Terms of Service
Last updated: August 23, 2023
These Terms of Use, together with Advocacy Institute’s Privacy Policy (the “Privacy Policy”), set forth the terms and conditions (“Terms”) that apply to the access and use by you, as an individual, and by the entity, if any, which you represent (as applicable, “You”), of the Advocacy Institute website, located at https://hi.advocacy-institute.org/ (together, the “Website”) and constitutes an agreement by and between You and Advocacy Institute with respect to use of the Website and related web-based sites or platforms provided to You including, without limitation, My Tools and Interactive Snapshots (collectively, including without limitation any content hosted by Advocacy Institute thereon or provided by Advocacy Institute in connection therewith, the “Site”). In addition, these Terms apply to, and govern the provision and receipt of, services provided to You by Advocacy Institute which may include, without limitation, consultation and information regarding legislative and budget advocacy (the “Membership Services”), except to the extent that there is otherwise a superseding written agreement in effect (a “Written Agreement”) between You and Advocacy Institute with respect to the Membership Services. Notwithstanding to the extent that a Written Agreement so supersedes, the Privacy Policy continues to apply. “Advocacy Institute” includes Advocacy Institute, Inc., a New York not-for-profit corporation, and its officers, directors, employees, consultants, affiliates, subsidiaries, and agents.
By using or accessing the Site and the Membership Services You agree to these Terms, as updated from time to time in accordance with Section 8 below. Because Advocacy Institute provides a wide range of services, we may at times ask You to review and accept supplemental terms that apply to Your interaction with a specific product or service. These Terms state that any disputes between You and Advocacy Institute must be resolved in arbitration.
Account Security
To use the Site or the Membership Services, You must (i) be at least eighteen (18) years of age; (ii) have not previously been suspended or removed from the Site or the Membership Services; and (iii) as applicable, register for and use the Site, and also use the Site in compliance with any and all applicable laws and regulations.
Account Registration
To access some features of the Site or the Membership Services, You may be required to register for an account. When you register for an account, we may ask You to give us certain identifying information about Yourself, including but not limited to Your email address and other contact information, and to create a user name and password (“Registration Information”). When registering for and maintaining an account, You agree to provide true, accurate, current, and complete information about Yourself. You also agree not to impersonate anyone, misrepresent any affiliation with anyone else, use false information, or otherwise conceal Your identity from Advocacy Institute for any purpose. You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of Your password and other Registration Information. For your protection and the protection of other users, we ask You not to share your Registration Information with anyone else. If you do share this information with anyone, we will consider their activities to have been authorized by You. If you have reason to believe that Your account is no longer secure, You must immediately notify us at hello@advocacy-institute.org.
Prohibited Conduct
You agree not to:
A. Use the Site or the Membership Services for any illegal purpose, or in violation of any local, state, national, or international law;
B. Violate or encourage others to violate the rights of third parties, including intellectual property rights;
C. Post, upload, or distribute any content that is unlawful, defamatory, libelous, inaccurate, or that Advocacy Institute deems to be objectionable, profane, indecent, pornographic, harassing, threatening, hateful, or otherwise inappropriate;
D. Interfere in any way with security-related features of the Site;
E. Interfere with the operation or any user’s enjoyment of the Site, including by uploading or otherwise disseminating viruses, adware, spyware, worms, or other malicious code, making unsolicited offers or advertisements to other users, or attempting to collect personal information about users or third parties without their consent;
F. Access, monitor or copy any content or information of the Site using any robot, spider, scraper, or other automated means or any manual process for any purpose without Advocacy Institute’s express written permission;
G. Perform any fraudulent activity, including impersonating any person or entity, claiming false affiliations, accessing the accounts of other users without permission, or falsifying your identity or any information about You, including age or date of birth; or
H. Sell or otherwise transfer the access granted herein.
Third Party Content
The Site and the Membership Services may contain information about and links to third party websites and services. Advocacy Institute provides such information and links as a convenience, and does not control or endorse these websites and services. You acknowledge and agree that Advocacy Institute has not reviewed the content, advertising, products, services, or other materials that appear on such third party websites or services, and is not responsible for the legality, accuracy, or appropriateness of any such content. Advocacy Institute shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of any such third party websites or services.
Intellectual Property
You acknowledge and agree that you relinquish all ownership rights in any ideas or suggestions that you submit to Advocacy Institute through the Site or in connection with the Membership Services. The Site and its entire contents, features and functionalities, including the Provided Materials (defined below), are owned by Advocacy Institute protected by applicable copyright and other intellectual property laws. All trademarks and service marks on the Site belong to Advocacy Institute, except third-party trademarks or service marks, which are the property of their respective owners. Advocacy Institute may affirmatively provide You, through the Site or the Membership Services, with templates, flowcharts, guides, guidelines, spreadsheets or manuals to assist You in your advocacy efforts or for You to otherwise receive the benefit of the Membership Services (the “Provided Materials”). Advocacy Institute hereby grants You a right and license to use the Provided Materials to assist You in Your advocacy efforts and to receive the benefit of the Membership Services, provided however that, without the prior written consent of Advocacy Institute, You may not distribute the Provided Materials to unaffiliated third parties or use the Provided Materials to provide a competitive platform or service to Advocacy Institute.
User Content
You represent, warrant and covenant that You own or otherwise have the right to use any content You post to the Site or provide to Advocacy Institute in connection with the Membership Services. If You believe that Your content has been used in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, You may contact our Designated Agent:
cori schmanke parrish
Advocacy Institute
224 W. 35th St. Suite 500 #23
New York, NY 10001
(917) 398-3820
hello@advocacy-institute.org
You must provide the following information: an electronic or physical signature of the copyright owner or the person authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner; a description of the copyrighted work that You claim has been infringed; a description of where the material that You claim is infringing is located; Your address, telephone number, and email address; a written statement that You have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; a statement by You, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that You are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner’s behalf. Advocacy Institute has adopted and implements a policy that provides for termination in appropriate circumstances of accounts of users who repeatedly infringe copyright or other intellectual property rights of Advocacy Institute or others.
Indemnification
You agree that You will be personally responsible for Your use of the Site and the Membership Services, and You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Advocacy Institute from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including attorneys’ and accounting fees and costs), arising out of or in any way connected with (i) Your access to, use of, or alleged use of the Site or Membership Services; (ii) Your violation of the Terms or any applicable law or regulation; (iii) Your violation of any third party right, including without limitation any intellectual property right, publicity, confidentiality, property, or privacy right; or (iv) any disputes or issues between You and any third party. Advocacy Institute has reasonable approval rights over any settlement. Advocacy Institute reserves the right, at our own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by You, and in such case, You agree to cooperate with our defense of such claim.
Termination
If You violate these Terms, Your permission to use the Site and the Membership Services will automatically terminate. In addition, Advocacy Institute, in its sole discretion, may suspend or terminate Your user account and/or suspend or terminate some or all of Your access to the Site or Membership Services at any time, with or without notice to You. You may terminate your account at any time by contacting Advocacy Institute at hello@advocacy-institute.org. After Your account is terminated, information and content previously provided by You will no longer be accessible through your account, but Advocacy Institute may continue to store such information and content, and it may also be stored by third parties to whom it has been transferred through Your use of the Site or the Membership Services.
Modification of the Terms
Advocacy Institute reserves the right at any time to modify these Terms and to impose new or additional terms or conditions on Your use of the Site or the Membership Services. Such modifications and additional terms and conditions will be effective immediately upon notice and incorporated into these Terms. We will make reasonable efforts to notify You of any material changes to the Terms, including, but not limited to, by posting a notice to our website or by sending an email to any address You may have provided to us. Your continued use of the Site or the Membership Services following notice will be deemed acceptance of any modifications to the Terms.
Disclaimers of Warranties
THE SITE AND THE MEMBERSHIP SERVICES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND ON AN “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. ALTHOUGH ADVOCACY INSTITUTE SEEKS TO MAINTAIN SAFE, SECURE, ACCURATE, AND WELL-FUNCTIONING SERVICES, WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THE CONTINUOUS OPERATION OF OR ACCESS TO OUR SITE, AND THERE MAY AT TIMES BE INADVERTENT TECHNICAL OR FACTUAL ERRORS OR INACCURACIES. ADVOCACY INSTITUTE SPECIFICALLY (BUT WITHOUT LIMITATION) DISCLAIMS (I) ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, QUIET ENJOYMENT, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT; AND (II) ANY WARRANTIES ARISING OUT OF COURSE-OF-DEALING, USAGE, OR TRADE. YOU ASSUME ALL RISK FOR ANY/ALL DAMAGES THAT MAY RESULT FROM YOUR USE OF OR ACCESS TO THE SITE OR THE MEMBERSHIP SERVICES. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, NEITHER ADVOCACY INSTITUTE NOR ANYONE ASSOCIATED WITH ADVOCACY INSTITUTE REPRESENTS, WARRANTS OR GUARANTEES THE COMPLETENESS, SECURITY, RELIABILITY, QUALITY, AVAILABILITY OR ACCURACY OF, AND DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR OTHER INACCURACIES IN, THE INFORMATION, CONTENT, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND MATERIALS MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SITE OR THE MEMBERSHIP SERVICES. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE CAUSED BY A DISTRIBUTED DENIAL-OF-SERVICE ATTACK, VIRUSES, OR OTHER TECHNOLOGICALLY HARMFUL MATERIAL THAT MAY INFECT YOUR COMPUTER EQUIPMENT, COMPUTER PROGRAMS, DATA, OR OTHER PROPRIETARY MATERIAL DUE TO YOUR USE OF THE SITE OR THE MEMBERSHIP SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE SITE OR TO YOUR DOWNLOADING OF ANY MATERIAL POSTED ON IT, OR ON ANY SITE LINKED TO IT.
Limitation of Liability
IN NO EVENT WILL ADVOCACY INSTITUTE BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STATUTE, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, WHETHER OR NOT ADVOCACY INSTITUTE HAS BEEN INFORMED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES. ACCORDINGLY, SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflict of law principles. Subject to Section 14, which provides that disputes are to be resolved through binding arbitration, to the extent that any lawsuit or court proceeding is permitted hereunder, You and Advocacy Institute agree to submit to the exclusive personal jurisdiction of the state courts and federal courts located within New York, New York, for the purpose of litigating all such disputes.
Dispute Resolution by Binding Arbitration
In the interest of resolving disputes between You and Advocacy Institute in the most expedient and cost effective manner, You and Advocacy Institute agree to resolve disputes through binding arbitration instead of in courts of general jurisdiction (“Agreement to Arbitrate”). Arbitration is more informal than a lawsuit in court. Arbitration uses a neutral arbitrator instead of a judge or jury, allows for more limited discovery than in court, and is subject to very limited review by courts. Arbitrators can award the same damages and relief that a court can award. Any arbitration or litigation under these Terms will take place on an individual basis; class arbitrations and class actions are not permitted. You acknowledge and agree that the arbitrator may award relief (including monetary, injunctive, and declaratory relief) only in favor of the individual party seeking relief and only to the extent necessary to provide relief necessitated by that individual party’s claim(s). Any relief awarded cannot affect other users.
Modification of the Site
Advocacy Institute reserves the right to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, some or all of the Site or the Membership Services at any time without any notice or further obligation to you. You agree that Advocacy Institute will not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuance of any of the Site or the Membership Services.
General
A. Representations. You, as an individual, represent, warrant and covenant that you are authorized to enter into these Terms on behalf of the entity which you represent, if any.
B. Survival. Subject to the provisions in this paragraph, You may terminate these Terms by terminating Your access to the Site and receipt of Membership Services for a period of 90 days. Renewed access or receipt re-establishes the effectiveness of these Terms. Advocacy Institute may terminate these Terms at any time on notice to You. All terms, obligations, and provisions of these Terms that contemplate obligation or performance subsequent to the termination of these Terms shall survive termination and continue in full force and effect and shall continue to bind the parties and their permitted successors and assigns.
C. Entire Agreement. These Terms, together with, for the avoidance of doubt, the Privacy Policy, as well as legal and commercial terms set forth in an applicable order form, scope of work or similar document provided by Advocacy Institute, constitute the entire and exclusive understanding and agreement between You and Advocacy Institute regarding Your use of and access to the Site and the Membership Services, and except as expressly permitted above may only be amended by a written agreement signed by authorized representatives of the parties.
D. No Waiver. The failure to require performance of any provision shall not affect our right to require performance at any time thereafter, nor shall a waiver of any breach or default of the Terms constitute a waiver of any subsequent breach or default or a waiver of the provision itself.
E. Paragraph Headers. Use of paragraph headers in the Terms is for convenience only and shall not have any impact on the interpretation of particular provisions.
F. Severability. In the event that any part of the Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the unenforceable part shall be given effect to the greatest extent possible and the remaining parts will remain in full force and effect.
Notice to California Residents
Under California Civil Code Section 1789.3, You may contact the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs in writing at 1625 N. Market Blvd., Suite S-202, Sacramento, California 95834, or by telephone at (800) 952-5210 in order to resolve a complaint regarding the service or to receive further information regarding use of the service.