Fernsby is a privately owned, for-profit working land project in the Missouri Ozarks. From time to time, we may invite people who value the work being done here to support Fernsby through a one-time or recurring gift.

For purposes of this policy, the word gift means a voluntary financial contribution made to support Fernsby’s work. It does not mean a charitable donation, and Fernsby is not representing itself as a nonprofit or tax-exempt charitable organization.

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What your gift supports

Gifts to Fernsby help us continue the practical work documented throughout this site. Depending on where support is directed, that may include field research, environmental monitoring, ecological restoration, infrastructure experiments, apiary work, project materials, documentation, or other costs associated with carrying out and sharing the work at Fernsby.

Unless a gift is specifically associated with a named project, support is considered general support for Fernsby and may be used where it is most useful at the time.

Gifts are not tax-deductible

Fernsby is a for-profit business. Gifts made through this website are not charitable contributions and are not tax-deductible as charitable donations.

We do not provide charitable contribution receipts. If you have questions about how a payment should be treated for your own tax purposes, please consult a qualified tax professional.

One-time gifts

A one-time gift is charged once in the amount selected during checkout. Submitting payment authorizes Fernsby and its payment processor to charge the payment method provided for that amount.

Monthly gifts

A monthly gift is a recurring payment that continues until it is canceled. By selecting monthly support, you authorize Fernsby and its payment processor to charge the selected amount to your payment method on a recurring monthly basis.

Monthly support may be canceled at any time. Cancellation stops future charges but does not automatically refund payments that have already been processed. Instructions for managing or canceling recurring support will be provided with the recurring payment service once monthly support is available.

Project-specific gifts

Some gifts may be associated with a specific Fernsby project. When we describe a project budget, goal, timeline, or intended use of funds, those figures reflect our best estimate at that time. Land-based projects can change because of weather, material costs, equipment availability, site conditions, research findings, permitting requirements, project sequencing, or other circumstances that cannot always be predicted in advance.

Fernsby may modify the design, timing, scope, or method of a supported project when doing so is reasonably necessary. When practical, significant changes will be documented through the website or related Field Notes.

Partial funding

A project does not necessarily need to reach its stated funding goal before work can begin. If a campaign receives only partial funding, Fernsby may complete a smaller portion of the project, combine the support with Fernsby’s own funds, delay work until additional resources are available, or revise the project to fit the resources available.

We will not represent a project as fully funded when it is not.

Overfunding

If support for a project exceeds its stated funding goal, additional funds may be used for reasonable project-related expenses, later phases of the same work, ongoing monitoring or documentation, or other closely related Fernsby work.

If funds can no longer reasonably be used for the original project, they may be redirected to another Fernsby project or to general Fernsby operations.

If a project changes or cannot be completed

Supporting a project does not guarantee that the project will be completed exactly as originally described. Experiments can fail, conditions can change, and a planned approach may prove impractical or unnecessary after further observation.

If a project is substantially changed, postponed, or abandoned, Fernsby may redirect remaining funds toward related work or another appropriate Fernsby project. Whenever possible, we will explain what changed and why. That transparency is part of the reason the work is being documented in the first place.

No ownership or financial return

A gift to Fernsby does not provide the supporter with ownership in Fernsby or its property, equity or securities, voting or management rights, a share of revenue or profits, repayment rights, or any expectation of financial return.

Support is voluntary and should not be understood as an investment.

Gifts are separate from purchases

A Fernsby support gift is not the purchase of merchandise, consulting services, admission, or another product or service. Products and services purchased from Fernsby are separate transactions governed by the applicable Terms of Sale and related policies.

Refunds

Because gifts are voluntary support payments, they are generally considered final once processed.

However, if a payment was made in error, duplicated, unauthorized, or charged in an incorrect amount, please contact us promptly. We will review reasonable refund requests individually. Refunds may also be required where applicable law or payment processor rules require them.

Payment processing

Payments may be processed by third-party payment providers. Those providers may collect and process payment information according to their own terms and privacy practices. Fernsby does not control the independent policies of those providers.

How we communicate progress

One of Fernsby’s purposes is to document real work over time. When a supported project moves forward, we may share planning, implementation, observations, setbacks, measurements, results, and later revisions through project pages, Field Notes, photographs, monitoring data, or other updates.

Support does not guarantee a particular frequency or type of update, but we intend to document meaningful progress when there is something useful to report.

Changes to these terms

We may update this Support Terms & Gift Policy as the support program develops. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. The terms in effect at the time of a transaction will generally govern that transaction.

Contact

Questions about a gift, recurring support, a project campaign, or these terms may be submitted through the Fernsby Contact page.