# U.S. Digital Response Policies & Guidelines The universe of policies and guidelines for U.S. Digital Response. {% content-ref url="/pages/-MKqLyyYkAudz9q1K0WZ" %} [Volunteer Agreement](/volunteer-agreement) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/-MBBemIMF-OCEnKPrNJU" %} [Community Oath](/community-oath) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/-MBBemIKbdLnXLJDSrWF" %} [Privacy Policy](/privacy-policy) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/-MBBemINOwqpvYDWb2Fv" %} [Volunteer Security Protocol](/volunteer-security-protocol) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/-MBBemILQc2hsvyU7EhT" %} [Data and Software Guidelines](/data-and-software-guidelines) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/-MB\_\_KAHJcv\_v2MgE8Lc" %} [Inclusion Guidelines](/inclusion-guidelines) {% endcontent-ref %} # Volunteer Agreement U.S. Digital Response Team Volunteer Agreement {% hint style="info" %} ## 📝 A Note from the USDR Team Thank you for being here! Please also read our [USDR Community Oath](/community-oath) that outlines who we are as an organization and how we expect volunteers and all community members to show up in this work. The guidelines and examples provided in the Oath are designed to outline our commitment to each other and to the partners we work with. It embodies the values we'll uphold, the approach we'll bring with us every day, and the promises we'll hold ourselves accountable to in these extraordinary circumstances. Check it out here: The information that follows is our Volunteer Agreement, that our pro-bono lawyers helped us write (which we need). As volunteers you will work with partners who support critical work, so it’s especially important that expectations are clear about how we treat sensitive data, who owns the project after the work is complete, and what happens if someone encounters harassment or discrimination. We recognize these sections may sound serious, but it helps create a safe and productive environment for everyone volunteering with USDR so we can stay focused on delivering for governments who need support in this time of crisis. Thank you for your service and your commitment to these values, principles, and policies. —USDR Team {% endhint %} ## U.S. DIGITAL RESPONSE VOLUNTEER AGREEMENT This Volunteer Agreement (**“Agreement”**) is by and between the individual volunteer named on the signature page (**“Volunteer”**) and U.S. Digital Response, a 501(c)(3) public charity (**"USDR"**) with its principal offices at 490 43rd Street, Unit #230, Oakland, CA 94609 (each, a **“Party”** and collectively, the **"Parties"**), and is entered into effective as of the date of the Parties’ signatures on the signature page or, if the parties have executed the Agreement on two different dates, then the later of the two dates (**“Effective Date”**). A. USDR runs a program (the **"Program"**) to provide technology services to a variety of government and non-profit organizations so as to quickly deliver critical services and infrastructure that support the needs of the public. B. In some instances, the Program places experienced, pro-bono technologists to work on a volunteer basis in service to one or more governments and organizations responding to the needs of their communities (**“Service Recipients”**). Such arrangements are referred to in this Agreement as **“Engagements.”** Volunteers whose Engagements are coordinated by USDR’s Election Program must agree to the terms in Section 4.3 of this Agreement; Section 4.3 does not apply to other Volunteers. C. Volunteer wishes to provide volunteer services to USDR and/or one or more Service Recipients through the Program, and USDR wishes to receive and/or facilitate such volunteer services. In connection therewith, the Parties desire to enter into this Agreement, which sets forth terms and conditions relating to the provision of such services. In consideration of the mutual promises contained in this Agreement and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties, intending to be legally bound, agree as follows: ### Section 1. TERM The term of this Agreement (the **"Term"**) will commence upon signing this Agreement and will end on the date when either Party provides written notice of termination to the other Party. Upon termination, Volunteer shall have no further access to USDR systems and shall return or delete, in accordance with USDR’s data retention policies, any property or data of USDR or any Service Recipient that may be in Volunteer’s possession. ### Section 2. RELATIONSHIP OF THE PARTIES The Parties agree that the relationship created by this Agreement, including in respect of any Engagements, is that of volunteer/non-profit organization and not that of employee/employer and that it does not create any employment, agency, partnership, joint venture, franchise or other similar or special relationship among the Parties or among Volunteer and any Service Recipient. Volunteer is responsible for providing, at their own expense, to the extent necessary, all medical, disability, unemployment, workers’ compensation, and other applicable insurance, training, permits and licenses. Volunteer shall not have the right or authority to assume or create any obligations or to make any representations, warranties or commitments on behalf of USDR or any Service Recipient, whether express or implied, or to bind USDR or any Service Recipient in any respect whatsoever. Volunteer warrants that the information provided to USDR, including in Volunteer’s application, is and will remain true, accurate, current and complete. ### Section 3. SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED BY VOLUNTEER Volunteer may agree from time to time, in Volunteer’s sole discretion, to provide such services as may be requested by USDR and/or a Service Recipient. The requested services to Service Recipient(s) that Volunteer has agreed to perform as part of an Engagement, as well as Volunteer's points of contact at USDR and at Service Recipient, may, with Volunteer’s consent, be set forth in a written agreement which, if approved by USDR, shall be considered part of this Agreement. All services performed by Volunteer as part of an Engagement, whether for USDR or any Service Recipient, are referred to in this Agreement as the **“Services.”** For clarity, any other services performed by Volunteer, including any other services performed by Volunteer for any Service Recipient, are not Services under this Agreement, and USDR has no role in Volunteer’s performance of such services. ### Section 4. NO COMPENSATION & EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT **4.1 No Compensation.** Volunteer represents and warrants that they are providing the Services without any expectation of compensation, as a volunteer for charitable purposes and no other purpose. Volunteer and USDR agree that no compensation shall be due or will be paid to Volunteers for the Services, whether by USDR or a Service Recipient. Volunteer agrees that they are not entitled to any of the rights or benefits afforded to USDR employees, including disability, unemployment, workers’ compensation, medical or other insurance, vacation or sick leave or any other employee benefit. **4.2 Expense Reimbursement.** USDR is not responsible for any expenses paid or incurred by Volunteer in performing the Services, unless pre-approved and agreed upon by USDR. Any agreement between a Service Recipient and Volunteer in respect of expense reimbursement in connection with the Services will be subject to such Service Recipient’s expense reimbursement policies. **4.3 Applicable to USDR’s Elections Program Volunteers ONLY.** This Section 4.3 only applies to Volunteers whose Engagements are coordinated by the USDR Elections Program. Volunteer further represents and warrants that they will not receive compensation from any person in exchange for providing the Services, including, but not limited to, compensation paid by Volunteer’s employer. Volunteer will not incur any expenses specifically as a result of performing the Services unless pre-approved and agreed upon by USDR. ### Section 5. CONFIDENTIALITY **5.1 Definition. *****Confidential Information*** means any information disclosed to Volunteer during the Term which is marked as “confidential” (or equivalent) or should be reasonably understood by Volunteer to be confidential or proprietary to USDR or a Service Recipient, including, but not limited to, technical processes and formulas, source codes and other software, product designs, sales, cost and other unpublished financial information, product and business plans, projections, and marketing data, personal information or other information which is required to be kept confidential pursuant to applicable law. Confidential Information does not include information (a) independently developed by Volunteer prior to access to Confidential Information; (b) generally known to the public through no act or omission of Volunteer in violation of this Agreement; or (c) obtained by Volunteer from any third party that Volunteer does not know to have violated any confidentiality obligation with respect to such information. **5.2 Obligations.** The Parties acknowledge that Confidential Information may be disclosed to Volunteer during the course of this Agreement. Volunteer agrees that they will (a) hold the Confidential Information in the strictest confidence and comply with all applicable privacy and information security laws and obligations; and (b) use the Confidential Information only for the purpose of performing the Services. Volunteer further understands and agrees to abide by the [USDR Volunteer Security Protocol](/volunteer-security-protocol), as it may be amended from time to time. All materials, including but not limited to business information, files, research, records, memoranda, books, lists, computer disks, hardware, software, cell phones and other wireless devices, documents, drawings, models, apparatus, sketches, designs and any other embodiment of Confidential Information or intellectual property received by Volunteer during their volunteer service, and any tangible embodiments of such materials created by Volunteer, alone or with others, whether confidential or not, are the property of USDR and/or the Service Recipient. Volunteer shall securely return or delete, in accordance with USDR’s data retention policies, all such information to USDR or the Service Recipient, as the case may be, upon termination of the Services. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, Volunteer may only disclose Confidential Information (i) pursuant to subpoena or other legal process and/or (ii) otherwise as required by law or regulation. In any such event, Volunteer will furnish a copy of this Agreement to anyone to whom Volunteer is required to make such disclosure and will advise USDR and the Service Recipient prior to making such disclosure, if legally permitted to do so, and will limit the extent of the disclosure to the maximum extent reasonably possible. Disclosure of Confidential Information pursuant to a court order or other legal requirement that purports to compel disclosure of any Confidential Information shall not constitute publication or otherwise alter the character of that information as Confidential Information. The parties agree that any breach or threatened breach of this Section 5 by the Volunteer would cause not only financial harm, but irreparable harm to USDR and/or the Service Recipient; and that money damages will not provide an adequate remedy. In the event of a breach or threatened breach of this Section 5 by Volunteer, USDR and/or the Service Recipient, shall, in addition to any other rights and remedies it may have, be entitled (without the necessity of posting any bond or surety) to seek an injunction restraining Volunteer from disclosing or using, in whole or in part, any Confidential Information. ### Section 6. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY **6.1 Ownership of Work Product. “Work Product”** means all software (both source code and object code), reports, documentation and other work product created in whole or in part or delivered by Volunteer while performing or otherwise in the course of providing Services to USDR and/or Service Recipient. Subject to the next sentence, Volunteer will publish all Work Product using Open Source Initiative-approved or Creative Commons Zero licenses (or others specified in [USDR Data and Software Guidelines](/data-and-software-guidelines)). Where USDR instructs Volunteer that Work Product for an Engagement will be owned by USDR or Service Recipient, USDR and/or Service Recipient, as applicable, will own the intellectual property rights and other proprietary rights in the Work Product, and Volunteer assigns all such rights to USDR or the relevant Service Recipient, as applicable for the Engagement. Without the express written consent of USDR or the Service Recipient, as applicable, Volunteer shall not incorporate into any Work Product any third party material or third party intellectual property, including any code or materials for which Volunteer does not have all necessary rights. Further, Volunteer will not incorporate any third-party open source software in a manner that is incompatible with the applicable open source license under which any Work Product is licensed. Despite the foregoing, Volunteer agrees that any software deliverables incorporated into the Work Product shall be licensed to the relevant Service Recipient on the terms designated by such Service Recipient, or to USDR in accordance with USDR’s software guidelines; if such Service Recipient does not specify a different open source license, Volunteer agrees that such software deliverables will be licensed under the terms of the open source Apache 2.0 license. **6.2 Usage of AI Tools.** The Parties understand that AI tools may potentially be valuable tools for the review and creation of content related to Engagements. However, in order to ensure compliance with the policies of USDR and Service Recipients, Volunteer understands and agrees that they may not use, or permit to be used, data disclosed by USDR or Service Recipient to Volunteer (including any Confidential Information or personally identifiable data (PII)) as training data for an AI tool, unless USDR or the Service Recipient (as applicable) provides prior written consent. ### Section 7. COMPLIANCE WITH LAW AND POLICY Volunteer agrees that in rendering Services under this Agreement, Volunteer will comply with all applicable laws and regulations and will not undertake any activity which, to Volunteer’s knowledge, is unlawful under the laws of the United States of America, or any state within the United States in which Services will be performed or any other country in which Services will be performed. Volunteer further agrees to comply with all applicable policies of USDR and/or Service Recipient that are communicated or made available to Volunteer. ### Section 8. LIABILITY **8.1** Volunteer agrees that USDR and any Service Recipient will have no liability to Volunteer for any injuries, losses, damages, or expenses of any nature sustained by Volunteer in connection with Volunteer's provision of the Services and agrees to waive any and all claims associated with Volunteer’s provision of the Services, except to the extent any such injury, loss, damage, or expense is due to the gross negligence or willful misconduct of USDR or Service Recipient. **8.2** USDR agrees that Volunteer will have no liability to USDR for any injuries, losses, damages, or expenses of any nature sustained by USDR in connection with Volunteer's provision of the Services, except to the extent any such injury, loss, damage, or expense is due to the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Volunteer. **8.3** Volunteer understands and acknowledges that USDR has no control over and is not liable for the conduct of Service Recipients or other partners that work with USDR. If Volunteer believes that they or any other person has been subjected to harassment or discrimination of any kind, or any conduct that violates USDR’s or Service Recipient’s policies, Volunteer must immediately report the facts of the conduct to the USDR Volunteers Team. Similarly, if Volunteer believes that any other unlawful conduct has occurred when volunteering with USDR or a Service Recipient (including, but not limited to, harassment or discrimination against employees or violations of any applicable law), Volunteer will immediately report the facts of the conduct to USDR. **8.4** In no event shall a Party be responsible or have any liability to any other Party for any indirect, special or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, even if advised of the possibility thereof. ### Section 9. PUBLICITY Volunteer hereby grants permission to USDR to utilize Volunteer’s name and likeness in any recorded online or in-person event. Volunteer may turn off their camera or alter their screen name to avoid capture of their name and likeness in a recording of an online event. By attending an in-person USDR event, Volunteer understands that by default their name and likeness may be documented and shared publicly without notice, and that Volunteer should contact the event host prior to the event if they wish to discuss any possible accommodations. Excluding recorded online or in-person USDR events, USDR will contact Volunteer for permission to use Volunteer’s name and likeness in connection with publicity or public statements; however, Volunteer may retract such permission at any time upon notice to USDR. Volunteer agrees not to publicize their association with any Service Recipient without the express written permission of such Service Recipient. ### Section 10. CHOICE OF LAW This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the applicable laws of the State of California, without giving effect to the principles of that State relating to conflicts of laws. Each Party irrevocably agrees that any legal action, suit or proceeding brought by it in any way arising out of this Agreement must be brought solely and exclusively in, and will be subject to the service of process and other applicable procedural rules of, the state or federal courts in the State of California, and each Party irrevocably submits to the sole and exclusive personal jurisdiction of the courts in California, generally and unconditionally, with respect to any action, suit or proceeding brought by it or against it by the other Party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, claims for equitable relief may be brought in any court with proper jurisdiction within the United States. THE PARTIES AGREE TO WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO HAVE A JURY PARTICIPATE IN THE RESOLUTION OF THE DISPUTE OR CLAIM, WHETHER SOUNDING IN CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, BETWEEN ANY OF THE PARTIES OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES ARISING OUT OF, CONNECTED WITH, RELATED TO OR INCIDENTAL TO THIS AGREEMENT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. ### Section 11. ENTIRE AGREEMENT This Agreement incorporates into it every schedule that may be agreed between the Parties from time to time and collectively, such documents constitute the entire agreement of the Parties, and replace and extinguish all prior agreements and understandings as to the subject matter, notwithstanding any oral representations or statements made to the contrary. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts (including by facsimile), each of which will be considered an original but all of which together will constitute one agreement. This Agreement cannot be amended or modified except by a writing executed by the Parties. {% hint style="success" %} Please execute this agreement @ . {% endhint %} # Community Oath U.S. Digital Response Community Oath {% hint style="info" %} **What this is:**\ The U.S. Digital Response Community Oath outlines who we are as an organization and how we expect all community members, from volunteers to staff, to show up in this work. **Why it matters:**\ Regardless of your role at USDR, the attitude and emotional intelligence you bring to the work in this high-intensity environment are just as, if not more, important than your hard skills. The guidelines and examples provided in this community oath are designed to outline our commitment to each other, to the government partners we work with, and to our civic tech and government-supporting ecosystem partners. It embodies the values we’ll uphold, the approach we’ll bring with us every day, and the promises we’ll hold ourselves accountable to throughout our work. **What we need from you:**\ Embrace and uphold the values and commitments outlined in the USDR Community Oath in all aspects of your involvement with our organization. {% endhint %} ## **I. About Us** U.S. Digital Response is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works alongside governments at all levels to ensure they have the capacity to support the critical needs of the public. Founded in 2020, USDR connects governments with technology, talent, and support, leaving them better equipped to deliver services to millions of people nationwide. Please read more about U.S. Digital Response (USDR) efforts and our impact here:[ ](http://www.usdigitalresponse.org/)[www.usdigitalresponse.org](http://www.usdigitalresponse.org). ## **II. About Skills Needed** USDR works alongside governments of all levels to ensure they have the capacity to meet the public's needs. We recognize the skills possessed by our community of technical experts and public servants can help government serve the public good, bringing expertise in user research, engineering, design, content strategy, product management, and hiring, among others. Through this collective talent, USDR is able to quickly diagnose our government partners’ challenges and spin up impactful technology-driven solutions for pinpointed needs and sustainable solutions. ## **III. The U.S. Digital Response Community Oath** **As a USDR Community Member, I promise to:** * **Understand and uphold USDR’s mission and vision.** \ Our mission is to build capacity to deliver good government. We envision a government that keeps up with the needs of its people, now and for the future.
* **Listen to the direction of the partner and do what is needed most.** \ I will have the humility and confidence to do whatever is needed to support the project as directed by the partner, at all levels of a project or organization. I know when to step up with grace if there’s a gap, and defer when there is not. I recognize that the right solution for our partners is often not the shiniest or trendiest and I will work within our partners’ technical, legal, and capacity constraints to help make change happen.
* **Use empathy and curiosity to understand the needs of our government partners and the communities they serve.** \ I will meet them where they are and provide specialized support as they deliver services to their communities. Our government partners are the heroes, doing the hard work in and for their communities day in and day out.
* **Be curious.** \ I will start by asking how I can help before offering new ways of doing things. I am willing to push for change where I can, but I will recognize that our role in creating change is to empower others and build capacity. I will stay open to understanding what other projects, people, or organizations might be working in a related space to consider how we all might work together, if feasible and possible.
* **Assume positive intent.** \ Public servants operate under constraints but are almost always doing their best, and I will honor that. I will ask “why” when I don’t understand, recognizing that everyone’s ideas, skills, and contributions have value. I will work with governments of all types, even when their political agenda is not the same as my personal one, because ultimately we want to support the critical needs of all people.
* **Be a great communicator.** \ There will be a lot of moving pieces and email threads. I will keep USDR and the partner updated on my work, share my learnings proactively, identify ways we can work more effectively or have more impact, and ask for help when I need it. Asking for help when I need it is especially important — USDR is here to support every participant in this work.
* **Listen more than I speak.** \ In conversation, I’ll operate from a "listen first" mentality and recognize that we as technologists and professionals are in a role of providing support in whatever ways are needed. As a skilled professional in my field, I recognize that our partners often have limited capacity, and I will lean-in on proactive communication, reflective listening, and driving the project forward.
* **Uphold high ethical standards.** \ I will contribute to and uphold an environment free of harassment and discrimination on the basis of race, color, veteran status, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, age, mental or physical disability, medical condition, national origin, marital status, political affiliation, or any other characteristics protected under federal or state law or local ordinance.
* **Recognize the confidentiality of our work.** \ I will not speak publicly about any projects that haven’t explicitly been highlighted by USDR in published materials or the press. Rather, when speaking about any projects or work I’ve seen or participated in, I will anonymize the government or organization’s name and project information (Ex: City of XXX becomes “a government”). I will follow project specific guidelines from USDR when communicating publicly or professionally about my project work.
* **Ensure the work itself comes first.** \ I will not offer my time and energy for credit, self-promotion, or solely for individual advancement. I recognize that contributing to USDR offers opportunities to engage in work that affects the quality of real people’s lives, to learn from experts in the field, to experience the challenge of applying what I know to a new problem, and to be a part of a team and community that is building something bigger to create lasting change.
* **Respect the privacy of any personal information that I encounter in my role as a USDR volunteer.** \ I will use reasonable security practices to protect data I have access to. I will comply with USDR’s[ Privacy Policy](https://policies.usdigitalresponse.org/privacy-policy) and[ Security Protocol](https://policies.usdigitalresponse.org/volunteer-security-protocol).
* **Comply with applicable law and the operating procedures of our partners.**\ I will deliver on my assigned project based on a project-specific scope of work. I also recognize that USDR’s government partners are members of the broader USDR community and they have agreed to our[Partner Participation Terms & Conditions](https://policies.usdigitalresponse.org/terms-and-conditions-of-partner-participation) that shape the work we do together.
* **Update USDR of any changes to my availability, project status and progress.**\ I will report any issues or updates to USDR staff as soon as possible. # Privacy Policy Effective Date: June 25, 2020 ### **U.S. Digital Response Privacy Policy** **Effective Date**: June 25, 2020 U.S. Digital Response (“**USDR**” or “**we**” or “**us**”) takes your privacy seriously. Responsible data management is at the core of our mission and enables us as well as our volunteers to provide rapid, effective support to federal, state, and local governments during unprecedented times. We are dedicated to handling your personal information with care and respect. We have prepared this USDR Privacy Statement and Cookie Policy (the “Privacy Policy”) to help you understand how we collect, use, share, and protect personal information obtained through the USDR website, [www.usdigitalresponse.org](http://www.usdigitalresponse.org/) (the “**Site**”) and other websites, that we operate and that link to this Privacy Policy (collectively, the “**Services**”), and how you can manage your preferences concerning our uses and sharing of such information. This Privacy Policy does not apply to websites or applications that do not include a link to this Policy, including third party sites or applications that may be developed with the assistance of USDR volunteers. USDR volunteers commit to complying with this Privacy Policy with regard to the data shared through our service. Please note that USDR volunteers are not employees, and USDR is not responsible for the acts or omissions of any volunteer. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully and if you do not agree to our Policy, please do not use our Services. ## What Personal Information Do We Collect? ### From Our Volunteers When you apply to volunteer with us, we may require or request that you provide us with some personal information such as: name, email address, telephone number, job title, employer, information about your location and availability, information about your professional background and skills, and additional information about your interests which you may choose to provide to us. We may use this information to contact you and as part of our efforts to help match you with projects that may align with your skills, interests, and background. Depending on the specific nature of the project to which you are matched, please note that the government, department, agency, or other organization that manages the project may require you to provide additional personal information. We do not control the data collection activities of third parties including our organizational partners, and we encourage you to review the relevant third party privacy policies. ### From Our Organizational Partners When you request help on behalf of a federal, state, local government, agency or other entity, we may require or request that you provide us with some personal information such as: name, email address, telephone number, job title, information about the entity on behalf of whom you are applying, information about your project and organizational needs, and other information you may choose to provide to us. We may use this information to contact you and to match you, based on your specific needs, with the volunteer(s). ### From Other Individuals When you contact us or request information from us using the “How Should You Contact Us” section below or otherwise, follow us on social media, or like, comment, or share our content on social media, we also collect the following types of personal information: name, email address, telephone number, content of communications with us, username and publicly available information (*e.g.*, public posts, photographs, and videos made available through social media sites). We may ask you to create an account, password, and/or to provide security question(s) and answer(s). To provide our Services, we may also process personal information of individuals from other sources such as government records, health care facilities, or other organizations participating in COVID-19 response efforts. ### From Users of the Site We also automatically collect tracking information from all visitors about how they use the Site or Apps. Please see our Cookie Policy below for more information about automatic data collection. *Tracking Data & Cookie Policy* We use cookies and other technologies to help compile browser statistics, such as log file information (*i.e.,* Internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, browser language, pages viewed, and the date and time of a site visit). We may combine this data with the aforementioned collected information, which may identify you. We make limited use of cookies and other online tracking technologies to understand visitor activity on the Site, and to hold certain information about your visits to help improve your experience while using our Services. A cookie is a text file sent by a web server and placed on your device by your web browser. Cookies can be divided into two types: session and persistent. Session cookies differ from persistent cookies primarily in that session cookies are temporary, expire, and are typically deleted when you close your browser. Persistent cookies, in contrast, remain stored on your computer after you close your browser until they are deleted because either they expire or you delete them. USDR uses session cookies and persistent cookies in connection with providing our Services. Cookies are often used in conjunction with other Internet technologies, such as web beacons, to understand behavior on the Internet. For example, USDR uses cookies in conjunction with web beacons, which are small sections of code that we may place to understand the number of unique users that have visited a specific page. None of the technologies discussed above are strictly necessary to access our Services. You may reset your browser to refuse all cookies or to allow your browser to alert you when a cookie is set, however, certain parts of the Services may function differently and not as well and you may not be able to use some portions of our Services. For more information about how to manage your cookies preferences, you should use the “help” menu of your web browser or explore the customer support sections of your web browser. Please note that you need to configure each browser on each device that you use if you wish to opt-out or block some or all cookies. Google Analytics offers an opt-out tool [here](https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout). ## How Do We Use Personal Information? We use personal information to process requests made through our Services, such as requests to register as a volunteer, requests for volunteer assistance, and questions or comments submitted through our Services. You may opt-out of receiving email communications from us at any time by clicking the “Update your preferences or unsubscribe” link located at the bottom of these communications. * Providing Our Services. We may use personal information about you to help meet the needs of our government partners and other organizations in responding to the COVID-19 crisis. * Fulfillment of Requests. We may use personal information about you to fulfill the purpose for which such information was provided (*e.g.*, to match you to a project, our volunteers, or to respond to your requests or inquiries). * Additional Communications. We may use the personal information submitted in connection with your applications to contact you with important information about ongoing projects or about USDR content, features, opportunities, or services that may be of interest to you. * Internal Operations and Analysis. We may also use personal information about you for our internal operational purposes, such as data analysis, audits, enhancing or modifying our Services, and so forth. * Fulfilling Our Legal Obligations or to Protect our Rights or Property. Where required, we may use personal information about you to comply with our legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations, or to protect our rights or property. We may combine information that you provide to us or information that we collect automatically through our Services with other information we obtain. ## How Do We Share Personal Information? We may share your information in the event that it is necessary to fulfill these purposes: * With organizational partners for the purpose of providing rapid, effective response to the COVID-19 crisis; * With members of our volunteer network for operational and analytical purposes, to fulfill requests, and to provide the Services; * With companies and organizations who work on our behalf to provide and support USDR and enable us to fulfill our mission and values; and, * With law enforcement or other government agencies to comply with court orders, legal process, or respond to government or regulatory requests or otherwise protect the safety of our volunteers or others. * We may share personal information, such as contact information of volunteers or other data assets, in the event of a merger, acquisition, or other corporate reorganization, such as if we combine with another non-profit organization. ## How Do We Protect Personal Information? We have adopted reasonable security policies designed to secure personal information we collect. Our volunteers commit to comply with our security protocol, however, USDR volunteers are not employees, and USDR is not responsible for the acts or omissions of any volunteer. When you share information with other volunteers or our third-party partners, you do so at your own risk. Please also be aware that no security measures are perfect or impenetrable, and no method of data transmission can be guaranteed secure, particularly on the Internet. Use caution in determining what information you wish to share, and how. We also rely on you to protect the safety and security of your information. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password for access to certain parts of our Services, please keep this password confidential. You are responsible for not sharing this information with anyone. ## What Are Your Choices Regarding Your Personal Information? USDR is not subject to laws regulating for-profit entities such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”). Nonetheless, we take your privacy choices very seriously. You may request that we correct, update, provide access, or delete the personal information you have submitted to us, or restrict or object to USDR’s processing of your data, by contacting us using the information listed below. We do not sell personal information. However, please remember that we do not control the data practices of third parties that you may share information with when volunteering or interacting with USDR. If you have signed up to receive emails from us, you may opt-out of such email communications anytime by clicking “unsubscribe” at the bottom of these communications. ## What Are Some Other Issues We Consider In Handling Personal Information? *Children’s Information* Our Services are not intended for children under 13 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect or store personal information from such individuals. If you believe that we may have collected personal information from a child under 13 years of age, please contact us immediately by using the information contained in the “How Should You Contact Us?” section below. *International Transfers* We are based in the United States. The information you submit to us and that we automatically collect as a result of your using the Services will be transferred to the United States, where the privacy and data protection rules may differ from those in your country. By using our Services, you consent to the international transfer to, and storage of, your personal information in the United States. *Accessibility* We are committed to ensuring that our communications are accessible to people with disabilities. To make accessibility-related requests or report barriers, please contact us by using the information contained in the “How Should You Contact Us?” section below. *Data Retention* We will retain your personal information for as long as it is necessary and relevant to our organization and mission. *Third Party Website Links* Our Services may contain links to other third-party websites operated and maintained by third parties that we do not own or control. Those websites are governed by their own privacy policies, and not by this Privacy Policy. Any information you provide to a third-party web or mobile site or app will be governed by the terms of each site’s or app’s privacy statement. We have no responsibility or control over the content, actions, or policies of third-party sites. *Changes To This Privacy Policy* We may update this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in our Services and practices. Any changes to this Privacy Policy will become effective upon the “Effective Date” posted on this page. ## How Should You Contact Us? If you have any further inquiries about our Privacy Policy or practices, or wish to make a data protection request, please contact us at . Last Updated: June 24, 2020 # Volunteer Security Protocol U.S. Digital Response Team Volunteer Security Protocol ## **U.S. Digital Response Team** Security Protocol *Updated: February 15, 2021* ### **1. About Us** U.S. Digital Response (USDR) helps governments and other stakeholders meet the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis by strengthening decision-making and supporting their ability to effectively deliver critical services to the public at scale. The U[.S. Digital Response (USDR) website](https://www.usdigitalresponse.org) details our efforts, mission and values. ### **2. Overview: U.S. Digital Response Security Protocol** Right now, federal, state, and local government organizations need volunteers who can fill a variety of roles. We recognize skills our community possesses -- technology, data analytics, and online support, among others -- are needed in supporting roles in response to this crisis. As a USDR Team volunteer, you may have access to sensitive data, including personal information, proprietary information, or other critical records, and you may have access to critical IT systems. You promise to understand, agree to, and follow this USDR Team volunteer *Security Protocol*, which memorializes some key best practices for data security and ensures that USDR volunteers take appropriate steps to safely and securely use data provided by federal, state, and local governments or other relevant third parties. We understand and appreciate that many USDR Team volunteers have strong backgrounds in technology and data security. In addition to this *Security Protocol*, use your good judgment, experience and background to keep security a priority. This *Security Protocol* refers to “systems” and “devices,” which include desktops, computers, laptops, mobile phones, or tablets that you may use in your USDR Team volunteer work. However, to the extent that you are provided access to government partner’s IT resources, you may be required to comply with that entities’ security policies. To the extent there is any conflict between a security requirement from a government partner and this Security Protocol, volunteers should use the more secure process, and ensure compliance with the requirements of our government partner. ### **3. Definitions** **A. Personal Information**. Any information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household. The California legislature has [a list of the types of data that can constitute Personal Information](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV\§ionNum=1798.140.). If you have any questions about whether data might be Personal Information, please reach to . **B. Non-public Data**. Data provided to or hosted by USDR that contains any information supplied to USDR by a government partner, non-profit organization or related entity not intended for dissemination beyond intended recipients. ### **4. Obligations of the Security Protocol** As a USDR Team volunteer, I promise to abide by the following protocol and to take additional security measures in order to ensure the safety and security of the USDR Team and the data used in our work together: **A. Respect for Personal Information and Non-public Data.** It is USDR's policy to foster a culture of respect for client and user privacy and to prevent Personal Information or Non-public Data from being compromised. Volunteers are further requested to abide by and respect the security and privacy guidelines of the government partner, non-profit organization or related entity they are engaged with. If you have any questions about guidelines and policies as it relates to the access, handling and notification of Personal Information and Non-public Data please contact USDR Security Team . **B. Notification of Personal Information and Non-public Data, and Data Security Incident Reporting.** Any project or engagement which intends to collect or store Personal Information or Non-public Data must notify the USDR Security Team at with information on what is being collected and the safeguards being implemented. If you suspect a data security incident impacting Personal Information or Non-public Data related to any project or engagement, notify the USDR Security Team immediately at with the subject header “security incident.” USDR’s Security Team will take steps to investigate, document, report and work to contain and mitigate all incidents, including suspected or known violations of privacy and security, in a timely manner and in partnership with any impacted government partner as may be appropriate given the specifics of any particular incident. **C. Access to Personal Information and Non-public Data.** Do not store Personal Information and Non-public Data on personal accounts that the USDR Security Team does not have access. Do not share access to Personal Information and Non-public Data contained within USDR databases with external parties without the approval of USDR’s Security Team. If your engagement with the USDR is terminated you must let the USDR Security Team know if you retain any access to Personal Information or Non-public Data through personal accounts. **D. Handling of Personal Information and Non-public Data.** Whenever possible, the e-mailing of Personal Information or Non-public Data should be avoided. Personal Information and Non-public Data should not be stored on removable media. Please refer to the USDR's Data, Security and Software Guidelines document for further information for how to build software systems that handle Personal Information or Non-public Data. If in any doubt about policies please consult USDRs Security Team at . **E. Choose Strong Passwords.** Please use a password manager to securely generate and store passwords. If you need help setting one up reach out to the USDR Tools Team. **F. Securely Working with Data in a Remote Environment.** Please take steps to protect devices and documents containing personal data from unauthorized access (e.g., if possible, store devices or documents in locked drawers and lock doors to work spaces). a. Please lock the screen of devices before leaving them unattended. In addition to the importance of social distancing, for security reasons please avoid working in co-working or shared spaces. b. While most of our work is likely to occur in secure cloud environments, where you are permitted or required to work locally, keep track of hardware (e.g., USB sticks) and documents. c. Protect the confidentiality of your projects, and take care not to disclose information about your projects to any unauthorized parties. Please ensure that you take confidential calls in closed rooms without unauthorized individuals being present. d. Take care when using video, mobile or web chat services for conversations in which you discuss confidential information, and consider suggesting a more secure means of communication when in doubt. Try to stay up to date on the latest industry guidance regarding privacy and security recommendations related to video conferencing and the steps that you can take to guard yourself and the USDR Team members from attackers. **G. Keep Software, Including Web Browsers, Up to Date:** As many of you will be working on your own personal devices, please ensure that you install software updates so that known problems or vulnerabilities are patched. Many operating systems offer automatic updates. Enable this option if available. You are responsible for the security of the devices you use for USDR Team volunteer work. If you use anti-virus software please be sure to regularly scan your devices. **H. Use Two-Factor Authentication.** Where appropriate and possible, please enable two-factor authentication on any device, system or program that you use for your USDR Team volunteer work. **I. Encryption Tools.** Check if you have encryption tools installed. When transferring sensitive data to other USDR Team members or to external government Partners, please password protect and encrypt any file prior to transfer, or use a secure file transfer protocol. If appropriate, consider recommending a more secure data transfer alternative and security measure (e.g., passwords, encryption) to the USDR team or partner. Do not transfer sensitive personal information across public networks in an unencrypted manner. **J. Sharing Credentials and Secrets**. If you need to share credentials to on-board volunteers or to operate shared accounts only use tools approved by the USDR Tools Team. Do not email, Slack, or share credentials by any other means. **K. Secure Connection**. Ensure your Wi-Fi connection is secure. Please do not use public Wi-Fi and only use known Wi-Fi connections with WPA2 or equivalent connections. While most Wi-Fi is correctly secured, some older installations might not be, which means people in the near vicinity can snoop your traffic. If available, use an encrypted VPN to connect to any server. **L. Inventory Data.** Data developed during projects for our government partners belongs to the partner and must be returned or securely destroyed at the end of the Project. Accordingly, please keep track of the data that you use, collect and store related to your USDR Team volunteer work. Consider when additional security measures (e.g., passwords, encryption) may be appropriate for sensitive data at rest that you maintain while working on the project and follow all guidance in the [USDR Data and Software Guidelines](/data-and-software-guidelines)**.** **M. Spot Signs of, and Avoid Clicking on, Suspicious Emails and Messages.** You should not click on links in unsolicited or otherwise suspicious emails. You should be wary of email attachments, and you should not reveal personal or financial information or account passwords in emails, and do not respond to email solicitations for this information. **N. Be Wary of Third-Party Applications.** Although third-party applications may provide functionality, please use caution when deciding which applications to enable. Please avoid applications that seem suspicious, and modify your settings to limit the amount of information the applications can access. **O. Back-Up Strategy.** Please ensure that you are regularly and securely backing up your files in order to prevent data loss. **P. Disposal of Data.** Please properly dispose of what you no longer need. Please do not retain files, including those with sensitive data, unless necessary for your work as a USDR volunteer. At the conclusion of the project, ask your government partner whether they prefer you securely destroy or return the project data. ### **5. Enforcement** The USDR team reserves the right to ask anyone in violation of USDR policies, including this *Security Protocol,* not to participate in USDR projects, events, and digital forums. If asked to leave a project or forum, you are expected to fully transition any information to a member of the USDR core team prior to termination and to exit any external conversations with grace, humility, and professionalism. ### **6. Questions?** * USDR's Security Team: # Data and Software Guidelines U.S. Digital Response - Data and Software Guidelines {% hint style="info" %} This document describes how we manage data and write software at U.S. Digital Response ("USDR"). If you have a good reason to request diverging from these policies, we need to hear from you at . {% endhint %} ## Guiding Principles #### Open and Accessible by Default USDR data, code, documentation, and projects are open and accessible by default. USDR efforts are meant to be replicated, reused, adapted, and otherwise available for collaboration. USDR data, code, documentation, and projects should be easily discoverable, and projects with a website should dedicate a public-facing point of contact with whom potential collaborators can get in touch with questions. #### Clear Status Because our data and software are open by default, it’s important to communicate whether and how they are maintained. If a project no longer has an active maintainer, it should message that clearly by having notices at the top of documentation or otherwise being marked as archived. ## Data Guidelines Given the nature of COVID-19 relief work and close collaboration with government partners, data is a critical component of many USDR projects. In all cases (even when the data itself has restricted access for good reasons), the use cases, access restrictions, and descriptions of any relevant datasets should be well-documented and shared openly. Note that some government partners may ask you to comply with specific data requirements — please share and review any such agreements with . ### Open Data Data used for USDR projects should be available in open and machine-readable formats wherever possible. The potential use cases, access mechanisms and descriptions of the data should be well-documented and made available with a [Creative Commons Zero](https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/) (CC0) license. If the data is sensitive (e.g., PII, PHI, proprietary data, etc.) and access must be restricted, those reasons should be clearly explained in the documentation and the storage compliant with regulatory guidelines. Whenever applicable, the data should be accessible (via API or clear export pipelines) and made available to trusted government partners. All data collection, storage, retention, and access controls should be designed with privacy and security in mind. ### USDR Team Data For information on data retention and use, see our [Privacy Policy](https://policies.usdigitalresponse.org/privacy-policy#what-personal-information-do-we-collect) and other resources shared on . ## Software Guidelines {% hint style="info" %} If you’re starting a new repository, use [USDR’s template repository for public code](https://github.com/usdigitalresponse/template-public-code). It addresses most of these requirements right from the start. {% endhint %} ### Source Control [The U.S. Digital Response GitHub organization](https://github.com/usdigitalresponse) houses any USDR repositories, and — as needed — forks of software developed elsewhere. If you have already started a project in another repository, please fork or move it into this organization and resume work here. For questions or access to our repository, email . When assisting government partners through staff augmentation to perform software development, we recognize that source control is rare, and that we are unlikely to be in a position to influence licensing decisions. Whenever possible, we should encourage partners to develop in accessible GitHub accounts or make documentation publicly available. ### Licensing For a project that originated elsewhere but will be built with active collaboration from USDR (e.g. relies on connections to our government partners for user research and feedback, has volunteer support), the work must be published under [an OSI-approved license](https://opensource.org/licenses), a [Creative Commons Zero license](https://creativecommons.org/choose/zero/), or committed to the public domain. Projects originating with USDR must be licensed under the [Apache 2.0 License](https://opensource.org/licenses/Apache-2.0). (If for some reason the Apache 2.0 license is not an approved partner license, use the [MIT License](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT).) Projects originating with USDR that are *not* software (e.g. documentation-only repositories or GitBooks) should use the [Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY 4.0)](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) unless there is a specific reason to choose a different license. ### Repository Standards If you are creating a new repository to host code, please use the [template-public-code](https://github.com/usdigitalresponse/template-public-code) template. It’ll get you started with most of these standards. All repositories in USDR's GitHub organization should have: * A **repository description**, which should be brief. Set this by clicking the gear icon in the top right of a repository on GitHub.\ * `README.md` file, identifying the purpose of the software and its creators, linking to documentation, providing screenshots (if relevant), a link to an example instance of the software (if relevant), a link to API documentation (if relevant), and a link to the license file. If the software is the work of an organization, also provide a link back to a page on that organization’s website to demonstrate the software’s provenance. * `LICENSE` file, specifying the full licensing terms. * `CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md` file, defining the standards for the community, per [GitHub’s specs](https://help.github.com/en/github/building-a-strong-community/adding-a-code-of-conduct-to-your-project). USDR-originated projects should use the [Contributor Covenant](https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/1/4/code-of-conduct/code_of_conduct.txt). * `CONTRIBUTING.md` file, describing how to contribute to the project (if, indeed, contributions are welcome). It should make clear that all contributors’ work, when incorporated, will be released under the repo's license. ### Documentation All dependencies must be listed and the licenses documented. (This can be done in the form of a machine-readable manifest, e.g. `package.json`, `requirements.txt`, `composer.json`, etc.) Major functionality in the software/source code must be documented. Individual methods should be documented inline using comments that permit the use of documentation-generation tools, such as [JSDoc](https://jsdoc.app/). Make sure to document external services the software depends on as well, e.g. public or private APIs, error tracking services like Sentry, metrics tools like DataDog, etc. The `README.md` file should provide (or link to) step-by-step instructions for running the software locally, and likewise provide step-by-step instructions for deploying to a production or hosted environment. When relevant, infrastructure should be defined as code, e.g. `Render.yaml`, Terraform, or Kubernetes YAML specs. ### Commits Commit messages should contain: 1. A single line summary of the change. Imagine some future engineer is skimming down a list of commits; will your summary tell them enough to decide whether they need to read it in detail? 2. A description that includes, at least, the goal (the "why" not "what") of the change. Depending on complexity you might also include a description of how it works, alternative approaches that were rejected, benchmarks etc. ### Code Review and Automated Testing **Code review** ensures we don’t have a single point of failure, have a shared understanding of how our systems work, and maintain a consistent level of quality across the codebase. All software commits should be reviewed by another engineer, e.g via a pull request. Given the time sensitivity of our work, responding to assigned reviews should be everyone’s top priority (i.e., review first, do your own work second). **Security review and threat modeling** ensures that we consider all of the security risks that an application may face. Before going live with a project, please reach out in the #questions-security Slack channel to request review of your project. **Automated testing** ensures we can move fast with safety. However, effective testing is a substantial time commitment that needs to be weighed against our need to ship as fast as possible. Use good judgment here, and consider a) the consequences of something failing, b) how fragile it’s likely to be, and c) how much time investment is needed to correctly test the component. **Automated security testing** ensures that we protect the applications we create and the data they will collect. All repositories hosting code must have Dependabot alerts and Dependabot security updates enabled (or an alternative security tool, like Snyk). Turn these on in the “Code security and analysis” section of a repo’s settings.\ ![](/files/d4GqIIDcjaCOaMYbyxyA)\ We strongly recommend [configuring Dependabot dependency updates](https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/dependabot/dependabot-version-updates/about-dependabot-version-updates) (in addition to security updates, above), and require it for any longer-term project with staff engineering support.
## Contact Us If you have any questions or concerns about these guidelines, contact us at . # Inclusion Guidelines U.S. Digital Response Inclusion Guidelines The pandemic, like most crises, impacted individuals differently based on race, income, gender, location, disability status, etc., and [marginalized communities have been impacted](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-young-americans-most-vulnerable-to-covid-19-are-people-of-color-and-the-working-class/) [more severely](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-young-americans-most-vulnerable-to-covid-19-are-people-of-color-and-the-working-class/), on average. We want to be sure that any government response for services adequately accounts for the perspectives of those communities disproportionately impcated. If we incorporate more perspectives, we can have a more thorough, effective response. The ability to dedicate time to volunteering is a privilege. Many people do not have the resources to do so – leaving fewer perspectives reflected in our response efforts. Since no life experience can be summarized in a page, to supplement this deficit, we’ve created a quick guide to help us build with everyone in mind. ![](/files/-MB__PojdcTHOBu7l1-_) ## ## Minimum requirements for building inclusive products Products built by USDR volunteers keep these best practices top of mind: * **Identify unique needs:** Work with government and project contacts to understand the demographics of users and any unique needs they might have. ([Here’s an example of how to do this](http://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/codeforamerica-cms1/documents/CfA-Digital-Outreach-Playbook-2018.pdf).) * **Consider accessibility:** Proactively test for accessibility in all work. We recommend [these guidelines as best practices](https://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/accessibility.html), this [list of resources](https://digital.gov/topics/accessibility/) from digital.gov, and the [18F Accessibility Guide](https://accessibility.18f.gov/) with a long list of tools to use. * **When collecting demographics:** Follow [best practices](https://academy.cultureamp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360003599179-FAQ-for-Diversity-Inclusion-Survey-Demographics) when collecting demographic/identity information via forms, (referencing [this spreadsheet for global perspectives](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Wlj7qBxZTPQhAr-4jRgWscXWXoAVaj43soyuWZLZmeM/edit#gid=0)). Demographic data collection should be *optional* (whenever possible) and should always explain upfront how it will be used and stored. Have a concern? Consult with your USDR contact or reach out to . * **Develop for mobile users:** [Mobile readiness](https://services.google.com/fh/files/blogs/GoMo_Best%20Practices_GoMo%20Branded.pdf) is expected for all online resources. (Not everyone has the resources to own a computer.) * **Create compatibility:** Products should be [compatible across web browsers and versions](https://hacks.mozilla.org/2016/07/make-the-web-work-for-everyone/). * **Build for multiple languages/locations/cultures:** Apply [best practices for internationalization/localization](https://chenhuijing.com/blog/css-for-i18n/#%F0%9F%92%BB) (often referred to as i18n, l10n) * **Use inclusive language:** Abide by [plain language best practices](https://plainlanguage.gov/). Ultimately, this is user empathy. During this crisis, making technology and information available to the most marginalized groups is more important than ever; it's critical to keep accessible engineering at the forefront of all work. If we embody these principles we will save lives: preventing deaths from COVID-19 by [providing accurate and accessible information](https://covid19.nj.gov/index.html); protecting people from [racist attacks/hate crimes](https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2020/03/30/482407/coronavirus-pandemic-fueling-fear-hate-across-america/); [feeding people](https://neighborexpress.org/) who might have otherwise gone hungry; and [reminding people whose struggles society often ignores](https://www.propublica.org/article/early-data-shows-african-americans-have-contracted-and-died-of-coronavirus-at-an-alarming-rate) that we see them and we care. Below are some of our favorite resources for building inclusive products. Only 2 were written with the pandemic in mind, but they’re all based on building for the most marginalized: | [Microsoft’s inclusive design principles](https://www.microsoft.com/design/inclusive/) | [Buffer’s Incomplete Guide to Inclusive Language for Startups and Tech](https://open.buffer.com/inclusive-language-tech/) | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [Principles for an Equitable and Effective Crisis Response](https://www.appropedia.org/Principles_for_an_Equitable_and_Effective_Crisis_Response) | [Digital Disaster Response: Creating Tech-based Resources](https://jessicasand.com/ux/creating-tech-resources-for-disaster-response/) | | [Qualitative Research Guide at Code for America](https://info.codeforamerica.org/qualitative-research) | | ## Guiding principles for inclusion The guidelines on Page 1 are specifically for people building products. If you’re working on things like content, social media, marketing, etc. here are some general principles for thinking about how to best serve *everyone.* There are some anecdotes below if for further inspiration. * For each project, ask partners: "who are my users, and what are their specific needs?" * Ultimately, your government and project partners should know their populations best, but explicitly asking these questions is pivotal to ensuring a complete understanding of the audience. * Additionally, if you still need more information, do a quick Google search to educate you about how COVID-19 has impacted the communities you’re serving (e.g. COVID-19 + small towns, COVID-19 + Black Americans, COVID-19 + college campuses, COVID-19 + domestic violence, etc.) * Where possible, solicit feedback on work from people who have different identities or perspectives. * Once enlightened by your research, use it to inform product decisions to ensure the most marginalized user’s perspectives and needs are represented in all work. * **BONUS:** Where possible, suggest that content be translated into multiple locally-used languages. USDR is collecting translation volunteers – connect with the Volunteers Team if you need someone!) ## Further reading * [When Client Research Is More Difficult, and More Necessary, Than Ever (Code for America)](https://www.codeforamerica.org/news/when-client-research-is-more-difficult-and-more-necessary-than-ever) * [Inclusion Guideline: Product Development (Crescendo)](https://crescendowork.com/guide-start-diversity-inclusion-strategy/inclusion-guideline-product-development) * [Inclusion Guideline: How to Write Inclusive Copy (Crescendo)](https://crescendowork.com/guide-start-diversity-inclusion-strategy/inclusion-guideline-write-inclusive-copy) * [Accessibility (Mozilla)](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Accessibility) * [COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Guidance for Company Leaders -](https://medium.com/awaken-blog/covid-19-coronavirus-guidance-for-company-leaders-awaken-email-to-clients-f3ae29122425) [**some information here is relevant, especially the IMPORTANT REMINDERS + GUIDANCE section**](https://medium.com/awaken-blog/covid-19-coronavirus-guidance-for-company-leaders-awaken-email-to-clients-f3ae29122425) [(Awaken Consulting)](https://medium.com/awaken-blog/covid-19-coronavirus-guidance-for-company-leaders-awaken-email-to-clients-f3ae29122425) * [Seven best practices for inclusive product design (Pinterest)](https://medium.com/pinterest-engineering/seven-best-practices-for-inclusive-product-design-9476c61f1e17) * [Internationalization: The process: Building a better checkout (Increment, Stripe’s quarterly magazine)](https://increment.com/internationalization/paystack-building-a-better-checkout/) ## ## Anecdotes *If you want to add your own, please send it to .* “My wife and I set up a mutual aid group in our apartment building. We left notes on paper outside everyone's doorway saying, "If you need help, contact our group at this email address or this phone number." And I got a call the next weekend from an elderly neighbor saying "I'm so glad you have a phone number with a 415 area code, because I don't have a computer or a mobile phone, just a landline that can only call numbers in San Francisco." This would never have occurred to me because I have a huge blind spot regarding what technologies are accessible to elderly people, the very demographic we wanted to help the most! So accessibility matters, and we run a large risk in not delivering life-saving solutions unless we keep our end users' accessibility needs in mind.” - Raphael Lee [Apple released their health app in 2014 - without menstrual tracking! Oops!](https://www.theverge.com/2014/9/25/6844021/apple-promised-an-expansive-health-app-so-why-cant-i-track) “Covid disproportionately affects the already vulnerable and the disruption in critical government services is also negatively affecting people. I think we're all aware of the levels of unemployment; I was just speaking with someone who works in the courts system about the difficulties domestic violence victims are having filing for restraining orders while the courts are closed, for instance.” - Jennifer Pahlka # Terms and Conditions of Partner Participation This document sets for the terms and conditions (the “**Terms**”) for your organization to partner with U.S. Digital Response (“**USDR**”), whether to utilize volunteers placed by USDR with your organization, to collaborate with multiple organizations and USDR’s talented volunteers and staff, or to otherwise make use of USDR’s resources and efforts as a partner of USDR (collectively, the “**Program**”). By accepting the services provided through USDR’s Program (the “**Services**”), your organization agrees to the following terms and conditions of the Program, which shall become a legally binding agreement between your organization and USDR: 1. **No Monetary Exchange**. USDR is a 501(c)(3) public charity. USDR and the volunteers working with USDR will not charge your organization for the Services, which will be donated to your organization. Your organization shall not provide any compensation to USDR or its volunteers. Any exchange of monetary value, such as expense reimbursement or the like, will be separately documented in a written agreement. Your organization may not sell or otherwise commercially exploit the Services for profit; should your organization wish to retain any Program volunteer as a paid consultant or employee, your organization will ensure that such volunteer terminates his/her volunteer relationship with your organization via USDR prior to entering into any such paid relationship, unless otherwise discussed and agreed upon. 2. **Independence; No Joint Venture**. USDR and your organization are and will remain independent contracting parties. The arrangements contemplated under the Program do not create a partnership, joint venture, employment, fiduciary, or similar relationship for any purpose. Neither USDR nor your organization has the power or authority to bind or obligate the other to a third party or commitment in any manner. The use of the term “partner” or comparable term in any communications is solely for convenience. 3. **No Warranties**. USDR makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, relating to the Services, including, without limitation, implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement of intellectual property rights. USDR also makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, that any software created through the Services will operate without interruption, meet any performance or reliability standards, or be error-free. 4. **LIMITATION OF LIABILITY**. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL USDR, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR VOLUNTEERS BE LIABLE TO YOUR ORGANIZATION FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OR FOR ANY LOST PROFITS, COSTS OF DELAY, FAILURE OF DELIVERY, OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES AND REGARDLESS OF THE NATURE OF ANY CLAIMS (INCLUDING CLAIMS IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR STRICT LIABILITY). USDR recognizes that Program volunteers may enter into specific agreements with your organization from time to time and nothing in these Terms shall alter any such agreement with a Program volunteer; provided, however, except as otherwise specifically agreed in such an agreement, the foregoing limitation of liability shall apply to each such agreement that your organization may enter into with a Program volunteer. Your organization recognizes that USDR is not a party to such agreements and shall not seek to hold USDR liable for any breach of the same by any Program volunteer. 5. **No Religious or Political Activities**. Your organization agrees that it will not request nor assign Program volunteers or USDR personnel to conduct or engage in religious, sectarian, or political activities. 6. **No Harassment or Discrimination; Accommodation of Disabilities**. Your organization agrees that it will not engage in harassment of, or discrimination against, Program volunteers on the basis of race; color; national origin, including limited English proficiency; sex; sexual orientation; age; political affiliation; religion; disability (if the volunteer is a qualified individual with a disability); or any other category protected by law. Your organization will cooperate with USDR regarding any issues or concerns that are raised by or about any aspect of the Program in this regard. To the extent reasonably practicable, your organization will make the activities to which Program volunteers are assigned accessible to persons with disabilities (including mobility, hearing, vision, mental, and cognitive impairments or addictions and diseases) and/or limited English language proficiency and provide reasonable accommodation to allow persons with disabilities to participate in such activities. 7. **Policies**. Your organization’s participation in the Program shall be subject to the [U.S. Digital Response Policies & Guidelines](/), as the same may be applicable and published from time to time; should your organization determine that it cannot comply with such policies, it should terminate its participation in the Program. By default and unless agreed otherwise, all software and design assets produced by USDR team members or volunteers may be published using Open Source Initiative-approved or Creative Commons Zero licenses. Nothing in these Terms prohibits or restricts your organization from requiring Program volunteers to comply with your organization’s applicable policies and procedures, provided the same are consistent with applicable law. 8. **Indemnification**. To the maximum extent allowed by law, your organization shall indemnify and hold USDR and its directors, officers, employees and volunteers harmless from any claim arising out of your organization’s participation in the Program, except to the extent that such claim arises from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of USDR or its personnel. For purposes of these Terms for the avoidance of doubt, USDR’s “personnel” consists of its directors, officers and employees only and specifically excludes any volunteers providing Services through the Program. 9. **Termination**. Either USDR or your organization may terminate your organization’s participation in the Program at any time, by providing written notice to the other; provided, however, that these Terms shall continue to govern any issues arising in connection with your organization’s participation in the Program even after such termination. 10. **Miscellaneous**. These Terms and your organization’s participation in the Program shall be governed by the laws of the state of California, without regard to its conflicts of laws rules. These Terms may only be altered or waived by a writing signed by both your organization and USDR, recognizing that no volunteer has any authority to bind USDR or otherwise alter these Terms. Your organization may not assign any rights, responsibilities or duties arising from its participation in the Program without USDR’s express written consent. Version Date: October 27, 2022
# Former Terms and Conditions of Partner Participation {% hint style="danger" %} **Effective February 1, 2022, an updated Terms and Conditions of Partner Participation will be in place for existing USDR partners that began engagements prior to January 1, 2022.** By continuing to work with USDR on and after February 1, 2022, you are agreeing to [the updated terms](/terms-and-conditions-of-partner-participation). {% endhint %} This document sets for the terms and conditions (the “**Terms**”) for your organization to partner with U.S. Digital Response, a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives (“**USDR**”), whether to utilize volunteers placed by USDR with your organization, to collaborate with multiple organizations and USDR’s talented volunteers and staff, or to otherwise make use of USDR’s resources and efforts as a partner of USDR (collectively, the “**Program**”). By accepting the services provided through USDR’s Program (the “**Services**”), your organization agrees to the following terms and conditions of the Program, which shall become a legally binding agreement between your organization and USDR: 1. **No Monetary Exchange**. USDR is a fiscally sponsored project of a non-profit organization. USDR and the volunteers working with USDR do not charge for the Services, which are donated to organizations like yours, and your organization shall not provide any compensation to such volunteers. Any exchange of monetary value, such as expense reimbursement or the like, will be separately documented in a written agreement. Your organization may not sell or otherwise commercially exploit the Services for profit; should your organization wish to retain any Program volunteer as a paid consultant or employee, your organization will ensure that such volunteer terminates his/her volunteer relationship with your organization via USDR prior to entering into any such paid relationship, unless otherwise discussed and agreed upon. 2. **Independence; No Joint Venture**. USDR and your organization are and will remain independent contracting parties. The arrangements contemplated under the Program do not create a partnership, joint venture, employment, fiduciary, or similar relationship for any purpose. Neither USDR nor your organization has the power or authority to bind or obligate the other to a third party or commitment in any manner. The use of the term “partner” or comparable term in any communications is solely for convenience. 3. **No Warranties**. USDR makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, relating to the Services, including, without limitation, implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement of intellectual property rights. USDR also makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, that any software created through the Services will operate without interruption, meet any performance or reliability standards, or be error-free. 4. **LIMITATION OF LIABILITY**. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL USDR, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR VOLUNTEERS BE LIABLE TO YOUR ORGANIZATION FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OR FOR ANY LOST PROFITS, COSTS OF DELAY, FAILURE OF DELIVERY, OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES AND REGARDLESS OF THE NATURE OF ANY CLAIMS (INCLUDING CLAIMS IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR STRICT LIABILITY). USDR recognizes that Program volunteers may enter into specific agreements with your organization from time to time and nothing in these Terms shall alter any such agreement with a Program volunteer; provided, however, except as otherwise specifically agreed in such an agreement, the foregoing limitation of liability shall apply to each such agreement that your organization may enter into with a Program volunteer. Your organization recognizes that USDR is not a party to such agreements and shall not seek to hold USDR liable for any breach of the same by any Program volunteer. 5. **No Religious or Political Activities**. Your organization agrees that it will not request nor assign Program volunteers or USDR personnel to conduct or engage in religious, sectarian, or political activities. 6. **No Harassment or Discrimination; Accommodation of Disabilities**. Your organization agrees that it will not engage in harassment of, or discrimination against, Program volunteers on the basis of race; color; national origin, including limited English proficiency; sex; sexual orientation; age; political affiliation; religion; disability (if the volunteer is a qualified individual with a disability); or any other category protected by law. Your organization will cooperate with USDR regarding any issues or concerns that are raised by or about any aspect of the Program in this regard. To the extent reasonably practicable, your organization will make the activities to which Program volunteers are assigned accessible to persons with disabilities (including mobility, hearing, vision, mental, and cognitive impairments or addictions and diseases) and/or limited English language proficiency and provide reasonable accommodation to allow persons with disabilities to participate in such activities. 7. **Policies**. Your organization’s participation in the Program shall be subject to the U.S. Digital Response Policies & Guidelines, as the same may be applicable and published from time to time; should your organization determine that it cannot comply with such policies, it should terminate its participation in the Program. By default and unless agreed otherwise, all software and design assets produced by USDR team members or volunteers may be published using Open Source Initiative-approved or Creative Commons Zero licenses. Nothing in these Terms prohibits or restricts your organization from requiring Program volunteers to comply with your organization’s applicable policies and procedures, provided the same are consistent with applicable law. 8. **Indemnification**. To the maximum extent allowed by law, your organization shall indemnify and hold USDR and its directors, officers, employees and volunteers harmless from any claim arising out of your organization’s participation in the Program, except to the extent that such claim arises from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of USDR or its personnel. For purposes of these Terms for the avoidance of doubt, USDR’s “personnel” consists of its directors, officers and employees only and specifically excludes any volunteers providing Services through the Program. 9. **Termination**. Either USDR or your organization may terminate your organization’s participation in the Program at any time, by providing written notice to the other; provided, however, that these Terms shall continue to govern any issues arising in connection with your organization’s participation in the Program even after such termination. 10. **Miscellaneous**. These Terms and your organization’s participation in the Program shall be governed by the laws of the state of California, without regard to its conflicts of laws rules. These Terms may only be altered or waived by a writing signed by both your organization and USDR, recognizing that no volunteer has any authority to bind USDR or otherwise alter these Terms. Your organization may not assign any rights, responsibilities or duties arising from its participation in the Program without USDR’s express written consent. Version Date: Oct 5, 2020