Trust & safety
Generosity, protected
Giving is an act of trust. Here is — in plain language — everything we do to deserve it.
Verified organizers
Before any withdrawal, organizers complete identity verification with our payment partners — government ID plus banking checks compliant with US (KYC/BSA) and Canadian (FINTRAC) regulations. Money only moves to a verified human with a verified account.
The Northlight Guarantee
If a campaign misuses funds or misrepresents its purpose, eligible donors receive a full refund of their donation — up to $1,000 per donor per campaign. File a claim within one year; our team resolves most cases within 10 business days.
Human review, 24-hour SLA
Automated systems flag unusual activity, but every report filed by a donor or community member is reviewed by a person on our Denver or Toronto trust team within 24 hours. Campaigns under review pause withdrawals until cleared.
Bank-grade security
All traffic is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3) and sensitive data at rest. Card details never touch our servers — they go directly to our PCI-DSS Level 1 payment processors. We support passwordless sessions and sign-out-everywhere.
The Northlight Guarantee
If funds are misused, donors get their money back.
$1,000
refund protection per donor, per campaign
1 year
to file a claim from the donation date
10 days
typical resolution time, by a human
Smart giving checklist
- Donate to people you know, or campaigns shared by someone you trust.
- Read the story carefully — specific costs and named beneficiaries are good signs.
- Check the organizer's updates; active campaigns are healthy campaigns.
- Look for the 'Identity verified' badge on the campaign page.
- If something feels off, report it. You'll never be penalized for asking us to look.
Report a campaign
See something that doesn't add up? Email our trust team with the campaign link and what concerns you. Reports are confidential, and every single one is reviewed by a person within 24 hours.
trust@north-light.orgWithdrawals pause automatically while a campaign is under review — funds stay safe until we've cleared it.