Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the Altare platform and related services (the "Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you are using the Service on behalf of a faith community or organization, you represent that you have the authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

2. Description of Service

Altare provides a multi-tenant platform for faith communities, delivered under each organization's own brand. The Service includes community management tools, donation processing, event management, communication features, and an optional AI Spiritual Guide — all delivered under your organization's brand.

3. Accounts & Registration

You must create an account to use the Service. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep your account information updated. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity under your account.

You must be at least 13 years old to create an account. If you are under 18, you represent that you have parental or guardian consent.

4. Organization Accounts

Individuals who create an organization on Altare ("Administrators") are responsible for managing their organization's settings, members, content, and compliance with applicable laws. Administrators determine member roles and permissions within their organization.

Each organization operates as an independent entity. Altare provides the platform infrastructure but does not control the content, teachings, or practices of any organization.

5. Subscription Plans & Billing

5.1 Subscription Tiers

Organizations subscribe to a paid tier (Seedling, Vine, or Harvest) that determines member limits, feature access, and storage allocation. All plans include a 14-day free trial.

5.2 Billing

Subscriptions are billed monthly via Stripe. You authorize us to charge your payment method on a recurring basis. If payment fails, we may suspend access after a reasonable grace period.

5.3 Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. We do not provide prorated refunds for partial months.

6. Donations & Payment Processing

Altare facilitates donations between community members and organizations via Stripe Connect. Each organization maintains a Stripe connected account.

• Stripe processes all payment transactions. Altare does not store credit card numbers or banking credentials.
• A platform fee of $0.25 per successful donation is collected by Altare on every transaction, in addition to Stripe's standard processing fees (2.9% + $0.30).
• Tax receipts are generated for compliance purposes. Organizations are responsible for ensuring their tax-exempt status and applicable filings.
• Recurring donations can be cancelled at any time by the donor through their account settings.

Altare is not a financial institution and does not provide tax, legal, or financial advice. Organizations should consult qualified professionals regarding tax compliance.

7. AI Spiritual Guide

The AI Spiritual Guide is an optional add-on feature powered by third-party AI language models. By using this feature, you acknowledge and agree that:

• The AI provides informational responses grounded in sacred texts and faith traditions. It is not a substitute for professional religious counsel, therapy, or medical advice.
• AI responses may occasionally be inaccurate or incomplete. Users should exercise their own judgment.
• Conversation data is stored to provide continuity. Organization administrators may have access to aggregate usage data but not individual conversation content unless otherwise disclosed.
• Usage is billed either on a pay-as-you-go basis or through prepaid credits purchased by the organization.

8. User Content

You retain ownership of content you post or upload to the Service ("User Content"), including board posts, comments, event details, sermon recordings, and images. By submitting User Content, you grant Altare a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, display, and transmit that content as necessary to operate the Service.

You agree not to post content that:

• Violates any applicable law or regulation
• Infringes on intellectual property rights of others
• Contains hate speech, threats, or harassment
• Contains malware, spam, or deceptive material
• Exploits or endangers minors

Organization administrators are responsible for moderating content within their community. Altare reserves the right to remove content that violates these Terms.

9. White-Label Usage

Organizations may customize the appearance of their community with their own branding, logo, colors, and custom domain. The white-label license is non-transferable and limited to use on the Altare platform. Organizations may not resell, sublicense, or redistribute the platform itself.

10. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to other accounts or systems
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or its infrastructure
• Scrape, crawl, or harvest data from the Service
• Misrepresent your identity or organizational affiliation
• Use the Service to process payments for non-charitable purposes
• Circumvent any usage limits, security features, or access controls

11. Intellectual Property

The Altare platform, including its code, design, features, and documentation, is owned by Altare and protected by intellectual property laws. These Terms do not grant you any right to use Altare trademarks, logos, or branding except as part of the white-label customization features provided by the Service.

12. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time for violation of these Terms, with reasonable notice where practicable. You may delete your account at any time. Upon termination:

• Organization data will be retained for 30 days to allow export, then permanently deleted unless legal retention obligations apply.
• Donation records are retained for a minimum of seven (7) years for tax compliance.
• Outstanding subscription balances remain due through the end of the billing period.

13. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE 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, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure.

Altare is a technology platform provider and does not endorse, verify, or take responsibility for the religious teachings, practices, financial management, or conduct of any organization using the Service.

14. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ALTARE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM RELATED TO THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Altare, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees) arising from your use of the Service, your User Content, or your violation of these Terms.

16. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Delaware.

17. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated Terms on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

18. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us at legal@altare-usa.com.