FAQ
- What is the difference between the International Guild of Visual Peacemakers, LLC, The Guild, and the Visual Peacemakers Community?
- How do I get into the Guild?
- Do IGVP Photographers do peacemaking while on assignment?
- Are you a religious organization?
- Why are you not a Non-Profit/NGO?
- Why do you use .org instead of .com?
- Do I get a tax benefit if I donate to you?
- Why do you charge money for memberships if your cause is philanthropic?
What is the difference between the International Guild of Visual Peacemakers, LLC, The Guild, and the Visual Peacemakers Community?
The company (International Guild of Visual Peacemakers, LLC) is operated by 3 individuals. We are a legal entity registered in the United States of America. The exclusive Guild, photographers currently doing visual peacemaking and who want to empower more visual peacemakers. They are models, mentors, practitioners, and thought leaders. The Visual Peacemaker Community (VPC) are the valued members of this website; they are visual communicators who embrace the IGVP vision, share convictions expressed in the Ethical Code, and are active in their own visual peacemaking journey.
How do I get into the Guild?
See our Guild Requirements page.
Do IGVP Photographers do peacemaking while on assignment?
If our photographers do hands-on peacemaking and facilitate reconciliation, that is fantastic, but that is not the focus of visual peacemaking. There are other highly specialized organizations that excel in such things. Visual Peacemakers are guided by the Actions and Attitudes expressed in the Ethical Code. They show respect and make images from an ethical mindset. Their focus is to create visual media that will have positive rippling effects amongst cultures east to west, north and south.
Are you a religious organization?
We are not a religious organization. We do, however, recognize that a lot of people participating in visual peacemaking do so because of their faith or faith-inspired reasons. We encourage our members to openly discuss why they do visual peacemaking for whatever reasons, as this creates a roundtable environment and fosters respect and understanding between members.
Why are you not a Non-Profit/NGO?
We understand that nurturing human flourishing is not limited to meeting needs that can only be solved by gifts given to a charitable organization. While our purpose is very philanthropic, we’ve chosen a business model that enables everyone involved to be both givers and receivers. This results in a holistic impact affecting individual members, the economy, and the good cause of visual peacemaking.
Why do you use .org instead of .com?
Simply stated, dot org communicates more accurately who we are and our vision—not from the standpoint of official registrations, but from our philanthropic purpose. While we are not a registered Non-profit/NGO, our cause closely relates to causes that those entities would have. It made sense to us to use dot org for these reasons.
Do I get a tax benefit if I donate to you?
No. We are not a non-profit/NGO. Donations are not tax-deductable.
Why do you charge money for memberships if your cause is philanthropic?
We believe strongly that the value this website provides current and aspiring visual peacemakers merits charging a small fee to gain access to all of its features. Also, as with any business there are costs associated with operating it. All revenue goes to recoup costs and invest in the advancement of this website and visual peacemaking.
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