Terms of Service

VoteForCause (the "Platform") is operated by [LEGAL ENTITY NAME] ("we", "us"). These Terms of Service govern access to and use of the Platform, including the public website, competition pages, voting features, organizer tools and any related services.

By creating an account, casting a vote, publishing a competition or otherwise using the Platform, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

We provide technology that lets third parties ("organizers") create and run voting competitions. We are not the organizer of any competition, not a charity, not a fundraiser, and not a party to the relationship between an organizer, a contestant and a voter.

We do not endorse, verify the merits of, or guarantee the outcome, legality, fairness or fundraising claims of any competition. Verification badges shown on the Platform indicate completion of specific identity or payout checks only, and are not an endorsement.

Where payments are processed, we act as a technology and platform services provider. Funds for paid votes are charged on the organizer's connected payment account, and the organizer is the merchant of record for those transactions unless expressly stated otherwise.

You must be at least 18 years old, or the age of majority in your jurisdiction, to create an account or make a payment. Competitions involving minors as contestants require appropriate consent from a parent or legal guardian, obtained by the organizer.

You are responsible for the accuracy of your account information, for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials, and for all activity under your account. Notify us promptly at support@voteforcause.com if you suspect unauthorized access.

Organizers are solely responsible for their competitions, including their rules, eligibility criteria, prizes, fundraising representations, tax and regulatory compliance, contestant permissions, and communications with participants.

Organizers must ensure that a competition is not a lottery, raffle, sweepstake, game of chance or other regulated promotion in any jurisdiction where it is offered, unless the organizer holds all required licences and permissions.

Organizers must honour the rules published on their competition page, must not alter results after voting closes, and must not vote in, manipulate, or direct others to manipulate their own competitions.

Additional obligations apply to organizers under the Organizer Terms, which form part of this agreement for anyone publishing a competition.

Voters must provide accurate information, must vote only as themselves, and must not use automation, multiple identities, disposable identities, shared or bulk-purchased contact details, or any other method to cast votes they are not entitled to cast.

Vote limits are defined per competition (for example one vote per person, one vote per contestant, or one vote per period). Attempting to exceed those limits is a breach of these Terms.

Votes reflect participation in a third-party competition. A vote does not create any entitlement to a prize, a refund, or any outcome.

Competitions may offer free voting, paid voting, or both. Free votes are subject to the vote rules and anti-abuse controls configured by the organizer and enforced by the Platform.

Paid votes are a voluntary contribution to the organizer's competition in exchange for additional voting entries. Paid votes are not a donation to VoteForCause, are not tax-deductible unless the organizer establishes otherwise, and confer no ownership, security, or investment interest.

Prices, quantities, discounts and any per-voter limits are set by the organizer and displayed before checkout.

The Platform charges fees on paid voting, disclosed at competition setup and at checkout. Fees may include a fixed per-transaction fee, a percentage of the transaction, and payment processing costs charged by our payment partner.

Organizers may elect to absorb processing costs or pass them to the voter. Where costs are passed on, the voter total shown at checkout is the amount charged.

We may change fees prospectively. Fee changes do not apply to competitions already published at the time of the change unless required by law or by our payment partner.

Organizer payouts are made to the organizer's connected payment account, subject to identity and payout verification, the settlement schedule, applicable holds and any reserve.

A hold period may apply after a competition ends before funds are released, and a percentage reserve may be retained to cover chargebacks, refunds and disputes. Current hold and reserve parameters are described in the Dispute and Chargeback Policy.

Where losses exceed the retained reserve, the shortfall is recoverable from the organizer, including by offset against future payouts.

Refund eligibility is described in the Refund Policy. Chargebacks and payment disputes are handled as described in the Dispute and Chargeback Policy.

An organizer may cancel a competition. Where a cancelled competition included paid votes, the organizer is responsible for refunds in accordance with the Refund Policy, and we may initiate refunds from amounts held.

We may suspend, unpublish or cancel a competition where we reasonably believe it breaches these Terms, applicable law, or our payment partner's rules, or where it presents a material fraud or chargeback risk.

You must not: manipulate voting by any means; create false or duplicate accounts; misrepresent your identity or authority; upload content you do not have the rights to; harass, threaten or defame any person; use the Platform for money laundering, prohibited fundraising, gambling or regulated promotions without licence; scrape, probe, overload or attempt to bypass the Platform's security or rate limits; or resell or sublicense access to the Platform.

A fuller description of prohibited conduct is in the Acceptable Use Policy and the Community Guidelines.

We operate automated and manual fraud controls. We may invalidate votes, withhold funds, suspend accounts, unpublish competitions and report activity to our payment partner or to authorities where we detect or reasonably suspect fraud, abuse or breach of these Terms.

Invalidated votes may change published standings and results. Where a paid vote is invalidated for fraud, associated amounts may be refunded or withheld.

The Platform, including its software, design and trademarks, is owned by us or our licensors. Nothing in these Terms transfers those rights to you.

You retain ownership of content you upload. You grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, adapt for display, and publicly display that content solely to operate and promote the Platform and the competition in which it appears.

You represent that you hold all rights required for the content you upload, including photographs, logos, names and likenesses, and that its use on the Platform does not infringe any third-party right.

Organizers uploading contestant photographs, names, business names or biographies represent that they have obtained each contestant's permission for that use, including public display on a competition page and in results after voting closes.

Copyright complaints are handled under the Copyright and DMCA Policy.

Our handling of personal information is described in the Privacy Policy, and our use of cookies and similar technologies in the Cookie Policy.

By using the Platform you agree to receive service communications relating to your account, votes, receipts and competitions. Marketing communications, where offered, may be declined at any time without affecting service communications.

The Platform is provided on an as-available basis. We may modify, suspend or discontinue features, and we perform maintenance that may interrupt access.

We may amend these Terms. Material changes will be posted with an updated version date. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Platform is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, and any warranty as to the conduct, solvency, honesty or performance of any organizer, contestant or voter.

DRAFTING NOTE FOR COUNSEL: the following is placeholder language requiring review, jurisdiction-specific carve-outs and a considered liability cap.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, [LEGAL ENTITY NAME] and its officers, employees and agents will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or fundraising proceeds, arising out of or relating to the Platform or any competition.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, our aggregate liability arising out of or relating to the Platform will not exceed the greater of (a) the total platform fees we received in connection with the transaction or competition giving rise to the claim in the [TWELVE (12)] months preceding the claim, or (b) [AMOUNT / CURRENCY].

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including liability for fraud, or for death or personal injury caused by negligence.

DRAFTING NOTE FOR COUNSEL: scope, defence control and notice mechanics require review.

You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless [LEGAL ENTITY NAME] and its officers, employees and agents from and against any claim, demand, loss, liability, fine, penalty, cost or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to: your use of the Platform; any competition you organize; content you upload; your breach of these Terms or of applicable law; any dispute between you and another user; and any chargeback, refund or payment dispute attributable to your activity.

DRAFTING NOTE FOR COUNSEL: select governing law and venue, and decide on arbitration, class-action waiver and jury-trial waiver having regard to consumer protection rules in each market served.

These Terms are governed by the laws of [JURISDICTION], without regard to conflict-of-law rules. The courts of [JURISDICTION] will have [EXCLUSIVE / NON-EXCLUSIVE] jurisdiction, subject to any non-waivable right you have to bring proceedings in your place of residence.

[ARBITRATION CLAUSE — TO BE DRAFTED OR OMITTED]

You may close your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate access where you breach these Terms, where required by law or our payment partner, or where continued access presents unacceptable risk.

Termination does not affect accrued rights, outstanding payment obligations, reserve or shortfall recovery, or any provision that by its nature survives, including intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification and governing law.

Notices to us should be sent to legal@voteforcause.com and, where required in writing, to [NOTICE ADDRESS].