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Terms of Use and Donation Terms

The ground rules for using this website and for giving to SMITH Empowers.

Effective October 5, 2026. Last updated October 5, 2026.

These terms are between you and Supporting Marginalized Individuals Through Hope Inc. ("SMITH Empowers," "SMITH," "we," or "us"), a nonprofit organization based in Richmond, Virginia (EIN 93-1663174). By using www.smithempowers.com or making a gift through it, you agree to these terms. Please also read our Privacy Policy, which explains how we handle your information.

On this page:

Using this website

You may use this website to learn about SMITH Empowers, contact us, apply to volunteer, sign up for updates, and give. Please use it lawfully and respectfully. You agree not to:

  • send spam, malicious code, or false or misleading information through our forms;
  • pretend to be someone else, or submit someone else's information without their permission;
  • try to access the staff area, other people's information, or parts of the site that are not meant to be public;
  • disrupt the site, overload it with automated requests, or copy it in bulk with scrapers or bots; or
  • use the site in any way that could harm the young people we serve.

Forms and the information you send

Please give accurate information when you contact us, apply to volunteer, or give. Sending a form does not by itself enroll a participant, reserve a place in a program, or confirm a volunteer role; our team will follow up with next steps.

Our programs serve young people ages 13 to 24. Participants ages 13 to 17 need parent or guardian permission to enroll. Volunteers must be 18 or older. This website is not directed to children under 13, as explained in our Privacy Policy.

Program information

We work to keep program descriptions, formats, schedules, and equipment details accurate, but they can change. Some options, such as remote sessions, are available only where offered. Please contact us to confirm current details, dates, and any fees.

Our content

The text, logo, graphics, photos, program guide, and other content on this site belong to SMITH Empowers or the people who license them to us. You are welcome to view, print, and share our pages and program guide for personal, educational, or non-commercial purposes, and to link to our site. Please do not change our content, use our name or logo in a way that suggests we endorse you, or use our content commercially without our written permission.

If you send us ideas or suggestions, we may use them to improve our programs without owing you anything for them. If you see something on our site that you believe should be removed, please follow our Take Down Policy.

Our site links to other websites, such as our social media pages and partners, and gifts are processed on our payment processor's secure payment page. Those sites have their own terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for their content or practices.

Donation terms

How your gift is used

Gifts made through this website support SMITH Empowers's programs where they are needed most. Gifts become the property of SMITH Empowers once received, and our board and staff decide how to use them in line with our mission. We do not accept gifts restricted to a specific program, person, or purpose through the website, and we do not offer tribute gifts online. To discuss a larger or designated gift, please contact our team.

The impact examples on our donation page are estimates based on typical 2026 Richmond-area costs. They show what a gift of that size can help provide; they do not mean your specific gift will buy a specific item.

Payments

Online gifts are processed by Stripe, our payment processor. You enter your payment details on Stripe's secure payment page, and SMITH Empowers does not receive or store your full card or bank account number. Depending on what we offer at the time, you may give by card or by bank account (ACH). Bank payments can take several business days to complete, and your gift is confirmed only after the payment succeeds.

Online gifts must be at least $5 and no more than $10,000. For larger gifts, please contact us. All amounts are in U.S. dollars.

You may choose to add an optional contribution toward estimated processing fees. It is part of your gift, it is never required, and it is an estimate: the actual fee can vary by payment method. We may decline or return a gift if we believe it is fraudulent, unlawful, or inconsistent with our mission.

Monthly gifts

When you choose a monthly gift, you authorize SMITH Empowers, through Stripe, to charge the amount you chose (plus any optional fee contribution) to your payment method once a month, starting on the day you give, until you stop it.

  • Stopping: You can stop your monthly gift at any time using the private "Manage or cancel monthly gift" link in your receipt email, or by emailing info@smithempowers.com. When you stop online, no further monthly gifts are collected. If you email us, please allow up to 2 business days for us to act, and contact us again if you are charged after asking us to stop.
  • Updating payment details: You can update your payment method through the same private link. The link expires 30 days after each receipt; email info@smithempowers.com for a fresh one.
  • Failed payments: If a monthly payment fails, our payment processor may try again. If payments keep failing, we may stop the monthly gift.
  • Earlier gifts: Stopping a monthly gift does not refund gifts already made. See our refund policy for gifts made in error.

Receipts and taxes

We email a receipt after your payment is confirmed, and in January we email an annual giving statement for the previous calendar year. No goods or services are provided in exchange for gifts made through this website.

Supporting Marginalized Individuals Through Hope Inc. is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (EIN 93-1663174). Gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Please keep your receipt for your records. We cannot give tax advice; please ask a tax professional how a gift affects your taxes.

Refund policy

Gifts are generally final. Because gifts go to work in our programs, we do not refund a completed gift because a donor has changed their mind. We will refund a gift that was made in error, including:

  • a duplicate gift, where you were charged more than once for the same gift;
  • a gift made in the wrong amount, such as a typing mistake;
  • a monthly gift charged after you stopped it; or
  • a charge you did not authorize.

How to ask for a refund. Email info@smithempowers.com within 30 days of the charge date. Please include your name, the email address used for the gift, the date and amount, your receipt number if you have it, and what went wrong. We will reply within 5 business days.

What you get back. When we approve a refund, we refund the full amount you paid for that gift, including any optional fee contribution, to the original payment method. SMITH Empowers covers the processing fee; it is not taken out of your refund. If only part of a gift was made in error (for example, the wrong amount), we may refund only the difference. Once we issue a refund, it can take 5 to 10 business days for your bank or card issuer to show it.

After 30 days or for other reasons. We review other requests case by case and may approve them at our discretion. Nothing in this policy limits any refund or dispute right you have under law or under your card or bank's rules.

Receipts after a refund. A refunded amount is not a charitable contribution. Our records, your receipt, and your annual giving statement will reflect the amount you gave after refunds. If you already used the receipt for taxes, please check with your tax professional.

Please contact us first. If you see a charge you do not recognize, email us before filing a dispute with your bank or card issuer. We can usually fix mistakes faster, and disputes cost the organization extra fees. If you believe your card or account was used without permission, also contact your card issuer or bank right away.

State disclosures

Supporting Marginalized Individuals Through Hope Inc. is based in Virginia. Virginia residents: a financial statement for our last fiscal year is available upon request from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs. Registration with a state agency does not mean that the state endorses SMITH Empowers.

General terms

No warranties

We work to keep this site available, accurate, and secure, but we provide it "as is" and cannot promise it will always be error-free or uninterrupted. Information on the site is general information about our programs and is not professional, legal, or tax advice.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, SMITH Empowers and its board, staff, and volunteers are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential losses arising from your use of this website. Our total liability for any claim about a gift is limited to the amount of that gift. Some places do not allow these limits, so they may not apply to you.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute about these terms or this website will be handled in the state or federal courts located in Virginia, unless the law requires otherwise.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when they last changed. Changes apply from that date and do not change the terms that applied to a gift already made.

Contact us

Questions about gifts, monthly giving, or refunds: info@smithempowers.com.
All other questions: info@smithempowers.com or 804-497-6222 (Mon–Sat, 9am–5pm ET).
Mail: Supporting Marginalized Individuals Through Hope Inc., 2000 Starling Dr #70224, Henrico, VA 23229.

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