Terms and Conditions

1. Acceptance of these terms

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Masonic Lodge Digital Platform (the "Platform"), comprising the member web portal, the public website, and the companion mobile application, operated on behalf of Wexford Lodge ("the Lodge", "we", "us", "our") using software provided by ATH SOLUTIONS (PTY) LTD. By creating an account, logging in, or otherwise using the Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

2. Description of the service

The Platform provides membership administration, event scheduling and RSVP, attendance and minutes recording, financial administration (dues, invoices, a member credit wallet, raffles, and bar tabs), internal communications, and public-facing content for the Lodge. Not every feature is available to every user - access is determined by your role within the Lodge (member, officer, or administrator), as described in the Platform itself.

3. Eligibility and registration

The member portal and mobile application are intended for members, officers, and administrators of participating lodges. Self-registration creates a pending account that must be reviewed and activated by the Lodge secretary before you can sign in - submitting a registration does not itself grant you access or membership. The public website and its enquiry and facility-hire forms may be used by any visitor.

4. Your account and its security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify your Lodge secretary immediately if you suspect unauthorised access to your account. Where multi-factor authentication is enabled on an account, you are responsible for keeping the second factor secure.

5. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose, or in a way that infringes the rights of the Lodge or any other member.
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to another member's account, another lodge's data, or any part of the Platform you are not authorised to use.
• Disclose welfare information, financial records, or other confidential Lodge business you access through the Platform to anyone not entitled to see it.
• Upload or transmit malicious code, or attempt to disrupt, overload, or probe the Platform's security.
• Use automated means to scrape or extract data from the Platform without our prior written consent.
• Impersonate another person or misrepresent your affiliation with the Lodge.

6. Fees, dues, and financial transactions

Dues, levies, raffle purchases, and credit-wallet transactions recorded on the Platform reflect the Lodge's own financial records. The Platform does not currently process online card or bank payments directly - payment is arranged with the Lodge treasurer outside the Platform and reconciled against your account. You remain responsible for settling any amounts properly due to the Lodge in accordance with its own by-laws and governing body's requirements.

7. Content and intellectual property

The Platform's software, design, and underlying technology are owned by, or licensed to, ATH SOLUTIONS (PTY) LTD and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws. The Lodge's own content published through the Platform (its name, insignia, public-website content, and Lodge-specific records) remains the property of the Lodge. Nothing in these Terms transfers ownership of either party's intellectual property to the other.

8. Content you submit

Where the Platform lets you or your Lodge officers submit content - public website pages, circulars and notices, event descriptions, profile information - you (or the Lodge, where an officer is acting in that capacity) remain responsible for that content and confirm you have the right to submit it. We may remove content that violates these Terms or applicable law.

9. Third-party services

The Platform may integrate with third-party services a treasurer chooses to connect, such as accounting software (e.g. Xero, Sage, or QuickBooks). Your use of any such third-party service is governed by that provider's own terms, and we are not responsible for the availability, accuracy, or conduct of third-party services.

10. Privacy and data protection

Our collection and use of your personal information is described in our Privacy Policy, which covers your rights under the GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and POPIA where those laws apply to you, and forms part of these Terms.

11. Suspension and termination

Lodge officers may suspend or terminate a member's access to the Platform in accordance with the Lodge's own by-laws and governing body's requirements, including where these Terms have been breached. You may stop using the Platform at any time; note that this does not, by itself, end your Masonic membership, which is governed separately by the Lodge's own rules.

12. Disclaimers

The Platform is provided "as is" and "as available". While we take reasonable steps to keep it accurate, secure, and available, we do not warrant that it will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of defects, and we are not responsible for decisions made in reliance on information recorded on the Platform that later proves to be inaccurate or out of date.

13. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, neither the Lodge nor ATH Solutions will be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of, or inability to use, the Platform. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited, such as liability for death, personal injury, or fraud.

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold the Lodge and ATH Solutions harmless from any claim or demand arising out of your breach of these Terms or your misuse of the Platform.

15. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, and any dispute arising from them will be subject to the jurisdiction of the South African courts, without prejudice to any statutory rights you may have as a consumer or data subject in your own country of residence (including under the GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, or POPIA, as applicable). [Lodge: replace this section if your lodge operates outside South Africa or your legal counsel advises a different governing law.]

16. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page when we do, and, for material changes, we will take reasonable steps to notify members directly. Continued use of the Platform after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

17. Contact us

For questions about these Terms, contact your Lodge secretary through the Platform, or reach the Lodge directly using the details on our Contact page. For questions about the Platform's technology, contact info@ath.solutions.