Policy FAQs

This is an ever-growing list of questions and answers about how the CouchSurfing organization works.  If you don't see an answer to your policy concern, you can submit a question for the Leadership Team at the bottom of this page.

For problems with your account or general questions unrelated to the CouchSurfing Policy, please Contact Us on this other page

(Last updated: 21 December 2008)

Contents

• CouchSurfing's Mission & Values
1. Where did the mission come from?
2. What does CS 2.0 mean, and is this about software or the mission?
3. Will CouchSurfing always be free to join and use? 
4. Is there an official declaration of member rights? ^UPDATED
5. Does CouchSurfing censor anyone?
6. Why is "verification" important, and what extra services will verified members receive? ^UPDATED
7. What is the vision for what CouchSurfing will be in 5, 10 or 20 years from now?
8. Has everything gone as the Founders expected that it would over the years?
9. How does CouchSurfing feel about the other networks such as Hospitality Club, Global Freeloaders, BeWelcome, etc.?
   
   
• Leadership Team Policies
  
  
• Induction of Leadership Team Members
1. Who are the members of the Leadership Team and what does the Leadership Team do?
2. Do Leadership Team members appoint themselves?
3. How were the original Leadership Team members picked, and are they just a bunch of the Founder's friends?
4. How will new Leadership Team members be chosen? ^UPDATED
5. Why should Leadership Team members represent a balanced mix of cultures and genders? ^UPDATED
6. If new Leadership Team members have to be accepted unanimously, how will "critical" members ever get on to the team?
7. How does the Leadership Team avoid cronyism/favoritism, and what checks are in place? ^UPDATED
8. How many members can the Leadership Team have, and when can new members be accepted?
   
   
• Responsibilities of Leadership Team Members
1. What are the requirements for Leadership Team Members? ^UPDATED
2. What is the Code of Conduct for Leadership Team Members? ^UPDATED
3. Why do Leadership Team members have to be active surfers or hosts? ^UPDATED
4. How much work does the Leadership Team put in every day or week?
5. How does CouchSurfing evaluate and ensure the accountability of Leadership Team members? ^UPDATED
6. What will the Peer Review System entail?
   
   
• Removal of Leadership Team Members
1. Are Leadership Team members appointed for life?
2. How can Leadership Team members be removed? ^UPDATED
3. Who will determine what constitutes a "Policy violation" that excludes candidacy?
   
   
• Leadership Team Meetings & Decision Making
1. How does the Leadership Team make consensus decisions? ^UPDATED
2. How does the Leadership Team take member opinion into account when making decisions? ^UPDATED
3. How do I voice my opinion to the appropriate representative in the Leadership Team? ^UPDATED
4. How often will the Leadership Team have meetings?
5. Why aren't the Leadership Team meeting agendas published?
6. Why aren't meeting minutes published?
7. What happens if a team member misses a meeting?  Are there any surrogate team members?
   
   
• Emergency Provisions
1. What happens if a Leadership Team member gets hit by a bus?
   
   
• The Board of Directors
1. What does the Board of Directors do?
   
2. Will members of the "Leadership Team" be appointed as board members of CouchSurfing International Inc.?
   
   
• Organizational Policies
1. Is CouchSurfing a corporation?  What is "CouchSurfing International Inc."? ^UPDATED
2. What type of organization is CouchSurfing?  How does it operate? ^UPDATED
3. Why will CouchSurfing never be sold? ^UPDATED
4. If CouchSurfing were ever to dissolve, why must all assets be given away to other charities? ^UPDATED
5. Will CouchSurfing post it's application for 501(c)(3) federal non-profit status? ^UPDATED
6. Where can CouchSurfing's legal non-profit bylaws be found? ^UPDATED
7. Why aren't there elections for CouchSurfing's Management?  Why not a flat-out democracy for the whole community? ^UPDATED
8. How are decisions made, and can I be a part of the decision making? ^UPDATED
   
   
• Tech Policies
1. Why isn't CouchSurfing's software open source?
   
2. How can developers own their own contributions (co-ownership)?
   
   
• Financial Policies
1. How much money is made from member contributions, and where's the money going?
   
2. Since CouchSurfing was founded, who has received financial benefit? ^UPDATED
3. Who is currently on the CouchSurfing payroll?
   
4. How much are the employees getting paid?
   
5. Are the Founders making millions of dollars on CouchSurfing?
6. What cost are the servers, and what other costs incurred by CouchSurfing?
   
7. Can I write off donations to CouchSurfing on my taxes?
   
8. How will does CouchSurfing intend to raise funds in the future? ^UPDATED
   
   
• Volunteering Policies
1. I am interested in volunteering for CouchSurfing, how can I get started?
   
2. I have tried to volunteer but I haven't found a good way to meaningfully get involved. What should I do?
   
3. Do I need to be an Ambassador to join an expert team and participate as a volunteer?
   
4. I want to write a news article about CouchSurfing, who should I talk with?
5. What is the "Employee and Volunteer Agreement?"
6. Who needs to sign the "Employee and Volunteer Agreement? ^UPDATED
7. Why is disclosing "trivial" information not permitted under the "Employee and Volunteer Agreement"?
8. Why are Expert Team Supervisors not always chosen by their team mates?
   
   
• Collectives Policies
1. Are Collectives a good use of CouchSurfing money?
   
2. How can I participate at a Collective?
   
3. Do I need to sign the "Employee and Volunteer Agreement" to participate at a Collective?
   
4. How can I host a CouchSurfing Mini-Collective?
   
   
• Member Privacy Policies
1. Do the people who have access to private member data have to sign a non-disclosure agreement? ^UPDATED
2. Who has access to member accounts and private user data? ^UPDATED
3. Who has the authority to read private member messages and in what situations does this happen? ^UPDATED
4. Does the Member Disputes & Safety Team have any policies about who may access information about private disputes or safety issues? ^UPDATED
5. When I leave a reference and fill out the anonymous trust level fields, how is that data used? ^UPDATED
   
   
• Getting More Answers to Your Questions

CouchSurfing's Mission & Values

1. Where did the mission come from?
   CouchSurfing began as the dream of a few friends who wanted to travel the world, meet interesting people and spread cultural understanding. It formed around a basic idea that the best way to see another place was with a local friend, the best way to have the world come to you was by hosting travelers and the best way to really understand and celebrate another culture is to experience it though human connection. So these friends, Casey, Seb, Dan and Leo began to build a network with that mission in mind. When the papers were filed to incorporate CouchSurfing, the official mission statement was:
   
   
   "CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding."
   
   
   In the summer of 2006 the first official CouchSurfing Collective was held in Montreal. The call to action was "Participate!"  Following the crash, the birth of CS 2.0 came with the tag line "Participate in creating a better world, one couch at a time," and an expansion of the mission to include:
   
   
   "As a community we strive to do our individual and collective parts to create world a better place, and we believe that the surfing of couches is a mean to accomplish this goal. CouchSurfing is not about the furniture, not just about finding free accommodations around the world; it's about making connections worldwide. We make the world a better place by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!"
   
   
   
2. What does CS 2.0 mean, and is this about software or the mission?
   The term CS 2.0 was coined at the Montreal Collective.  It referred to the post-crash rebirth of CouchSurfing.  The software changed a little, but the "revision" change from 1.0 to 2.0 referred to a new focus on member participation to build CouchSurfing and the creation of an organizational structure to support volunteers.  CouchSurfing developers use a separate number to refer to the current revision of the software.  CouchSurfing will continue to evolve in structure, but with the new logo we will return the name to CouchSurfing with no number appended.
   
   
3. Will CouchSurfing always be free to join and use?
   We have made a commitment that CouchSurfing will always be free to join and free to use.  It is very important that CouchSurfing has a sustainable revenue model to support the network's expenses (like the servers that actually run the site).  We encourage members to become verified to ensure a safer community, and we accept donations. Neither of these is required, but both help support CouchSurfing and the project's longevity.
   
   
4. Is there an official declaration of member rights? (updated)
   There is no official list of member rights, but here are some that come to mind: Members have the right to high quality service.  Members have the right to be treated respectfully by other members.  Members have the right to help CouchSurfing carry out its charitable mission.  Volunteers have the right to experience a positive and enriching work environment.
   
   
5. Does CouchSurfing censor anyone?
   CouchSurfing has never censored anyone. There have been times where we have had to stop individuals from posting information deemed private, for example specific information about CouchSurfing server security.  We also reserve the right to prevent members from sending spam messages and from harassing other members in accordance with our terms of service.
   
   
6. Why is "verification" important, and what extra services will verified members receive? (updated)
   Verification is an optional extra-service that makes the entire network safer.  Members may also choose to be verified as a service to the community.  Members who choose to become verified are also statistically more likely to be able to surf and host with the member of their choice and more likely to make in-person connections.  We will continue to help members be more aware of the option to get verified in order for them to get the most out of CouchSurfing and to make the network safer.  We also aim to continually reduce the cost of verification for the same reasons.
   
   
7. What is the vision for what CouchSurfing will be in 5, 10 or 20 years from now?
   In 20 years from now and beyond, CouchSurfing will continue to follow its mission to facilitate intercultural understanding and will continue to provide its core services allowing members to surf and host for free.  In addition, we have a vision for specific new functionality and new ways to build community and do charity around the world.  We'll update this answer as we finalize these announcements.
   
   
8. Has everything gone as the Founders expected that it would over the years?
   The Founders knew they had a great idea, but they could not have imagined the rapid success of CouchSurfing, and the profound and positive effect so many members have reported that CouchSurfing has had on their lives.  CouchSurfing has been a huge learning experience for the Founders, volunteers, and members alike.  Many things have not gone as planned and that will continue to be the case.  Therefore the Board of Directors and the Leadership Team are committed to making CouchSurfing adaptable and responsive to growth and change, while always staying true to the mission and core values.
   
   
9. How does CouchSurfing feel about the other networks such as Hospitality Club, Global Freeloaders, BeWelcome, etc.?
   We hope members will join every site they like. We consider these other sites allies in the mission of promoting inter-cultural understanding.  We wish them well and try to stay in regular communication with them.  We also feel strongly about our specific mission and believe that this does real good for the world.
   

What is the Leadership Team?

1. Who are the members of the Leadership Team and what does the Leadership Team do?
   The Leadership Team is comprised of trusted, dedicated volunteers who make strategic decisions for CouchSurfing and insure it's sustainability.  Our purpose first and foremost is to serve the mission of CouchSurfing. We are committed to excellent service to the community, effective and regular communication, a transparent decision-making process, quality operations management, and accountability to our mission and membership.
   
   Current Leadership Team members come from a range of perspectives, but each member has a long history of dedicated volunteering for CouchSurfing and a deep knowledge about some aspect of the organization and/or the environment in which it operates.  We're still making organizational changes needed to meet the commitments described above.  In time, Leadership Team members will each head up expert teams of volunteers who are entrusted to make tactical decisions for CouchSurfing.  They will also be evaluated by a peer review system like other volunteers. More information about the members of the team and the core values can be found in team profile.
   
   
2. Do Leadership Team members appoint themselves?
   No member of the Leadership Team may appoint herself or himself.  The current members were chosen by the former Admins through an ad-hoc process.  The former Admins were in turn chosen by CouchSurfing's Founders.  Future members of the Leadership Team will be selected unanimously by the current members.
   
   
3. How were the original Leadership Team members picked, and are they just a bunch of the Founder's friends?
   When Casey and co-founders Dan, Leo and Seb started CouchSurfing, the people they appointed as "Admins" were volunteers they trusted and knew would work hard for CouchSurfing. Admins were chosen for their dedication and ability, not because of their friendship. They eventually became close friends through working together on CouchSurfing. Later, after some of Admins retired, the group picked more team members by consensus decision.
   
   
4. How will new Leadership Team members be chosen? (updated)
   New Leadership Team members will be selected from the community by a consensus decision of the current Leadership Team.  New team members will be drawn from the pool of Expert Team supervisors and Global Ambassadors.  They will have demonstrated that they are genuinely driven by a cause larger than themselves, and their commitment to CouchSurfing's Mission.  New team members must meet some formal requirements as well.  They must have a personal evaluation by several current team members, be active surfers and/or hosts, maintain positive references, and be a volunteer or ambassador in good standing who has never committed a major policy or ethics violation. 
   
   
5. Why should Leadership Team members represent a balanced mix of cultures and genders? (updated)
   The current Leadership Team members do represent a mix inter-cultured and the team contains women and men.  We're seeking even greater diversity and balance, but we haven't yet found people willing to take on the required level of responsibility, and who have met the requirements for the team.  We would love to receive nominations for new candidates.
   
   
6. If new Leadership Team members have to be accepted unanimously, how will "critical" members ever get on to the team?
   One of the most important qualities for Leadership Team members is the ability to build consensus and to rally support for projects and goals.  CouchSurfing's organizational structure and peer review system will reward creativity and ensure that volunteers can offer constructive dissent.  If volunteers have controversial new ideas that support the mission of CouchSurfing, and demonstrate the ability to rally support for those ideas in a constructive and respectful manner, they will make excellent candidates for future members of the Leadership Team.
   
   
7. How does the Leadership Team avoid cronyism/favoritism, and what checks are in place? (updated)
   The current Leadership Team members have proven their ability and willingness to take on large responsibilities in a caring and professional manner.  There's no room for favoritism with CouchSurfing.  The success of the organization depends on the merits and great effort of every volunteer and employee.  If at some point a Leadership Team member can't or won't do their job professionally, that would be obvious to the entire team, and that person would be removed.  Additionally, the Board of Directors of CouchSurfing serve the function of evaluating the Leadership Team and making sure they are accountable to the organization's mission.
   
   
8. How many members can the Leadership Team have, and when can new members be accepted?
   At this time, the number of Leadership Team members is capped as 15 because larger numbers make consensus decision making difficult.  Fifteen also provides sufficient volunteer resources for the team.  New members to the team can be accepted when any of the current team members leave to pursue other goals.
   

1. What are the requirements for Leadership Team members? (updated)
   Active Leadership Team members are required to volunteer enough hours per week to perform their duties in a timely manner.  They are required to participate in team discussions, including attending weekly team meetings or reviewing the minutes of those meetings.  Leadership Team members must act as mentors to other volunteers within the organization, and may also be expert team supervisors.  Leadership Team members are under the supervision of the CouchSurfing Board of Directors, and they undertake a yearly peer review from the other team members.
   
   
2. What is the Code of Conduct for Leadership Team members? (updated)
   Leadership Team members are also CouchSurfing Ambassadors and therefore follow the same code of conduct as Ambassadors:
   
• I will promote CouchSurfing's stated mission and values.  
• I will be of service to members and the global community.
• I will uphold CouchSurfing's Terms of Use.
• I will be a model surfer and host, and maintain positive references by that means.    
• I will treat my fellow Ambassadors, and fellow members with equal respect.    
• I will communicate in a calm and compassionate tone.    
• I understand that if I violate this code of conduct, I may be asked to resign.
• I understand that if I don't perform my duties, I may be asked to resign.
  
  
3. Why do Leadership Team members have to be active surfers or hosts? (updated)
   Leadership Team Members, CouchSurfing employees, and all volunteers must be active surfers and hosts because they all need to understand how the CouchSurfing mission is carried out in order to do their jobs.  They need to understand the community and they need to carry out the mission themselves.  As time goes on and the organization becomes more structured, these rules and policies will be more formally defined.
   
   
4. How much work does the Leadership Team put in every day or week?
   We have all committed to a minimum of 10 hours per week, but truth be told, most of the Leadership Team members contribute much more than 10 hours. Some have put in more than 30-40 hours per week for several years.  Casey has put in upwards of 70-80 hours per week.  It depends on the person and the current workload.
   
   
5. How does CouchSurfing evaluate and ensure the accountability of Leadership Team members? (updated)
   The Board of Directors of CouchSurfing serve the function of evaluating the Leadership Team and making sure they are accountable to the organization's mission.  Additionally, all team members must undertake a yearly peer review from the other team members.
   
   
6. What will the Peer Review System entail?
   The peer review system is in the development stage.  It will consist of a number of questions about performance that will enable volunteers and team leaders to rate each other in a variety of categories.  The system will keep track of each volunteer's rating from multiple peers and how the rating changes over time.  The objective of the system is to allow volunteers to understand how they are doing, acknowledge and reward successes, and to discover what improvements need to be made.
   

1. Are Leadership Team members appointed for life?
   Leadership team appointments are not permanent.  Leadership Team members can be removed by the other team members or they may choose to leave to pursue other goals.  Prior to the establishment of the Leadership Team, the former website Admins were a dynamic, evolving group.  Some Admins have become Leadership Team members, while other have not.  Leadership is a large time and work commitment and we anticipate that members will come and go over time.
   
   
2. How can Leadership Team members be removed? (updated)
   Leadership Team members are required to participate actively.  When a team member is unable to perform their duties, it will be obvious.  Because most members are volunteers with full-time jobs and living in several time-zones, we can't set a hard number of the number of calls a team member may skip.  However, obvious non-participation would result in removal.
   
   
3. Who will determine what constitutes a "Policy violation" that excludes candidacy?
   Policy violation refers to the website terms and conditions all members agree to and the Ambassador code of ethics.  These violations are determined by the member disputes team and the core Ambassador team, respectively.

1. How does the Leadership Team make consensus decisions?
   The Leadership Team uses a formal decision making process including conference calls to achieve consensus.  When team members can't attend a meeting, they have an opportunity within the allotted time period to review any minutes and documents or to catch up via phone and email.  In this way, team members always have the opportunity to participate in the consensus process.  This removes the necessity for surrogate or alternate team members.
   
   Decisions are made at the lowest possible level in the expert teams.  That means that each team makes decisions for itself unless a decision needs to be made by the Leadership Team.  Each expert team chooses it's own process for making decisions, whether it be consensus, rough consensus, majority rule, direct-democratic, representative-democratic supervisor led consensus (the team supervisor makes decisions based on a perception of what the team is asking for), or some other method. The Leadership Team makes decisions by consensus.
   
   
2. How does the Leadership Team take member opinion into account when making decisions? (updated)
   We greatly appreciate and listen to input from all members.  We receive input from many sources, but mostly rely on volunteers and ambassadors who actively gather input from their local community.  We intend to enhance this feedback system by engaging a dedicated member communications team supervisor.  We also occasionally conduct polls of the entire membership to see how it feels about certain issues.  We will continually gather Quality of Service information to understand how CouchSurfing is doing as an organization over time. 
   
   We place highest value on the opinions of our hard-working volunteers and ambassadors because, as a whole, they best understand the organization and the pulse of the community.  Our expert team supervisors present the needs and concerns of the expert team to the Leadership Team, and expert teams make many of their own decisions.  Direct participation in the decision making for CouchSurfing is accessible to anyone who can take on the responsibility of joining an expert team as a volunteer or becoming an ambassador.  Anyone can apply to become an ambassador and join the expert teams.  And anyone can eventually join the Leadership Team.
   
   
3. How do I voice my opinion to the appropriate representative in the Leadership Team? (updated)
   If you are a volunteer member of an expert team, bring your question to your expert team supervisor. If it's a policy related question, post it using the form at the bottom of this page and we will do our best to answer in a timely manner. You can also post a question to the contact us page.   Volunteers will forward your question to the Leadership Team.
   
   
4. How often will the Leadership Team have meetings?
   We will continue to have weekly conference calls that will last from two to three hours.   We also all participate in extensive conversations via email throughout the week.
   
   
5. Why aren't the Leadership Team meeting agendas published?
   The meeting agenda often includes uncensored brainstorming, safety concerns, and other topics not appropriate for all members to read.  Unfortunately, we don't currently have the volunteer resources to handle editing and publishing of meeting agendas on a consistent basis.  In general, the meeting agenda covers reports from each department about the progress of their current tasks.
   
   
6. Why aren't meeting minutes published?
   Similar to the meeting agenda, the meeting minutes often include uncensored brainstorming, safety concerns, and other topics not appropriate for all members to read.  Unfortunately, we don't currently have the volunteer resources to handle editing and publishing of meeting minutes on a consistent basis.  However, we strive to communicate key decisions that will have an impending impact on the community as soon as they are made.
   
   
7. What happens if a team member misses a meeting?  Are there any surrogate team members?
   The Leadership Team uses a formal decision making process including conference calls to achieve consensus.  When team members can't attend a meeting, they have an opportunity within the allotted time period to review any minutes and documents or to catch up via phone and email.  In this way, team members always have the opportunity to participate in the consensus process.  This removes the necessity for surrogate or alternate team members.
   

1. What happens if a Leadership Team member gets hit by a bus?
   We are establishing contingency plans for all members of the Leadership Team and other key staff members.  Our current plans ensure that the website will continue to operate even if key staff members were unreachable.
   

The Board of Directors?

1. What does the Board of Directors do?
   The day to day tasks of running the CouchSurfing organization are managed by the Leadership Team, and the Board of Directors exercises a supervisory role.  The Board of Directors considers long term planning for CouchSurfing and oversees Leadership Team.
   
   
2. Will members of the "Leadership Team" be appointed as board members of CouchSurfing International Inc.?
   The Leadership Team is where new members of the Board will come from most often. In considering other potential members of the board, people with good connections and a track record of supporting philanthropic causes could offer a lot to the community and mission.
   
   

Organizational Policies

1. Is CouchSurfing a corporation?  What is "CouchSurfing International Inc."? (updated)
   CouchSurfing was originally founded as a "non-profit corporation" in the state of New Hampshire, and its legal name is CouchSurfing International Inc.  When many people hear the words "corporation" or "inc.", they think of companies whose only goal is to make profit for shareholders.  But CouchSurfing is a "non-profit corporation", which means that our legal purpose is exclusively charitable, and that we are legally prohibited from profit making.  Because CouchSurfing's founders intended from the beginning to eventually acquire federal non-profit status (501(C)3), they chose a legal status which imposed almost identical rules on the organization as 501(C)3 status does.  What this means is that CouchSurfing exists for the charitable purpose described by our mission statement, not for the purpose of making any founder or stockholder rich.  Our charitable purpose is not only is the vision and intention of the Founders, Board of Directors, and Leadership Team, but it is also a legal requirement.
   
   
2. What type of organization is CouchSurfing?  How does it operate? (updated)
   CouchSurfing is a charitable non-profit organization with a defined mission to promote intercultural understanding.  The Board of Directors, Leadership Team, volunteers and ambassadors, and all CouchSurfing members all work together to achieve this mission by surfing and hosting.  We seek to become a sustainable non-profit that achieves its short-term objectives and long-term mission.  Going forward, our plan is to encourage members to do more to carry out the mission beyond surfing and hosting, and we will strive to give members more tools and more opportunities to do so.
   
   The way CouchSurfing operates internally has evolved since it was founded in 2003.  In the early years of its existence, CouchSurfing could be run by just a handful of people.  Co-Founder, Casey Fenton, was able to perform most of the technical and administrative tasks for the entire website.  He also had help from a handful of volunteer website "admins".  But as the community grew, it began to require more attention than Casey and this small team could give.  Casey then invited members to help him handle some of the technical and administrative tasks.  CouchSurfing experiment with the "do-ocracy" model, which essentially invited everyone who wanted to help to just jump in and start doing whatever they felt needed to be done.  This approach worked great in kick starting some of the tasks that needed doing, but isn't an efficient long-term approach to running an organization.  While many positive things came out of the exercise, the model also caused a great deal of confusion for all volunteers.  Many times, volunteer efforts were duplicated, multiple people claimed authority over the same department, and great ideas were lost because no one was keeping track of them. 
   
   As CouchSurfing continued to grow and an ever faster pace, it became obvious that more structure was needed.  After careful consideration by the founders and the most dedicated volunteers, CouchSurfing adopted an internal structure based on the management model used by many other charitable non-profit organizations.  In 2007, two additional full-time paid employees were hired to handle CouchSurfing's growing needs.  Most members have been extremely supportive of this change to a more proven management structure, but some would prefer the more experimental do-ocracy approach.  CouchSurfing will continue to evolve over time, and in doing so it will become more organized.  That said, let's remember that all of CouchSurfing's volunteers and employees are community members and surfers and hosts themselves.  No one wants the organization to adopt a rigid structure that would strangle the creativity, excitement, and adventure that our mission requires.  We will strive to create just enough structure to provide a foundation on which to stand firmly and to provide for long-term sustainability and growth.  But we will also ensure this structure doesn't become stifling and that CouchSurfing is always a fun opportunity for all volunteers to express their ideas.
   
   
3. Why will CouchSurfing never be sold? (updated)
   CouchSurfing cannot and will never be sold.  When the corporate entity CouchSurfing International, Inc. was created in 2003, it was created as a New Hampshire non-profit company.  The formation documents filed with the State of New Hampshire legally organized the company exclusively for charitable purposes.  CouchSurfing has been set up from the beginning to eventually become a tax-exempt 501(c)3 federal non-profit organization.  This process is lengthy and costly and it must be done correctly to maximize the chances of receiving this important status.  Even though CouchSurfing is not yet a federal non-profit, our current legal status prohibits any activities not permitted by the 501(c)3 federal income tax section of the IRS Code or by an organization whose contributions are deductible under section 170(c)2 of the IRS Code.  This means that our existing non-profit status, and the federal non-profit status we intend to acquire specifically prohibit CouchSurfing from being sold.  Additionally, CouchSurfing's founders have never had any interest in the idea of "selling" such a beautiful community.  In fact, several for-profit corporations have offered to buy CouchSurfing over the years.  They were immediately told that CouchSurfing is a non-profit corporation that cannot be sold.
   
   
4. If CouchSurfing were ever to dissolve, why must all assets be given away to other charities? (updated)
   New Hampshire law already stipulates that all NH non-profit corporations must irrevocably dedicate all assets to non-profit purposes.  This is one of the important statements that the founders made when forming CouchSurfing as a charitable non-profit organization.  There is no way around this legal requirement, and this fact will not change if CouchSurfing becomes a federal non-profit.  If CouchSurfing were to ever dissolve, everything it owns would have to be donated to other charities that qualify under 501(c)3 law.
   
   
5. Will CouchSurfing post its application for 501(c)(3) federal non-profit status? (updated)
   In November of 2007 we filed our application for 501(c)(3) federal non-profit status.  We continue to publish all the final documents that we are required to post.
   
   
6. Where can CouchSurfing's legal non-profit bylaws be found? (updated)
   When we have 501c3 status, our bylaws will be public as required by law.  No pun intended :)
   
   
7. Why aren't there elections for CouchSurfing's Management?  Why not a flat-out democracy for the whole community? (updated)
   CouchSurfing is not a political organization and goes to great lengths to keep politics and ideology out.  The introduction of politics can have many consequences and is something to be considered very carefully.  Community-wide democracy for the day to day decisions that need to be made is simply not feasible at this time.  In the future there may be opportunities to carefully experiment with elections of some kind.  Currently, we're following the model of most non-profits by having a board of directors and a small team of officers who have demonstrated an understanding of and experience with the complex issues facing the organization.  This team chooses qualified departmental supervisors who have large latitude and responsibility for making decisions. 
   
   This structure gives us greater stability and agility than a political body.  The Leadership Team does not desire "ultimate control".  On the contrary, they are actively seeking new volunteer team supervisors who can make the commitment and take on the responsibility required to make decisions on their own.  These decisions will be based on input from the supervisor's team mates and the community at large.  All members of the organization's management will undergo peer review to ensure that the most talented, hard working contributors are navigating the organization's path to achieve our mission.  Additionally, we will continue to seek the input of all members by utilizing polls and through direct communication.
   
   
8. How are decisions made, and can I be a part of the decision making? (updated)
   Decisions are made at the lowest possible level in the expert teams.  That means that each team makes decisions for itself unless a decision needs to be made by the Leadership Team.  Each expert team chooses it's own process for making decisions, whether it be consensus, rough consensus, majority rule, direct-democratic, representative-democratic supervisor led consensus (the team supervisor makes decisions based on a perception of what the team is asking for), or some other method. The Leadership Team makes decisions by consensus.
   
   Participation in the decision making for CouchSurfing is easy and accessible.  Anyone can pose questions and ideas to the Leadership Team or to expert teams. Anyone can apply to become an ambassador and join expert teams, or eventually join the Leadership Team. When you participate in the CouchSurfing organization, you become a part of the decision making process for the team in which you are participating. The expert team's supervisors present the needs and concerns of the expert team to the Leadership Team.
   

Tech Policies

1. Why isn't CouchSurfing's software open source?
   For a detailed answer to that question, please see CouchSurfing's Stance on Proprietary Source Code.
   
2. How can developers own their own contributions (co-ownership)?
   This will be possible by using the CouchSurfing Application Programming Interface.  The API will make it possible for anyone to create applications that safely communicate with our website and database without needed to work with the source code itself.

Financial Policies

1. How much money is made from member contributions, and where's the money going?
   The figures have finally been released and are available on the operating expenses page!  We apologize for the long delay.  As with most delays in CouchSurfing, it was due to lack of human resources.  Preparing the financial data has been a massive project they we have finally completed with the help of a professional bookkeeper and an accountant.
   
   
2. Since CouchSurfing was founded, who has received financial benefit? (updated)
   Beginning in 2005, CouchSurfing has had only one employee, co-founder Casey Fenton.  In 2007 two more employees were added.  Over the years CouchSurfing has paid contract help at various times whenever professional service was needed (e.g. legal work, bookkeeping, programming, etc.) and when volunteer help was not available for that service.  Sometimes paid professionals are necessary to guarantee timely results.  For instance, we have paid lawyers to perform some legal work or prepare forms.  Unlike for-profit companies, as a non-profit that follows New Hampshire state and Federal law, CouchSurfing employees and contractors cannot be paid more than the fair market rate for their services.  This legal requirement ensures that no one in the organization can use CouchSurfing as a way to "get rich" off of member contributions.  It also helps ensure that all member contributions are only used to achieve our charitable mission.
   
   
3. Who is currently on the CouchSurfing payroll? (updated)
   Casey Fenton, starting midway through 2005.  Jim Stone and Mattthew Brauer starting in the summer of 2007.  Their roles are Volunteer Coordinator and General Manger, respectively.  Casey has now taken on the role of CIO and Tech Team Coordinator.  No one else is on the payroll.  A new developer may be contracted full-time in November or December of 2007.
   
   
4. How much are the employees getting paid?
   CouchSurfing's full-time paid employees receive a very modest salary that is far less than comparable positions at other non-profit organizations.  For full details, please see our operating expenses.  Unlike for-profit companies, as a non-profit that follows New Hampshire state and Federal law, CouchSurfing employees and contractors cannot be paid more than the fair market rate for their services.  This legal requirement ensures that no one in the organization can use CouchSurfing as a way to "get rich" off of member contributions.
   
   
5. Are the Founders making millions of dollars on CouchSurfing?
   Not even close!  Of the founders, only Casey Fenton receives compensation for his role as full-time CIO and Tech Team Supervisor, not for his role as founder.  Please see our operating expenses for full historical details.
   
   
6. What cost are the servers, and what other costs incurred by CouchSurfing?
   It's all detailed in our operating expenses.  As you'll see, we have many expenses to pay in order to keep the community thriving.
   
   
7. Can I write off donations to CouchSurfing on my taxes?
   Not yet, but soon!  We will soon complete our application for federal non-profit status 501c3.  When we are 501c3 non-profit, certain donations will be tax-deductible.  We'll keep you posted.
   
   
8. How will does CouchSurfing intend to raise funds in the future? (updated)
   We expect to continue to raise the majority of our funds through member contributions. We hope to supplement these funds with grants.  We will always maintain our commitment to keeping membership free of charge as that is the best way to serve our charitable mission.
   

Volunteering policies

1. I am interested in volunteering for CouchSurfing, how can I get started?
   Please fill out our volunteer application.  You may also apply to become an Ambassador.
   
   
2. I have tried to volunteer but I haven't found a good way to meaningfully get involved. What should I do?
   We recognize this problem and apologize to everyone who has been effected by it.  Our limited human resources have limited our ability to help volunteers get involved.  But fixing this problem is one of our biggest priorities.  The hiring of a full-time Volunteer Coordinator will soon allow us to allow everyone who wants to help to find the appropriate place within the organization.  Please apply to become a volunteer or Ambassador.
   
   
3. Do I need to be an Ambassador to join an expert team and participate as a volunteer?
   No.  Ambassadors are special kind of expert team.  Like all expert teams, Ambassadors have specific tasks.  Please join the expert team with the tasks that best fit your talents and passions. 
   
   
4. I want to write a news article about CouchSurfing, who should I talk with?
   Please send a message through the contact us page.  A volunteer will direct your question to the appropriate CouchSurfing representative.
   
   
5. What is the "Employee and Volunteer Agreement?"
   The Employee and Volunteer Agreement (formerly known as the non-disclosure agreement) is a legal document designed to protect private member data, protect CouchSurfing source code and content, and protect CouchSurfing from lawsuits.  The original version was both incomplete in some ways, and overly protective in other ways.  A second agreement has been in the works for a very long time.  Some volunteers have justifiably complained about the slow pace.  Volunteers have also disagreed with each other about the appropriate balance between protecting CouchSurfing the organization and proving freedom to CouchSurfing volunteers.  Unfortunately, because of the disagreements and the need for input from lawyers after each revision, the new agreement is still unfinished.  However, it's moving forward again and a new agreement should be ready by August.
   
   
6. Who needs to sign the "Employee and Volunteer Agreement? (updated)
   Any volunteer with access to specific member data, confidential information from third parties, or access to website code will be required to sign the Employee and Volunteer Agreement.  In some cases, volunteers who contribute content to CouchSurfing will also have to sign the agreement.
   
   
7. Why is disclosing "trivial" information not permitted under the "Employee and Volunteer Agreement"?
   Different people have differing opinions about what is "trivial".  The Employee and Volunteer Agreement does not bar sharing any specific information (such as the server operating system), but it does bar sharing of any technical information not publicly available.  If technical information is deemed "trivial" by most volunteers or if there is a safe and compelling reason for releasing technical information, then the Leadership Team can determine to make it public.
   
   
8. Why are Expert Team Supervisors not always chosen by their team mates?
   Expert team supervisors are selected from their team by the Leadership Team when they have demonstrated outstanding performance within that team including team building and leadership qualities.  We will strive to ensure that expert team supervisors have the full support of all of their team members.  However, sometimes team members will disagree with one another.  Similar to most non-profits, we feel that the best practice is for the most experienced staff members to make decisions about promotions.

Collectives Policies

1. Are Collectives a good use of CouchSurfing money?
   CouchSurfing is committed to spending money wisely, and we will continue to hold Collectives only if they continue to be a wise use of our limited funds.  The four Collectives held so far in Montreal, Eisenstadt, Nelson, and Rotterdam have all been very different in length, size, purpose, and amount of money spent.  We've learned a great deal about handling the complex logistics Collectives require.  So far some aspects of each Collective went over budget while other aspect were under budget.  Altogether, Collectives have been a very good "return on investment" compared to spending the same amount of money to pay people.  More importantly though,  Collectives have been invaluable for motivating our membership, rescuing CouchSurfing after the website crash of 2006, training new volunteers, and for helping CouchSurfing discover the best strategies for working with volunteers and with future employees.  
2. How can I participate at a Collective?
   If you would propose a Collective and are able to participate in a significant way, please use the contact us page to share your ideas with us.  Any future Collectives will be focused on specific objectives, will require volunteers with specific skills, and will require an application process.  Decisions about proposals for Collectives will be made by the Leadership Team.  We'll make announcements about what skills we need and how to apply.  Anyone may attend one of the many CouchSurfing gatherings taking place around the world.  Gatherings are a great way to travel, meet other CouchSurfers, volunteer for CouchSurfing, and have fun.
3. Do I need to sign the "Employee and Volunteer Agreement" to participate at a Collective?
   The answer depends on what information and tasks volunteers will handle at future Collectives.  Any job role that requires access to specific member data, website code, or other sensitive information will need to sign the Employee and Volunteer Agreement.
   
4. How can I host a CouchSurfing Mini-Collective?
   Mini-Collectives will be approached in the same way as full Collectives.  If you would propose a Collective and are able to participate in a significant way, please use the contact us page to share your ideas with us.  Any future Collectives will be focused on specific objectives, will require volunteers with specific skills, and will require an application process.  Decisions about proposals for Collectives will be made by the Leadership Team.  We'll make announcements about what skills we need and how to apply.  Anyone may attend one of the many CouchSurfing gatherings taking place around the world.  Gatherings are a great way to travel, meet other CouchSurfers, volunteer for CouchSurfing, and have fun.

Member Privacy Policies

1. Do the people who have access to private member data have to sign a non-disclosure agreement? (updated)
   Any employee or volunteer who has access to sensitive or private data must sign CouchSurfing's Employee and Volunteer Agreement, which contains a non-disclosure clause.  All current members of the Leadership team and the Member Disputes & Safety team have signed this agreement.  The non-disclosure clause prohibits anyone from sharing private member data with anyone outside the organization (except when required by law), and prohibits them from sharing it with other volunteers or employees except when required to perform their job function.
   
   
2. Who has access to member accounts and private user data? (updated)
   Only Leadership Team, Member Disputes & Safety Team, and the Server Admin Teams have access to private member information.  Access to this data is strictly logged and regularly monitored.  Special tools that allow these teams to access member data are rarely used and reserved for extreme emergencies, usually only by the Member Disputes & Safety Team.  Additionally, the Server Administration Team can access member information at a low level.  These team members have been carefully selected for their trustworthiness and have all signed the Employee and Volunteer Agreement, which legally binds them to treat member information with the utmost confidentiality and confidence.  We take the security and confidentiality of member information very seriously.
   
   
3. Who has the authority to read private member messages and in what situations does this happen? (updated)
   Only Leadership Team and Member Disputes & Safety Team members have the ability to see other members' private messages.  It's a rarely used function reserved for extreme emergencies and is strictly logged.  Such emergency situations include finding location and contact information for a member in trouble, and providing evidence of member harassment in rare cases.  Any inappropriate use of this functionality is not tolerated.
   
   
4. Does the Member Disputes & Safety Team have any policies about who may access information about private disputes or safety issues? (updated)
   The team has strict and well defined policies regarding who can handle which types of cases.  These policies are designed to protect the confidentiality of private information and to ensure that only experienced and qualified volunteers handle each case.
   
   
5. When I leave a reference and fill out the anonymous trust level fields, how is that data used? (updated)
   Trust metrics are used to see on aggregate (and anonymously) how much members feel they know and trust each other.  This information helps us understand how well we are achieving our mission.  We don't yet run regular reports, but we aim to perform more analysis of this data when we have increased volunteer resources.  You can be assured that this anonymous data is not shared with the member who has received the reference.

Getting More Answers to Your Questions

Questions submitted below will be reviewed by the Leadership Team, and this document will be updated with the new questions and answers. Please note that the Leadership team will take every question seriously, and take time to answer them thoroughly. You might even pose a question that the Leadership Team never thought of. Therefore, please be patient. New information will be added to the FAQ as soon as the Leadership Team can write them.

The Leadership Team desires provide as much information about CouchSurfing policies as possible. But inevitably, some questions posed here will be unanswerable. For example, "What are the root server passwords?" obviously cannot be answered because the answer would make private member data insecure. It may also be possible that the Leadership Team doesn't know the answer, or hasn't decided on an answer themselves. In this case, the answer will be provided as soon as possible.