one person". {% endhint %} Donations for which donation receipts are issued are eligible for donation tax credits in New Zealand, as The Gift Trust is a registered [donee organisation](https://myir.ird.govt.nz/tools/?LINK=DONREQ). ## Refunds Purchases are refundable at our sole discretion, as long as a `Non-Donation Payment Receipt` was issued for the contribution. If a `Donation Receipt` was issued for the contribution, **no refund is available**, as we have no way of ensuring that the associated donation tax credit will not be claimed. This applies regardless of whether the contribution was a donation or a purchase. Exceptions may be made if a contribution was made fraudulently, if an error occurred, or in other exceptional circumstances at our sole discretion. No partial refunds can be made, and your Collective will still be charged a [host fee](https://docs.giftcollective.nz/collectives/costs#fiscal-host-fees) on refunded amounts. We can only give a refund if your Collective has sufficient balance to cover it, and to cover the host fee on the refunded amount. ### Requesting a refund To request a refund on behalf of a contributor, email with: * The reference number of the contribution * The name and contact details of the contributor * The circumstances that require the refund * (Bank transfer contributions only) The bank account to which the contribution should be refunded Requests for refunds must be made within 30 days of the contribution. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.giftcollective.nz/raising-money/receiving-contributions.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.