Acceptable Use Policy

1. What chipin.me is for

chipin.me is a charitable fundraising platform. A page raises money for a charitable organization that the page owner has authority to raise for. Supporters claim squares on a printed item, and the gift goes to that organization. Money paid on chipin.me itself goes only to organizations we have verified, straight into the organization's own Stripe account; chipin.me never holds it. Printed gear is sold at the price shown and is a separate purchase, not a reward for a gift.

2. Never allowed, anywhere on chipin.me

We follow Stripe's Prohibited and Restricted Businesses list in full. Nothing on that list may be raised for, sold, promoted or linked to from chipin.me, whether the money moves through chipin.me or through an outside link. In particular, no page, square, image, link or account may involve:

• Anything illegal where you are, where the organization is, or in the United States, or anything that helps someone else break the law.
• Raising money for yourself, for another person or a family, for a business, or for anything that is not a charitable cause. Individuals never receive money through chipin.me.
• Political candidates, parties, committees, ballot measures or lobbying.
• Gambling, lotteries, raffles, sweepstakes, contests or any chance to win. A square is recognition for a gift, never a ticket or an entry.
• Adult content or services, escort services, or sexually explicit words or images.
• Drugs and drug paraphernalia, tobacco, vaping products, or the sale of alcohol.
• Weapons, ammunition, explosives, or instructions for making them.
• Hate, harassment, threats, violence or terrorism, and any group or cause that promotes them.
• Human trafficking, exploitation, or any content involving the abuse of children.
• Fraud, deception or misleading claims: fake organizations, invented stories, made-up totals, impersonating a person or an organization, or raising for an organization you have no authority to raise for.
• Counterfeit goods, stolen goods, or words and images you do not have the right to use.
• Investments, securities, cryptocurrency, loans, debt collection, get-rich-quick schemes, multi-level marketing or pyramid schemes, and the sale of personal data.
• Any person, organization or country subject to US sanctions, and any transaction with a jurisdiction Stripe does not serve.
• Misuse of the checkout: paying with a card that is not yours, paying for your own page to inflate it, splitting or structuring payments, laundering money, or anything else that abuses the payment system.

Stripe's list is longer than this one and changes over time. Where this page and that list differ, the stricter rule applies.

3. Rules for pages and squares

Keep every page truthful and up to date. Name the organization the page raises for, and keep the money path honest: an outside link must be the organization's own donation page, and a page that takes payment on chipin.me must point at the verified organization that receives the gift. On pages that take payment on chipin.me, squares may not carry offers, promo codes or links. Anything you put on a square or a page must be yours to use, and it must not be hateful, sexual, violent, infringing or deceptive. The gear prints exactly what the page shows, so these rules apply to the printed item too.

4. Rules for organizations

Only an organization in good standing may receive money through chipin.me: its EIN on the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations, its own Stripe account verified by Stripe and enabled for charges, and a representative with authority who claimed it. An organization must use what it raises for the purpose its page states, issue honest receipts, and handle refunds and disputes fairly. An organization that loses its exempt status, is restricted by Stripe, or breaks this policy loses verification, and its pages go back to an outside link or pause.

5. How we enforce this

Every organization is checked by a founder before it can receive money, and every gift paid on chipin.me is tied to a specific organization, page and receipt. We may hide or remove any content, pause or close any page or account, unverify any organization, and refund or cancel any transaction that breaks this policy, with or without notice. We report what the law requires us to report, and we cooperate with Stripe, the card networks and law enforcement when they ask. We keep records of what we removed and why.

6. Reporting a problem

If you see a page, a square or an organization that breaks this policy, write to support@chipin.me with the link. We read every report, and we act on the ones that hold up, usually within a few days.

7. Changes

We may update this policy as chipin.me grows and as Stripe's list changes. When we do, we post the new version here with a new effective date.

See also

• Terms of Service
• Donor terms and refunds
• Privacy Policy
• How fees work
• Stripe's Prohibited and Restricted Businesses list