GiveNow requires you to choose a refund policy when you first create an event. This policy appears on the event page on GiveNow and determines whether ticket holders can request a refund when they cancel their own tickets in MyGiving.
Note: GiveNow can’t provide legal guidance about refund policies. Your organisation is responsible for choosing a policy that complies with the consumer laws that apply to you. These links are a good place to start:
If an event is cancelled, the usual options are to refund all ticket buyers, reschedule the event date, or offer a credit or voucher of the same value as their ticket.
GiveNow requires a refund policy to be set when an event is first created. This displays on the Event page on the GiveNow platform, and determines if supporters can request a refund when they cancel their tickets.
Choose a refund policy when creating an event
When creating your event, on the Settings tab, choose one of the following refund options:
- No refunds
- On a case-by-case basis
- Up to 30 days before the event starts
- Up to 7 days before the event starts
- Up to 1 day before the event starts
Note: Once your event has been approved, you can’t change the refund policy.
Note: Refunds are processed as a full refund of the ticket amount. Partial refunds aren’t currently supported.
How refunds work on GiveNow
Refund behaviour depends on who cancels the ticket and which refund policy you selected.
If a ticket holder cancels their own ticket in MyGiving
If the ticket holder cancels their own ticket, GiveNow may generate an automatic refund request (depending on your refund policy).
| Refund policy | What the ticket holder can do | What the organisation needs to do |
| No refunds | Cancel the ticket. They won’t see an option to request a refund. | No action required. |
| On a case-by-case basis | Cancel the ticket, then select an option to email your organisation with a refund request. | Review the request and respond to the ticket holder. If you want GiveNow to issue the refund, contact GiveNow. |
| Up to 30 days before the event starts | Cancel the ticket and request a refund (up to 30 days before the event starts). | You’ll receive a refund notification. GiveNow staff may still need to assist, depending on the circumstances. |
| Up to 7 days before the event starts | Cancel the ticket and request a refund (up to 7 days before the event starts). | You’ll receive a refund notification. GiveNow staff may still need to assist, depending on the circumstances. |
| Up to 1 day before the event starts | Cancel the ticket and request a refund (up to 1 day before the event starts). | You’ll receive a refund notification. GiveNow staff may still need to assist, depending on the circumstances. |
If your organisation cancels a ticket in OrgHQ
Cancelling registrations in OrgHQ does not automatically refund the ticket holder.
Automatic refund notifications are only generated when a ticket holder cancels their own ticket and requests a refund in MyGiving, in line with the event’s refund policy.
What happens next depends on the type of cancellation:
- Individual ticket cancellations (organisation-initiated)
GiveNow does not send automatic emails to ticket holders. Your organisation is responsible for contacting attendees and arranging any refund (if applicable). - Full event cancellations (organisation-initiated)
GiveNow does not send automatic emails to ticket holders. Your organisation is responsible for contacting attendees. If refunds are required, contact GiveNow so we can assist with issuing refunds to ticket holders.
Note: If you’ve cancelled registrations and need refunds processed, contact GiveNow at service@givenow.com.au and include the event name and registration IDs.
Recommended approach if you’re rescheduling an event
If you cancel an event (for example, due to weather) and plan to run it again on a new date, we recommend:
- Contact attendees directly to confirm the new event details.
- Clearly explain their options (attend the rescheduled event, request a refund, or give their ticket cost as a donation).
- If you need GiveNow to help process refunds, contact GiveNow with the details.