TechSoup Editorial Integrity Policy
At TechSoup, we understand that in order to achieve our mission of helping social benefit organizations overcome the barriers to technology, the information we provide must be entirely credible and trustworthy. This policy outlines the specific actions we take to ensure the integrity of editorial material published on TechSoup.org and discloses our business model so that visitors can better decide what level of trust to place in us.
Our Business Model
TechSoup is registered in the United States as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. We serve social benefit organizations around the globe in three primary ways:
- We distribute products that were donated or provided at discount by technology firms to organizations in need, via our TechSoup Stock program;
- We distribute content, such as articles and guides, to help with the selection and appropriate use of technology; and
- We provide a community of support for technology issues.
This work is funded through three methods: foundation supporters; corporate sponsors; and the administrative fees that organizations pay when receiving products through us.
Our foundation supporters provide grants to fund the development of new content, workshops, and other projects that serve social benefit organizations. Generally, these grants focus on organizations that serve a specific community or solve a specific problem, and so we tailor our content to address those needs. (A list of our foundation supporters is available online in the About section.)
Our corporate sponsors make funds, equipment, product donations, and product discounts available to help us expand our infrastructure and better serve the technology needs of organizations around the world. (A list of our corporate sponsors is available online in the About section.)
The administrative fees we apply to the products that we distribute are significantly lower than the retail value of the products and are used to sustain our nonprofit organization. Some corporate sponsors donate their products to our TechSoup Stock program, so the only fee we charge receiving organizations is the administrative fee. Other corporate partners — for instance, those that create products specifically for the nonprofit community — may offer their products at a discount. In these cases, most of the overall fee we charge organizations is returned to the corporate partner.
To help raise awareness about the availability of these donated and discounted products, we provide links to product information within relevant articles. Likewise, to support the organizations that have received products through us, we make it a priority to distribute articles, guides, and other information about the selection and appropriate use of these products.
The presence of links or content does not imply editorial endorsement of a product. And we will always abide by the commitments outlined below when producing this information.
Our Commitments to You
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We will never knowingly publish inaccurate information.
We commit to verifying the accuracy of any information we publish as best our resources allow. If we learn that we have published inaccurate information, we will correct it according to our corrections policy, as outlined below.
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We will correct errors.
We commit to correcting factual errors — and clarifying information that is open to misinterpretation — in a timely manner. However:
a. For time-sensitive information that was accurate when first published but has since changed (like product version numbers and prices,) TechSoup's editorial team may decide not to update the material — so long as we feel it's sufficiently clear to readers when the information was originally created.
b. We do not verify the accuracy of information posted to TechSoup.org by our community members — for instance, in the comments area attached to articles and in our forums. However, we will ensure that these areas can be distinguished from editorial content and provide opportunity for others to dispute claims. (For more information about what we allow and don't allow in our forums, please see our Community Standards.)
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We will disclose business relationships in editorial content whenever relevant.
As part of its mission, TechSoup and its parent organization, CompuMentor, regularly help support technologies and organizations of interest to the nonprofit sector. We commit to disclosing these relationships when we believe it may affect the way our information is perceived. (For example, if we were to publish an article about the TechFinder consultant database, we would disclose that TechSoup partnered with N-TEN to build it.)
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We will clearly identify sponsorships.
In order to bring together technology vendors and nonprofits, and in order to sustain our organization, TechSoup's non-editorial staff may offer corporate partners space alongside editorial content in which the partners can communicate their message to our audience. We commit to presenting these communications in a way that is clearly distinguishable from editorial content. This may include labeling the communications as "sponsorships" or using other Web conventions.
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We will disclose who funded our content.
In order to sustain our organization and develop content we would not otherwise have the resources for, TechSoup may accept funding from foundations and partners to publish information on certain topics. We commit to disclosing these funding sources clearly and openly. (For example, we may use phrases like "funded by" or "with support from".) Regardless of who funds our content, we will always abide by all of the commitments outlined in this editorial integrity policy.
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We will not use our positions for personal, material gain.
TechSoup editorial staff members and its forum hosts commit not to enter into conflicts of interest that could be perceived to affect their judgment. This includes, but is not limited to: accepting gifts in exchange for coverage or endorsement, using privileged information to make investment decisions, and requesting review copies of products for personal use.
When we obtain products for review, we will not resell those products, use the product for personal or business use without paying for a license, nor use the product for any other commercial purpose.
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We will clearly identify content from external sources.
We commit to labeling or otherwise reasonably indicating content that was not created or commissioned by TechSoup employees, so that our audience may better decide what level of trust to place in the information. (For example, comments posted to articles by our community members will by labeled as "comments" or "discussions" and will be sufficiently distinguishable from the main body of the article.)
