A “Jackson River LLC” charge on your credit card or bank statement is almost always a donation you or someone in your household made to a nonprofit. Jackson River is a fundraising software company whose platform, Springboard, processes online gifts for organizations like NPR, the ASPCA, American Public Media, World Food Program USA, and KPCC. Because the payment runs through Jackson River’s merchant account, its name can show up on your statement instead of the charity’s.1Jackson River. Jackson River Homepage
Why the Nonprofit’s Name Doesn’t Appear
When a charity uses a third-party platform to accept online donations, the transaction is routed through that platform’s merchant account rather than one owned by the nonprofit. The processor’s name can then appear as the descriptor on your statement.2Sekure Payment Experts. A Guide to Credit Card Processing for Nonprofits Banks also use their own internal mapping to decide how a merchant is labeled, and digital wallets sometimes add prefixes that eat into the limited character space, so the same donation may look different on different statements.3Stripe. Why Do Customers See Statement Descriptors That Don’t Match A $25 monthly gift to your local public radio station can end up on your statement as “Jackson River LLC.”
How to Identify Which Nonprofit You Donated To
A few quick checks will usually match the charge to a specific organization:
- Search your email inbox for donation confirmation receipts. The receipt will name the nonprofit and may reference “Springboard” as the processing system.
- Compare the charge amount and date against those receipts. Monthly sustainer gifts are a common source of forgotten charges.
- Look at the full transaction details in your banking app or statement. Some banks include a city, phone number, or URL that points to the actual charity.
- If you have a suspicion about which nonprofit it is, contact its donor services team directly. Organizations using Springboard can look up transactions by donor name and card details.
How to Cancel a Recurring Donation
If you recognize the donation but want to stop it, contact the nonprofit itself. Many nonprofits offer a “Manage My Donation” or “Cancel Recurring Gift” page on their website, and some fundraising platforms let donors log in and change their status directly.4National Council of Nonprofits. New Mastercard Rules Affecting Recurring Donations If no self-service option exists, call or email the donor services contact listed on your donation receipt or the nonprofit’s site.
If you can’t identify or reach the nonprofit, you can also instruct your bank or card issuer to block future charges from the descriptor. For a preauthorized recurring payment, you generally have the right to tell your bank to stop it.
Small or $0 Amounts
If the charge is for $0 or a very small amount, it is likely an authorization hold rather than a real payment. Holds are a standard way for processors to confirm a card is valid and has available funds before a subscription or recurring donation begins. They appear as “pending” and usually drop off within a few days.5Stripe. Authorization Holds Explained If the hold hasn’t cleared after about a week, contact your bank.
If You Truly Didn’t Authorize the Charge
If no one in your household made the donation and you don’t recognize the nonprofit, treat it as an unauthorized charge. Your rights depend on the card used.
For a credit card, the Fair Credit Billing Act caps your liability for unauthorized charges at $50. Send a written dispute to your card issuer at the address it lists for billing inquiries, within 60 days of the statement date. The issuer must acknowledge your complaint within 30 days and resolve it within 90 days. You can withhold payment on the disputed amount during the investigation, and the issuer cannot report you as delinquent for doing so.6Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
For a debit card, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act and Regulation E govern the dispute. Notify your bank right away. Reporting within two business days caps your liability at $50; after two days but within 60 days of the statement, that ceiling can rise to $500. Banks generally have 10 business days to investigate and must issue a temporary credit if they need more time.7Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Get My Money Back After an Unauthorized Transaction
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency also recommends asking your bank to block and replace the compromised card. If you suspect identity theft, place a fraud alert with one of the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion; whichever one you contact will notify the other two) and file a report at IdentityTheft.gov.8Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Credit Card and Debit Card Fraud