Terms and conditions

1. About these terms

These terms and conditions ("Terms") govern the use of the Alumnis website and platform, operated by alumnis.co.za ("Alumnis", "we", "us").

By using this website or the platform, you agree to these Terms. If a school signs a separate subscription agreement or order form with us, that agreement applies together with these Terms. If they conflict, the signed agreement takes precedence.

2. Definitions

• School means the educational institution that subscribes to Alumnis.
• Authorised user means a staff member or volunteer the School gives access to the platform.
• Alum means a past pupil of the School who creates or claims a profile.
• School data means all information the School or its alumni load onto the platform.
• Subscription period means the 12-month period for which the School has paid.

3. Subscriptions and payment

• Alumnis is offered to schools on an annual subscription. The subscription fee is payable in full, upfront, before the subscription period begins.
• Fees are as set out in the School's quote or order form and are quoted in South African rand and are inclusive of VAT.
• Invoices are payable within 20 calendar days of the invoice date by electronic funds transfer.
• We may suspend access if an invoice remains unpaid after we have given written notice and at least 14 days to pay.
• We will give at least 60 days' written notice of any fee change, which will apply only from the next subscription period.
• Alumni never pay to create or use a profile.

4. Renewal and cancellation

• Subscriptions renew for a further 12 months at the end of each subscription period. We will send a renewal reminder and invoice at least 60 calendar days before renewal.
• A School may cancel renewal by giving written notice before the end of the current subscription period.
• Because fees are paid upfront for a full year, fees already paid are not refundable for early cancellation, except where the law requires a refund or where we have materially breached these Terms and not fixed the breach within 30 days of written notice.
• Where the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 applies to a School's agreement, the School retains any cancellation rights that Act gives it.

5. Pilot programmes

A pilot subscription covers a limited number of alumni or one matric year, as stated in the School's order form. At the end of a pilot, the School may upgrade to a full subscription or end the arrangement. Pilots automatically renew 12 months after the pilot start date. We may provide an additional one calendar month cancellation grace period, on request.

6. What we provide

• We will provide the platform with reasonable skill and care, and aim to keep it available at all times, except for scheduled maintenance, which we will try to carry out outside school hours.
• We provide setup assistance, including importing the School's existing alumni lists in a format we agree.
• We provide support by email during office hours (Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00 SAST, excluding public holidays).
• We process School data only as set out in our privacy policy and the School's instructions.

7. The School's responsibilities

• Ensure it has a lawful basis under POPIA for any personal information it loads onto the platform, and obtain any consents required.
• Keep login details confidential and make sure authorised users follow these Terms.
• Remove access for authorised users who leave or no longer need it.
• Use the platform only for legitimate alumni relations purposes.

8. Acceptable use

Nobody using Alumnis may:

• Upload unlawful, defamatory, abusive or offensive content.
• Send unsolicited commercial messages (spam) to alumni.
• Collect or harvest other users' personal information for any purpose outside the School's alumni relations.
• Try to gain unauthorised access to the platform or interfere with its operation.
• Copy, resell or reverse-engineer the platform.

We may suspend or remove accounts that breach these rules.

9. Data ownership and export

• The School owns all School data. We claim no ownership of it.
• The School may export its alumni data at any time during the subscription period.
• When a subscription ends, the School may request an export within 30 days. After 90 days we permanently delete School data, except where the law requires us to keep it.

10. Intellectual property

Alumnis, its software, design, logos and content belong to us or our licensors. A subscription gives the School a non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the platform during the subscription period. The School's name, crest and content remain the School's property, and the School gives us permission to display them within its Alumnis account.

11. Liability

• To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, including loss of profits, data or goodwill.
• Our total liability to a School in any subscription period is limited to the fees the School paid for that period.
• Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, including under the Consumer Protection Act where it applies.

12. Use of this website

We try to keep the information on this website accurate and current, but it is provided for general information and may change without notice. Links to third-party websites are provided for convenience; we are not responsible for their content.

As required by section 43 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002, our business details are set out in the contact section below.

13. Disputes and governing law

• These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
• If a dispute arises, both parties will first try to resolve it in good faith through discussion between senior representatives within 20 business days.
• If it is not resolved, either party may refer it to the courts of South Africa. The parties consent to the jurisdiction of the Gauteng Division of the High Court, Johannesburg, or a magistrate's court with jurisdiction.

14. General

• We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify School clients of material changes by email at least 30 days before they take effect.
• If any part of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the rest remains in force.
• Failure to enforce a right is not a waiver of that right.
• Notices must be given in writing, by email to the addresses the parties have on record.

15. Contact details

• alumnis.co.za
• Sandton, Johannesburg, Gauteng
• hello@alumnis.co.za