For most people, giving money to charity feels great.

Asking for the money back is a whole different story.

Yet philanthropy experts say donors increasingly are doing just that: requesting “refunds” on gifts they feel have been misused, ignored, or spent in a way that strays from their original reason for giving.

“Donors are becoming savvier, [and] they are becoming more engaged in how their money is being used,” says Doug White, director of Columbia University’s fundraising-management graduate program.

The ease of accessing financial data on the Internet, as well as a string of high-profile court battles involving donors seeking refunds, are behind the shift, he and others say.