FRIENDS OF FPMT FAQ
WHAT IS FRIENDS OF FPMT
Q. What does my Friends of FPMT donation pay for?
A. As a Friend of FPMT, you are part of a worldwide donor program composed of students and friends working together to support FPMT’s global activities. Friends of FPMT provides reliable funding for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s International Office, allowing us to continue to serve our centers and students.
Q. Why did you change the name from FPMT Foundation Membership to Friends of FPMT?
A. We found the term “membership” was confusing for some students and staff already affiliated with one of FPMT’s 150+ centers, projects or services. We received questions such as, “I attend classes at my local FPMT center, doesn’t that already make me a member of FPMT?” To avoid confusion we decided to change the name of our program so it is clear that membership to Friends of FPMT is different than membership to the greater organization.
FRIENDS REGISTRATION AND BILLING
Q. How do I sign up to be a Friend of FPMT?
A. Thank you for your interest! The easiest way to sign up is to visit us online at http://www.fpmt.org/friends
You are also welcome to email us or give us a call at friends@fpmt.org, 503.808.1588 x126. Friends of FPMT forms can be mailed to: FPMT International Office, 1632 SE 11th Avenue, Portland, OR 97214, USA.
Q. Can I make someone else a Friend of FPMT?
A. Absolutely! Please visit http://www.fpmt.org/friends and enter the appropriate information in our "Gift Friendship" field.
Q. Does my donation reoccur every year or will I be contacted about renewing?
A. Your Friends of FPMT donation can be set up in a variety of ways to suit your preference. We recommend recurring donations which are paid on a monthly or quarterly basis; these can be automatically deducted from a checking account or paid by a credit card number we have on file. This is an easy and effective way to support us with little effort on your end.
Friends of FPMT is also offered annually which can be paid by check, credit card, or money transfer. We will contact you at the end of your member year with renewal information. If you are a recurring member, your membership will automatically renew until you cancel (and you can cancel at anytime).
Q. Do I have to wait to be contacted or can I renew at any time?
A. You are welcome to renew at any time. If you’d like to do so now, please visit http://www.fpmt.org/friends or contact us at friends@fpmt.org, 503.808.1588 x126.
Q. Will my contact or email information be shared with other organizations?
A. No, your contact information is kept private within the FPMT organization. We do not share or rent information.
MEMBERSHIP CREDIT CARD QUESTIONS
Q. I live outside of the United States and I’m having difficulty completing my donation. My card works on other systems but not yours. What’s wrong?
A. We’re so sorry! Try the following – make sure that your state says (Not Applicable), your zip/postal code is 00000 and your country code is correct.
Our payment processor (Network for Good powered by Groundspring) works with all international banks, however, they have very strict fraud processing rules and use a combination of zip/postal code and address (city, state, country) to verify your credit card account information. For some countries that do not use postal codes or use a different type of postal code system (such as Canada and Australia) donors occasionally have difficulty in completing a transaction.
Q: I am trying to make a recurring Friends of FPMT donation, but I can’t – the confirmation email says that I already have a recurring donation to FPMT. Help!
A. Thank you for your generosity! Use a different email address to make your Friends of FPMT donation. Currently there can only be one recurring Friends of FPMT donation at a time – your recurring donation is indicated by your email address.
FOUNDATION MEMBERSHIP VS CENTER MEMBERSHIP
Q. I have a membership to my local FPMT center. Does that mean I am also a Friend of FPMT?
A. Friends of FPMT is separate from your center membership. Friends of FPMT supports FPMT’s global outreach in the areas of education, center service and support, and charitable projects. Your local center membership directly sustains that center and any initiatives they sponsor.
Some centers offer Friends of FPMT as part of their center member benefits package. If you are not sure if this is included in your center membership, please check with your center. If it is not, we invite you to become a Friend of FPMT today!
FRIENDS OF FPMT BENEFITS
Q. I just signed up. Will I receive a membership card?
A. At this time, Friends of FPMT does not come with a membership card.
Q. What if I already have a Mandala Magazine subscription?
A. If you have been receiving (or formerly received) Mandala as an individual subscriber and wish to continue to receive it, you can now only do so via the Friends of FPMT program. This will allow you to stay connected to Mandala and will bring you additional exciting benefits, such as the quarterly Mandala eZine and online educational opportunities.
One exception to this is that some readers receive Mandala Magazine as a benefit of belonging to an FPMT center. If you receive Mandala because of your center membership, this means you are already a Friend of FPMT.
Q. I enrolled as a member but haven’t received the latest Mandala, why?
A. Mandala is dependent upon a printing schedule and you may have enrolled just after the current issue was mailed. For example, if you enrolled in October, the Oct/Nov/Dec 2008 would have already been sent out and your first issue would begin with the Jan/Feb/March 2009 issue. Please contact friends@fpmt.org if you have questions about receiving the current or any past issues.
Another possibility is that you changed your address and didn’t notify us. In that case, your magazine was returned. Please be sure to let us know if your address changes.
It’s always best to check first with your postal carrier/service to see if they can offer any information about the delivery of your Mandala. In some parts of the world, mail service can encounter significant delays which are unfortunately out of our control.
Q. Why do you offer a price range for each Friends of FPMT level? Wouldn’t everyone just choose the lesser amount?
Friends of FPMT is a donor program for those wishing to support FPMT’s worldwide activity. We offer a price range to accommodate any budget, if people feel they can offer more than the base price for the same benefits, we’re happy to put their money to excellent use. Every dollar we receive directly supports Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s work to help all living beings.
Q. I was previously offered a discount to the Foundation Store with my FPMT Foundation Membership. When you changed the name to Friends of FPMT you withdrew the Foundation Store discount. Why?
A. We found it administratively difficult managing the discount codes necessary to offer a discount at the Foundation Store. About 40% of our customer service questions involved questions about the discount codes. We’re a very small staff and felt this wasn’t the best use of your dollars to offer this particular benefit. Instead, we can use our resources to maintain and develop the core benefits of Mandala Publications and the Online Learning Center.