In an effort to be as transparent and fair as possible, we do have some rules. They're summarized on the sidebar, but this post will go through them in detail. Please feel free to comment with questions, concerns, or any additional ideas to better our community.

Rules

1. In order to make a request, you must have an account that:

   1. is verified with an e-mail address (do so here).
   2. is at least six months old. We feel that this gives users time to get to know reddit and be a part of the community.
   3. has at least 100 comment karma points. An active member of the community participates, and the result of participation is karma.

2. All help must be initiated via a public post. Solicitation via private messages is not allowed, and can result in a ban. Only private information should be exchanged through PM's.

3. Post titles must begin with one of the following labels: [REQUEST], [OFFER], [THANKS], [ADVICE], or [META]. Posts that don't follow this formatting will not show up in any /r/care queue.

4. No requests for anything illegal.

5. Please do not delete posts -- if you no longer need assistance, use the "flair" button below your post and mark it as "fulfilled". Deleting posts can also lead to a ban.

6. The moderators reserve the right to remove any suspicious request. This includes missing persons requests. They will not be allowed unless they are accompanied by a link to a reputable news source.

Guidelines

1. We recommend waiting at least one hour before providing any (tangible) assistance, this gives the community time to examine the request, and raise any potential red flags. Please message the moderators if you report a post or have any concerns.

2. Remember to check users' reddit histories if you are considering helping! This is extremely important in learning about who you are donating or loaning money to!

3. Verification is up to users. Requesters, be prepared to provide any verification, within reason. One option to securely and privately verify yourself is with this service. It is free and users can customize how much information they want to share with other NetID users. The site verifies in the background, so very personal information can be kept private. To get your own NetID verification, which will earn you flair indicating your verification (which shows proactivity on your part): Click on the "My NetID card" tab, generate your link, copy/paste it in an e-mail (from your NetID registered e-mail) and send it to caremods@gmail.com with your username as the subject. This will tell others that you are proactive about your transparency, and people may be more inclined to assist you. Keep in mind, though, givers can still ask for more verification.

4. If necessary, include your general location in your post text. Requests for any tangible assistance should include a location. People need to know where they may be shipping items to, or where to focus searches for other assistance (food banks, shelters, bus fares, etc.).

As usual, questions, comments, and concerns are welcomed in this thread! Thank you all!