The deal, in writing
Terms of Service
Last updated July 16, 2026
These terms cover every purchase on Kindling. We wrote them the way we write everything else here: plainly, and matching how the service actually works. Using Kindling or funding a deed means you agree to them.
Plain-English summary
The short version: the formal text below says the same thing
- You pay a few dollars; a real person (an independent doer we hire through RentAHuman) goes and does one small public-good deed.
- That money is a fair wage for real work, so this is a service, not a donation. Nothing here is a charity gift and nothing is tax-deductible.
- You get before-and-after photo proof, checked before the doer is paid. Photos show places and things, never faces.
- We aim to complete every deed within 72 hours. Running late, we tell you first and finish within 24 more; after that you choose: full refund or we finish it. See the refund policy.
- Your dedication and optional display name are shown publicly, so keep them kind.
The 72-hour promise, hour by hour
Never silence, never a surprise: the same story our emails tell
- Hours 0–72
The promise
A verified doer does your deed. If one goes quiet, a replacement takes over automatically, same window.
- If we run late
You hear it from us
An honest email before you ever have to ask: we're late, a human is on it, finishing within 24 hours.
- After that
Your choice
Full refund (everything you paid, fees included), or we keep going until it's done. You pick, a human executes.
One honest exception: the clock can pause: a doer’s first request for more time is granted once (never twice without a human), and while we sort something out by hand. Every pause moves your deadline by exactly the paused span, and you’re emailed when it happens.
1What Kindling is
Kindling is a paid civic service. When you fund a deed from our catalog, we arrange for a real person to perform that deed at a real public place and to document it with before-and-after photos. Deeds are performed by independent doers we source through the RentAHuman marketplace. Doers are independent people paid per deed. They are not Kindling employees, and they are paid a fair rate (roughly $18 an hour) out of the price you see.
2A paid service, not a donation
You are paying a real person a fair wage to do a real good deed, so your payment is a purchase of a service, not a donation, and it is not tax-deductible. Kindling is not a charity, a nonprofit, or a fundraising platform. We do not issue donation receipts, and we never claim charitable status. If you want a tax deduction, a registered charity is the right place. This is paid work, honestly priced.
3What you're buying
One funded deed buys one performance of the deed described on its catalog page, at the listed price, plus the verified photo proof and a shareable Impact Card once it’s done. Prices are set by us on the server, and each deed page shows where the money goes before you pay. Payment is taken at checkout through Stripe; if a checkout is cancelled or fails, your deed is not started and your card is not charged.
4The 72-hour fulfillment promise
We aim to complete every deed within 72 hours of purchase. Our system sources a verified doer near the deed, and if an accepted doer goes quiet, it cancels that engagement and re-posts the deed to a fresh doer inside the same 72-hour window.
The clock can pausein a few defined cases, most commonly when a doer asks for more time. A doer’s first extension request is granted automatically (once, bounded at 24 hours); any further request needs a human decision. Every pause moves your deadline out by exactly the paused span, and we email you when it happens.
If the window still passes without a verified finish, we tell you first: an honest “we’re running late” email, with a human on our team personally driving the deed to completion within the next 24 hours. If that overtime passes too, the choice is yours: a full refund of everything you paid, or we keep going until it’s done. The details are in the refund policy.
5Proof and verification
A deed counts as complete only when its photo proof passes our checks: automated verification of the before-and-after photos against the deed’s proof rules (including checks against re-used or fabricated images), with a human reviewing anything the automated checks flag. The doer is paid only after proof is verified: no proof, no payout.
Proof photos show the place, the items, or the result, never an identifiable person. That rule and the rest of our commitments are on the ethics page.
6Your dedication and display name
At checkout you can add a short dedication (whose honor the deed is in) and an optional public display name for the leaderboard. Both are shown publicly: the dedication on the deed’s Impact Card page, the display name on the leaderboard. Don’t submit anything hateful, harassing, or unlawful, or anyone’s personal information. We may decline or remove text that breaks this rule, without a refund of a deed that was otherwise completed.
7What we don't promise
Deeds happen in the real world. We promise the deed as described, with verified proof. We don’t promise a particular lasting outcome (a cleaned corner can be littered again next week), and we may substitute an equivalent nearby spot when the described one is inaccessible or unsafe. We can remove or change catalog deeds at any time; a deed you already funded is always either completed or refunded.
To the extent the law allows it, our total liability for any order is capped at the amount you paid for that order.
8Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of California, and disputes will be resolved in the courts of California.
9Contact
Questions about these terms, or about a specific order: support@kindlingdeeds.com. Include your order link if it’s about a deed you funded.