The fine print, in plain words

Contribution terms

Version 2026-08-19 · Last updated August 19, 2026

1. Who you are paying

Merch for Humanity is a platform operated by Merch.com, Inc. ("Merch.com"). When you contribute to a drive, you are making a payment to Merch.com, which is not a charity, a charitable fundraiser, or a donor-advised fund. On drives marked tax-deductible, that payment pays the featured organization’s own merchandise order on its behalf (see section 4); on all other drives it is not a payment or donation to the featured organization.

2. Your agreement

These terms are a binding agreement between you and Merch.com. You accept them by contributing: the contribution and payment buttons state that contributing constitutes agreement to these terms, and we record your acceptance with each contribution, including the version of these terms in effect, the time of your payment, and the network address it came from. If you do not agree to these terms, do not contribute.

3. Tax treatment of contributions

Unless a drive is expressly marked tax-deductible (see section 4), contributions are not tax-deductible charitable donations and you will not receive a charitable tax receipt from Merch.com or from the featured organization. If tax treatment matters to you, please consult your tax advisor before contributing.

4. Tax-deductible drives

Some drives are marked tax-deductible. On those drives, the featured organization — an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) public charity whose status we verify — has authorized the drive as its own merchandise order with Merch.com, payable solely from drive contributions, and has designated Merch.com as its authorized agent to collect contributions on its behalf and to apply them to that order. Your contribution to such a drive is therefore a gift to the organization, received through its designated agent and applied at the organization’s direction to its order. The organization has also authorized Merch.com to issue contribution acknowledgments to contributors as its agent, and the receipt we email you serves as that acknowledgment: it states the organization’s name and EIN, the amount and date of your contribution, and that no goods or services were provided to you in exchange. Keep it for your records. Whether and to what extent a contribution is deductible in your situation is a question for your tax advisor; nothing on this site is tax advice.

5. What your contribution funds

Each drive describes a specific merchandise order for a nonprofit organization, priced by Merch.com. Contributions are applied toward the production, decoration, taxes and delivery of that merchandise. Organizations on Merch for Humanity never receive your contribution as cash.

6. Contributions are final

All contributions are final and non-refundable. If a drive raises less than its goal by its deadline, the organization receives merchandise scaled to the amount raised. If a drive raises more than its goal, the surplus becomes merchandise credit that the organization can apply to future merchandise from Merch.com. If a drive is canceled by Merch.com (for example, where we cannot verify an organization), Merch.com may, at its discretion, refund contributions or apply them as merchandise credit for the organization.

7. Fee coverage

You may optionally add an amount to cover payment-processing fees. That amount is part of your payment to Merch.com and is applied the same way as the rest of your contribution.

8. Corporate sponsorships and drive completions

Some drives are funded by a single corporate sponsor instead of individual contributions. A sponsorship is a payment to Merch.com for the entire cost of the described merchandise order, together with co-branding: the sponsor’s logo appears on the produced items alongside the organization’s art, and on the drive page. Sponsorships are final, are not charitable donations (whether a sponsorship is deductible as a business expense is a question for your tax advisor), and follow these terms like any other contribution. By uploading a logo you confirm you have the right to use it, and you grant Merch.com and the organization a license to reproduce it on the drive page and the produced merchandise. Merch.com may decline and refund a sponsorship whose branding is unlawful, misleading, or inconsistent with the organization’s mission, and logo placement on physical goods is confirmed with you before production. Separately, a company may complete a drive the community has partly funded by paying the remaining balance under its own name. A completion is a contribution like any other and is final; what the company receives is named credit on the drive page and in that drive’s impact report, and not placement on the produced goods, which is reserved for full sponsorships. By supplying a company name or logo you confirm you have the right to use them and grant Merch.com and the organization a license to display them on the drive page and in the impact report, and Merch.com may decline and refund a completion whose name or branding is unlawful, misleading, or inconsistent with the organization’s mission.

9. Payment disputes

If anything about a charge looks wrong, contact us at support@merch.com before disputing it with your card issuer — a human reads every message and we resolve genuine problems quickly. Because contributions are final payments for a described merchandise order, we respond to card disputes and present the record of your agreement to these terms, your receipt, and the drive page as it appeared when you contributed. Charges appear on your statement referencing Merch.com and HUMANITY so you can recognize them.

10. Receipts and communication

We email a receipt for every contribution to the address you provide. Your name and message, if provided, may appear publicly on the drive page unless you choose to remain anonymous. We do not sell contributor information and we do not add you to marketing lists for contributing.

11. Organization eligibility

Organizations are onboarded and reviewed by Merch.com before appearing on Merch for Humanity, and each drive is reviewed before going live. Merch.com may pause, close or remove a drive or organization at any time to protect contributors and the platform.

12. Payments

Payments are processed by Stripe. Your card details never touch our servers. Charges appear on your statement referencing Merch.com and HUMANITY.

13. Changes and governing law

We may update these terms from time to time; each contribution is governed by the version in effect when you make it, and the current version is always dated on this page. These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.