Terms and Conditions

1. Who we are

The American Association of Information Technology Professionals ("AAITP", "we", "us", "our") is a nonprofit corporation organized under the laws of the State of Arizona and operating under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our principal office is in Maricopa County, Arizona, at 2952 E Salt Sage Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85048.

You can reach us at support@aaitp.org.

2. Acceptance of these terms

These Terms and Conditions govern your use of aaitp.org and your membership of AAITP. By using this website, submitting a membership application, or holding any grade of AAITP membership, you agree to these terms.

If you do not agree to them, please do not use this website or apply for membership.

These terms operate alongside the AAITP Bylaws. Where these terms and the Bylaws conflict on a matter of governance, membership grades, or discipline, the Bylaws prevail.

3. Membership

AAITP offers the following grades of membership:

Basic Membership — open to students enrolled in an information technology or computer science program, and to working professionals in the industry, in each case with fewer than five years of experience in the field.

Fellow (FAAITP) — awarded on merit to individuals assessed against AAITP's published Fellowship criteria.

You must be at least 18 years old to apply for membership.

All AAITP membership is free. There is no fee to apply for, to receive, or to retain any grade of membership, including Fellowship.

4. Applications

Submitting an application does not create a membership. Applications are assessed by AAITP, and we may grant, decline, or defer any application at our discretion.

You must provide accurate and complete information in your application. You must not misrepresent your qualifications, experience, employment, achievements, or identity.

We may ask for supporting evidence, and we may verify any statement you make with third parties.

We do not guarantee any particular response time.

5. Fellowship

Fellowship is a recognition conferred by AAITP on the basis of merit, assessed against our published criteria. It is not purchased, and it is not available for purchase.

Retaining Fellowship. Fellows are required to complete the qualifying activities set out in our published Fellowship requirements in each calendar year and to submit an annual report. Failure to meet these requirements may result in the Fellowship lapsing.

Use of the post-nominal. Fellows may use the post-nominal letters "FAAITP" only while in good standing. You must not continue to use the designation after your Fellowship has lapsed, been suspended, or been revoked. You must not use any AAITP designation, name, logo, or letter in a way that misstates your grade, the date of your admission, or the basis on which it was awarded.

Letters and certificates. Any letter or certificate we issue confirms the recognition described in it and nothing more. You must not alter, extract from, or present such a document in a way that changes its meaning.

6. What membership does not confer

Membership of AAITP, at any grade including Fellowship, does not confer and must not be represented as conferring:

• any immigration, visa, residency, or citizenship benefit or advantage in any country;
• any employment, appointment, promotion, or compensation entitlement;
• any professional license, certification, accreditation, or right to practice;
• any endorsement by AAITP of your work, your employer, or any product or service;
• any academic qualification or degree.

AAITP makes no representation about how any third party — including any government agency, employer, educational institution, or professional body — will regard your membership.

If you represent your AAITP membership in a manner inconsistent with this section, we may suspend or revoke it.

7. Suspension and revocation

We may suspend or revoke any membership where a member:

• provided false, misleading, or incomplete information in an application;
• misrepresents their membership grade or the benefits of membership;
• fails to meet the requirements for retaining their grade;
• breaches these terms or the AAITP Bylaws;
• engages in conduct that in our reasonable judgment brings AAITP into disrepute.

Disciplinary matters follow the process set out in the Bylaws, including the right of appeal and the time limit for bringing one.

Revocation takes effect on notice. You must stop using any AAITP designation immediately upon notice.

8. Content you provide to us

You retain ownership of anything you submit to us — application text, articles, papers, or other material.

By submitting material to AAITP for publication, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to publish, reproduce, and distribute it in connection with AAITP's activities, and to keep it available in our archive. You confirm that you own the material or have the right to grant this license, and that publishing it will not infringe anyone else's rights.

We may edit for length, clarity, and house style. We may decline to publish, or remove previously published material, at our discretion.

9. Our content

The content of this website — including text, white papers, publications, logos, and designs — belongs to AAITP or its licensors and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws.

White papers and publications. You may download, read, print, and share our published papers for personal, educational, and non-commercial purposes, provided you do not alter them and you retain all attribution and copyright notices. You may not sell them, host copies elsewhere, or present them as your own work.

The AAITP name, logo, and post-nominal designations may not be used without our written permission, except by members using their own designation as described in section 5.

10. Acceptable use

You must not:

• use this website for any unlawful purpose;
• attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the site, its servers, or its data;
• interfere with or disrupt the site or the networks it runs on;
• scrape, harvest, or systematically extract data, including member information;
• submit malicious code, or use the site to transmit spam or unsolicited communications;
• impersonate any person or misrepresent your affiliation with any organization.

11. Availability

We provide this website on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We do not warrant that it will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, and we may modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of it at any time.

12. Third-party links and content

This website may link to or embed third-party content, including video hosted on external platforms. We do not control that content and are not responsible for it. Your use of third-party services is governed by their own terms.

13. Future paid services

AAITP does not currently charge for anything.

If we introduce paid services in future — such as event registration, publications, sponsorship, or listings — those services will be governed by separate terms published at the time.

For the avoidance of doubt: recognition granted by AAITP, including Fellowship, will remain free to apply for, free to receive, and free to retain. No fee will be attached to it.

14. Disclaimers and limitation of liability

The information on this website is provided for general information only. It does not constitute professional, legal, financial, immigration, or career advice, and you should not rely on it as such.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, AAITP, its officers, directors, and volunteers will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising out of your use of this website or your membership, including loss of opportunity, employment, or immigration outcome.

Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot be excluded by law.

15. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify AAITP and its officers, directors, and volunteers against any claim, loss, or expense arising from your breach of these terms, your misrepresentation of your membership, or your infringement of any third party's rights.

16. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The effective date at the top of this page shows when they last changed. Material changes will be notified to members by email or by notice on this website. Your continued use of the site or membership after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance.

17. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Arizona, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any dispute will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Maricopa County, Arizona.

18. Contact

Questions about these terms should go to support@aaitp.org.