Reciprocity Code of Conduct
We build software to better connect communities. Quality, trust, safety & ethics matter. Please be aware of and follow these guidelines ->
Version 1.2 Published 11/15/2024
Reciprocity Rules of Engagement
Reciprocity builds software products to help empower trusted, public-serving nonprofits that are committed to helping our neighbors in need. To do this, we have created a set of Community Guidelines & Community Partner Expectations in addition to our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy etc. The trust of our user base & safety of those we are building our products for are our top priorities. Any violation of these guidelines will result in a temporary suspension or permanent ban from our platforms.
The guidelines below are a work in progress, and so is Reciprocity.
Community Guidelines
Welcome to Advocate, a product by Reciprocity – we are committed to creating a safe, respectful, and productive environment for nonprofits, donors and the members of our community that they serve! By using our platform, you agree to follow these guidelines:
1. Be Respectful and Inclusive
Treat all members of our community with respect. We do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, bullying, or hate speech of any kind, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, or disability.
Be kind and courteous in all interactions. Healthy discussions are natural, but personal attacks or insults are not allowed.
2. Maintain Privacy and Confidentiality
Respect the privacy of others. Do not share personal information or confidential data without explicit consent. This includes contact information, addresses, or any other sensitive details.
3. No Spam or Unsolicited Promotions
Avoid spamming. Promotion of products, services, or fundraising campaigns should be relevant, respectful, and done with permission.
5. No Exploitative or Illegal Activities
Do not engage in or encourage illegal activities, including but not limited to fraud, hacking, or the distribution of illegal content.
Exploiting vulnerabilities in our platform or using it for malicious purposes is strictly prohibited.
6. Be Honest and Transparent
Always provide accurate and truthful information. Misrepresentation, impersonation, or deception is not tolerated. If you make a mistake, own up to it. Honesty fosters trust and improves our community.
7. Report Issues and Violations
Help us maintain a safe environment by reporting any suspicious activities, violations of these guidelines, or concerns about user behavior. We take all reports seriously and will investigate promptly. Use the reporting tools provided or contact our support team directly for assistance.
8. Content Guidelines
Content shared on our platform must be appropriate for all audiences. Do not share or link to content that is offensive, graphic, sexually explicit, or violent.
Intellectual property rights must be respected. Only share content that you own or have permission to share.
9. Be Constructive and Helpful
Offer constructive feedback and support to others. Our community thrives on collaboration, generosity, knowledge sharing and mutual assistance keeping in mind the best interests of our nonprofit partners & the communities they serve.
10. Compliance with Terms of Service
All users must comply with our Terms of Service. Violations of these guidelines or our Terms of Service may result in actions ranging from warnings to account suspension or removal.
11. Commitment to Nonprofit & Community Benefit Organization Values
Our mission is to support and empower nonprofits & Community Benefit Organizations (CBO’s). All activities and interactions on our platform should align with the values of community service, integrity, respect, and personal support.
12. Feedback & Improvement
We value your feedback and are committed to continuous improvement. If you have suggestions on how we can better serve our community, please share them with us.
We will regularly review these guidelines and update them as needed to reflect our community’s evolving needs. We reserve the right to modify these guidelines as necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of our community.
No Inappropriate Content
We strictly prohibited from uploading, sharing, or posting any content that is inappropriate, harmful, or otherwise violates the rights or safety of others. This includes, but is not limited to:
Inappropriate Content: Material that is obscene, offensive, or otherwise violates commonly accepted community standards.
Harmful Content: Material that promotes violence, hatred, discrimination, harassment, or illegal activities.
Malicious Content: Content that includes viruses, malware, or any other form of harmful code.
Unauthorized Content: Material that infringes on intellectual property rights, privacy, or other proprietary rights of third parties.
Violations of this clause may result in immediate suspension or termination of access to the platform, as well as reporting to relevant authorities when applicable.
Community Partner Expectations
Reciprocity, LLC is a software company that has built Advocate and other platforms to help coordinate nonprofit & community resources for the public benefit. Often, but not always, people end up interacting with our platforms when they are struggling with a serious issue, sometimes, even in a time of crisis. We take the quality of the services provided by the providers on our platform very seriously and we work tirelessly to improve the experience for our neighbors in need. As a result, we at Reciprocity have taken the time to sketch out some Provider Quality Guidelines to make sure that those participating in the networks that we build are providing safe, ethical, timely and effective assistance to those in need. We review our data on the performance of various network partners on a regular basis to ensure that our customers meet these standards, updated from time to time. They are:
Certifications & Organizational Structure
EIN Requirement: Organizations acting as paying customers & referral partners on Reciprocity’s platforms must have an EIN & must agree to our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy etc. We require that nonprofits and community benefit orgs submit an EIN to confirm that they are set up to accept donations & are federally tax exempt.
Community Reputation
We prefer to partner and work with organizations that have a high amount of trust in the communities we serve. We recognize that everyone’s experience working with nonprofits and service organizations may be different depending on circumstances, but we generally find if an organization is highly regarded or well respected, that they do a good job.
Participant Outcomes
One of the principal benefits of Reciprocity hosting nonprofit programs online is that we collect and track data about every interaction between every party participating on one of our platforms. We've seen very well funded programs deliver next to no results and we’ve seen scrappy grassroots programs move mountains with a few dollars.
It’s not necessarily our place to judge the effectiveness of a nonprofit at converting donations, raised, or grant dollars received into participant outcomes, however, if we receive reports from participants that the services provided by a nonprofit on our platform we’re not delivered as promised that will flag a warning, followed by an investigation, followed by a temporary suspension, followed by a permanent ban.
Safety & Trust
Many of the programs hosted on Advocate and various other reciprocity platforms are designed to help our neighbors in need during a particularly difficult time in their lives. We have therefore an absolute zero tolerance policy towards any organization that is found to commit acts of violence that harm or otherwise endanger participants in our various programs.
Data Privacy & Security
See our Privacy Policy & Terms & Conditions to learn more. It's generally up to you as an Advocate account holder to do your best to protect your data privacy and device security.
Data Sharing
It is against our community guidelines in terms of service to use data collected while making use of our platforms for any purpose other than those expressly allowed under the above referenced agreements.
User data about a person’s household circumstances should be treated as private and confidential, unless express consent has been given by the participant to use or share that data for some other purpose.
Follow the Law
Any organization found to be perpetrating federal crimes in connection with the use of our platforms will be permanently banned.
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