Life Hope

Terms of Service — Life Hope

Effective Date: [EFFECTIVE DATE]

Last Updated: [EFFECTIVE DATE]

1. Introduction

Welcome to Life Hope. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the website, services, and platform operated by Life Hope LLC ("Life Hope," "we," "us," or "our"), a Utah limited liability company operating as a Private Membership Organization with its principal place of business in the State of Utah, USA.

By accessing or using Life Hope in any capacity — including by visiting the website, becoming a member, sending support, or receiving support — you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use Life Hope.

2. What Life Hope Is

Life Hope is a private membership organization that operates a digital private membership platform (the "Life Hope Platform") enabling voluntary, asynchronous support to members through a QR code system. Members display a personal QR code that, when scanned, directs the scanning party to a member-specific support page. Voluntary transfers between members are processed by Stripe, Inc., a licensed money transmitter.

3. What Life Hope Is Not

For clarity, Life Hope is not:

  • A charity, charitable organization, or charitable fundraising platform
  • A money transmitter, money services business, or financial institution
  • A commercial payment processor or commercial payment platform
  • An employer, agent, or representative of any member
  • A custodian or holder of member funds — funds are held by Stripe, Inc., a licensed money transmitter, not by Life Hope
  • A direct controller of member bank accounts or independent owner of member funds

Transfers between members are voluntary personal transactions, not charitable donations. Transfers through Life Hope are not tax-deductible. Life Hope does not solicit charitable contributions and is not registered as a charity in any state.

All financial transactions on the Life Hope Platform are processed by Stripe, Inc. Funds flow directly from supporting members through Stripe to receiving members. Life Hope receives only its disclosed platform service fee.

4. Membership

4.1 Eligibility

To become a member of Life Hope, you must:

  • Be at least 18 years of age
  • Be a resident of the United States
  • For receiving members: reside in a US state where Life Hope is currently available for receiving members (the current list of eligible states is published at mylifehope.org/eligible-states)
  • For supporting members: reside in any US state
  • Agree to these Terms, the Privacy Policy, the Code of Conduct, and the Member Agreement
  • Provide truthful information during registration
  • Maintain only one Life Hope account

Life Hope does not currently accept members or transactions from outside the United States.

4.2 Membership Categories

Life Hope offers two membership categories:

  • Supporting members — individuals who use the Life Hope Platform to send voluntary support to other members
  • Receiving members — individuals who use the Life Hope Platform to receive voluntary support from other members

A single person may hold only one membership of either category at a time.

4.3 State-by-State Availability

Receiving member registration is available only in US states where Life Hope has opened operations. The list of currently available states is published at mylifehope.org/eligible-states and may be updated by Life Hope from time to time without prior notice. If you reside in a state where receiving member registration is not currently available, you may join a waitlist to be notified when Life Hope becomes available in your state.

4.4 Membership Approval and Termination

Life Hope reserves the right to approve, deny, suspend, or terminate any membership at its sole discretion, including for violations of these Terms, the Code of Conduct, the Member Agreement, or applicable law.

5. The Voluntary Transfer System

5.1 How Transfers Work

When a supporting member sends a transfer to a receiving member:

  1. The supporting member initiates the transfer through the Life Hope Platform
  2. Stripe processes the transaction using the supporting member's chosen payment method
  3. Stripe routes the funds, less applicable fees, to the receiving member's connected Stripe account
  4. Receiving members withdraw funds from their Stripe connected account via bank transfer; additional withdrawal options may be offered in the future where supported

Life Hope does not hold, custody, or control funds at any point during this process.

5.2 Fees

Life Hope charges a flat 3% service fee on each transfer to operate the platform. This is a fee for service, not a charitable contribution. Stripe charges separate card processing fees (currently 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) which are either added to the supporting member's total or deducted from the transfer before payout, depending on the supporting member's selection at checkout.

5.3 No Guarantees

Life Hope does not guarantee:

  • That any transfer initiated by a supporting member will be successfully completed or processed by Stripe
  • That any receiving member will receive support and receive any transfers, or any particular amount of transfers, through the Life Hope Platform
  • The accuracy, truthfulness, or completeness of any member's profile, story, or photographs
  • The conduct of any member outside the Life Hope Platform

Supporting members are solely responsible for evaluating, judging, and deciding under their own personal reasoning whether to send support to any particular receiving member.

5.4 Life Hope's Limited Directive Authority

Members authorize Life Hope to deduct the disclosed service fee and to configure the Stripe connected-account payout schedule at the platform level, as set forth in the Member Agreement. Funds are routed by Stripe directly into the receiving member's connected account and are paid out by Stripe on its own schedule; Life Hope does not hold, custody, schedule the disbursement of, or control member funds at any point. Life Hope may direct Stripe to restrict a connected account in cases of Code of Conduct violations or suspected fraud. Nothing in this section constitutes custody, holding, or control of funds within the meaning of money transmitter or money services business laws.

6. Member Conduct

All members agree to comply with the Life Hope Code of Conduct, available at mylifehope.org/code-of-conduct. Members specifically agree to engage only in passive solicitation when displaying Life Hope membership badges in public, and shall not:

(a) Approach individuals to verbally request scans or support (b) Block or interfere with the free passage of any person (c) Follow individuals who have declined to engage (d) Make threatening, intimidating, or aggressive gestures or statements (e) Touch any individual without their explicit consent (f) Solicit individuals in captive settings (lines, restaurants, ATMs, transit stops) (g) Solicit on private property without the property owner's permission (h) Misrepresent their identity, photograph, or personal story (i) Engage in any conduct that constitutes aggressive solicitation under applicable local, state, or federal law

Violation of the Code of Conduct may result in immediate suspension or termination of membership. Members remain solely responsible for compliance with all applicable laws governing their conduct in public spaces.

7. Tax and Benefits Responsibility

7.1 Tax Responsibility

Receiving members are solely responsible for:

  • Determining the tax treatment of transfers received
  • Filing any required federal, state, and local tax returns
  • Understanding their reporting obligations

Stripe may issue IRS Form 1099-K to receiving members whose annual transfer volume exceeds applicable reporting thresholds. Life Hope does not provide tax advice. Members are encouraged to consult a qualified tax professional or free resources such as the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

7.2 Government Benefits Responsibility

Receiving members are solely responsible for understanding how transfers received through Life Hope may affect any other government benefits they may receive, including but not limited to SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, TANF, housing assistance, and other means-tested programs.

Life Hope does not provide benefits counseling. Receiving members are encouraged to consult their own benefits caseworker or a qualified benefits counselor before joining Life Hope or receiving transfers.

7.3 No Charitable Contribution

Transfers between members are personal voluntary transactions and are not charitable contributions. Members agree not to represent transfers received as charitable donations for tax purposes.

8. Intellectual Property

8.1 Life Hope Property

The Life Hope name, logo, website design, software, and content are the property of Life Hope LLC and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works without express written permission.

8.2 Member-Submitted Content

By submitting content to the Life Hope Platform (including profile photos, stories, and updates), you grant Life Hope a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to display, distribute, and use such content for the purpose of operating the Life Hope Platform.

You retain ownership of your content. You represent and warrant that you have the right to submit the content and that the content is truthful, accurate, and does not infringe any third-party rights.

9. Prohibited Uses

You agree not to use the Life Hope Platform to:

  • Engage in fraud, deception, or misrepresentation
  • Solicit or transfer funds for any unlawful purpose
  • Launder money or evade taxes
  • Harass, threaten, or harm any other person
  • Create multiple accounts or accounts for persons other than yourself
  • Reverse engineer, scrape, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Life Hope Platform
  • Interfere with the Life Hope Platform's operation or security
  • Use the Life Hope Platform to solicit on behalf of any other person or organization other than yourself

10. Disclaimers

THE LIFE HOPE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. LIFE HOPE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

LIFE HOPE DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE LIFE HOPE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE. LIFE HOPE DOES NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR TRUTHFULNESS OF MEMBER-SUBMITTED CONTENT.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Life Hope LLC and its officers, employees, agents, and affiliates are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Life Hope Platform. This includes, but is not limited to, loss of funds, loss of data, missed payments, or loss of reputation.

Life Hope's total liability to any member for any claim arising from these Terms or use of the Life Hope Platform shall not exceed the total service fees paid by that member to Life Hope in the twelve (12) months preceding the date of the claim.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Life Hope LLC, its officers, employees, agents, and affiliates from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from:

  • Your use of the Life Hope Platform
  • Your violation of these Terms, the Code of Conduct, or the Member Agreement
  • Your violation of any applicable law
  • Your infringement of any third-party right
  • Any content you submit to the Life Hope Platform

13. Dispute Resolution

13.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Utah, without regard to its conflict of laws principles.

13.2 Venue

Any legal action arising from these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Utah County, Utah, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

13.3 Informal Resolution

Before filing any legal action, you agree to attempt to resolve the dispute informally by contacting Life Hope at ourlifehope@gmail.com and providing a written description of the dispute. Life Hope will attempt to respond within 30 days.

14. Modifications to These Terms

Life Hope reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated by posting the updated Terms on the Life Hope website and updating the "Effective Date" above. Continued use of the Life Hope Platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.

15. Termination

You may terminate your membership at any time by contacting Life Hope at ourlifehope@gmail.com.

Life Hope may terminate or suspend your membership at any time for any reason, including without limitation for violation of these Terms, the Code of Conduct, the Member Agreement, or applicable law.

Upon termination, your right to access and use the Life Hope Platform ends immediately. Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination (including without limitation Sections 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, and 13) shall survive.

16. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, that provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, or if not possible, severed from these Terms. The remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

17. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, Code of Conduct, and Member Agreement, constitute the entire agreement between you and Life Hope regarding the use of the Life Hope Platform and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.

18. Contact

For questions about these Terms, please contact:

Life Hope LLC Utah, USA ourlifehope@gmail.com

End of Terms of Service