Becoming a member or a regular donor

Lhagsam was founded by a group of students with the goal of practicing and studying Dharma together. All activities are still planned and run entirely by volunteers. Become part of this beautiful group, and share your practice and ideas with us. During the yearly general assembly, you take part in important decisions so that Lhagsam can flourish in the future. With your financial contribution, you are also helping us to finance the location, course organisation and other charitable projects. On top of enjoying the positive merit coming out of such a beneficial activity, you get the following benefits:

Membership level	Member	Donor (Big Bupporter)	Donor (Great Supporter)
Monthly membership fee	30 CHF (or reduced for people with low income)	50 CHF	100 CHF or more 🙂
Invitation to the yearly Lhagsam General Assembly	√	√	√
Puja perfomed by the Kopan monks in Kathmandu dedicated to all benefactors (a Puja is a special ceremony in which prayers are offered to the Buddhas to request their blessings)	√	√	√
Lhagsam Library Access	√	√	√
One selected Dharma book per year		√	√
Special Big Supporter Events (e.g. lunch with our lamas)		√	√

Click HERE to become a member

You will receive the payment details in your welcome e-mail after your registration. The regular membership fee is 30 CHF per month (360 annually) and there is a reduced fee for people with low income. Volunteers automatically become members. Your membership can be withdrawn anytime without a notice. If you are not a member, you are still welcome to all events.

Interested? Great! Here are the answers to some burning questions:

How do I become a Lhagsam member?

It’s easy! Just fill out the following form. It won’t take you more than 5 minutes. You will then receive a welcome e-mail with payment details. You will become a full member with all the benefits once we receive your first installment.

Yes, I would like to become a member

What are the membership payment options?

You will receive the payment details in your welcome e-mail after your registration and you can find the payment options here https://lhagsam.ch/support-us/. You will be able to either contribute in monthly installments by setting up a recurring PayPal payment or you can wire transfer your annual contribution to the Lhagsam bank account. For the yearly wire transfer we give a 10% discount of the membership fees. You will receive a reminder e-mail by the end of the year with the bank details and amount to be paid

I want to become a member but I don't have much money. What can I do?

We are very happy to have you as a member! You can pay any amount that is possible for you, monthly or yearly.

How do I withdraw my Lhagsam Membership?

No problem. Please send us an email at info@lhagsam.ch and we will cancel your membership with immediate effect. Please note that we do not refund payments that have already occured.

Are my donations to Lhagsam tax-deductible?

Being an association with an altruistic purpose, Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation was granted tax-exemption by the cantonal authority of Zurich. Donations to tax-exempt associations can be deducted from federal and state taxes in Switzerland. However, membership fees are not donations and therefore not tax deductible.

How do I separate my membership fees from other donations?

Since membership fees are not tax-deductible, while donations are, it is easiest to make separate payments and indicate what your payment was for. However, if your paid membership fees exceed CHF 360 per year, the excess amount will be counted as donation.

Why become a Lhagsam donor?

Lhagsam is a non-for-profit association. By becoming a supporter of Lhagsam, you are helping us to finance the location, course coordination and other charitable projects. Your financial contribution makes Lhagsam sustainable and able to make Dharma teachings available. So eventually, with your generosity you are helping all sentient beings and collecting skies of merits. On top of enjoying the positive merit coming out of such a beneficial activity, you get some benefits (see the table above).

Click HERE to become a donor

What are the donor payment options?

You will receive the payment details in your welcome e-mail after your registration and you can find the payment options here https://lhagsam.ch/support-us/. You are free to choose monthly or yearly contributions.

How do I withdraw from being a Lhagsam donor?

No problem. Please send us an email at info@lhagsam.ch and it takes effect immediately. Lhagsam has no entitlement to the contributions pledged by donors. Please note that we do not refund payments that have already occured.

Are my donations to Lhagsam tax-deductible?

When will I receive a conformation for my donations?

For donations over CHF 200, the confirmations will be sent by email at the end of each calendar month. For other donations, confirmations will be sent in January of the following year. There are instances where we have trouble identifying the donor (especially TWINT, RaiseNow) or we lack contact details. If you didn’t get a confirmation but need one, please contact finance@lhagsam.ch.

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