Our Raleigh — Stories that bring Raleigh together.

Unpaid contributor agreement

Version: OR-CONTRIBUTOR-2026-09-24-v1

1. What you are choosing

Our Raleigh is a local publication. This application is for an optional, unpaid community-submission program, not a job application or an offer of employment, an internship, or a paid assignment. You choose whether, when and what to submit. There are no required hours, shifts, quotas or ongoing service obligations. You may stop making future submissions at any time.

2. No promised compensation

No fee, wages, royalties, advertising revenue share, benefits or expense reimbursement is promised for material voluntarily submitted through this unpaid program. A separate paid assignment requires a separate written agreement before the work begins. Do not undertake requested paid work in reliance on this form. This agreement does not cancel any separate payment agreement or any right that the law does not allow you to waive.

3. No ownership or authority in Our Raleigh

Submitting work, receiving a byline or profile, or being described as a contributor or recognized contributor does not give you ownership, equity, partnership, membership, a share of profits, editorial control, employee benefits or authority to act for or bind Our Raleigh. You may accurately identify your published contributions, but may not represent yourself as staff or an authorized spokesperson without separate written authorization.

4. Your work and publication permission

You keep any copyright you own in your original work. For material you choose to submit for publication under this program, you give Our Raleigh a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free permission to review, edit for clarity and format, publish, display, distribute and archive it, and to use excerpts or previews to promote that contribution on Our Raleigh’s site, email and social channels. This permission is not a transfer of copyright or permission to sell your work as a standalone product. You may publish your own work elsewhere.

5. Publication standards and editorial review

Every submission must meet Our Raleigh’s editorial standards and submission requirements: a clear Raleigh connection, factual accuracy, adequate context and sources for factual claims, original or properly licensed material, required permissions and credits, respectful and lawful content, and disclosure of sponsorships or conflicts. Material must not include plagiarism, hate speech, harassment, private information shared without permission, or disguised advertising. The editor may require corrections, further evidence or format changes before considering publication. Signing this agreement, acceptance as a contributor and submission of content never guarantee publication. Only submit material you own or are authorized to share. Identify sources, obtain necessary permissions for images, video and identifiable people where required, and disclose sponsorships, business interests and other relevant conflicts. Do not knowingly submit false, defamatory, confidential or unlawfully obtained material. Our Raleigh may ask for verification, edit, decline or remove a submission. No publication, audience size, profile or recognition is guaranteed.

6. Stopping and requesting changes

You can stop future contributions without a penalty. Before publication, contact Our Raleigh to withdraw a pending submission. After publication, you may request a correction or removal; previously published material and reasonable archives may remain unless removal is required by law or separately agreed. Contact https://ourraleigh.com/contact with the relevant story or record reference.

7. Your legal rights and actual relationship

These terms describe an independent choice to submit community content. Labels and signatures alone do not determine employment status. Nothing here waives minimum-wage, overtime, employment, privacy, copyright or other rights that cannot lawfully be waived, or prevents you from raising a legal concern. Any arrangement involving directed or ongoing work must be considered separately under applicable law.

8. Signing authority and electronic records

You confirm that you are at least 18, are signing for yourself, and, if applying for an organization, have authority to act for it. Review all sections before signing. By checking the acknowledgments, typing your full name and selecting “Sign agreement & send application,” you intend that typed name to be your electronic signature on this version. Our Raleigh accepts this electronic signing method. This signature does not mean your application has been accepted.

9. Getting a copy and choosing another method

You need a browser that can display this page and save or print an HTML document. You can download these terms before signing and your signed copy after submitting. The signed copy is also retained in the private admin record. To request another copy, correct your contact information, report a signing error or ask to use a non-electronic method, contact https://ourraleigh.com/contact. You may decline electronic signing or withdraw consent for future electronic transactions by contacting us; that does not alter an already-created record.

10. What is recorded

Our Raleigh keeps your application, contact details, typed signature, acknowledgments, agreement version and full text, server-recorded date and time, a hashed request address, and integrity hashes for recordkeeping, application review and legal purposes. The record is private to authorized administrators and service providers as described in the Privacy policy. It is not a public contributor profile. No fixed automatic deletion period is promised; applicable law and legitimate recordkeeping needs govern retention.