Why This Page Exists
Trust is the only currency an archive and news platform really has. When people share their family photographs, their community's history, or their hard-earned money with us, they deserve to know exactly where that trust is going.
This page explains, in plain terms, how Hazara Network is funded; how we handle any money that passes through the platform—whether to support our own operations or through campaigns we feature; and what checks exist to keep that process honest. We'd rather over-explain this than leave anyone guessing.
1. What This Policy Covers
Money touches our platform in two distinct ways, and we treat them differently:
1. Funding our own operations—the costs of running Hazara Network itself (hosting, editorial work, archival preservation, development), which may come from donations, grants, sponsorships, or other sources we disclose below.
2. Third-party fundraising campaigns we feature — humanitarian appeals, educational initiatives, or community causes that we highlight in our community section but do not directly collect or manage funds for, unless explicitly stated on that specific campaign page.
This distinction matters, and we've built this policy to be transparent about both.
2. How We Fund Hazara Network
We believe a platform asking for public trust should be upfront about its own finances, not just the causes it promotes. Our operating costs are covered through some combination of the following, updated as our funding sources evolve:
• Reader and community donations, made directly to support the platform's operations (archiving, hosting, editorial work);
• Grants from cultural, educational, or heritage-focused organizations, where applicable;
• Sponsorships or partnerships, disclosed clearly wherever they appear on the site, so sponsored content is never mistaken for independent editorial coverage;
• Volunteer contributions of time and expertise, which, while not monetary, are a real form of support we value and try to publicly credit.
We do not accept funding arrangements that would require us to alter historical facts, suppress legitimate community stories, or favor a funder's narrative over accuracy. If a funding relationship poses that risk, we decline it.
3. If You Donate Directly to Hazara Network
Where we accept donations to support our own operations (as opposed to a featured third-party campaign—see Section 5), the following applies:
• Use of funds. Donations support core activities: maintaining and securing the archive, editorial and research work, translation, community outreach, and platform development. We aim to publish a general breakdown of how funds were allocated in our periodic transparency reporting (Section 6).
• No guaranteed earmarking, unless a specific campaign explicitly states funds are restricted to a particular project—in which case we honor that restriction and report on it separately.
• Refunds. Donations are generally non-refundable once processed, except where required by law or where a clear processing error occurred, in which case contact us promptly (Section 9).
• Payment processing. Transactions are handled through reputable third-party payment processors. We do not store your full payment card details on our servers.
4. Financial Reporting and Audits
Transparency isn't a one-time statement—it's an ongoing practice. Here's what we commit to:
• Periodic transparency reports. We aim to publish a summary of income and expenditures on a regular basis (for example, annually), showing broad categories of funding sources and spending, so readers can see the shape of our finances without needing to be accountants.
• Independent review. As Hazara Network grows, we are committed to having our finances reviewed or audited by an independent, qualified accountant or auditing firm, with the scope and frequency of that review scaled appropriately to our size and the volume of funds we handle. Where a formal independent audit has been completed, a summary of the findings will be made available on this page or linked from it.
• Recognized standards. Where we prepare financial statements, we aim to follow generally accepted accounting principles applicable in our jurisdiction of registration (such as GAAP or IFRS, as appropriate), rather than an internally invented format, so the numbers mean the same thing to any reader who understands basic accounting.
• Record-keeping. We maintain financial records for the period required by applicable law and good governance practice and can respond to legitimate inquiries about specific transactions where appropriate and lawful to do so.
5. Featured Third-Party Fundraising Campaigns
When we highlight a humanitarian, educational, or community fundraising campaign that is run by another organization or individual:
• We are a platform, not the fundraiser. Funds go directly to the third-party campaign or organization, not through Hazara Network's accounts, unless a specific page states otherwise.
• Our vetting process. Before featuring a campaign, we make a reasonable effort to confirm the organizer's identity, the stated purpose of the campaign, and — where possible — some public track record or verifiable affiliation. This is a good-faith screening process, not a financial audit of the third party, and we say so clearly wherever a campaign is featured.
• What we can't guarantee. We cannot verify how a third party ultimately spends donated funds after they leave their platform, and we are not liable for the conduct of campaigns we feature, as also stated in our Terms and Conditions.
• Reporting concerns. If you have direct knowledge or credible evidence that a campaign we've featured is fraudulent or misrepresented, please tell us immediately (Section 9). We take these reports seriously and will remove or flag a campaign while we investigate.
6. Annual Transparency Reporting
We intend to publish a plain-language annual (or periodic) transparency update covering:
• Total funds received, broken down by general source (donations, grants, sponsorships);
• General categories of expenditure (archiving and hosting, editorial and research, community programs, administrative costs);
• Any independent audit or financial review completed during the period, and a link to its summary;
• Notable changes to our funding model or governance during the period.
Where our scale does not yet justify a full formal audit, we will still publish an honest, itemized summary rather than staying silent—a smaller organization being transparent about modest finances builds more trust than a polished report that overstates its own rigor.
7. Governance and Oversight
Financial integrity depends on more than good intentions — it depends on structure. As the Hazara Network matures, we are committed to the following:
• Establishing clear internal approval processes for spending, so no single individual has unchecked control over funds;
• Disclosing any conflicts of interest where a person involved in financial decisions has a personal or financial stake in a funding source or vendor;
• Separating editorial decisions from funding relationships, so no donor, sponsor, or partner influences what stories we publish or how we present historical material.
8. What We Are — and Are Not
To avoid any confusion:
• Hazara Network operates as an editorial and archival platform. Unless a specific page states otherwise, we are not a registered charity or nonprofit organization, and donations to support our operations may not be tax-deductible in your jurisdiction.
• If and when Hazara Network obtains formal nonprofit, charitable, or NGO registration in a given country, that status, registration number, and any applicable tax-deductibility information will be clearly stated on this page and updated promptly if it changes.
• Featured third-party campaigns may have their own separate charitable status, which you should verify directly with that organization before donating if tax-deductibility matters to you.
9. Questions, Concerns, or Reports
If you have a question about our finances, want to report a concern about a featured campaign, or would like to request a copy of our latest transparency report, contact us at the following:
Hazara Network Email: admin@hazaranetwork.org
We aim to respond to legitimate financial inquiries within a reasonable timeframe, and we treat good-faith reports of financial concerns—including from anonymous sources—with the seriousness they deserve.
10. Updates to This Policy
We will update this page as our funding model, registration status, or governance structure evolves, and we'll note the date of the most recent update at the top of this page. We'd rather revise this policy often and keep it accurate than leave an outdated version standing.