Terms of Service

Effective date: January 1, 2026 · Last updated: April 15, 2026

By creating an account and using The Throughlines ("the Platform," "we," "us," or "our"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). Please read them carefully before registering. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

1. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years of age to use the Platform. By registering, you confirm that you meet this requirement.

Users between the ages of 13 and 17 ("minor users") must have a parent or legal guardian who is aware of and consents to their participation. By completing registration on behalf of a minor, a parent or guardian represents that they have the authority to agree to these Terms on the minor's behalf and that they accept responsibility for the minor's use of the Platform.
If we discover that a user is under 13, we will immediately deactivate the account and delete any personal information collected.
Organizations and schools registering on the Platform represent that their authorized representative has the legal authority to bind the entity to these Terms.

2. Account Responsibilities

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account
You must provide accurate, current, and truthful information during registration and keep it up to date
You may not share, transfer, sell, or allow others to access your account
You may not impersonate another person, organization, or entity
You must notify us immediately at envisioninglab@gmail.com if you suspect unauthorized access to your account
We reserve the right to require re-verification of your identity or age at any time

3. Service Activity

You agree to participate in service activities honestly, in good faith, and with integrity
Hour logs must accurately reflect actual service performed. Falsifying hours is a violation of these Terms and may result in immediate account termination
Organizations retain the right to verify, approve, or reject submitted hours at their sole discretion
The Platform does not guarantee the accuracy of hours approved or rejected by third-party organizations
Any credentials, badges, or certifications displayed on the Platform are based on information provided by users and organizations, and The Throughlines makes no representation as to their validity or official recognition

4. Minor Users (Ages 13–17)

Minor users must have verifiable parental or guardian consent prior to account activation
The Throughlines limits the personal information of minors visible to organizations to protect their privacy
Organizations working with minor volunteers are solely responsible for complying with applicable youth protection laws, background check requirements, and safeguarding obligations in their jurisdiction
The Throughlines does not supervise, vet, or take responsibility for the conduct of organizations interacting with minor volunteers
Parents or guardians may contact us at envisioninglab@gmail.com to withdraw consent, request data deletion, or terminate a minor's account at any time
The Throughlines reserves the right to terminate accounts of minor users if safety concerns arise, without prior notice

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use the Platform to:

Engage in any unlawful, fraudulent, or deceptive activity
Harass, bully, threaten, intimidate, or harm any other user
Post or transmit content that is defamatory, obscene, hateful, sexually explicit, or otherwise inappropriate
Solicit personal information from other users, particularly minors
Use the Platform for commercial solicitation, advertising, or spam
Upload malicious code, viruses, or content designed to compromise platform security
Misrepresent your identity, credentials, age, or volunteer activity
Use automated bots, scrapers, or tools to extract data from the Platform without written permission
Attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, or access the Platform's source code or infrastructure
Interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Platform

Violation of any of the above may result in immediate account suspension or termination without notice.

6. Content and Intellectual Property

Your content: You retain ownership of content you submit to the Platform (messages, hour logs, story entries, reflections, and other user-generated material). By submitting content, you grant The Throughlines a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to store, display, reproduce, and use your content to operate and improve the Platform, including anonymized use for research and program development purposes. This license ends when you delete your content or account, except where copies have been made for research or backup purposes.

Platform content: All content, design, branding, logos, software, and features of The Throughlines are the exclusive intellectual property of The Throughlines and are protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and intellectual property laws. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from any Platform content without our prior written consent.

7. Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, at our sole discretion, including but not limited to violations of these Terms, conduct that harms other users, fraudulent activity, or behavior we determine to be inconsistent with the safety and integrity of the Platform.

Upon termination: your right to access the Platform ceases immediately; user-generated content may be retained in anonymized form for research and reporting purposes; personal data will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. You may delete your account at any time through your profile settings.

8. Disclaimers and User Responsibility

The Throughlines is a platform that facilitates connections between volunteers, organizations, schools, and other users. The Platform is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, express or implied. By using the Platform, you acknowledge and agree to the following:

No warranty: We do not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or harmful components. We make no representations about the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of any content on the Platform.
Third-party conduct: The Throughlines does not screen, endorse, supervise, or control the conduct of any organization, school, or individual user. We are not responsible for the actions, omissions, representations, or conduct of any third party before, during, or after a volunteer activity.
Volunteer activities: Participation in any volunteer event, activity, or opportunity listed on the Platform is entirely at your own risk. The Throughlines does not organize, manage, or oversee in-person activities and accepts no liability for personal injury, property damage, loss, or harm that occurs during participation.
User interactions: Any communication, exchange, or relationship you enter into with other users (including fellow volunteers, organization representatives, or school staff) is solely between you and those parties. The Throughlines is not a party to those interactions and bears no responsibility for their outcome.
External organizations: Organizations listed on the Platform operate independently. The Throughlines does not verify the accuracy of organization descriptions, opportunity details, or the safety conditions of any listed activity, and makes no warranties regarding the quality, safety, legality, or suitability of any opportunity.
Your responsibility: You are solely responsible for evaluating the suitability and safety of any opportunity or organization before engaging, for your own conduct and safety during participation, and for the accuracy of any information you submit to the Platform.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless The Throughlines, its founders, officers, employees, affiliates, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use of the Platform; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your interaction with any organization, school, or other user; (d) any content you submit to the Platform; or (e) your violation of any applicable law or third-party rights.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, The Throughlines, its founders, employees, affiliates, and agents shall not be liable for:

Any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Platform
Any damages resulting from your interactions with organizations, schools, or other users, whether online or in person
Any loss of data, personal injury, property damage, or harm arising from your participation in a volunteer activity
Any unauthorized access to or alteration of your account or data
Any content posted or transmitted by other users on the Platform
Any interruption, suspension, or termination of the Platform or any part thereof

This limitation applies regardless of the theory of liability (contract, tort, negligence, or otherwise), even if The Throughlines has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In jurisdictions that do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or limitation of liability, our liability is limited to the fullest extent permitted by law. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the Platform, your sole remedy is to discontinue use and delete your account.

11. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States and the State of California, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of the Platform shall first be attempted to be resolved through good-faith negotiation. If unresolved within 30 days, disputes shall be submitted to binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association (AAA), conducted in English. You waive any right to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration. Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking emergency injunctive relief in a court of competent jurisdiction.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. For material changes, we will provide at least 30 days' notice via email or an in-app notice before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must stop using the Platform and delete your account.

13. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

14. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and The Throughlines with respect to your use of the Platform and supersede all prior agreements, understandings, or representations.

15. Community Pulse Polls and Research Data

Our platform includes a feature called Community Pulse, a rotating poll system where users answer questions about their experiences, emotions, and behaviors.

Responses are never identifiable by name or email. Each response is stored with age and gender only to enable research segmentation. No name, email address, or personal identifier is ever attached to a response in any report or research output.
Aggregate, de-identified data from poll responses may be used for research purposes related to adolescent human development, including academic study, program improvement, and publication in educational or scientific contexts.
We will never sell individual or aggregate poll data to third parties for commercial purposes.
Poll questions are created and moderated by The Throughlines administrators to ensure appropriateness and research integrity.
For minor users (ages 13–17), participation in polls is covered under the parental consent provided at registration. Parents may opt their child out of poll participation by contacting us at envisioninglab@gmail.com.

By using the Community Pulse feature, you consent to the collection and use of your de-identified responses as described above.

16. Document File Transfer

The Platform includes a feature that allows organizations to request, and collaborators to upload, documents such as application forms and consent materials ("File Transfer Feature"). The following applies to all use of this feature:

Platform as courier only: The Throughlines acts solely as a transient file courier. We do not access, read, analyze, or process the contents of any file uploaded through the Platform. We make no representations about the contents of any file and assume no responsibility for the information contained within it.
Automatic deletion: Uploaded files are automatically and permanently deleted from our servers 48 hours after they are first accessed by the requesting organization, or 30 days after upload if not accessed, whichever comes first. The Throughlines does not retain copies of any uploaded file after deletion.
Organization responsibility: Organizations are solely responsible for the content of any forms or documents they request collaborators to complete, including but not limited to compliance with applicable privacy laws, parental or guardian consent requirements (including COPPA and applicable state law), data handling obligations once a file is downloaded from the Platform, and any liability arising from the collection or use of the information within those documents. The Throughlines assumes no responsibility for the lawfulness, accuracy, or appropriateness of any document an organization distributes or collects through this feature.
Collaborator acknowledgment: By uploading a file through the Platform, you acknowledge that the file will be accessible to the requesting organization and will be permanently deleted in accordance with the schedule above.
Minor collaborators: Organizations collecting documents from minor collaborators (ages 13–17) are solely responsible for obtaining any required parental or guardian consent before using this feature with those users. The Throughlines does not facilitate, verify, or take responsibility for the consent process.
No recovery: Once a file has been deleted pursuant to this policy, it cannot be recovered. Neither the organization nor the collaborator may request restoration of a deleted file.

18. Contact

For questions about these Terms or to report a violation: envisioninglab@gmail.com