Acceptable Use Policy

1. Alignment with Stripe

• All payments on the Platform are processed by Stripe. Your use of the Platform must comply with the Stripe Services Agreement and Stripe’s Restricted Businesses list, both incorporated here by reference.
• If anything in this AUP conflicts with Stripe’s rules, Stripe’s rules control. We may update this AUP to stay aligned with them.

2. Prohibited Uses & Campaigns

You may not use the Platform, or raise, send, or receive funds, in connection with any of the following:

• Illegal activity — anything unlawful, or that promotes or facilitates unlawful activity, under any applicable law.
• Fraud & misrepresentation — deceptive fundraising, fake or misrepresented causes, false charitable claims, or diverting funds to a purpose other than the one stated to donors.
• Pyramid, Ponzi, or “get-rich-quick” schemes — any program that pays for recruitment rather than genuine charitable donations, or that promises guaranteed or unrealistic returns. (Our referral program pays commissions only on completed donations to verified charities — never for recruitment.)
• Money laundering or terrorist financing, or funds tied to such activity.
• Sanctioned parties or jurisdictions — anyone on, or in a country or region subject to, applicable sanctions. We independently screen charities and their representatives against the U.S. OFAC (SDN), UK HM Treasury/OFSI, United Nations, and EU consolidated lists, and we block donations and charity claims originating from comprehensively sanctioned jurisdictions — including, at the region level, the occupied areas of Ukraine (Crimea, Sevastopol, Donetsk, Luhansk, and related oblasts) — in addition to Stripe’s own screening.
• Regulated or illegal goods — drugs and drug paraphernalia, weapons, munitions and explosives, counterfeit or IP-infringing goods.
• Adult content or services, human trafficking, or exploitation.
• Unlicensed gambling, lotteries, or games of chance.
• Hate, harassment, or violence — funding or promoting hate groups, harassment, threats, or violence against any person or group.
• Investments or securities — offering equity, debt, financial returns, or anything that a donor could reasonably treat as an investment. Donations are voluntary gifts, not investments.
• Platform abuse — self-donation to farm commissions, fabricated donations, chargeback fraud, or circumventing our fees, limits, or verification.

3. Restricted Uses (Require Prior Approval)

The following are not automatically permitted and require our prior written approval, and may require additional Stripe review:

• Fundraising for individuals rather than a verified nonprofit organization.
• Causes involving regulated products or industries (e.g. alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, supplements, financial services).
• Political or advocacy fundraising subject to campaign-finance or lobbying rules.
• Fundraising in jurisdictions where charitable solicitation requires specific registration we do not hold.

4. Rules for Charities

• You must be an authorized representative of a legitimate nonprofit and complete our verification before receiving funds. Verification includes confirming control of the organization’s own email domain, providing its registration/EIN and proof of authority, validation of that registration against the applicable government charity register (e.g. the IRS or the Charity Commission for England & Wales), sanctions screening of the organization and its representatives, and manual approval by our team. See Section 8A of the Terms of Service.
• Donations you receive must be used for the charitable purpose represented to donors. On request, you must confirm how the funds you received were used (a use-of-funds attestation), which we may display to donors; failure to confirm may result in a hold or loss of verified status.
• Your organization and representatives remain subject to ongoing, recurring sanctions re-screening for as long as your charity is active.
• You must maintain your own Stripe Connected Account in good standing and comply with the Stripe Connected Account Agreement.

5. Rules for Volunteer Advocates

• Represent causes and your Guardian AIngel honestly. Do not overstate outcomes, guarantee donor results, or imply tax outcomes.
• Do not spam, buy fake traffic, or use deceptive, misleading, or high-pressure tactics to solicit donations.
• Commissions are earned only on genuine, completed donations — never for recruitment, and never from self-dealing.

6. Rules for Guardian AIngels (AI Conduct)

• Guardian AIngels must stay on purpose — advocacy for their owner’s verified causes and philanthropy.
• They must not be used to deceive, impersonate, harass, generate prohibited content, or solicit for any prohibited or restricted use above.
• We monitor, filter, and may suspend AIngel activity that violates this AUP.

7. Enforcement

• We may decline, hold, reverse, or refund any transaction, remove any campaign, and suspend or terminate any account that we or Stripe reasonably believe violates this AUP or applicable law.
• We screen at onboarding and on an ongoing, recurring basis (including when sanctions lists are updated or an organization’s material details change), and may re-screen, request additional documentation, assign a risk rating, or hold payouts at any time to comply with our legal and payment-partner obligations.
• Pending payouts may be withheld pending investigation of a suspected violation, dispute, or chargeback.

8. Reporting a Violation

If you believe a campaign, charity, or user is violating this policy, contact us at [email protected]. We review reports promptly.

This Acceptable Use Policy is part of, and incorporated into, our Terms of Service.