GoodTribes exists to help people turn ideas that make the world better into reality – to Do Good, Feel Good, and Live Well. That only works if everyone taking part, in every phase from Idea to Impact, feels safe, respected, and heard.
This code applies to everyone participating on GoodTribes: Founders, members of a Tribe, volunteers, contributors, and admins – in initiatives, comments, messages, the Sandbox, and at any events GoodTribes hosts.
Our principles
- Be respectful. You won't always agree – about an idea, a priority, or which phase an initiative belongs in. That's fine. Disagreement is never an excuse for personal attacks or steamrolling someone in your own Tribe.
- Assume good faith. Most misunderstandings come from unclear communication, not ill intent – especially in early Idea phases where thinking is often unfinished. Ask before assuming someone's intent.
- Give constructive feedback, not just criticism. If you disagree with an initiative's direction, suggest an alternative or point to a past idea that solved a similar problem. GoodTribes depends on Founders feeling safe enough to share unfinished ideas without being torn down for it.
- Be honest about results and impact. Impact signals, SDG links, and funds raised all rely on self-reporting – which means GoodTribes depends on people being truthful. Don't overstate an initiative's impact, and don't hide problems, missed goals, or funds used differently than planned.
- Respect anonymity in the Sandbox – but don't abuse it. The Sandbox is GoodTribes' most open zone, with one exception: anonymous contributions are allowed there as a deliberate departure from our otherwise full transparency. That exception exists to lower barriers to participation, not to avoid accountability – anonymity must never be used to harass, mislead, or dodge responsibility.
- Respect name protection when forking. Forking an initiative is allowed and part of how GoodTribes is built – but a fork doesn't inherit the original's name or voting weight. Always credit the original and make clear that your fork is a fork, not the original initiative.
- Make room for newcomers. Everyone was new to their Tribe once. Help explain how phases, tokens, and the Review Council work instead of judging someone for asking the "wrong" questions.
What we don't accept
- Harassment, threats, or hateful language – toward an individual or a group
- Discrimination based on gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, or other protected grounds
- Personal attacks, doxxing, or sharing private information without consent
- Deliberately misleading claims about an initiative's purpose, results, finances, or impact signals
- Manipulating GT, Tribe Tokens, or votes to fake support or success that doesn't exist
- Idea theft or plagiarism – presenting someone else's initiative or work as your own without attribution or fork credit
- Passing off a fork as the original initiative, or misusing name protection to mislead
- Abusing Sandbox anonymity to harass others or dodge accountability
- Spam or excessive self-promotion that doesn't contribute to the community
Expectations grow with the phase
An initiative in the Idea phase should be allowed to be rough and unfinished – we value the courage to share over a polished pitch. As an initiative moves toward Startup, Launch, Establish, Scale, and Impact, responsibility grows too: more resources, more members, and often real money are involved, so honesty about results and finances matters more.
If something goes wrong
Most violations come from a bad moment or not knowing the code, not ill intent. If you notice behavior that doesn't feel right, the first step is often to say so directly, respectfully, and privately if possible.
If that's not enough, or the situation is serious (harassment, threats, discrimination, suspected fraud), report it instead of handling it yourself.
Reporting a problem
Contact Info@goodtribes.org or reach out directly to an admin on the platform. Describe what happened and where (which initiative, which comment), with links or screenshots if possible.
Cases about an initiative's content or quality are normally handled by the Review Council. AI review can flag obvious issues automatically, but decisions about action are always made by humans. Cases involving violations of the foundation's bylaws or suspected criminal activity are handled by admins, who may hide or suspend an initiative immediately pending investigation.
Consequences
Depending on severity, actions may include:
- A private reminder of the code of conduct
- A public warning on the initiative or profile
- Withdrawn or frozen tokens tied to the initiative in question
- Temporary suspension from the community
- Permanent suspension and removal of the initiative/account
A note on inspiration
This code is inspired by codes of conduct from the open source community – such as Debian's – which have shown that simple, clear principles work better than long rulebooks. We've adapted it to GoodTribes' particular context: a community where real money, real effort, and real dreams are at stake, not just code.
This code of conduct is a living document and will be updated as GoodTribes' platform and community grow.