Terms of Service

Last updated: March 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

Welcome to CauseDB. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of causedb.com (the "Service") operated by CauseDB, LLC ("CauseDB," "we," "us," or "our"). By accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service. If you are under 18, you represent that you have your parent or guardian's permission to use the Service. You must be at least 18 years old to purchase a paid subscription.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Service.

2. Description of Service

CauseDB is a research and transparency platform that aggregates publicly available marketing data from nonprofit organizations. The Service includes:

  • Email Archive: A searchable collection of nonprofit marketing and fundraising emails sourced from publicly available mailing lists.
  • Ad Library: Aggregated advertisements from the Meta Ad Library and LinkedIn Ad Library, both public ad transparency platforms.
  • Organization Profiles: Information about nonprofit organizations, including data from IRS 990 filings (via ProPublica) and other public sources.
  • User Collections: Tools for authenticated users to save and organize content for personal reference.
  • Trends and Analytics: Insights and analysis of nonprofit marketing patterns (available to Pro subscribers).

3. Account Registration

To access certain features of the Service, you must create an account. When you create an account, you agree to:

  • Provide accurate and complete information during registration
  • Maintain the security and confidentiality of your account credentials
  • Not share your account credentials with any other person
  • Promptly notify us of any unauthorized use of your account
  • Accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that we reasonably believe have been compromised.

4. Subscription Plans and Billing

Free and Pro Plans

The Service offers a free tier with limited functionality and a paid "Pro" tier with additional features, including full access to the ad library, trends and analytics, and AI-powered insights.

Billing

Pro subscriptions are billed on a recurring basis (monthly or annual) through our payment processor, Stripe. By subscribing, you authorize us to charge your payment method on a recurring basis until you cancel.

Auto-Renewal and Cancellation

Subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each billing period unless you cancel before the renewal date. You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings. Upon cancellation, you will continue to have access to Pro features until the end of your current billing period.

Refunds

Refunds may be issued at CauseDB's sole discretion. We generally do not provide refunds for partial billing periods. If you believe you are entitled to a refund, please contact us at [email protected].

Price Changes

We reserve the right to change subscription pricing. We will provide at least 30 days' notice before any price increase takes effect. Your continued use of the Pro tier after a price change constitutes acceptance of the new pricing.

5. Acceptable Use

You may use the Service for the following purposes:

  • Research and analysis of nonprofit marketing and fundraising practices
  • Professional development and learning
  • Journalism and reporting on nonprofit activities
  • Creating personal collections of content for reference
  • Any other lawful purpose consistent with the nature of the Service

6. Prohibited Activities

You agree not to:

  • Scrape or Bulk Download: Use automated tools, bots, scrapers, or scripts to access, scrape, or download content from the Service.
  • Republish Content: Republish, redistribute, or create derivative databases from our aggregated data without our prior written permission.
  • Commercial Resale: Sell, license, or commercially exploit data obtained from the Service.
  • Circumvent Security: Attempt to bypass, disable, or interfere with security features, access controls, or usage limits of the Service.
  • Harass Organizations: Use information from the Service to harass, spam, or cause harm to the organizations or individuals featured.
  • Impersonate: Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity.
  • Share Account Credentials: Share your login credentials or allow others to access the Service through your account.
  • Reverse Engineer: Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble any aspect of the Service.
  • Overload Infrastructure: Take any action that imposes an unreasonable or disproportionate load on our infrastructure.
  • Illegal Activities: Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable local, state, national, or international law.

7. Intellectual Property

Our Property

The Service, including its design, features, functionality, code, and the CauseDB name and logo, is owned by CauseDB, LLC and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works of the Service without our express written permission.

Third-Party Content

The emails, advertisements, and other nonprofit content displayed on the Service are the property of their respective creators (nonprofit organizations and advertisers). CauseDB aggregates this publicly available content for research and transparency purposes. We do not claim ownership of third-party content. Organization financial data is sourced from IRS 990 filings made available by ProPublica and the IRS.

Your Content

You retain ownership of any collections, notes, or other content you create on the Service. By creating content on the Service, you grant CauseDB a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to store, display, and process that content as necessary to provide and improve the Service. This license terminates when you delete your content or account.

8. Data Accuracy

While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, please be aware of the following:

  • 990 Financial Data: Organization financial data is sourced from IRS 990 filings via ProPublica. This data may be outdated (filings can lag by one to two years) and may contain errors from the original filings or data processing.
  • Ad Spend Estimates: Any advertising spend figures or estimates displayed on the Service are approximate and should not be relied upon as precise financial data.
  • Email Archive: Our email archive may not be complete. We collect emails from publicly available mailing lists and may not capture every email sent by every nonprofit organization.
  • Organization Profiles: Organization profiles are compiled from multiple public sources and are not independently verified by CauseDB. Information may be incomplete or outdated.

All data on the Service is provided "as is" from public sources. You should independently verify any information before making decisions based on it.

9. Service Availability

We strive to keep the Service available and reliable, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation. The Service may be temporarily unavailable due to maintenance, updates, or circumstances beyond our control. We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any feature or aspect of the Service at any time, with or without notice.

10. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

CauseDB does not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, that defects will be corrected, or that the data provided through the Service is accurate or complete.

No Endorsement

The inclusion of any organization, email, or advertisement on the Service does not constitute an endorsement by CauseDB. We are a neutral research and transparency platform.

Not Professional Advice

The Service is for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, tax, or professional advice. Consult appropriate professionals for specific guidance.

11. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, CAUSEDB AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO:

  • Your access to, use of, or inability to access or use the Service
  • Any conduct or content of any third party on or accessed through the Service
  • Any content or data obtained from the Service
  • Unauthorized access, use, or alteration of your transmissions or content
  • Any decisions made or actions taken based on information provided by the Service

IN NO EVENT SHALL CAUSEDB'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE SERVICE EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO CAUSEDB IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRIOR TO THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE LIABILITY, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100).

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless CauseDB, LLC and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to:

  • Your use of the Service
  • Your violation of these Terms
  • Your violation of any applicable law or regulation
  • Your violation of any third-party rights

13. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your account and access to the Service at our sole discretion, without prior notice, for conduct that we believe violates these Terms, is harmful to other users or third parties, or for any other reason we deem appropriate.

You may delete your account at any time through your account settings or by contacting us at [email protected].

Upon termination, your right to use the Service will immediately cease. The following sections survive termination: Intellectual Property, Data Accuracy, Disclaimers, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, Dispute Resolution, and Governing Law.

14. Dispute Resolution

Informal Resolution

Before filing a formal dispute, you agree to first contact us at [email protected] and attempt to resolve the dispute informally. We will try to resolve the dispute within 30 days of receiving your notice.

Binding Arbitration

If the dispute cannot be resolved informally, you and CauseDB agree to resolve it through binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") under its Commercial Arbitration Rules. The arbitration will be conducted in Delaware. The arbitrator's decision will be final and binding and may be entered as a judgment in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Class Action Waiver

YOU AND CAUSEDB AGREE THAT EACH PARTY MAY BRING DISPUTES AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims.

Exceptions

Either party may bring an individual action in small claims court for disputes within the court's jurisdiction. Either party may seek injunctive or equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to prevent the actual or threatened infringement of intellectual property rights.

15. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. For material changes, we will provide at least 30 days' notice by posting the updated Terms on the Service, updating the "Last updated" date, and/or sending an email notification. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.

16. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. For any disputes not subject to arbitration, you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Delaware.

17. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect. The invalid provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable.

18. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and CauseDB regarding the use of the Service and supersede all prior agreements, understandings, and communications, whether written or oral.

19. Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at:

CauseDB, LLC
Email: [email protected]