Q: What is the Oak Forest Family?
A tree can be only as strong as the forest that surrounds it.
Peter Wohlleben, forester and author
The Plum Village App can only exist because of those whose contributions nourish, sustain, and strengthen it. For many, the easiest way to contribute effectively is by donating, but others contribute their time and energy in ways small or large. Either way, together we make up the Oak Forest Family, and we would like to invite you to join us.
The idea of joining a ‘family’ will be familiar to anyone who has attended a Plum Village retreat; where small groups, known as ‘families’, as formed for the duration. Within each family, we support and listen to one another, as well as spend a little time joyfully doing working meditation together to support the wider community. The Oak Forest Family takes inspiration from this model as we further develop digital meditation and mindfulness resources.
Q: Can I join the Oak Forest Family without donating?
Yes! The Plum Village App could also not exist without volunteers offering their time and energy; much of our content is kindly supplied for free by the monastic and lay community of Dharma Teachers. Additional ways to help include leaving a review, giving us feedback, volunteering – such as contributing subtitles.
Q: How will donations towards the Plum Village App be used?
Donations are used to pay for services necessary to the continued operation and improvement of the Plum Village App, if we are unable to effectively obtain these services at no cost. This includes paying a core team of professionals, such as developers, designers, editors, and administrators. We also need to cover operational costs like servers, office space, and software service providers.
We always try to ensure value for money when spending donation funds, while also considering the ethical implications. Where possible, we use service providers aligned with our values, particularly in terms of taking care of the planet. The core team are mindfulness practitioners in the Plum Village tradition, who bring their meditation and mindfulness experience into their work, and typically accept pay below market rates.
Q: Why are monthly donations preferred?
We are deeply grateful to each and every donation generously offered. However, donations made via monthly subscription support us to build a stable financial base, meaning we can continue to confidently maintain and develop the app and other digital Plum Village projects.
Q: How can I cancel my donation, adjust my donation amount, or edit my card details?
Please refer to our ‘Update billing information’ page.
Q: The Stripe customer portal won’t recognize my email address; what should I do?
This may be because your donation is linked to a different email address. To identify the email address your subscription is linked to, check your monthly subscription email invoice.
Otherwise, you may be contributing to another Plum Village fund – for example, a regional Plum Village organization (such as Plum Village UK), or the main Plum Village community fund accessed directly via the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation or Plum Village. If this is the case, please reach out to the relevant organization.
Q: Is my donation tax deductible?
Our current legal structure is a company limited by guarantee based in the UK. We are working to become a registered charity in the UK, but are not currently tax deductible in any region.
Q: Can I donate via methods other than card, PayPal, or bank transfer?
We are currently unable to accept donations via cheque, bequeathment, or other methods. We hope to expand our donation forms in the future, but, alternatively, you may wish to donate to the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation, which has more donation pathways available. You may also wish to mention the Plum Village App when doing so.