The Partnership Model

This page explains the partnership structure, what HeartBadge provides, what you operate, and how the integration unfolds. It answers the question: What does it actually mean to operate a program on HeartBadge?

The attribution and accountability model

Every partner program uses one attribution pattern:

Operated by [Your Organization]. Powered by HeartBadge.

This pattern appears on marketing pages, membership flows, member dashboards, and legal documents. It signals two things at once:

• You are the operator. Members contact you for program-level questions.
• HeartBadge is the substrate. HeartChain Labs handles infrastructure maintenance.

What HeartBadge provides

Identity infrastructure

• Lifetime membership instrument. Members hold a HeartBadge that's theirs forever, across all programs they join.
• Authentication layer. Members sign in with their badge identity. No password management for you to maintain.
• Sequence numbering. Members receive a permanent rank marking when they joined your program's founding cohort.
• Cross-program identity. A member with multiple program memberships has one identity everywhere.

Payment and wallet substrate

• Membership purchase flow. Fiat payment processing, receipt generation, refund handling.
• Member-credit wallet. Members hold program rewards in their HeartBadge wallet, governed by your program's rules.
• Transaction history. Clear records for tax, accounting, and member support.

Member tooling

• Member dashboard. Members see all their program memberships in one place.
• Communication tools. Notifications, member directories, program-specific messaging — all with your branding.
• Privacy-first defaults. Member data minimization and granular consent controls.

Hosting and operations

• Infrastructure. Cloudflare Workers, uptime, scaling, security. We handle it.
• Substrate compliance. Regulatory posture at the infrastructure layer.
• Security response. When something goes wrong at the substrate level, we respond. You get clear escalation paths.

Marketing visibility

• Program page on heartbadge.com. Dedicated page following the established template (hero, program overview, how-it-works, membership path, FAQ, CTA).
• Cross-program discovery. Members see all available programs in the Programs Hub.
• Shared design language. You inherit HeartBadge's visual register with your own accent color for brand identity.

What you operate

Program design

• Membership pricing and tier structure
• Member benefits at each tier
• Reward rates and recognition ceremonies
• Cohort sizing and founders-window mechanics
• Content, voice, brand expression

Governance

• Board decisions and program direction
• Financial decisions about how membership revenue is used
• Strategic partnerships and collaborations
• Long-term program strategy

Compliance

• Tax compliance for your organization (501(c)(3), LLC, nonprofit, etc.)
• Program-level regulatory compliance (donor disclosures, IRS reporting, etc.)
• Member communications compliance (CAN-SPAM, GDPR if applicable, etc.)
• Program-specific terms of service and member agreements

Member relationship

• Support for program-level questions
• Program-specific dispute resolution
• Member communications about your work
• Recognition, ceremony, and relationship rituals

The principle: HeartBadge operates the substrate. You operate your program.

The integration path

Step 1 — Partnership agreement

A formal MaaS Partnership Agreement is executed. It defines scope of services, mutual responsibilities, branding standards, financial terms, termination conditions, and dispute resolution.

Step 2 — Program design

You finalize program design: pricing, tiers, benefits, rewards, sequence numbering, member-facing copy. This produces a Program Design Document — the spec both parties build against.

Step 3 — Marketing surface build

HeartChain Labs builds your program page on heartbadge.com following the established template. You provide copy, assets, and imagery. We handle design and implementation.

Step 4 — Substrate configuration

We configure the substrate for your program: authentication endpoints, wallet configuration, sequence numbering, member dashboard surfaces, notification templates with your branding.

Step 5 — Soft launch

A 2-4 week testing period before public launch. Test membership purchase, member dashboard, notifications, edge cases (refunds, escalations, etc.).

Step 6 — Public launch

Your program goes live on heartbadge.com. You announce through your channels. HeartBadge announces through ours. Your cohort window opens.

Step 7 — Ongoing partnership

Regular check-ins, substrate updates when relevant, member-feedback loops, annual partnership review.

What if it ends

Partnerships may end for many reasons. The principle is: member identity persists; data is portable; the program ends gracefully.

• Members keep their HeartBadge identity.
• Member data from your program is delivered to you under standard data-portability rules.
• Your program page on heartbadge.com is sunset per the agreed timeline.
• Members are notified through both your channels and HeartBadge.
• No member loses their HeartBadge membership because your program ended.

Members are not locked into partners. They're partnered with HeartBadge, and programs run on top of that partnership.

Next steps

Ready to explore a partnership? Apply to start the conversation. We'll ask you questions about your program, your member base, your operational capacity, and your regulatory context. These aren't gatekeeping questions — they help both parties figure out if HeartBadge is the right substrate for you and what the partnership would look like.