Refund Policies

REGULAR LECTURE REFUND POLICY: Refunds are not available for regular lectures. No refunds will be made once payment for a registration has been processed. This includes accidental duplication of existing reservations. If you cannot attend, please offer your reservation to a friend and advise the Program Office of your change of plans before the lecture.
DAY TRIP / TOUR REFUND POLICY: If you decide not to attend a Day Trip, Tour, or program for supporting-level members (ie: Private Passions, etc.), refunds are available up to 21 days prior to the date of the trip (less a 20% processing fee). After 21 days, no refunds are available for tours or upper level programs. Reservations for tours or upper-level programs are non-transferable.
DAY TRIP / TOUR CANCELLATION POLICY: The Royal Oak Foundation may cancel or reschedule a day trip or tour for any reason it deems sufficient. In the event of outright cancellation or schedule change for these programs, Royal Oak may offer the choice of full refund or attendance at the re-scheduled time to those who have reserved.
LATE REGISTRATIONS: Please make deadlines for lectures – especially those followed by lunch or dinner. We will try to accommodate late registrations if possible.

SEATING AND DRESS CODE FOR LECTURES AND TOURS:

  • Please arrive before programs begin. We can not guarantee seating for late arrivals.
  • Kindly turn off all cell phones and paging devices before the lecture begins.
  • Dress for Royal Oak lectures is generally “Business Attire” but many of our venues have their own dress code. Please note any specific dress code requirements connected with a particular lecture.
  • Tours may have their own suggested attire predicated upon the nature of the excursion.
  • Tours often require extensive walking, standing and stair-climbing.

Lectures & Tours

ALL PROGRAMS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR CANCELLATION. Cancellations and last-minute schedule changes are extremely rare. The Royal Oak Foundation reserves the right to alter, amend, reschedule or otherwise change advertised programs. Every effort will be made to contact those who have reservations for any program for which a change must be made to inform them of new arrangements.
NO TICKETS OR RECEIPTS ARE ISSUED. A door list confirms your reservation at check-in time. Your cancelled check or credit card statement is your receipt. We do not “hold” reservations without payment.
RESERVATIONS AND PAYMENT: You must register in advance for all Royal Oak programs, including those that are free. For lectures that have a fee, payment is due at the time reservation is made. Please make a note of your selections for your own records. Register early as seating is limited. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
REGISTRATION FEES: Costs are all-inclusive except where noted.
MEMBER PRICE: The member price extends directly to Royal Oak members. Their non-member guests are invited at the non-member rate.
CO-SPONSOR PRICE: Members of the announced co-sponsoring organization for any event are entitled to attend at the Royal Oak member price. The guidelines for their non-member guests are the same as those for Royal Oak members.
NON-MEMBER PRICE: Non-members registering via credit card at the member price may be charged accordingly without notice.
Please contact our membership department if you have questions about your membership.
AVAILABILITY TO NON-MEMBERS: Non-members are welcome to register for most regular lectures. Please note that as an event nears capacity we reserve the right to offer preferred registration for the remaining places to Royal Oak members.
Registration for Royal Oak Day, Exhibition, and Gallery Tours; Private Passions, Behind The Scenesand other similar events can only be made by a Royal Oak member. At some of these programs, each reserving member may be permitted a non-member guest; however The Royal Oak Foundation reserves the right to limit non-member registrations at these programs.
Please contact our membership department if you have questions about your membership.

Reserving for Lectures

REVIEW YOUR ORDER  ONLINE CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU CHECK OUT! PURCHASER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ORDER ACCURACY. Fees charged for reservations made in error, duplicate selections made inadvertently, etc., can not be refunded. PLEASE RETAIN A RECORD of lectures you have already registered and paid for!

BY MAIL: Complete the Registration Form, indicating your choice of lectures and number of member and non-member attendees. Enclosing payment (by check, Visa or Mastercard information) in the envelope supplied.

BY TELEPHONE: Please call Kayla Smith, Program Assistant 212-480-2889 or 800-913-6565, ext. 201.

PROGRAM INQUIRIES/INFORMATION. For more general inquiries and specific questions, email lectures@royal-oak.org.

Membership Shipping & Delivery

Royal Oak memberships are NON-TRANSFERRABLE and NON REFUNDABLE.

STANDARD DELIVERY (within the USA only) – FREE

  • NEW MEMBERSHIPS – 4 to 5 weeks
    Member card(s) and NT parking permit are sent First Class mail; delivery within 2 to 3 weeks. Member publications (Handbook, National Trust Magazine, Royal Oak Newsletter) are shipped in a 10×13 inch plastic packet via USPS Media Mail; delivery within 4-5 weeks.
  • RENEWING MEMBERSHIPS – 2 to 3 weeks
    If you are already a current Royal Oak member, updated member cards are sent via USPS First Class Mail.
  • STUDENT / YOUNG PROFESSIONAL – 2 to 3 weeks
    Member card is sent via USPS First Class Mail. All other member materials (NT handbook, magazines and ROF newsletters) are available digitally: National Trust property information is available on the NT website; and digital copies of the NT Magazine and ROF Newsletter are accessible in the Members’ Area of the ROF website.
  • NEED MEMBER CARD A.S.A.P. If you need a digital copy of your member card(s) and the NT parking permit, please email Branwynne Kennedy at bkennedy@royal-oak.org. Please note, the office is closed on the weekends.

FULFILLMENT OUTSIDE THE CONTINENTAL USA – Free 
New and Renewing Members: Member card(s) and the National Trust parking permit are sent via USPS mail; delivery within 2-3 weeks.

The cost of mailing printed materials outside the US has become prohibitively expensive. So all other member materials (NT handbook, magazines and ROF newsletters) are available digitally: National Trust property information is available on the NT website; and digital copies of the NT Magazine and ROF Newsletter are accessible in the Members’ Area of the ROF website.

Donations

The Royal Oak Foundation (EIN: 23-7349380) is a charitable organization as described in Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and a publicly-supported organization of the type described in Section 509(a) of the Code. Accordingly, contributions and bequests made to ROF are deductible for United States income and estate tax purposes as provided by law. Copies of ROF’s IRS determination letter are available upon request.

Please note that, in conformity with IRS rules and regulations, ROF does not accept contributions that are earmarked or required to be distributed to a particular organization. All gifts to ROF become its property, and the Directors have complete discretion and control over the ultimate disposition of the Foundation’s assets and grants.

Donors may recommend that their gifts benefit a Sponsored Project, and the Grants Committee and the Board of Directors will exercise due diligence and consider those recommendations when making grants. Grants made by the Royal Oak Foundation are made at its sole and independent discretion. The above stated process ensures that gifts made to ROF are tax-deductible and that ROF fulfills its duties and obligations as a U.S. tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c) (3) of the Code.

Donations are NON REFUNDABLE.