Effective Date: 4/24/2025
Welcome to The Charlotte Optimist (“we,” “our,” or “us”). By accessing or using our website located at charlotteoptimist.com (“Site”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use our Site.
Purpose
The Charlotte Optimist is a nonprofit media organization. Our Site exists to:
- Share our original journalism and published stories with the public,
- Provide information about our mission, and
- Accept charitable donations in support of our work.
By using this Site, you acknowledge that the content we publish is for informational and educational purposes only.
Donations
We accept one-time, monthly, and yearly donations through our Site using Stripe, a secure third-party payment processor.
By making a donation, you agree to the following:
- You authorize us and Stripe to process your donation using the payment method you provide.
- All donations are final and non-refundable, unless required by law or otherwise determined by us at our discretion.
- For recurring donations, your card will be automatically charged based on the schedule you select, and charges will continue unless canceled.
- You may cancel or update a recurring donation at any time by logging into your donor portal or by contacting us at michael@charlotteoptimist.com.
All transactions are securely processed by Stripe. Please refer to their Privacy Policy and Terms of Service for more information.
Payment Security
We take the security of your payment information seriously.
- Our donation platform is powered by Stripe, a trusted and PCI Service Provider Level 1-certified payment processor.
- All transactions are processed securely through HTTPS and are encrypted end-to-end.
- We do not store your full credit card details on our servers.
- Stripe handles your payment information in accordance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requirements.
We actively monitor for suspicious activity, including card testing fraud, and use best practices to help protect your data. For more information about Stripe’s security measures, please visit https://stripe.com/docs/security.
Tax-Deductible Donations
We are a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Donation receipts will be provided via email.
User Conduct
You agree not to:
- Use the Site for any unlawful or fraudulent purpose.
- Post or transmit any offensive, defamatory, or infringing content through comment sections or forms (if applicable).
- Attempt to disrupt or compromise the security or operation of the Site.
- Reproduce or distribute our stories without permission or proper attribution.
Intellectual Property
All content on the Site including stories, articles, photos, logos, design elements, and other materials, is the property of The Charlotte Optimist or its contributors and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws.
You may link to our stories or share excerpts for non-commercial purposes with clear attribution. For any other uses, including commercial reproduction or redistribution, please contact us for permission.
Privacy
Please review our Privacy Policy for details about how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.
Disclaimers
The Site and all content are provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not guarantee that the Site will be error-free, secure, or continuously available.
Opinions expressed in published stories are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Charlotte Optimist.
Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, The Charlotte Optimist shall not be liable for any damages or losses arising out of your use of the Site, content, or donation platform.
Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms at any time. The latest version will always be posted on this page with the effective date. Continued use of the Site constitutes your acceptance of any changes.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about these Terms or need help with a donation, please reach out:
The Charlotte Optimist
PO Box 189065 Charlotte, NC 28218
michael@charlotteoptimist.com