Terms of Service

GivChalk lets individuals and communities send voluntary monetary gifts and gratitude notes to current, former, and retired K–12 teachers. GivChalk is not an employer, school, district, or payroll provider, and gifts sent through the platform are not wages, tuition, tutoring fees, or payment for any service.

GivChalk is currently in gratitude-letters mode. Sending a gratitude letter is free and entirely non-monetary — no payment, tip, or gift of money is involved.

• Every gratitude letter is reviewed by a human moderator before delivery. Letters that violate these terms are not delivered.
• Gratitude letters are anonymous unless you choose to sign your name. Teachers see the letter text and any signature you add — never your email or contact details.
• Gratitude letters are for teachers from your past. You must be 18 or older to send one, and you may not be a current K–12 student of the teacher you're writing to.

The monetary-gift sections below describe how GivChalk works when gifts are enabled; they do not apply while the site is in gratitude-letters mode.

You must be at least 18 years old to send a gift. By sending a gift you confirm that:

• You are not currently a student of the teacher you are gifting, and you are not currently enrolled in any class, course, or program that teacher grades or evaluates.
• You are not the parent or guardian of a student currently enrolled in that teacher's class, unless your school or district policy expressly permits such gifts.
• Your gift is given freely, expects nothing in return, and is not intended to influence any grade, placement, recommendation, evaluation, or decision.
• The funds are your own and are lawfully obtained.

Many districts limit or prohibit gifts to teachers from current students and their families. You are responsible for knowing and following the rules that apply to you. We remove profiles and reverse gifts when these terms are violated.

Gifts are anonymous to the recipient. Teachers see the amount and your note — never your name or email. Do not include identifying details in your note if you wish to stay anonymous.

Notes must be respectful. Harassment, threats, sexual content, solicitations, requests for favors, and attempts to identify yourself as a current student are prohibited. We may withhold, edit, or refuse to deliver any note, and may refund a gift at our discretion.

Teachers do not need an account to be listed. A listed teacher may claim their profile and verify their identity to receive gifts. Until a profile is verified, gifts are held and not paid out. Any teacher may request removal of their profile at any time.

Payments are processed by Stripe. GivChalk does not store your card details. Payouts to verified teachers are made manually to the payout handle the teacher provides.

Gifts are generally final. We may issue a refund where a gift violates these terms, was made in error, or where the teacher declines it or cannot be verified.

Gifts are personal gifts, not wages. Teachers are responsible for their own tax reporting. GivChalk is not a registered charity and gifts are not tax-deductible donations.

The service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. To the maximum extent permitted by law, GivChalk is not liable for indirect or consequential damages, and our total liability is limited to the amount of the gift at issue.

We may update these terms; material changes will be reflected in the date above. Questions: support@givchalk.com.

See also our Privacy Policy.