Donation Policy

1. Why this matters

Nepal has seen several donation scandals over the years, where money raised for a cause did not end up at that cause. Pawseen was designed from day one so that this category of failure is structurally impossible. We never touch your donation.

2. How it works, step by step

1. You select a dog or a shelter to sponsor on the Pawseen platform.
2. You select a donation tier. The tier amount is set by the platform, but you can always edit it.
3. At checkout, you are shown clearly which partner shelter your money is going to. Examples: KAT Centre, Animal Nepal, Snehi, Sneha’s Care, HART Nepal.
4. Your payment is processed by a payment gateway (eSewa, Khalti, or direct bank transfer) straight into the partner shelter’s account. The receipt is issued by the shelter.
5. Pawseen separately invoices the shelter a small platform fee. This is the shelter’s expense, not yours.

3. Our platform fee

We charge partner shelters a platform fee that currently ranges between 3% and 6% of pass-through volume, depending on partnership tier. This fee covers hosting, SMS costs, development, and staffing of the coordination layer.

The fee is billed to the shelter, not deducted from your donation. When you donate NPR 1,000, the shelter receives NPR 1,000. Pawseen then separately bills the shelter, for example, NPR 40 for that transaction.

We publish our platform fee schedule in our annual transparency report at pawseen.com.

4. Who our partner shelters are

At the time of writing, Pawseen works with the following verified partner shelters:

• KAT Centre: Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre, Chapali
• Animal Nepal: Chobhar, Lalitpur
• Snehi: Kathmandu
• Sneha’s Care: Kathmandu
• HART Nepal: Himalayan Animal Rescue Trust, Pokhara

Each partner has signed a written agreement committing to: pass-through accounting, monthly sponsor reporting, photographic updates on sponsored animals, and independent annual audits where partnership volume exceeds NPR 500,000.

5. Receipts and tax

Your official donation receipt is issued by the receiving partner shelter, not by Pawseen. Whether the donation is eligible for tax treatment under Nepali law depends on the shelter’s registration status and your own tax circumstances.

Pawseen does not provide tax advice. If you need one for a corporate or high-value personal donation, please consult a chartered accountant in Nepal.

6. What if something goes wrong?

The payment fails

No money leaves your account. Pawseen shows a clear error and offers you a retry. We do not record the attempt in your sponsorship history.

The dog I sponsor dies

This happens. Stray animals in Nepal have hard lives. The shelter tells you honestly. You may redirect your sponsorship to another dog, or to the shelter’s general fund, or stop. No guilt, no pressure. Most sponsors continue.

A shelter stops being a partner

If we terminate a partnership, either for performance, conduct, or their own choice, we notify all affected sponsors within 7 days. Any dogs currently sponsored at that shelter are offered a new home at a peer partner, and sponsors may redirect, pause, or stop.

I want a refund

Refunds are handled by the receiving partner shelter, not by Pawseen, because the money is already with them. Partner shelters commit to refunding any donation within 14 days of request, no questions asked, as long as the funds have not yet been spent. Pawseen will facilitate the request on your behalf if you need us to.

7. Transparency commitments

• Monthly photo and wellbeing update on every sponsored animal
• Quarterly pass-through volume report per partner shelter
• Annual audited transparency report published publicly
• Public incident log for every case a donor flags as concerning

8. What we do not do

• We do not hold donor funds
• We do not accept cash donations in any form
• We do not accept “anonymous” donations. Every donation has a named sponsor and a named receiving shelter
• We do not solicit donations in person, by phone, or at public events

If you are approached by someone claiming to collect cash for Pawseen, please decline and email us at hello@pawseen.com. It is not us.