Community standards

CBOs of America exists so that students reach the right colleges through the adults and organizations that know them. That only works if every member can trust the others. These standards say what we expect of everyone who uses the platform: community organizations, schools, independent counselors, universities, other organizations, students and families.

They are part of the terms of use. Where the two differ, the terms apply.

1. What we stand for

• Students come first. Every message, request and partnership should serve a student, never the other way round.
• Consent is real.A family's yes is asked for honestly, and a no is respected the first time.
• Honesty. Say who you are, what you offer and why you are asking.
• Respect. Treat every member as you would a colleague, whatever the size or kind of their organization.
• Care with information. What you learn here is used only for the students and organizations it concerns.

2. Communications and requests must be meaningful

A message, a partnership proposal, a request for a student's details and a published opportunity all ask for someone's time and trust. Each one has to be worth it.

• Write to a person or an organization only when you have a real reason that concerns the students or the work you share.
• Say plainly who you are, who you work for and what you are asking for.
• Send a partnership proposal only to an organization you have read about and want to work with. Do not send the same proposal to everyone.
• Ask for a student's details only when you mean to contact that student, ask only for what you need, and give the true reason.
• Publish an opportunity only when it is real, open to the students you send it to, and accurate about dates, cost and who can apply.
• Answer in good time when someone is waiting on you, or decline. A no is always an acceptable answer.

3. Abuse is not tolerated

Abuse of the platform, of its members or of the people they serve includes:

• Harassing, threatening, insulting or demeaning anyone, or pressing someone who has said no.
• Bulk, repeated, automated or off-topic messages, proposals or requests, and advertising that has nothing to do with the students or the partnership.
• Misleading anyone about who you are, what you offer or why you are asking.
• Pressing a student or a family to share information, to apply, to enroll or to pay.
• Using what you learn here for anything other than helping the students and organizations it concerns.
• False or bad faith reports about another member.
• Trying to get around a warning, a suspension or a block, including by opening another account.

The acceptable use rules in section 7 of the terms of use apply as well.

4. Warnings, suspension and blocking

• A warning. When a member breaks these standards, we tell them in writing what happened, which rule it broke and what has to change. We also tell an admin of their organization.
• At most 3 warnings. A member is warned no more than 3 times. The third warning is the final one, and it says so.
• Review. The third and final warning opens a review of the profile by our team. We tell the member, in the app and by email, that their profile will be reviewed because of abuse that has been reported. No profile is blocked before the member has been told this.
• Blocking. If the review confirms harmful or non-compliant use, the profile is suspended and the member is blocked from the platform. We write to the member with the decision. A blocked person cannot sign in and may not open another account. If the review does not confirm it, the profile stays open and the warnings stay on record.
• Lifting a block. Our team can lift a block, for example after you ask us to look again. The warnings stay on record, and if abuse is reported again the profile goes straight back to review.
• Serious harm. We may suspend or block at once, without going through the warnings, where someone is threatened or put at risk, where a student or a child may be harmed, where someone tries to reach records they may not see, or where the law requires it.
• Organizations. An organization answers for how its staff use the platform. If abuse comes from an organization as a whole, the warnings go to the organization and its membership can be ended under the terms of use.
• Asking us to look again. You can ask us to review a warning, a suspension or a block by writing to legal@cbosofamerica.org within 30 days. We read every request and answer in writing.

5. How to report abuse

• Report a message from the conversation or the channel it is in. The report goes to the admins of the organization the message belongs to, and to our team.
• For anything else, use the help button at the bottom of any page and choose to send us a note, or write to legal@cbosofamerica.org.
• If someone is in danger, call 911. If you believe a child is being harmed, tell the authorities. A report here does not replace a report to them.
• We do not allow anyone to be punished for a report made in good faith.