Keymakers Community Guidelines

Version 1 · Approved by Maria Otero, November 5, 2026

Every woman who has built a business remembers what helped her: a conversation, a warning, an introduction, a door someone held open. The Keymakers Community Circle exists so that knowledge doesn’t disappear. What one member learned the hard way becomes a key for the next.

That only works in a room where people feel safe enough to be honest. These guidelines describe that room. They apply everywhere Keymakers members gather: the Circle, the Resource Library, the Business Showcase, online conversations and in-person events.

How we treat one another

Share generously. Bring what you know, including what didn’t work. The most useful answers are often the honest ones.

Disagree with ideas, never with people. Members come from different industries, backgrounds and stages of business. Question a plan if you see a risk; respect the person who made it. Harassment, discrimination, threats or personal attacks have no place here, in any form.

Assume good intent, and ask before you assume. A short question usually clears up what a long reply would only complicate.

What stays in the room

Keep confidences. What a member shares about her business, her finances or her life stays in the Circle unless she says otherwise. Don’t copy, screenshot or repost another member’s words, and don’t share anyone’s confidential information, inside the Circle or outside it.

Share your own story, not someone else’s. If your key involves another person, tell it in a way that respects their privacy.

Publication is always a separate conversation. Posting in the Circle does not give Women’s Venture Fund permission to publish your words, name, photo or recording. WVF asks first, every time.

Business, not selling

Talk about your business when it helps. Describe what you do in your Business Showcase profile, and when it genuinely answers someone’s question.

Don’t solicit. No unsolicited pitches, repeated promotion, mass messages or recruiting into other programs or sales networks.

Introductions go through WVF. Members connect through “Request an introduction” in the Business Showcase, and Women’s Venture Fund staff arrange each introduction with both members’ consent. Don’t share another member’s contact details without her permission.

Advice and promises

Advice is shared experience. Answers in the Circle are members sharing what worked for them. They are not legal, financial, tax or other professional advice. For decisions that depend on your situation, talk to a qualified professional.

Make no promises you can’t keep. Don’t promise financing, introductions, customers or outcomes. Don’t offer an introduction in exchange for a fee, commission or favor. Key Guides, Connectors and Partners follow the same rule.

Lending is separate. Taking part in Keymakers has no bearing on any Women’s Venture Fund lending decision.

Asking the Circle

Every question receives a first response within two business days, from a member, a Key Guide or a designated moderator. The Circle is not monitored on weekends or holidays. If something is urgent, the Circle is not the right place; contact the people or services who can help you directly.

Conversations and events

Places. Women’s Venture Fund may reserve a block of places for a particular event when appropriate. All other places are offered first come, first served among eligible members. No badge receives priority registration unless that benefit is expressly part of its membership, as with Key Shapers’ early access to discounted Gathering registration.

Attendance. A conversation counts toward an allowance when the member attends. Cancelling at least 24 hours before the start does not count; a no-show does. When an event is full, waitlisted members are offered open places in the order they joined the waitlist. Watching a recording never counts. Partner-supported forums are regular conversations and count the same way.

Recordings. Some conversations are recorded for the Resource Library. You’ll be told before a recording starts. Don’t record a conversation yourself.

Partners in the Circle

Partners help open doors; they don’t sell to members. A Partner taking part in a conversation shares knowledge and connections under the same rules as everyone else. Women’s Venture Fund chooses the questions and approves every expert.

When something isn’t right

Report it. Use the report option on any post, or write to keymaker@wvf-ny.org. Reports are handled privately.

How we respond. Women’s Venture Fund moderates the Circle and may remove any post or limit access at its discretion to protect the community. Designated moderators review reported posts within two business days. Content that breaks these guidelines is removed, and the member who posted it may be contacted. Women’s Venture Fund may suspend Circle access or end a membership for repeated or serious violations. Memberships that are suspended or ended are not refunded.

If your post was removed and you believe it was a mistake, write to keymaker@wvf-ny.org. A member of the team will review it.

Keeping these guidelines current

Women’s Venture Fund may update these guidelines as the community grows. Members will be told about any significant change before it takes effect.

Questions? Write to the Keymakers team at keymaker@wvf-ny.org.