Terms of Service
Effective date: October 21, 2026
Last updated: October 21, 2026
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the Prepare Your Community website at prepareyourcommunity.org, the platform at app.prepareyourcommunity.org, and related services, content, and communications (together, the "Services"). The Services are provided by Prepare Your Community ("PYC," "we," "us," or "our"), a Washington nonprofit corporation recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.
Please read these Terms carefully. Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect and use personal information, and it is part of these Terms.
## 1. Accepting These Terms
By creating an account, checking the box at signup, or using the Services, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.
You must be at least 18 years old to create an account.
If you use the Services on behalf of an organization, such as a neighborhood group, nonprofit, agency, or local government, you confirm that you are authorized to accept these Terms for that organization.
## 2. Your Account
To create an account, you provide an email address and a ZIP or postal code. You agree to:
+ Provide accurate information and keep it current
+ Keep your login credentials secure and not share your account
+ Tell us promptly at hello@prepareyourcommunity.org if you believe your account has been used without your permission
You are responsible for activity under your account. Organization administrators on paid plans are responsible for the members they add and the permissions they grant.
## 3. Free Preparedness Content and How You May Use It
All preparedness content on the Services is free. Some content requires a free account to view.
Unless an item is marked otherwise, PYC preparedness content, including guides, checklists, toolkits, templates, and instructional materials, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/. In short, this license lets you copy, share, and adapt the content, as long as you:
+ Give credit to Prepare Your Community, and to any other originating organization the material names
+ Do not use the content for commercial purposes
+ Share any adapted versions under the same license
The full license terms control over this summary. The Creative Commons license does not cover PYC's names, logos, or trademarks (see Section 14), the software and design of the Services, or third-party content that is identified as such.
You may not suggest that PYC sponsors or endorses you, your organization, your products, or your use of the content.
## 4. Paid Plans, Purchases, and Donations
Paid plans. Paid plans add administrative tools for groups and organizations. They never restrict access to preparedness content. Plan prices and billing options are listed at prepareyourcommunity.org/plans.
Automatic renewal. Paid plans are billed in advance, monthly or annually depending on the option you choose, through our payment processor, Stripe. Your plan renews automatically at the end of each billing period, and your payment method is charged the then-current price, until you cancel. Before you buy, we will show you the price, billing frequency, and renewal terms, and ask you to agree to them. After purchase, we will email you a confirmation that includes these terms and how to cancel.
Reminders. For annual plans, we will email you a reminder between 15 and 45 days before each renewal. For all plans, we will email you at least once a year with your plan, its price and billing frequency, and how to cancel.
Cancellation. You may cancel online at any time from your account settings, or by contacting us at hello@prepareyourcommunity.org. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period, and you keep access to paid tools until then.
Refunds. Monthly plans are not refunded for partial months. Annual plans may be canceled for a full refund within 30 days of purchase or renewal; after 30 days, annual fees are not refunded for the remainder of the term, except as described below.
Price changes. We will email you between 7 and 30 days before a price change takes effect on your plan, along with instructions for canceling. If you cancel within 30 days after a price increase takes effect, we will refund the unused portion of any prepaid fees.
Other refunds. If we end your plan for reasons other than a breach of these Terms, or you cancel because you do not accept a material change to these Terms, we will refund the unused portion of any prepaid fees.
Consulting services. Consulting engagements are governed by a separate signed scope of work, which controls if it conflicts with these Terms.
Printed materials. Printed materials are produced and shipped by our print partner. If an item arrives damaged or misprinted, contact us within 30 days of delivery and we will arrange a replacement or refund.
Donations. Donations are voluntary and generally non-refundable. If you made a donation in error, contact us within 30 days. PYC is a 501(c)(3) organization; donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. We will provide a receipt for your records.
## 5. Content You Share
You may post, upload, or enter content on the Services, such as forum posts, comments, plans, maps, contact lists, and files ("Your Content"). You keep ownership of Your Content.
You give PYC a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, copy, display, and share Your Content as needed to operate, secure, and improve the Services, and to show it to the people you choose to share it with. This license ends when you delete Your Content or your account, except for copies held in backups for a limited time, content others have already copied or reshared, and shared planning content as described in Section 6.
We may create de-identified, aggregated information from use of the Services, such as the number of active neighborhoods in a region, and use it to improve our work and report on our impact. This information does not identify you.
You confirm that you have the rights needed to share Your Content and that it does not violate these Terms or the law.
Feedback. If you send us ideas, suggestions, survey responses, or other feedback about the Services, including during a beta test, you agree that PYC may use, adapt, and share that feedback to improve the Services and our preparedness materials, without payment or other obligation to you. We will not publicly name you as the source of feedback without your permission.
## 6. Shared Community Spaces
Many features let a group, such as a street, neighborhood, or organization, build plans together in a shared space. Shared spaces have one or more administrators.
When a member leaves. If you leave a shared space or close your account, we delete your personal information from that space, including your name, contact details, and skills or needs entries. Shared planning content you contributed, such as hub plans, maps, and checklists, stays with the space so the group's work is not lost. Where needed, your contributions will be shown as made by a "former member."
When the last administrator leaves. If a shared space has no remaining administrator, we will keep the space for 60 days and offer administrator rights to another member. If no member accepts within that time, we may archive or delete the space.
When a paid plan ends. If an organization cancels a paid plan, it has 30 days after the plan ends to export its data. After that, the space continues on our free features, and its plans and content stay in place.
## 7. Personal Information About Others
Preparedness planning often involves information about neighbors. If you enter information about another person, such as contact details, skills, or a need for a check-in during an emergency, you agree to:
+ Get that person's permission first
+ Share only what is needed for preparedness planning
+ Avoid entering medical diagnoses, medications, or other health details; use general terms such as "may need a check-in" instead
+ Remove the information if the person asks
## 8. Community Rules
The Services include a discussion forum and other shared spaces. When you post or share content on the Services, you agree not to:
+ Harass, threaten, or demean others
+ Post content that is unlawful, defamatory, or infringes someone else's rights
+ Share someone else's personal information without their consent
+ Impersonate emergency officials, agencies, or other people
+ Post false emergency alerts or knowingly spread false safety information
+ Advertise, solicit, or spam
+ Campaign for or against political candidates or political parties
+ Upload malware or try to access accounts, systems, or data you are not authorized to access
+ Scrape, copy, or resell the Services in bulk, except as the license in Section 3 allows
We may remove content or limit accounts that break these rules. We are not required to monitor all content, and posts reflect the views of the people who write them, not PYC.
## 9. Not an Emergency Service
The Services are not a 911 service, an emergency alert system, or a substitute for professional emergency responders. In an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number, and follow instructions from local officials.
Content on the Services is general educational information. It is not legal, medical, engineering, or other professional advice. Conditions, codes, and risks vary by location, so check local guidance before acting.
## 10. AI Assistant
The Services include an AI assistant that answers questions using PYC content. Its responses are generated automatically and may be incomplete or wrong. Verify important information before relying on it, and do not use the assistant in place of emergency services. Please do not enter sensitive personal information about yourself or others. Questions you submit are processed by our AI service provider as described in our Privacy Policy.
## 11. Gear Links and Affiliate Relationships
Our gear recommendations include links to products sold by other companies. PYC may earn a commission when you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. Commissions help keep our preparedness content free. Purchases are between you and the retailer, under the retailer's terms. We do not guarantee any product's availability, price, or performance.
## 12. Third-Party Services and Links
The Services link to and rely on services run by others, such as government websites, payment processors, and hosting providers. We are not responsible for third-party websites or services, and your use of them is governed by their terms.
## 13. Copyright Complaints
If you believe content on the Services infringes your copyright, send a notice to our designated agent, registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, at hello@prepareyourcommunity.org or by mail to the address in Section 22. Include:
+ A description of the copyrighted work
+ Where the material appears on the Services
+ Your contact information
+ A statement that you believe in good faith the use is not authorized
+ A statement, under penalty of perjury, that your notice is accurate and that you are the owner or authorized to act for the owner
+ Your physical or electronic signature
We may remove material in response to a valid notice and may terminate the accounts of repeat infringers.
## 14. PYC Names and Trademarks
Prepare Your Community, the Prepare Your Community logo, The Bainbridge Model, Ready Your Street, Five First Steps, and other PYC program names are trademarks of PYC. You may refer to them by name to describe PYC or credit PYC content, but you may not use them in a way that suggests PYC sponsors or endorses you without our written permission. PYC and its licensors own the Services, including the software and design.
## 15. Suspension and Termination
You may close your account at any time from your account settings or by contacting us.
We may suspend or close an account that breaks these Terms, creates a security risk, or exposes PYC or others to harm. Where practical, we will tell you first and give you a chance to fix the problem. If we close a paid account for reasons other than a breach of these Terms, we will refund the unused portion of any prepaid fees.
Sections 3 (for content already shared under the license), 5, 6, 9, and 13 through 21 continue after your account closes.
## 16. Disclaimers
The Services are provided "as is" and "as available." To the fullest extent permitted by law, PYC disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not promise that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or available during an emergency.
## 17. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, PYC, its directors, officers, volunteers, and contractors will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost data or profits, arising from your use of the Services.
PYC's total liability for any claim relating to the Services is limited to the greater of USD $150 or the amount you paid PYC for the Services in the 12 months before the claim.
Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limits on liability, so some of these limits may not apply to you.
## 18. Indemnity
To the extent permitted by law, you agree to defend and indemnify PYC, its directors, officers, volunteers, and contractors against claims and costs arising from Your Content or your violation of these Terms or the law.
## 19. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms as the Services change. For material changes, we will notify you by email or on the Services at least 30 days before the changes take effect. If you keep using the Services after that date, you accept the updated Terms. If you do not agree, you may close your account; if you have a paid plan, we will refund the unused portion of any prepaid fees. Price changes to paid plans follow the notice terms in Section 4.
## 20. Governing Law and Disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute will be heard in the state or federal courts located in Kitsap County, Washington, and you and PYC consent to their jurisdiction.
If you live in another state, in Canada, or in another country, you keep any protections that the consumer laws of your place of residence give you and that cannot be waived by contract.
Before filing a claim, please contact us so we can try to resolve the issue informally.
## 21. General Terms
These Terms and our Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and PYC about the Services. If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest remains in effect. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not transfer your rights under these Terms without our written consent; PYC may transfer them as part of a merger, reorganization, or transfer of its assets to another nonprofit. Neither party is responsible for delays caused by events beyond its reasonable control.
## 22. Contact Us
Prepare Your Community
321 High School Rd NE, Suite D3, Box 275
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
USA
Email: hello@prepareyourcommunity.org
Phone: (360) 207-5586