Power Communities, LLC / LKNConnect.com
Effective Date: __________________________
LKNConnect is a visibility-centered community media platform designed to connect local professionals, businesses, organizations, and community voices with audiences throughout the Lake Norman region.
Contributors are an important part of that mission.
LKNConnect provides Contributors with a professional platform through which their expertise, knowledge, stories, programs, articles, videos, interviews, and other content can be organized, presented, published, promoted, and distributed to the community.
This Agreement establishes the relationship between LKNConnect and its Contributors and defines the responsibilities, intellectual property rights, visibility services, sponsorship opportunities, compensation provisions, and expectations associated with participation in the LKNConnect Contributor Program.
The guiding principle is simple:
The Contributor provides expertise and content.
LKNConnect provides the platform, organization, professional presentation, promotion, audience access, and distribution.
Both have value.
Participation as an LKNConnect Contributor is a professional visibility relationship.
Depending upon the Contributor’s role, the Contributor may provide:
LKNConnect organizes and distributes this content through its media and promotional network.
Contributor participation does not mean that LKNConnect is simply receiving free content.
LKNConnect invests professional services, technology, staff time, creative resources, publishing infrastructure, audience access, brand exposure, and promotional distribution into the Contributor and their program.
Depending upon the Contributor and program, LKNConnect may provide some or all of the following:
These services require professional resources and have commercial value.
LKNConnect charges a fee for its content organization, publishing, visibility, promotional, and distribution services.
The applicable fee may vary according to the program, publication frequency, production requirements, distribution level, sponsorship arrangements, and other services provided.
LKNConnect recognizes that new Contributor programs require time to establish an audience, demonstrate value, develop consistency, and attract potential sponsors.
Therefore, approved Contributors may receive an initial six-month LKNConnect Visibility Investment Period.
During this period, LKNConnect absorbs the applicable visibility/service fee while investing its resources in developing and promoting the Contributor and their program.
The six-month period should not be interpreted as permanently free service.
It represents a deliberate investment by LKNConnect in establishing the Contributor’s visibility and determining whether the program can become sustainable.
Upon implementation of this Agreement, existing Contributors who have previously received LKNConnect services without charge may be provided a new six-month transition period beginning on the effective date of their signed Agreement.
This provides existing Contributors with the same opportunity to transition into the standard LKNConnect financial model.
At approximately the end of the first 90 days, LKNConnect and the Contributor will review the program.
The review may include:
The purpose of the 90-day review is not simply to determine whether the program continues.
It is also intended to identify what should occur during Months 4–6 to strengthen the program and move it toward financial sustainability.
Following the 90-day review, sponsorship and financial sustainability become specific objectives of the Contributor relationship.
During Months 4–6, LKNConnect, its sales representatives, and the Contributor may work to identify appropriate sponsors for the program.
Contributors are encouraged to introduce businesses, professionals, and organizations that may benefit from association with their content and the LKNConnect audience.
All sponsorship agreements, pricing, packages, placement, terms, production commitments, and final acceptance of sponsors remain subject to LKNConnect approval.
At the conclusion of the six-month Visibility Investment Period, the Contributor program transitions to the standard LKNConnect financial model.
Beginning with Month 7, continued participation requires one of the following:
A. Approved sponsorship revenue sufficient to support the program;
OR
B. Payment of the applicable LKNConnect visibility/service fee by the Contributor or another approved party.
The purpose is not to require every Contributor personally to obtain a sponsor.
The requirement is that the program becomes financially supported.
LKNConnect may, at its sole discretion, extend an investment period when a program demonstrates exceptional strategic value or when a qualified sponsorship opportunity is substantially committed but has not yet been completed.
Such an extension is an LKNConnect business decision and does not create an entitlement to continued fee-free service.
For approved sponsorship revenue actually collected by LKNConnect for a Contributor-hosted program, the standard revenue allocation is:
The active Host receives 20% of qualifying sponsorship revenue actually collected for their program as compensation for hosting and participating in the ongoing production of the program.
The individual who originates and closes the approved sponsorship receives a 20% residual sales commission on qualifying sponsorship revenue actually collected.
LKNConnect retains 60% of qualifying sponsorship revenue.
LKNConnect’s portion supports the infrastructure necessary to organize, produce, edit, publish, distribute, administer, promote, and maintain the program.
This may include:
If the Host personally originates and closes an approved sponsorship for their program, the Host may qualify for both forms of compensation:
20% Host Compensation
plus
20% Sales Commission
for a total potential allocation of 40% of qualifying sponsorship revenue actually collected.
LKNConnect retains its standard 60% allocation.
The 20% sales commission is residual.
It continues while both of the following conditions remain in effect:
If the Sponsor terminates the sponsorship, the residual commission ends.
If the Sales Representative leaves LKNConnect, voluntarily or otherwise, all future residual commissions are forfeited effective upon termination of the Sales Representative’s relationship with LKNConnect.
Any future amount that otherwise would have been payable as a sales commission is retained by LKNConnect.
The Host’s 20% sponsorship compensation continues only while the Host remains actively affiliated with LKNConnect and continues hosting the applicable program.
If the Host leaves LKNConnect or ceases hosting the program, future Host compensation ends.
The former Host has no continuing financial interest in sponsorship revenue subsequently collected for the program unless a separate written agreement specifically provides otherwise.
If the Sponsor ends its sponsorship, Host compensation associated with that sponsorship ends with the final qualifying payment collected by LKNConnect.
Host compensation and sales commissions are calculated on qualifying sponsorship revenue actually received and collected by LKNConnect.
Compensation is not calculated on amounts merely:
LKNConnect is responsible for collecting sponsorship revenue and maintaining appropriate records of payments and compensation.
All sponsorship agreements are entered into between the Sponsor and LKNConnect/Power Communities, LLC.
A Contributor, Host, or Sales Representative may introduce, develop, or assist with a sponsorship opportunity but may not independently bind LKNConnect to sponsorship pricing, services, production commitments, terms, discounts, or contractual obligations without authorization.
The Sponsor does not acquire ownership or control of the Contributor’s content or LKNConnect’s editorial platform through sponsorship.
Detailed Sponsor terms are governed separately under the LKNConnect Sponsorship Agreement & Program Terms.
The Contributor agrees to:
Contributor responsibilities may vary according to the particular program.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the Contributor retains ownership of original intellectual property they create and submit to LKNConnect.
Providing content to LKNConnect does not transfer ownership of the underlying intellectual property to LKNConnect.
By submitting or approving content for publication, however, the Contributor grants LKNConnect a non-exclusive license during the Contributor relationship to use the approved content for agreed LKNConnect publishing and promotional purposes.
This includes permission to:
LKNConnect will not knowingly alter the fundamental meaning or professional position of the Contributor’s original work without appropriate consultation.
A Contributor may authorize LKNConnect to republish appropriate evergreen or previously published material.
The Contributor represents that they own the material or possess sufficient rights to authorize its use.
During the Contributor relationship, LKNConnect may research, organize, prepare, format, publish, and promote approved evergreen content.
The purpose of this activity is not simply to acquire content for LKNConnect.
It is part of LKNConnect’s visibility strategy for keeping the Contributor’s expertise and professional presence in front of the community.
Materials independently created by LKNConnect remain the property of LKNConnect/Power Communities, LLC unless otherwise agreed in writing.
These may include:
Contributor ownership of their original content does not automatically convey ownership of materials independently created by LKNConnect to organize, package, publish, or promote that content.
LKNConnect retains editorial and operational control over its:
LKNConnect may determine when and where Contributor content appears, how frequently it is promoted, which channels are used, and whether particular content meets current editorial, community, legal, or brand standards.
LKNConnect does not guarantee any specific number of views, impressions, clicks, leads, customers, sales, or other business results.
Either LKNConnect or the Contributor may end the Contributor relationship by providing written notice.
Upon termination, LKNConnect will discontinue future active publication and promotion of the Contributor’s intellectual property within a reasonable administrative period.
If a Contributor specifically withdraws permission for LKNConnect to use their intellectual property, LKNConnect will honor that withdrawal with respect to future use of the affected material.
The parties may separately determine in writing whether previously published Contributor material remains publicly available in the LKNConnect archive following termination.
LKNConnect may retain internal administrative records, analytics, accounting information, production records, and other documentation reasonably necessary for legitimate business purposes.
Termination of the Contributor relationship also terminates future Host compensation as described in this Agreement.
Participation as an LKNConnect Contributor does not, by itself, create an employer-employee relationship, partnership, joint venture, ownership interest, or entitlement to wages or salary.
Any Host compensation or sponsorship commission described in this Agreement is governed by the specific terms of this Agreement and applicable LKNConnect compensation policies.
Nothing in this Agreement gives a Contributor authority to legally bind LKNConnect or Power Communities, LLC unless such authority has been separately granted in writing.
LKNConnect is a community-centered organization.
Contributors are expected to conduct themselves professionally and in a manner consistent with LKNConnect’s community mission, editorial standards, business interests, and brand reputation.
LKNConnect reserves the right to suspend or discontinue a Contributor relationship when continued association is determined to be inconsistent with those standards or interests.
The LKNConnect Contributor relationship is intended to create mutual value.
The Contributor brings expertise, knowledge, personality, credibility, and content.
LKNConnect brings its audience, brand, editorial resources, creative resources, publishing infrastructure, promotional capabilities, technology, and distribution network.
Sponsors provide financial support in exchange for approved visibility and association with LKNConnect programming.
Each contributes something of value.
The objective is to create a sustainable relationship that benefits the Contributor, LKNConnect, participating Sponsors, and the Lake Norman community.
Participation in the LKNConnect Contributor Program requires acceptance of this Agreement.
All new Contributors must sign this Agreement before becoming an official LKNConnect Contributor.
Existing Contributors will be required to sign this Agreement as LKNConnect transitions its Contributor Program to the policies contained herein.
By signing below, the Contributor acknowledges that they:
I have read, understand, and agree to the terms contained in the LKNConnect Contributor Content, Intellectual Property, Visibility & Sponsorship Agreement.
Contributor/Host Name:
Program/Column:
Business/Organization:
Email:
Phone:
Contributor Signature:
Date:
LKNConnect Representative:
Title:
Signature:
Date:
Power Communities, LLC / LKNConnect.com
Experience Living Lake Norman.
