Payments and Donations

Global Village’s Payment Policies and Procedures guide applies to everybody who commits to a GV trip, so please read this carefully. We hope the following guide also proves helpful for those of you who are fundraising the financial support necessary to make your trip a reality. Be sure to review the information here before beginning your fundraising efforts.

These guidelines are in place to ensure that you have the opportunity to join others in the mission of Habitat affiliates around the world to help build decent, affordable houses in partnership with low-income families.

Deposit and balance

Once you are invited to join a Global Village team, you must confirm your place on the team by submitting a nonrefundable and nontransferable US$350 deposit within one week to Habitat for Humanity International. The balance of the trip payment is due 45 days prior to the beginning of the trip.

Submitting paymentsAll payments toward your trip must be made in U.S. dollars to Habitat for Humanity International, and designated to the Global Village department (see coding info below).

Payments may be submitted by personal check, money order, MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover.

You or your donors may submit funds by credit card online.

Go to www.habitat.org/gv and click on the link called “Donate in Support of a Global Village Trip”. If you are located in the United States, you may also submit funds by telephone by calling the GV customer service coordinator at (800) 422-4828, Ext. 7530.

To submit funds online or over the phone, you will need:

Your credit card

Your eight-digit Habitat ID number

The Global Village (GV) event code for the trip you are joining, in this case GV 12397.

Participants and donors who submit funds by credit card will receive an automatic e-mail acknowledgment that the payment was received.

Checks and money orders must be made payable to

Habitat for Humanity International and mailed to:

Habitat for Humanity International

Global Village Department

P.O. Box 369

Americus, GA 31709-0369

Note: It may take up to two weeks for donations to post to the team’s account.Your deposit and any payments you submit toward the cost of your trip will automatically be credited toward satisfying

your financial obligation only when coded as instructed.

Coding your donations

For a donation to be credited toward your trip, your personal eight-digit Habitat ID number and GV event code for Vietnam (GV12397) must be included on all funds submitted to the Global Village program on your behalf by your donors or yourself.

For online credit card payments

Include your eight-digit Habitat ID number and GV event code in the fields provided.

For personal checks or money orders

Please write your eight-digit Habitat ID number above the name and address in the upper left corner of the

check, and the GV event code on the memo line located in the lower left corner.If you are uncertain of your eight-digit Habitat ID number or the GV event code, please contact your team leader.

Information regarding funding your trip:

• Fundraising website

We are excited to invite you and your team members to use Share.Habitat to meet your fundraising goals.

Share.Habitat has an improved registration and now team members can simply click on the link https://www.habitat.org/cd/gv/participant/tripshare.aspx and follow quick and easy steps to create a fundraising web page. Team members will need their 8-digit participant ID number and event code to create a fundraising page.

Share.Habitat will create a customized page containing information about Habitat, Global Village, the team member's trip and destination country. It also includes a donation button for online donations, as well as instructions on how to mail or phone in a donation. Team members can also post a link to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media sites, as well as use emailing tools to reach out to potential donors.

A few notes about Share.Habitat features

Team members can post photos and blogs on their individual page.
Team members can easily link their page to their social networks through Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Every page includes a donor wall and fundraising goal with a progress thermometer.
Videos can be uploaded from YouTube.
Robust email tools are available to send mass emails.
Every page is connected to a team page which notes the team fundraising goal and project details. Leaders can post regular updates to the team as well as upload some of the team members' comments to the team page.

• Matching gifts

Contact your company’s matching gift officer prior to submitting a matching gift form. Not all companies’ matching-gift policies allow for the matching of participation fees (they may only cover the "donation" portion of the costs). If applying for matching gifts, notify your team leader that you are in this process, and start it as soon as possible. Many companies submit matching funds only two or three times per year.

Note: Matching gift funds may only be used to offset the final balance owed if they are received by GV at least 45 days before the trip departs.

• Tax deductibility

Funding raised toward the cost of a Global Village trip also includes the cost of food, lodging and transportation during the trip. Only a portion of the required trip payment supports the charitable purpose of the hosting Habitat program. Depending on the participant’s country of origin, this trip’s cost may or may not be tax-deductible. Please consult a tax adviser concerning your specific situation.

• Acknowledging donations

All donors who contribute via check or money order payable to Habitat for Humanity International, or make a credit card donation designated to a Global Village team, are sent acknowledgment letters by Habitat for Humanity International. Those who donate online (via a personalized Web page or via the

link “Donate in Support of a Global Village Trip”) receive a prompt e-mail confirmation that the donation was received, and will also be mailed an acknowledgement letter. Discourage your supporters from sending cash,

as Habitat for Humanity International cannot acknowledge cash donations. Talk to the team leader about cash that is collected as a donation at fundraising events.

• Donation checks payable to youIf a donor makes a check payable to you, but would like an acknowledgment letter from HFHI, you may write “Payable to Habitat for Humanity International,” along with your signature, on the back of the check. Include the event code and your eight-digit Habitat ID number on the front of the check. If the donor does not need or want an acknowledge letter from HFHI, then you may deposit that check in your own bank account and use towards your other needs, such as airfare.

• Funds raised in addition to the published trip cost—

One of the stated purposes of the Global Village program is to raise funds for the building efforts of Habitat affiliates worldwide. To remain consistent with our mission, the Global Village department is not able to roll additional funds over to a future GV trip. Habitat for Humanity International will direct any additional funding you raise (beyond the published trip cost) to support building programs in the team’s host country.

• Fundraising for airfare

As of Jan. 1, 2008, funds raised at HFHI in excess of the trip cost may no longer be used to cover all or part of a GV participant’s airfare. Participants may still be able to claim their airfare as a tax-deductible expense even if the funds are paid directly from the participant to a vendor, as long as the trip is in pursuit of a charitable purpose. Team members will need to contact a tax adviser concerning their specific situation. Team members can, however, receive "miles" in an airline mileage program as a donation. No receipt, however, can be given to the donor.

• Cancellation policy

No refunds are offered if you must cancel.

• Cancellation more than 45 days prior to departure

All payments excluding the $350 deposit may be transfered for use on a future GV trip within one year of your original trip date. All cancellation notices must first be given to your team leader before notifying GV. All transfer requests must be sent in writing to the Global Village sending coordinator. Ask your team leader for more information.

• Cancellation within 45 days of departure

One hundred percent of your payments and donations will be retained by HFHI to meet current obligations.

• If Habitat for Humanity must cancel

We will make every effort to conduct the trip as scheduled; however, if Habitat for Humanity International must cancel, we will attempt to place you on another team. If that is not possible, you may receive a full refund. Global Village cannot compensate participants for the cost of unusable airfare or any other expenses resulting from the cancellation. Your team leader will contact you to explain how to claim

your refund if Habitat must cancel your team’s trip.

• Delays enroute

If delays occur en route, or missed or cancelled flights cause you to miss your rendezvous with the team, the Global Village staff will do everything possible to assist you in connecting with the team. However, Global Village cannot be responsible for any expenses incurred due to flight problems.