Community Guidelines

Effective Date: December 5, 2025

Last Updated: December 5, 2025

One Million Small Startups is built on the belief that entrepreneurship is a powerful tool for fighting poverty. Our community includes nonprofit organizers, supporters, and social entrepreneurs working together to create positive change. These guidelines help ensure our platform remains a safe, respectful, and productive space for everyone.

Our Values

• Integrity: We are honest, transparent, and accountable in all our actions
• Respect: We treat everyone with dignity, regardless of background or beliefs
• Inclusion: We welcome diverse perspectives and create space for all voices
• Impact: We focus on creating meaningful change for underserved communities
• Collaboration: We believe in working together to achieve shared goals

1. Respectful Communication

✅ Do:

• Treat others with kindness and empathy
• Use respectful language in all communications
• Listen to and consider different perspectives
• Provide constructive feedback when appropriate
• Assume good intentions and give others the benefit of the doubt

❌ Don't:

• Use profanity, slurs, or derogatory language
• Engage in personal attacks or harassment
• Make threats or incite violence
• Bully, intimidate, or deliberately provoke others
• Share private information about others without consent

2. Authentic and Transparent Campaigns

✅ Do:

• Provide accurate, complete information about your campaign or event
• Clearly state what funds will be used for
• Set realistic funding goals and timelines
• Update supporters regularly on campaign progress
• Follow through on all promises made to supporters
• Use real names and verified organization information
• Respond promptly to supporter questions and concerns

❌ Don't:

• Create fraudulent or misleading campaigns
• Misrepresent your organization or its mission
• Make false claims about tax-deductibility
• Inflate impact numbers or fabricate success stories
• Use funds for purposes other than stated in your campaign
• Impersonate other organizations or individuals
• Create duplicate campaigns for the same cause

3. Appropriate Content

✅ Do:

• Use high-quality, relevant images for your campaigns
• Ensure you have rights to all content you post
• Credit photographers, artists, and content creators
• Keep content family-friendly and appropriate for all ages
• Use accurate descriptions and titles

❌ Don't Post:

• Illegal Content: Anything that violates local, state, or federal laws
• Harmful Content: Content promoting violence, self-harm, or dangerous activities
• Hateful Content: Content targeting individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected characteristics
• Sexual Content: Pornography, nudity, or sexually explicit material
• Graphic Content: Excessive violence, gore, or disturbing imagery
• Spam: Repetitive, unsolicited, or irrelevant content
• Misinformation: Deliberately false or misleading information
• Copyrighted Material: Content you don't have rights to use

4. Fundraising Integrity

✅ Do:

• Only fundraise for legitimate organizations or creators with transparent missions (nonprofits, businesses, or individuals)
• Verify you have authority to fundraise on behalf of an organization
• Maintain accurate financial records
• Honor all refund policies and commitments
• Comply with all applicable fundraising regulations
• Register with state authorities if required for charitable solicitations

❌ Don't:

• Fundraise without proper organizational authorization
• Misuse or misappropriate donated funds
• Promise benefits or perks you can't deliver
• Engage in money laundering or financial fraud
• Evade taxes or help others evade taxes
• Use the platform for purely personal emergency fundraising that is unrelated to an approved event or program

5. Privacy and Data Protection

✅ Do:

• Protect supporter and donor information
• Comply with data protection laws (GDPR, CCPA, etc.)
• Only use donor data for stated purposes
• Obtain consent before sharing personal information
• Delete data when no longer needed

❌ Don't:

• Share, sell, or misuse donor personal information
• Collect unnecessary personal data
• Use donor information for unauthorized marketing
• Access or attempt to access other users' accounts
• Scrape or harvest user data from the platform

6. Platform Integrity

✅ Do:

• Report suspicious activity, fraud, or violations of these guidelines
• Use the platform for its intended purpose
• Provide feedback to help us improve
• Keep your account secure with a strong password
• Notify us immediately if your account is compromised

❌ Don't:

• Attempt to hack, breach, or bypass platform security
• Use bots, scripts, or automated tools without permission
• Create fake accounts or inflate metrics artificially
• Abuse or exploit platform features
• Interfere with other users' ability to use the platform
• Attempt to reverse engineer or copy our platform

7. Intellectual Property

✅ Do:

• Only use content you own or have permission to use
• Give proper credit and attribution
• Respect copyright, trademark, and patent rights
• License your own content appropriately

❌ Don't:

• Upload copyrighted material without permission
• Use others' trademarks or logos without authorization
• Claim others' work as your own
• Violate intellectual property rights

8. Prohibited Campaigns

The following types of campaigns are not allowed on our platform:

• Personal Causes: Fundraisers for personal medical bills or living expenses that are not tied to a verified event or organization
• Political Campaigns: Election campaigns or partisan political activities
• Religious Proselytization: Campaigns primarily focused on religious conversion
• Discriminatory Causes: Campaigns that promote discrimination or hate
• Illegal Activities: Campaigns for illegal goods, services, or activities
• Weapons: Campaigns for weapons, explosives, or ammunition
• Gambling: Lotteries, raffles, or gambling activities (unless legally permitted)
• Multi-Level Marketing: Pyramid schemes or MLM recruitment
• Get-Rich-Quick Schemes: Investment opportunities or financial schemes

9. Enforcement

Violations

If you violate these Community Guidelines, we may take action including:

• Warning: First-time or minor violations may result in a warning
• Content Removal: Removal of violating content
• Campaign Suspension: Temporary or permanent suspension of your campaign
• Account Suspension: Temporary suspension of your account
• Account Termination: Permanent ban from the platform
• Legal Action: Referral to law enforcement for serious violations

Appeals

If you believe we made a mistake in enforcing these guidelines, you can appeal by contacting us at support@oms2.org. Please include:

• Your account information
• Details of the enforcement action
• Why you believe the action was incorrect
• Any supporting evidence

We will review appeals within 5-7 business days.

10. Reporting Violations

If you see content or behavior that violates these guidelines:

• Use the "Report" button on campaigns or profiles
• Email us at support@oms2.org
• For urgent safety concerns, email safety@oms2.org

What to include in your report:

• Link to the content or profile
• Description of the violation
• Screenshots (if applicable)
• Why you believe it violates our guidelines

We review all reports and take appropriate action. We may not be able to provide specific details about enforcement actions due to privacy considerations.

11. Changes to These Guidelines

We may update these Community Guidelines as our platform evolves. We will notify you of significant changes by email or through a prominent notice on our platform. Continued use of our platform after changes indicates acceptance of the updated guidelines.

12. Additional Resources

• Terms of Service - Legal terms governing platform use
• Privacy Policy - How we protect your data
• Acceptable Use Policy - Prohibited uses of the platform
• Refund Policy - Refund terms and conditions

13. Contact Us

Questions about these Community Guidelines? Contact us: