Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of Steward, an incident management platform operated by Steward Software LLC ("we," "our," or "us"). By accessing or using Steward, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account, accessing, or using Steward, you confirm that you:

Are at least 18 years of age
Have the authority to bind your organization to these Terms (if applicable)
Agree to comply with these Terms and our Privacy Policy

If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use Steward.

2. Description of Service

Steward is a cloud-based incident reporting and management platform designed for churches and religious organizations. The service includes:

Incident reporting and documentation tools
Workflow management for incident review and resolution
Role-based access controls
Audit trail and compliance features
Export capabilities for legal and insurance purposes
Controlled data deletion with administrator approval workflows
Attachment management with soft-delete and audit logging
Public intake forms for anonymous reporting
Email notifications and alerts

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the service at any time.

3. Account Registration

Organization Accounts

When you create an organization on Steward:

You represent that you have authority to act on behalf of that organization
You are responsible for all activity under your organization's account
You must provide accurate and complete registration information
You are responsible for maintaining the security of account credentials

User Accounts

Individual users within an organization:

Must be invited by an organization administrator
Are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their passwords
Must notify us immediately of any unauthorized access
May not share accounts or credentials with others

4. Acceptable Use

You agree to use Steward only for lawful purposes. You may not:

Use the service for any illegal activity
Upload malicious code, viruses, or harmful content
Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems or other users' data
Interfere with or disrupt the service
Use the service to harass, abuse, or harm others
Impersonate another person or organization
Violate any applicable laws or regulations
Use the service for purposes other than incident management
Resell or redistribute the service without authorization

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms.

5. Your Data and Content

Ownership

You retain ownership of all data and content you upload to Steward, including incident reports, attachments, and communications. We do not claim ownership of your content.

License to Us

By uploading content, you grant us a limited license to store, process, and display your content solely to provide the service. This license:

Is non-exclusive and royalty-free
Allows us to back up and replicate data for reliability
Terminates when you delete your content or account

Your Responsibilities

You are responsible for:

The accuracy and legality of content you upload
Obtaining necessary consents before entering personal information about others
Complying with your organization's policies regarding incident documentation
Backing up your data if desired (export features are provided for this purpose)

Data Retention and Deletion

You control your organization's data retention settings. We will retain and delete data according to your configured policies. Deletion of incidents and attachments follows a controlled workflow: non-administrator users may request deletion, which must be approved by an administrator. All deletion actions are permanently logged in the audit trail. See our Privacy Policy for details.

6. Sensitive Data Responsibilities

You acknowledge that Steward may be used to document incidents involving sensitive information, including but not limited to: information about minors, medical or injury details, allegations of misconduct, security incidents, and personnel matters.

You are solely responsible for: (a) determining what information is appropriate to enter into the system; (b) ensuring compliance with applicable laws regarding the collection and storage of sensitive data, including COPPA, HIPAA, and state privacy laws; (c) configuring appropriate access controls (including private incident flags and role-based permissions) to protect sensitive records; and (d) training your users on proper incident documentation practices.

Steward provides tools to help protect sensitive information (role-based access, private incident flags, legal holds, configurable retention) but the responsibility for appropriate use of these tools rests with the subscribing organization.

7. Data Processing for Minors

If your organization uses Steward to document incidents involving minors, you represent and warrant that: (a) you have the legal authority to maintain such records; (b) you will limit access to such records using Steward's privacy and role-based access controls; (c) you will comply with all applicable laws regarding records involving minors; and (d) you will respond to legitimate requests from parents or guardians regarding their children's information in accordance with applicable law.

8. Defensibility Disclaimer

Steward is designed to produce structured, auditable incident records suitable for use in insurance claims, legal proceedings, and regulatory compliance. Our system maintains immutable original submissions, append-only audit trails, structured amendments with mandatory reasons, and certified export packets.

HOWEVER, STEWARD DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT ANY RECORD OR EXPORT WILL BE ADMISSIBLE IN COURT, ACCEPTED BY AN INSURANCE CARRIER, OR MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF ANY SPECIFIC LEGAL OR REGULATORY STANDARD. The admissibility and defensibility of records depends on factors outside Steward's control, including but not limited to: the accuracy and completeness of information entered by users, the timeliness of documentation, applicable rules of evidence, and jurisdiction-specific requirements.

You should consult with qualified legal counsel regarding your organization's incident documentation requirements and obligations. Steward is a tool to assist in creating defensible records, not a substitute for legal advice.

9. Subscription and Payment

Free Trial

We may offer a free trial period. At the end of the trial, you must subscribe to a paid plan to continue using the service, or your access will be restricted.

Paid Plans

Paid subscriptions are billed in advance on a monthly or annual basis. By subscribing, you authorize us to charge your payment method for the applicable fees.

Pricing Changes

We may change our prices with 30 days' notice. Price changes will take effect at your next billing cycle. Continued use after a price change constitutes acceptance of the new price.

Refunds

Subscription fees are generally non-refundable. However, if you cancel within 14 days of your initial subscription, you may request a refund. Contact support for refund requests.

Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. You will retain access until then.

Non-Payment

If payment fails, we will attempt to notify you. If payment is not received within 14 days, we may suspend or restrict your account. Your data will be retained for 90 days after suspension, then may be deleted.

10. Service Availability

We strive to maintain high availability, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted service. The service may be temporarily unavailable due to:

Scheduled maintenance (we will provide advance notice when possible)
Unscheduled maintenance for urgent issues
Circumstances beyond our control

We are not liable for any damages resulting from service interruptions.

11. Intellectual Property

Steward, including its design, features, code, and documentation, is owned by us and protected by intellectual property laws. You may not:

Copy, modify, or distribute our software
Reverse engineer or decompile the service
Remove or alter any proprietary notices
Use our trademarks without permission

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the service for its intended purpose during your subscription.

12. Third-Party Services

Steward integrates with third-party services (payment processors, email providers, etc.). Your use of these services is subject to their respective terms. We are not responsible for third-party services.

13. Disclaimer of Warranties

STEWARD IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

MERCHANTABILITY
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
NON-INFRINGEMENT
ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF CONTENT

We do not warrant that the service will be error-free, secure, or available at all times.

14. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW:

WE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES
OUR TOTAL LIABILITY SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM
WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OR CORRUPTION OF DATA

These limitations apply regardless of the legal theory and even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Steward, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including legal fees) arising from:

Your use of the service
Your violation of these Terms
Your violation of any third-party rights
Content you upload to the service

16. Termination

By You

You may terminate your account at any time by contacting support or using the account deletion feature. Upon termination:

Your access will be revoked
Your data will be retained according to our data retention policy
Outstanding fees remain due

By Us

We may suspend or terminate your account if you:

Violate these Terms
Fail to pay subscription fees
Engage in conduct harmful to us or other users

We will provide notice when reasonably possible. For serious violations, we may terminate immediately.

Effect of Termination

Upon termination, provisions that by their nature should survive will remain in effect, including intellectual property rights, disclaimers, limitations of liability, and indemnification.

17. Dispute Resolution

If you have a dispute with us:

Contact Us First: Email [email protected] to attempt to resolve the issue informally
Governing Law: These Terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, without regard to conflict of law principles
Jurisdiction: Any legal action must be brought in the courts located in Erie County, Pennsylvania

18. Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by:

Posting notice on our website
Sending email to organization administrators
Updating the "Last updated" date

Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance. If you disagree with changes, you must stop using the service.

19. General Provisions

Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and us
Severability: If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect
Waiver: Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of that provision
Assignment: You may not assign your rights under these Terms without our consent
Notices: We may send notices to the email address associated with your account

20. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms, contact us at:

Email: [email protected]
Support: [email protected]