Guardian Support and Sponsorship Program Terms

These Terms govern contributions made through the Guardian Support and Sponsorship Program.

By making a contribution, the individual or company agrees to these Terms and Guardian's Privacy Policy.

1. Two ways to support

Users may select:

Support Guardian

Contributions may be used for Guardian's development, infrastructure, servers, artificial intelligence, tools, licenses, security, monitoring, support, marketing, content creation, personnel, contractors, professional services and other reasonable costs associated with building, operating and growing Guardian.

Guardian Sponsored Business Fund

These contributions are recorded in the Guardian Sponsored Business Fund, a pooled fund.

Each time the fund accumulates $990 USD, Guardian may provide up to 12 months of Guardian service to an eligible business.

The sponsored business does not receive cash. It receives Guardian's service.

2. Nature of contributions

Contributions are voluntary and do not constitute an investment, equity purchase, loan, deposit, financial instrument, voting right, ownership interest, profit participation or promise of financial return.

A sponsor does not become a shareholder, partner, employee, representative or owner of Guardian.

3. Not a charitable donation

Guardian operates as a for-profit business.

Contributions through this program are not represented as tax-deductible charitable donations.

Guardian does not issue charitable donation receipts.

Sponsors should consult their own tax advisers regarding the treatment of their payments.

4. Sponsored Business Fund

Only contributions for which the user expressly selects “Guardian Sponsored Business Fund” are included in the Sponsored Business Fund.

The Sponsored Business Fund is a pooled fund. A contribution to the fund does not mean that a specific business is sponsored immediately.

Contributions designated to “Support Guardian” are not automatically included in the $990 progress counter.

Each $990 in net contributions recognized in the Sponsored Business Fund creates one funded sponsorship unit, which remains pending assignment until Guardian matches it with an approved eligible business.

A funded sponsorship unit is not automatically counted as a business sponsored. The number of businesses sponsored increases only when Guardian activates the service for an approved business.

Guardian may publicly display total historical support, businesses sponsored, funds accumulated toward the next business and progress toward the next $990.

Any amount remaining after completing a sponsorship unit carries forward toward the next unit.

Refunds, reversals and disputes may adjust the Sponsored Business Fund, as described in Sections 15 and 16.

5. Sponsorship value

The $990 amount represents the program value assigned to twelve months of Guardian.

It does not necessarily represent Guardian's exact internal cost of providing the service.

Funds may cover infrastructure, technology, AI, support, operations, payment processing and other resources necessary to provide the program.

6. Business eligibility

Guardian retains final approval over businesses participating in the program.

A business may be required to:

• be legally authorized to operate;
• have an active website;
• have authorization to connect Guardian;
• meet minimum technical requirements;
• provide truthful information;
• accept Guardian's applicable terms;
• and allow the actions necessary to provide the service.

Guardian may reject or postpone participation where technical, legal, security, reputational or misuse risks exist.

7. Nominations

Sponsors may nominate businesses when permitted.

A nomination does not guarantee acceptance.

If a nominated business is not eligible, Guardian may request another nomination or allocate the sponsorship to another eligible business.

If a nomination is not approved, the corresponding nomination slot is released so the sponsor may nominate another business.

8. Recognition levels and Business Sponsors

Each contribution receives a recognition level calculated from that individual contribution:

• Guardian Supporter: $1–$99.
• Guardian Sponsor: $100–$989, or $100 or more to Support Guardian.
• Business Sponsor: $990 or more, only when the contribution is directed to the Sponsored Business Fund.

A contribution of $990 or more to Support Guardian is recognized as Guardian Sponsor and does not become Business Sponsor.

Separate contributions made by the same person or business are not combined to change a recognition level retroactively.

A contribution of $990 or more directed to the Sponsored Business Fund may fund a complete twelve-month period for an eligible business.

For an eligible contribution to the Sponsored Business Fund, the number of direct nominations available is the net paid amount divided by $990, rounded down. For example, $990 net provides 1 nomination and $1,980 net provides 2 nominations. A nomination does not guarantee approval of the business.

The sponsor may, where applicable:

• nominate a business;
• receive public recognition under the options described in Section 9;
• receive activation confirmation;
• and receive general information regarding the sponsorship when such information may lawfully be shared.

Sponsors do not receive access to a sponsored business's private or confidential information.

9. Public recognition

No public recognition option is selected by default. Before paying, each contributor must expressly choose to be recognized publicly or to remain anonymous.

Public recognition shows the recognition level and may show:

• an individual name; or
• a business or company name;
• an optional short message;
• and one approved outbound link: a website or one social profile, but not both.

Guardian will not publicly identify a sponsor who has selected anonymity.

Guardian may decline, hide or remove public names, messages or links that are inappropriate, unsafe, misleading or unlawful.

A sponsor may later request removal of public recognition. Such removal does not automatically create a right to a refund.

10. Names, messages and links

Sponsors who choose public recognition grant Guardian a limited permission to use the submitted name or business name, message and link solely for identifying the sponsor's participation in the program.

The sponsor represents that it has the right to provide them.

Public recognition does not constitute Guardian's endorsement of a sponsor's products or services.

11. Sponsored business information

Guardian may publish a sponsored business's identity, story or results only when Guardian has the appropriate permission.

Sponsors do not gain access to private analytics, financial information, credentials, customer information or confidential business data.

12. Duration

A full sponsorship provides up to twelve months of service beginning on the activation date.

Activation may occur after payment while Guardian verifies eligibility, obtains permissions and completes technical setup.

When the sponsored period ends, the business may stop using Guardian, start paying for Guardian directly or receive a new sponsorship if one is available.

13. Business withdrawal

If a sponsored business closes, stops operating, loses access to its website, breaches the applicable conditions, asks to withdraw, or Guardian can no longer reasonably provide the service, Guardian may reassign the remaining period or program resources to another eligible business.

14. Payments

Payments may be processed through Stripe or other authorized payment providers.

Payment providers may process information required to complete and protect transactions.

Guardian does not need to store the full card number directly when the payment is processed by Stripe.

15. Refunds

Except where required by law, properly processed contributions allocated to the program are generally non-refundable.

Guardian may review duplicate charges, unauthorized transactions, technical errors, fraud and other legally required situations.

A nominated business not being accepted does not automatically create a right to a refund if the sponsor can nominate another business or the funds can remain in the program.

16. Chargebacks

Guardian may adjust program balances or suspend related benefits when a payment is reversed, disputed, fraudulent or charged back.

17. No guaranteed results

Guardian does not guarantee specific Google rankings, traffic levels, sales, revenue, customers, impressions, clicks, AI mentions or other particular commercial outcomes.

18. Program changes

Guardian may modify pricing, recognition levels, benefits, eligibility requirements or program rules for future contributions.

Guardian will make reasonable efforts to honor benefits and sponsorship periods that have already been activated.

19. Program termination

Guardian may suspend or discontinue the program in the future.

Commitments that have already been activated will be handled reasonably in accordance with these Terms and applicable law.

20. Contact

Guardian
Operated by: Go Digitals LLC
Email: [email protected]

Checkout acknowledgement

Before payment, the contributor must accept the following statement:

“I understand that my payment is support or sponsorship. It is not an investment, does not provide equity or ownership in Guardian, does not generate a financial return, and is not represented as a tax-deductible charitable donation. I agree to the Guardian Support and Sponsorship Program Terms and Privacy Policy.”