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  • Summary: What you agree to by joining OCE
  • Legal Agreement
  • Recitals
  • Terms of Agreement
  • Relationship & Process
  • Intellectual Property
  • Use of the Fund
  • Charitable Use
  • Termination
  • Notices
  • Miscellaneous
  • Protocols (Exhibit A)

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Terms of Service

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Last updated 1 month ago

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The summary below highlights the key points of our Terms of Service, to help you understand the main commitments and responsibilities when joining Open Collective Europe.

👉 For the full legal version of our Terms of Service, please refer to the official document available .

Summary: What you agree to by joining OCE

  • You stay in control: OCE manages a fund on your behalf, but the money belongs to your initiative. OCE is not the owner of the contributions.

  • You are legally and fiscally independent: Your initiative is not a legal extension of OCE. You are responsible for your own activities, including local tax and legal compliance.

  • Transparency is mandatory: All income and expenses must be tracked publicly through your Open Collective page.

  • Funds must serve a charitable mission: Contributions can only be used to support your initiative’s stated purpose, in line with OCE’s values and Belgian nonprofit law.

  • Termination is possible: Either party can end the agreement with 30 days' notice. Remaining funds must be redirected to a charitable purpose.


Legal Agreement

These are the basic Terms of Service of Open Collective Europe (“the Foundation”). This Agreement enters into effect (“Effective Date”) upon acceptance of this Agreement when creating an initiative (“the Initiative”) and requesting to make use of Open Collective’s platform and services.


Recitals

Open Collective Europe is a Public Benefit Foundation (Stichting van Openbaar Nut / Fondation d’Utilité Publique), incorporated under the laws of Belgium. It allows groups—such as an Initiative—to raise and manage funds transparently for specific projects or movements without needing to incorporate a legal entity.

A restricted fund (the "Fund") will be created to receive donations on behalf of the Initiative. OCE acts solely as an intermediary and does not own the contributions received. Funds are disbursed to support the Initiative's purpose, minus administrative fees and expenses.


Terms of Agreement

The Agreement starts from the Effective Date and continues unless terminated (see section “Termination”).


Relationship & Process

Intermediary Role

  • The Foundation manages the Fund on behalf of the Initiative.

  • OCE never assumes ownership of the funds.

  • The relationship is indirect representation (middellijke vertegenwoordiging / représentation indirecte).

Legal Separation

  • The Initiative cannot act legally on behalf of OCE.

  • It cannot use OCE’s tax identification number.

  • Any required tax ID must be acquired separately by the Initiative.

Protocols

  • The Foundation follows internal “Protocols” that may be updated with 30 days’ notice.

  • If updates affect your rights, you will be notified.

Soliciting Contributions

  • You may raise funds, but must notify OCE at least 60 days in advance of any public fundraising campaign.

  • A signed service agreement is required before fundraising begins.

Agreements with Third Parties

  • Initiatives cannot bind the Foundation to any third-party agreement (e.g., vendors, donors) without prior written approval.


Intellectual Property

The Initiative retains full ownership of its intellectual property. Nothing submitted to OCE is transferred unless explicitly agreed otherwise.


Use of the Fund

  • All contributions belong to the Initiative.

  • Disbursements must be requested via the platform with proper documentation.

  • The Foundation retains full control over financial administration and may deduct fees directly.


Charitable Use

All funds must support the Initiative’s mission and comply with the Foundation’s charitable purpose.

Prohibited uses:

  • Political campaigning

  • Illegal activities

  • Private inurement or personal benefit


Termination

Either party may terminate the agreement with 30 days’ written notice.

If funds remain in the Initiative’s account:

  • Valid expenses may still be reimbursed.

  • You may name a nonprofit “Successor” organization to transfer funds to.

  • If no successor is named, OCE may redistribute funds to another eligible purpose.


Notices

All communications must be sent to:

Open Collective Europe Foundation Avenue Louise 500, Boîte 205, 1050 Brussels, BELGIUM Email: oce@opencollective.com


Miscellaneous

Severability

If a clause is invalid, the rest of the agreement remains enforceable.

No Waiver

Not enforcing a right immediately doesn’t mean waiving that right.

Transfer of Rights

Rights and obligations cannot be transferred without written consent.


Protocols (Exhibit A)

Eligibility Criteria

  • Non-profit: Must have a charitable mission. Commercial activities are allowed if profits support the mission.

  • Apolitical: No partisan campaigning or fundraising.

  • Secular: Must not promote a religious movement. Educational or think-tank projects may be accepted case-by-case.

Initiative’s Obligations

  • Use contributions only for declared purposes.

  • Maintain a public, transparent ledger via the platform.

Fees & Expenses

  • 8% on donations via the platform (e.g. PayPal, Stripe).

  • 10% on direct bank transfers and grants.

  • Interest earned on funds is retained by OCE.

  • Additional expenses (e.g. payment processing fees) are charged to the Initiative.

Platform

Disbursements

  • Submit invoices/receipts via the platform.

  • Expenses must be approved in advance and aligned with the mission.

  • Reimbursements can be made through PayPal, Wise, or other approved methods.

Funds Outside the Platform

If donations or expenses occur outside the platform, they must be reported immediately to OCE. Manual entries can be added to reflect them.

Reporting

OCE provides monthly reports summarizing transactions and fund activity.

Each Initiative gets a dedicated page on showing income and expenses transparently.

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