Terms for using Everybody Connects

These Terms of Use apply to your use of the Everybody Connects website and the information, forms, resources, and other features made available through it. By using this website, you agree to use it responsibly and in accordance with these Terms.

Additional terms, agreements, project scopes, volunteer expectations, third-party provider terms, or other requirements may apply to particular services or activities. If a separate written agreement applies to a specific project or service, that agreement may establish additional or different terms for that work.

Everybody Connects provides this website to share information about its mission, technology assistance, volunteer opportunities, ways to contribute, and other organizational activities. Visitors may use the website for lawful purposes consistent with its intended functions.

Using this website does not automatically create:

• A client relationship
• A consulting relationship
• A volunteer relationship
• An employment relationship
• A partnership
• A contractual relationship
• A guarantee that services will be provided

Any formal project relationship may require additional review, approval, documentation, or agreement.

Organizations may use our technology assistance request process to describe a technology problem, project, or need. Submitting a request does not guarantee:

• Acceptance
• Eligibility
• Availability
• Project scheduling
• A particular solution
• A specific completion date
• A particular volunteer or professional
• Free services
• A particular contribution amount

Everybody Connects may review requests based on factors such as:

• Organizational need
• Project scope
• Available expertise
• Available capacity
• Technology requirements
• Security considerations
• Project feasibility
• Available resources
• Mission alignment
• Other practical considerations

Everybody Connects wants organizations to feel comfortable asking for help, even when they are unsure what technology solution they need. However, submitting a request does not require Everybody Connects to accept or perform the requested work.

Everybody Connects may:

• Ask for additional information
• Recommend a different approach
• Limit the scope of assistance
• Suggest another provider or resource
• Decline a project
• Delay work until appropriate resources are available
• Require additional project terms or documentation

Where a project is accepted, the scope, responsibilities, expectations, timing, costs or contributions, third-party expenses, and other project details may be documented separately.

A submitted request is the beginning of a conversation—not a guarantee of service.

Everybody Connects uses a donation-based approach intended to make practical technology assistance more accessible to nonprofit and mission-driven organizations. Organizations receiving assistance may be encouraged to contribute based on their circumstances and ability.

A request for assistance should not be interpreted as an agreement to a specific donation amount unless that amount is established separately. A financial contribution does not automatically:

• Guarantee project acceptance
• Purchase priority
• Guarantee a particular outcome
• Guarantee a particular completion date
• Create ownership of Everybody Connects
• Create a partnership or employment relationship

Third-party expenses may still apply. Examples may include:

• Software licenses
• Domain registrations
• Hosting
• Cloud services
• Hardware
• Security products
• Payment processing
• Professional services outside the project scope
• Other vendor charges

Where possible, these expenses should be discussed as part of project planning.

Individuals may express interest in contributing professional skills or time through our volunteer application. Submitting a volunteer application does not guarantee:

• Acceptance as a volunteer
• Assignment to a project
• A minimum number of volunteer hours
• Access to nonprofit systems or information
• Employment
• Compensation
• Reimbursement
• Any particular project opportunity

Volunteer opportunities may depend on:

• Skills
• Experience
• Project needs
• Availability
• Security requirements
• Confidentiality requirements
• Conflicts of interest
• Organizational needs

Everybody Connects may require additional agreements, confidentiality obligations, security requirements, project rules, or other documentation before providing access to a project or organizational information.

Volunteer access should be based on what is reasonably necessary for an approved project.

No employment relationship

Participation as a volunteer does not by itself create an employment relationship with Everybody Connects or with an organization receiving assistance. Any professional engagement requiring a different relationship should be documented separately.

Businesses, agencies, consultants, technology providers, and other professional organizations may propose contributing services, expertise, technology, software, infrastructure, equipment, or other resources. Submitting a proposal does not guarantee acceptance.

Everybody Connects may evaluate proposed contributions based on:

• Current nonprofit needs
• Suitability
• Sustainability
• Security
• Support requirements
• Licensing
• Compatibility
• Long-term costs
• Restrictions
• Project requirements

Everybody Connects is not required to accept donated technology, equipment, software, or professional services.

A contribution should solve a real problem—not create a new one for the nonprofit receiving it.

Contributor relationships

A contribution of professional services or resources does not automatically create:

• A partnership
• An endorsement
• An agency relationship
• An employment relationship
• An exclusive relationship
• Authorization to use Everybody Connects branding

Use of Everybody Connects' name, trademarks, logos, or other branding in connection with a contribution may require prior permission.

Visitors may choose to financially support the mission of Everybody Connects. Financial donations are separate from technology assistance requests and from professional service contributions.

When online donation processing is enabled, financial transactions may be handled by a third-party payment provider. That provider may have separate:

• Terms
• Privacy policies
• Payment requirements
• Refund processes
• Transaction rules

Information regarding donation receipts and potential tax treatment will be provided through the applicable donation process where appropriate. Donors should consult their own tax professional regarding their individual circumstances.

Questions about a contribution

Questions regarding a financial contribution should be directed to Everybody Connects through the Contact page. Any refund or correction request may depend on the circumstances, applicable law, organizational policy, and the payment provider involved.

Technology projects often involve products or services provided by other organizations. These may include:

• Website platforms
• Domain registrars
• Hosting providers
• Cloud services
• Email providers
• Collaboration platforms
• Security tools
• Software vendors
• Payment processors
• Other technology services

Everybody Connects does not control every third-party service. Third-party products may have their own:

• Terms
• Pricing
• Availability
• Security practices
• Privacy practices
• Licensing requirements
• Support policies
• Service limitations

Use of a third-party product may require the nonprofit organization or user to accept that provider's terms directly. Everybody Connects cannot guarantee the continued availability, pricing, functionality, security, or performance of third-party products.

Your organization's technology should remain your organization's technology

Where practical, organizations should maintain appropriate ownership and administrative control of important technology assets such as:

• Domain names
• Websites
• Organizational email
• Cloud accounts
• Software subscriptions
• Social accounts
• Administrative accounts
• Data
• Backups
• Other critical systems

Everybody Connects' goal is to strengthen organizational control rather than create unnecessary dependence on a particular volunteer, consultant, vendor, or individual. Individual ownership and access arrangements may vary depending on the technology involved.

When submitting information through the website, you agree to provide information that is reasonably accurate and that you are authorized to provide. Do not intentionally submit information that:

• Violates another person's rights
• Contains malicious software
• Is fraudulent or misleading
• Is unlawful
• You are not authorized to disclose

Do not submit confidential credentials through ordinary website forms. Our Privacy Policy explains how submitted information may be handled.

Never submit passwords, authentication codes, private encryption keys, full payment-card information, bank-account credentials, or similar secrets through an ordinary Everybody Connects website form.

Technology projects may eventually require authorized access to systems. When access is legitimately required, Everybody Connects should use an appropriate secure method for the particular project rather than asking organizations to place credentials into general website forms.

Security limitations

Everybody Connects may provide practical assistance intended to improve technology and security. However, no technology system can be guaranteed to:

• Prevent every attack
• Prevent every data loss event
• Prevent every outage
• Detect every threat
• Remain available at all times
• Be completely free of vulnerabilities

Security recommendations reduce risk; they do not eliminate all risk.

The website and normal technology assistance process should not be relied upon for immediate response to:

• Active ransomware
• Active account compromise
• Ongoing data theft
• Major cyberattacks
• Suspected breaches requiring immediate containment
• Life-safety emergencies
• Other urgent incidents requiring immediate professional response

Organizations experiencing an active cybersecurity incident should seek appropriate immediate incident-response assistance. Everybody Connects may potentially help with follow-up technology improvements after immediate risks have been addressed.

Unless otherwise indicated, content created for the Everybody Connects website—including text, original graphics, branding, and other original materials—may be protected by intellectual-property laws.

Visitors may view and use website content for ordinary personal, informational, and organizational purposes. Do not copy, reproduce, distribute, sell, falsely represent, or commercially exploit Everybody Connects' original content or branding in a way that violates applicable rights.

Third-party names, trademarks, products, and services remain the property of their respective owners. Reference to a third-party technology does not automatically mean Everybody Connects is endorsed by, affiliated with, or partnered with that provider.

Ownership of project work

Ownership, licensing, usage rights, and transfer of project-specific deliverables may depend on the type of project, third-party licenses, contributed resources, and any separate project agreement. Where project-specific intellectual-property terms are needed, they should be documented as part of the project.

Visitors may not intentionally use the website to:

• Break applicable law
• Attempt unauthorized access
• Interfere with website operation
• Introduce malware
• Probe or attack website infrastructure without authorization
• Impersonate another person or organization
• Submit fraudulent requests
• Harass or threaten others
• Infringe intellectual-property rights
• Abuse forms or automated systems
• Scrape or overload the site in a manner intended to disrupt service
• Circumvent security controls

Everybody Connects may link to websites, services, products, or resources operated by other organizations. External links may be provided for convenience or informational purposes. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, a link does not automatically represent:

• Endorsement
• Sponsorship
• Partnership
• Certification
• Guarantee

Everybody Connects does not control external websites and is not responsible for their content, availability, privacy practices, or terms.

Everybody Connects works to keep website information useful and reasonably current. However, website content may occasionally contain:

• Errors
• Outdated information
• Incomplete information
• Broken external links
• Technology information that changes over time

Website information is provided for general informational purposes and should not automatically be treated as professional legal, financial, tax, or cybersecurity advice. Technology recommendations may depend on the specific circumstances of an organization.

Results can vary

Technology projects depend on many factors outside Everybody Connects' control. Everybody Connects does not guarantee specific outcomes such as:

• Search-engine rankings
• Website traffic
• Donation revenue
• Cost savings
• Uptime
• Performance
• Accessibility certification
• Regulatory compliance
• Security certification
• Prevention of cyber incidents
• Data recovery
• Project completion by a particular date

Specific commitments, if any, should be documented separately for the applicable project.

Changes to the website and services

Everybody Connects may update, modify, discontinue, or introduce website features, service offerings, volunteer opportunities, contribution programs, or other activities over time. Where an existing project is governed by a separate agreement, changes to general website content do not automatically replace the terms of that agreement.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, this website and its general information are provided without guarantees that they will always be uninterrupted, error-free, complete, current, or suitable for a particular purpose.

Nothing in these Terms is intended to limit any rights that cannot be limited under applicable law.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, Everybody Connects is not responsible for indirect or consequential losses resulting solely from use of this public website or reliance on general website information.

Project-specific responsibilities and liability, where applicable, may be addressed in separate project agreements.

Users are responsible for their own unlawful, fraudulent, unauthorized, or intentionally harmful use of the website.

Use of the website is also subject to the Everybody Connects Privacy Policy, which explains how information submitted through the website may be collected, used, and handled.

Everybody Connects may update these Terms as its website, services, programs, or organizational practices change. When these Terms are materially updated, the Last Updated date at the top of this page will also be changed.

These Terms of Service are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles.

Questions about these Terms or the Everybody Connects website may be submitted through the Contact page.