Welcome to the APA Marketplace! By Advocates, For Advocates.

CONTENT MODERATION POLICY

ADVOCATES PAYING ADVOCATES MARKETPLACE

CONTENT MODERATION POLICY

Last Updated: February 2026

INTRODUCTION

At Advocates Paying Advocates Marketplace, operated by Dawson Visionary Enterprises, LLC ("DVE," "we," "us," or "our"), we are committed to maintaining a safe, high-quality, and trustworthy platform for our advocacy community. This Content Moderation Policy outlines our approach to reviewing, monitoring, and enforcing quality and safety standards for all products listed on the Marketplace.

This policy applies to all Sellers who list products on the Advocates Paying Advocates Marketplace and covers the review process for new products, ongoing monitoring, response to complaints, and our appeals process.

OUR COMMITMENT TO QUALITY

We are dedicated to ensuring that the Advocates Paying Advocates Marketplace serves as a trusted resource for advocacy professionals. Our content moderation efforts focus on:

  • Protecting intellectual property rights
  • Ensuring accuracy and quality of products
  • Maintaining a respectful and professional community
  • Preventing misleading or harmful content
  • Fostering an inclusive environment that serves diverse advocacy needs

OUR VALUES

At Dawson Visionary Enterprises and the Advocates Paying Advocates Marketplace, we are committed to creating a platform that honors the full humanity of every person in our community. All are welcome here. These values guide our content moderation practices and inform how we review products on the Marketplace.

Honoring Culture, Diverse Communities, and Racial/Ethnic Identity

We celebrate and uplift the rich diversity of racial and ethnic communities. Products that honor cultural traditions, share culturally-specific knowledge, and center the experiences of Black, African, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native, Middle Eastern, and other communities of color are welcome and valued on our platform. We recognize that racial and ethnic-specific approaches to advocacy work are essential, not optional. We recognize that racially and ethnically specific communities have the right to determine how their cultural knowledge, language, traditions, healing, stories, and practices are shared and represented.

Respecting and Honoring Lived Experiences

We deeply value products created from lived experience. Survivors, advocates, and community members who share their authentic stories, insights, and wisdom contribute irreplaceable perspectives to our marketplace. Lived experience is an incredibly valuable expertise. We honor the courage it takes to transform personal experience into resources that help others. We recognize that survivors have the right to determine how their experience, knowledge, healing, and stories are shared and represented.

Honoring Indigenous Sovereignty

We respect the sovereignty of Indigenous peoples, tribal nations, tribal communities, tribal leaders, and tribal lands. Products that center Indigenous knowledge systems, honor tribal governance and self-determination, and uplift Native voices are welcomed. We recognize that Indigenous communities have the right to determine how their cultural knowledge, language, traditions, healing, stories, and practices are shared and represented.

Respecting Geographic Diversity

We honor and welcome the knowledge and experiences of advocates from all geographic contexts. Advocates in rural communities, remote areas, tribal lands, Alaska, the Pacific Islands, and other regions face unique challenges in accessing and providing services. The ways of getting help, accessing resources, and supporting survivors differ significantly based on geography—and so do the creative solutions communities have developed. We value products that reflect these diverse realities and recognize that what works in urban centers may not work everywhere. Geographic diversity brings essential perspectives to the movement, and we welcome that knowing in our marketplace.

Affirming Gender Identity and Expression

We affirm and celebrate all gender identities and expressions. Products that respect chosen names, pronouns, and gender nonconformity are expected on our platform. We welcome resources that support transgender, nonbinary, genderqueer, Two-Spirit, and gender-expansive individuals and communities. Creators are encouraged to use gender-inclusive language in their products.

Celebrating Love and Relationships

We celebrate people's choices about whom they love, regardless of gender identity or sex assigned at birth. Products that affirm and support LGBTQIA+ individuals, families, and relationships are welcomed and valued. Our marketplace is a space where resources for and by queer communities belong.

Respecting Faith, Spiritual Practice, and Personal Belief

We respect the importance that faith, religion, and spiritual practice hold for individuals and communities. Products that draw on religious traditions, honor spiritual practices, and support people of faith in their advocacy work are welcome. We recognize that for many advocates, faith is central to their work and their lives. We equally respect and welcome those who do not hold religious or spiritual beliefs. All are valued here.

Honoring Neurodiversity and Different Abilities

We celebrate neurodiversity and honor people of all abilities. Products that center the experiences and expertise of disabled individuals, support accessibility, and recognize the full contributions of neurodiverse community members are welcomed. We value resources created by and for people with different abilities, and we encourage creators to consider accessibility in their product design.

Celebrating Creative Expression and Art

We honor different modalities of creative expression and art as powerful tools for healing, education, and social change. Products that use visual arts, music, poetry, storytelling, performance, digital media, and other creative forms to support advocacy work are valued on our platform. Art and creativity are essential to the movement, and we celebrate the many ways people share knowledge and inspire action.

Supporting Violence Prevention and Accountability

We honor people striving to prevent violence, including those who engage people who have caused harm in relationships. For decades, survivors have asked the movement to do more to stop violence and engage those who have caused harm and want to change through accountability models and programs. Products that support batterer intervention, accountability processes, restorative practices, and prevention work are welcome on our platform. This work is essential to ending violence.

Honoring Different Ways of Knowing

We recognize and honor different ways of knowing. Knowledge comes from many sources, and we value them all:

  • Lived experience - the wisdom of those who have walked the path
  • Advocacy experience - knowledge gained through direct service and support
  • Activist experience - insights from organizing and movement building
  • Vicarious experience - understanding developed through bearing witness
  • Cultural experience - traditions and practices passed through generations
  • Research experience - systematic inquiry and evidence gathering
  • Practice-based experience - knowledge refined through years of doing the work
  • Educational experience - formal learning and professional development
  • Agency experience - understanding systems from within organizations
  • Community experience - collective wisdom of neighborhoods and networks
  • Global experience - perspectives from across borders and nations
  • Occupied territory experience - knowledge from communities under occupation
  • Youth experience - the insights and innovation of young people
  • LGBTQIA+ experience - wisdom from queer and trans communities
  • Geographic experience - wisdom from rural, remote, island, and underserved communities
  • Faith experience - spiritual knowledge and religious traditions
  • Different ability experience - expertise from disabled and neurodiverse communities

The CDC and other bodies have developed models that honor different levels of evidence, including both evidence-based and practice-based approaches. We embrace this understanding. There are individuals and communities with hundreds and thousands of years of practice-based experience, and we honor all of that wisdom. There are different ways of learning, sharing, and uplifting knowledge—and all of them have a place here.

Understanding Context in Content Review

When reviewing products for compliance with our policies, we recognize that context matters. Our moderation team considers the intended audience, the educational purpose, and the creator's intent when evaluating content. A product discussing difficult topics for educational purposes is different from content that promotes harm.

However, context does not excuse content that:

  • Encourages discrimination against any group
  • Contains threats or promotes violence
  • Includes pornography or sexual exploitation
  • Uses coercion or intimidation
  • Violates our prohibited content policies

ADVOCACY AND SOCIAL CHANGE

We affirm that advocacy for social justice and social change is valuable, necessary work. Products on our Marketplace may:

  • Educate about systems of oppression and pathways to change
  • Uplift and honor the lived experiences of survivors and marginalized communities
  • Promote constructive engagement and positive action
  • Support people surviving violence, trauma, and abuse
  • Advocate for policy change and community transformation
  • Challenge harmful systems while modeling respectful dialogue
  • Engage those who have caused harm in accountability and change

This is not controversial content—this is the heart of advocacy work, and it is welcome here.

WHAT WE DO NOT SUPPORT

While we honor diverse identities, communities, perspectives, and ways of knowing, we do not support content that encourages discrimination, hatred, exclusion, or the devaluing of any group or person.

The following have no place here:

  • Racism
  • Sexism
  • Homophobia
  • Transphobia
  • Ageism
  • Ableism
  • Elitism
  • Religious exclusion
  • Labor exploitation
  • Labor trafficking
  • Indentured servitude
  • Enslavement
  • Poverty shaming
  • Shaming of unhoused people
  • Any other form of oppression

We also do not support content that:

  • Promotes or encourages violence against individuals, communities, agencies, countries, or pets
  • Promotes or encourages labor exploitation, labor trafficking, indentured servitude, human trafficking, and enslavement
  • Includes pornography, sexual exploitation, or sexually explicit material
  • Uses coercion, manipulation, or intimidation
  • Harasses, bullies, or demeans individuals or communities
  • Violates the intellectual property rights of others
  • Misrepresents credentials, experience, or product contents

These prohibitions apply regardless of the identity or community affiliation of the creator or target.

HOW TO THRIVE IN OUR MARKETPLACE

The APA Marketplace is a space for uplifting and celebrating all survivors and advocates by valuing the human experience, human rights, and human dignity. Here's what thrives here:

Create content that:

  • Affirms, uplifts, and celebrates others
  • Honors the beautiful ways of living, knowing, advocating, surviving, speaking, and being
  • Leaves people informed and with their dignity intact
  • Models kindness, civility, and respectful engagement
  • Shares knowledge generously and authentically
  • Supports healing, growth, and transformation
  • Strengthens individuals, families, and communities
  • Builds capacity and expands possibilities
  • Centers hope, resilience, and joy alongside the hard truths
  • Reflects your authentic expertise and lived wisdom

Engage with others by:

  • Assuming good intent
  • Offering encouragement and constructive support
  • Celebrating the wins of fellow creators
  • Sharing resources and connections freely
  • Building each other up

Remember:

  • Your knowledge matters
  • Your experience is valuable
  • Your voice belongs here
  • Your success helps the whole community thrive

This is a marketplace built on the belief that supported advocates sustain the movement. When you succeed, we all succeed. Create boldly, share generously, and know that you belong here.

REVIEW PROCESS FOR NEW PRODUCTS

Initial Review

All products submitted to the Marketplace undergo an initial review process. This review may include:

  • Automated screening for prohibited content and intellectual property violations
  • Manual review by our moderation team for compliance with our policies
  • Verification that product descriptions accurately represent the product contents
  • Assessment of overall quality and value for the advocacy community

Review Timeline

We strive to review all new product submissions within 2-5 business days. During periods of high submission volume, this timeline may be extended. Sellers will be notified of the review outcome via email.

Review Outcomes

Products submitted for review will receive one of three outcomes:

Approved: The product meets our standards and will be published to the Marketplace and made available for purchase.

Changes Requested: The product requires modifications before approval. Sellers will receive specific feedback on what changes are needed and may resubmit the product after making the requested revisions.

Disapproved: The product violates our Content Moderation Policy, Intellectual Property Policy, or other marketplace policies. The product will not be published, and the Seller will receive notification citing the specific policy violation.

ONGOING MONITORING

Content moderation does not end after a product is published. We continuously monitor the Marketplace through:

  • Regular audits of existing products to ensure continued compliance
  • Review of buyer feedback and complaints
  • Investigation of intellectual property claims
  • Monitoring of Seller behavior and patterns
  • Community reporting of potential policy violations

REPORTING POLICY VIOLATIONS

We encourage our community members to report products or Seller behavior that may violate our policies. Reports can be submitted through:

  • The Support Ticket system on each product page
  • Email to: support@advocatespayingadvocates.com
  • Our Intellectual Property infringement process (see our Intellectual Property Policy for details)

What to Include in a Report

When reporting a policy violation, please include:

  • A clear description of the issue or violation
  • The specific product(s) or Seller involved (including URLs if possible)
  • Any relevant evidence or documentation
  • Your contact information for follow-up (if you wish to be contacted)

All reports are treated confidentially and reviewed promptly by our moderation team.

ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS

When a policy violation is confirmed, we may take one or more of the following enforcement actions, depending on the severity and frequency of the violation:

Product-Level Actions

Warning: Seller is notified of the violation and given an opportunity to correct the issue

Product Removal: The violating product is immediately removed from the Marketplace

Suspension of Product: Product is temporarily hidden from the Marketplace pending review or correction

Account-Level Actions

Account Warning: Formal notice of policy violation with potential consequences for future violations

Temporary Suspension: Seller's account is suspended for a specific period (typically 7-30 days)

Permanent Account Closure: For severe or repeated violations, a Seller's account may be permanently closed

Ban from Platform: In extreme cases, a Seller may be permanently banned from creating new accounts

Factors Considered in Enforcement

When determining the appropriate enforcement action, we consider:

  • The severity of the violation
  • Whether the violation was intentional or unintentional
  • The Seller's history of compliance
  • The potential harm to buyers or the community
  • The Seller's response and cooperation during the review process

APPEALS PROCESS

Sellers who believe that an enforcement action was made in error or wish to contest a decision may submit an appeal. We are committed to fair and transparent moderation practices and will review all appeals carefully.

How to Submit an Appeal

To appeal an enforcement action:

  • Submit your appeal within 30 days of the enforcement action
  • Send your appeal to: support@advocatespayingadvocates.com with "Appeal" in the subject line
  • Include your account information and a clear description of the enforcement action you are appealing
  • Provide any evidence or explanation supporting your position that the action was taken in error

Appeal Review Process

Upon receiving an appeal:

  • We will acknowledge receipt of your appeal within 2 business days
  • A member of our team (different from the original reviewer when possible) will review the appeal and all relevant information
  • We will provide a decision on your appeal within 7-10 business days
  • You will receive a detailed explanation of our decision via email

Appeal Outcomes

Possible outcomes of an appeal:

Appeal Granted: The enforcement action is reversed, and the product or account is reinstated

Partial Relief: The enforcement action is modified (e.g., suspension reduced to warning)

Appeal Denied: The original enforcement action is upheld

Additional Action Required: You may be given an opportunity to correct the issue and resubmit the product

The decision on an appeal is final and may not be appealed further. However, Sellers are welcome to submit new products that comply with our policies.

RELATED POLICIES

This Content Moderation Policy works in conjunction with the following APA Marketplace policies:

By creating a Creator account on the APA Marketplace, you agree to comply with all applicable policies.

POLICY UPDATES

We may update this Content Moderation Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or community needs. When we make significant changes:

  • We will notify Sellers via email and through the Marketplace
  • The updated policy will be posted on our website with a new "Last Updated" date
  • Sellers will have a reasonable period to review and comply with any new requirements

Continued use of the Marketplace after policy updates constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

DISCLAIMER

While we work diligently to moderate content on the Marketplace, we cannot guarantee that we will identify or remove all content that violates our policies. The sheer volume of products and the evolving nature of acceptable content make perfect moderation impossible. We rely on our community to help us maintain a safe and high-quality marketplace.

Dawson Visionary Enterprises, LLC reserves the right to make final determinations about what content violates our policies and what enforcement actions are appropriate. These decisions are made in good faith and in the best interests of the Marketplace community.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For questions about this Content Moderation Policy or to report policy violations:

General Support: support@advocatespayingadvocates.com

Appeals: support@advocatespayingadvocates.com (Subject: Appeal)

IP Claims: support@dawsonvisionaryenterprisesllc.com

Mailing Address:
Dawson Visionary Enterprises, LLC
Attn: Marketplace Moderation Team
10770 Columbia Pike #300
Silver Spring, MD 20901

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Thank you for helping us maintain a safe, high-quality Marketplace
that serves the advocacy community with integrity.

All are welcome here.