Terms of Use

Thank you for visiting the Independent Sector website at https://www.independentsector.org/ provided by Independent Sector (“we” or “us”). Your use of this Site is expressly conditioned on your acceptance of the following terms. By using this Site, you signify your assent to these Terms of Use. If you do not agree with any part of the following terms, you should not use this Site.

1. Authority

By using our Site, you represent that you are at least 13 years old. Persons who are at least 13 years of age but under the age of 18 may only use our Sites with legal parental or guardian consent. Accordingly, you agree that you are at least 18 years of age or older or possess legal parental or guardian consent, and are fully able and competent to enter into the terms, conditions, representations, and warranties set forth in the Terms of Use; otherwise, please exit the Site.

2. Changes to These Terms of Use or The Site

We may change or modify these Terms of Use from time-to-time without notice other than posting the amended Terms of Use on the Site. The amended Terms of Use will automatically be effective when posted on our Site. Your continued use of our Site after any changes in these Terms of Use shall constitute your consent to such changes. Independent Sector reserves the right to change, modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the Site (or any portion thereof), including any and all content contained on the Site, at any time without notice. You agree that Independent Sector shall not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension or discontinuance of the Site (or any portion thereof).

3. Registration and Security

If you wish to use certain services on the Site, you must create an account with us and provide the required information to us. By entering any information on the Site, you represent and warrant that: (i) you are at least 18 years of age; (ii) you are using your actual identity; (iii) you have provided only true, accurate, current and complete information; and (iv) you will maintain and promptly update the information that you provide to keep it true, accurate, current and complete. Additionally, you agree to maintain the strict confidentiality of your account and any passwords issued to you for your use of or access to the Site or any portion thereof, and you agree not to allow any other person or entity to use any username(s) or password(s) that are issued to you. You shall be responsible for all activity that occurs under your account or password. We cannot and will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to comply with these obligations. All information provided to us will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

If you wish to cancel a username or password, or if you become aware of any loss, theft or unauthorized use of a username or password, please notify us immediately. We reserve the right to delete or change any username or password at any time and for any reason.

4. User Conduct

By using the Site you agree not to:

• Post, upload, or distribute any content that is unlawful, defamatory, libelous, inaccurate, or that a reasonable person could deem to be objectionable, profane, indecent, pornographic, harassing, threatening, embarrassing, hateful, or otherwise inappropriate as determined by us;
  
  
• Interfere with the operation of the Site or any user’s enjoyment of the Site, including without limitation by (i) uploading or otherwise disseminating viruses, adware, spyware, worms, or other malicious code; (ii) making unsolicited offers or advertisements to other users of the Site; (iii) attempting to collect personal information about users or third parties without their consent; or (iv) interfering with or disrupting any networks, equipment, or servers connected to or used to provide the Website, or violating the regulations, policies, or procedures of such networks, equipment, or servers;
  
  
• Perform any fraudulent activity including impersonating any person or entity, claiming false affiliations, or accessing the accounts of others without permission;
  
  
• Attempt to do any of the foregoing in this Section, or assist or permit any persons in engaging or attempting to engage in any of the activities described in this Section.
  
  
• Violation of any of the above may, at any time without prior notice, result in a warning, temporary limit, suspension or immediate termination of your account or your access to the Site, reporting of your conduct to authorities, or legal action, as may be appropriate in the sole discretion of Independent Sector. You acknowledge that Independent Sector is not responsible for and does not assume any liability for users’ acts or omissions, including, without limitation, with respect to the aforementioned activities.

5. Intellectual Property

All designs and content featured on the Site, including the text, images, photographs, video, audio clips, music, graphics, logos, illustrations, descriptions, software, data, and other material, as well as the selection, assembly and arrangement thereof (collectively the “Content”), are copyrights, trademarks, trade dress, patents, or other intellectual property that are owned, controlled, licensed, or otherwise used with permission by Independent Sector. This Site in its entirety is protected by copyright, applicable trade dress, and other U.S. and international laws protecting intellectual and other proprietary rights, and is the sole property of Independent Sector© 2025.

Subject to these Terms, Independent Sector hereby grants you the non-exclusive right to use the Content, subject to the following conditions: (i) the material may be used solely for informational and noncommercial purposes, or to place an order for goods or services with us; (ii) it may not be modified in any way, nor distributed, transmitted or re-posted; (iii) no copy is made of any Independent Sector-owned or -licensed trademark or logo apart from the page on which it appears; and (iv) any copy of any portion of the material must include the copyright notice appearing on the Site. The Content and its component trademarks, logos, images, and other features are and shall remain the sole property of Independent Sector or its Partners and are protected under U.S. and foreign copyright, trademark, patent and/or other proprietary rights and laws. You do not acquire any right, title or interest in such Content by virtue of accessing the Site or making use of the permitted uses allowed under these Terms. If you wish to obtain permission to reproduce or reprint any portion of the Content, contact us at info@independentsector.org.

Except as set forth above, no license to download, use, or reproduce any of the Content or other material, brand names, logos and/or trademarks contained on the Site is given or implied, and the Content, brand names, logos and/or trademarks may not be downloaded, reproduced, used (except as an integral part of an authorized copy of material appearing on the Site, used pursuant to these Terms), modified or distributed in any way without prior written permission. You also may not use any hardware or software intended to damage or interfere with the proper working of the Site or use any data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools to surreptitiously intercept any system, data or personal information from the Site. Except as expressly authorized herein or in writing by the Company, you agree not to reproduce, modify, lease, loan, sell, distribute, or create derivative works based in whole or part on the Content.

Notification of Copyright Infringement Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)

Independent Sector respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. We may, in appropriate circumstances and at our discretion, suspend or terminate the access of and take other action against users, subscribers, registrants and account holders who infringe the copyrights of others.

If you believe your work has been copied and is accessible on the Site in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, you may notify us by providing the following information (as required by the Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. sec. 512) to our copyright agent set forth below:

• A physical or electronic signature of person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed;
• Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or if multiple copyrighted works at a single online Site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works at that Site;
• Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit Service Provider to locate the material (i.e., URLs);
• Information reasonably sufficient to permit Service Provider to contact the complaining party, such as your full name and address, telephone number, and if available, an electronic mail address at which the complaining party may be contacted;
• A statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
• A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

Please send notice electronically to estherg@independentsector.org, or by mail to:

Independent Sector 
Attn: Legal Department 
1602 L Street, NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20036

Please note that we will forward your notice, including your contact information, to the party who will have their content removed so they understand why it is no longer available and can also contact you to resolve any dispute.

6. External Links

We may provide links to other websites from time to time that are operated by third parties not affiliated with Independent Sector. These links are provided for your convenience. We do not endorse or take responsibility for the content of those websites, are not responsible for the availability of them, and will not be liable in any way for any loss or damage which you may suffer by using those websites. Different Terms of Use and privacy policies may apply to your use of any linked sites. If you decide to access linked websites, you do so at your own risk

7. Termination

You agree that Independent Sector may terminate or suspend your access to all or part of this Site, without notice, for any conduct that Independent Sector, in its sole discretion, believes is in violation of these Terms of Use or any applicable law or is harmful to the interests of another user or Independent Sector. Notwithstanding such termination or suspension, you will continue to be subject to the “User Conduct,” “Intellectual Property,” “Warranties, Disclaimers and Limitations of Liability,” “Indemnification,” and “Governing Law and Jurisdiction” and sections of these Terms of Use.

Independent Sector reserves the right at any time and from time to time to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the Site (or any part thereof) with or without notice. Except as otherwise expressly stated in these Terms of Use, you agree that Independent Sector shall not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension or discontinuation of the Site.

8. Warranties, Disclaimers and Limitations of Liability

You expressly understand and agree that:

Your use of the website is at your sole risk. The Site and the materials contained herein are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. Except as otherwise expressly provided in these Terms of Use , Independent Sector and its respective officers, directors, employees and other representatives (collectively, the “Independent Sector parties”), expressly disclaim all warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including, but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Independent Sector makes no warranty that: (i) the Site will meet your requirements; (ii) the Site will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free; (iii) information that may be obtained will be accurate or reliable; (iv) the quality of any information or other material obtained by you through the Site will meet your expectations or needs; and (v) any errors in the Site will be corrected.

Independent Sector shall not under any circumstances be liable for any damages of any kind arising out of, in connection with or relating to the use of or inability to use the website, including any liability: (i) as a publisher of information; (ii) for any incorrect or inaccurate information; (iii) for any unauthorized access to or disclosure of your transmissions or data; (iv) for statements or conduct of any third party on the website; or (v) for any other matter relating to this website or any third party website. This is a comprehensive limitation of liability that applies to all damages of any kind, including any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages, whether based on breach of contract, breach of warranty, tort (including negligence), or otherwise, even if an individual advises of the possibility of such damages. The limitations of liability set forth herein are fundamental elements of the basis of the bargain between Independent Sector and you. The information and services offered on and through the Site would not be provided without such limitations.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the disclaimer of certain warranties or the limitation or exclusion of liability for certain types of damages. Accordingly, some of the above disclaimers and limitations may not apply to you.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Independent Sector parties against all claims, demands, causes of action, losses, expenses, damages and costs (including any reasonable attorneys’ fees), resulting or arising from or relating to your use of or conduct at the Site, any activity related to your account by you or any other person, any material that you submit to, post on or transmit through the Site, your breach of these Terms of Use , your infringement or violation of any rights of another, or termination of your access to the Site.

10. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms of Use are governed by and will be construed in accordance with the laws of the United States and the District of Colombia. Any disputes arising under or in connection with these Terms of Use, or your access or use of the Site shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the District and federal courts located in Washington, D.C.

11. Miscellaneous

These Terms of Use constitute the entire and only Terms of Use between Independent Sector and each user of the Site with respect to the subject matter of these Terms of Use.

If any provision of these Terms of Use be deemed unlawful, void or for any reason unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions will not be affected.

The failure of Independent Sector to insist upon strict adherence to any term of these Terms of Use shall not constitute a waiver of such term and shall not be considered a waiver or limit that party’s right thereafter to insist upon strict adherence to that term or any other term contained in these Terms of Use.

12. Contact Us

Questions regarding these terms should be addressed to:

Independent Sector
1602 L Street, NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20036
Telephone: 202-467-6100
Email: info@independentsector.org

Effective Date: December 16, 2025