Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of Terms

By registering for, accessing, or using the Civic Chapter Volunteer Portal (the “Platform”), you (“User”) agree to be bound by these Terms of Use (“Terms”). These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and The Civic Chapter (“we”, “us”, “our”). If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use the Platform.

Users who complete registration also accept our Privacy Policy and provide explicit consent to data processing as described therein, including international data hosting. These documents are incorporated into these Terms by reference.

We reserve the right to update these Terms at any time. Material changes will be notified to you via email or in-platform notification with at least 14 days' advance notice. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any change constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

2. The Platform

The Civic Chapter Volunteer Portal is an online platform facilitating connections between volunteers and non-governmental, community-based, and civic organisations in Botswana. The Platform enables:

• Volunteers to discover, apply for, and track their participation in community activities.
• Organisations to create, publish, and manage volunteer activity listings and attendance.
• Recognition of volunteer contributions through civic badges and participation records.
• Communication between volunteers, organisations, and The Civic Chapter.

The Civic Chapter acts as a facilitator. We do not directly organise, run, or take responsibility for activities listed by third-party organisations on the Platform.

The Platform is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Platform at any time with reasonable notice where practicable.

3. Account Registration

To access most features of the Platform, you must register an account. By registering, you represent and warrant that:

• All information you provide is accurate, current, and complete.
• You are at least 18 years of age, or have the consent of a parent or legal guardian if you are younger.
• You will maintain and promptly update your information to keep it accurate.
• You will keep your login credentials confidential and not share them with any other person.
• You are registering for yourself and not impersonating any other person or entity.

You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account. If you believe your account has been compromised, you must notify us immediately at thecivicchapter@gmail.com.

We reserve the right to refuse registration, suspend, or terminate any account at our discretion, including where we believe a user is in breach of these Terms, applicable law, or our platform policies.

4. Volunteer User Responsibilities

As a volunteer, you agree to:

• Provide accurate personal information and keep your profile up to date.
• Only sign up for activities you genuinely intend to attend.
• Cancel your participation in reasonable advance time if you are unable to attend, so that other volunteers may take your place.
• Behave professionally, respectfully, and lawfully when engaging with organisations, other volunteers, and the communities you serve.
• Comply with all instructions, health and safety requirements, and codes of conduct imposed by the hosting organisation for each activity.
• Accept that your name and participation details may be shared with the organising organisation for the activity you attend (attendance sheets, participation records).
• Not use the Platform to engage in any commercial solicitation, recruitment, or fundraising without prior written consent from The Civic Chapter.

Failure to comply with these responsibilities may result in suspension or permanent removal from the Platform.

5. Organisation User Responsibilities

Organisations listed on the Platform must complete the KYC (Know Your Customer) verification process. By registering an organisation and creating activities, you agree to:

• Provide complete and accurate organisational information, including valid registration documentation.
• Ensure all activities listed are legitimate, lawful, and accurately described, including dates, locations, requirements, and what is expected of volunteers.
• Not engage volunteers for activities that are dangerous, illegal, or discriminatory.
• Treat all volunteers with dignity, respect, and in accordance with applicable Botswana law.
• Not collect or retain volunteers' personal data beyond what is necessary for the activity, and not use volunteer data for any purpose other than organising the activity they signed up for.
• Obtain any additional consents or clearances required under Botswana law before involving volunteers in specialised activities (e.g. activities involving minors, medical care, or law enforcement).
• Promptly notify The Civic Chapter of any incidents, complaints, or safety concerns involving volunteers.
• Ensure your organisation's KYC documents remain current. Submission of false or misleading verification documents is a serious offence.

6. Prohibited Conduct

The following are strictly prohibited on the Platform:

• Submitting false, misleading, or fraudulent information at any stage.
• Impersonating any person, organisation, or entity.
• Using the Platform for any unlawful purpose or in a manner that violates any applicable Botswana law.
• Attempting to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Platform, other accounts, or our infrastructure.
• Uploading, transmitting, or sharing any content that is defamatory, obscene, harmful, abusive, discriminatory, or violates the rights of others.
• Scraping, harvesting, or systematically collecting data from the Platform without written authorisation.
• Using automated systems (bots, scripts) to interact with the Platform without prior written consent.
• Interfering with or disrupting the integrity or performance of the Platform.
• Using volunteer contact information obtained through the Platform for any purpose other than the stated activity.
• Engaging in any form of harassment, discrimination, or exploitation of other users.

Violation of these prohibitions may result in immediate account termination and may be reported to relevant law enforcement authorities.

7. Content Ownership and Licence

7.1 Your Content

You retain ownership of all content you submit to the Platform (profile information, activity descriptions, uploaded documents). By submitting content, you grant The Civic Chapter a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to store, process, and display that content solely for the purpose of operating and providing the Platform.

You represent and warrant that you have all necessary rights to submit the content you provide, and that doing so does not violate any third-party rights.

7.2 Platform Content

All text, design, trademarks, logos, and other content created by The Civic Chapter and forming part of the Platform are owned by or licensed to The Civic Chapter and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from Platform content without our prior written consent.

7.3 Feedback

Any feedback, suggestions, or ideas you provide about the Platform may be used by us freely without any obligation to you.

8. Disclaimers and Limitations of Liability

8.1 Nature of Service

The Civic Chapter is a technology platform facilitating volunteer coordination. We do not vet, endorse, or guarantee the quality, safety, or legality of activities listed by third-party organisations. Participation in any activity listed on the Platform is at your own risk.

8.2 No Warranty

The Platform is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful components.

8.3 Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by Botswana law, The Civic Chapter, its officers, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or related to your use of the Platform, including but not limited to:

• Personal injury, property damage, or other harm arising from participation in any activity.
• Loss of data, income, or profits.
• The conduct or actions of organisations or other users on the Platform.
• Technical failures, service interruptions, or security incidents outside our reasonable control.

8.4 Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless The Civic Chapter from any claims, damages, losses, costs, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from: (a) your use of the Platform; (b) your breach of these Terms; (c) your violation of any applicable law; or (d) your infringement of any third-party right.

9. Third-Party Services and Links

The Platform operates on third-party infrastructure including Vercel, Inc.(application hosting and analytics), Supabase, Inc. (database, authentication, and file storage), and Cloudflare, Inc. (domain DNS and bot/spam protection via Cloudflare Turnstile). Each of these providers has their own terms of service and privacy policies. Full details of the data each provider processes and the countries involved are set out in our Privacy Policy (Sections 5.2 and 6).

The Platform may contain links to external websites operated by third parties. We are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or availability of those external sites.

10. Suspension and Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account and access to the Platform at any time and without prior notice if we reasonably believe you have:

• Violated these Terms or applicable law.
• Submitted fraudulent, misleading, or harmful information.
• Engaged in conduct harmful to other users, organisations, or The Civic Chapter.
• Refused or revoked consent to data processing where that consent is necessary for us to lawfully provide the service.

You may close your account at any time through the Settings page. Upon account deletion, your personal data will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy (Section 8 — Retention and Deletion).

Where an account is scheduled for deletion due to non-consent to international data hosting, the account will remain accessible for 7 days from the date of refusal, during which time you may change your decision. After 7 days, all personal data will be permanently deleted.

11. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Botswana. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall first be subject to good-faith negotiation between the parties.

If a dispute cannot be resolved through negotiation within 30 days, it shall be referred to the courts of Botswana with competent jurisdiction. Nothing in these Terms limits your rights to file a complaint with the Information and Data Protection Commission of Botswana in respect of data protection matters.

12. General Provisions

• Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, Volunteer Disclaimer, and Organisation Disclaimer, constitute the entire agreement between you and The Civic Chapter regarding the Platform.
• Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.
• Waiver: Failure to enforce any provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of our right to enforce it in the future.
• Language: These Terms are written in English. In the event of any conflict between an English version and any translation, the English version shall prevail.

14. Version History

13. Contact