Stepping back, or stepping away.

Sometimes life pulls you out of the community for a while. Sometimes you're done and ready to move on. Both are normal. Neither requires a long explanation. This page covers how each works.

The short version: pause when you want to come back. Withdraw when you're done. Either way, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with a one-line note. We'll handle the rest.

Pause

A pause is a deliberate, time-bounded step back. Your account stays. Your vetting record stays. Forum and calendar access are paused. You can return to public events whenever; private event invitations resume after you un-pause.

How long? Up to you. Most pauses are 1–6 months. Longer is fine; if it stretches past a year, we'll send a friendly "still want this paused or ready to withdraw?" check-in, but the answer is yours.

What you keep: account, vetting record, classes you've completed, quiz results, mentor pairing if you have one (your mentor will know).

What pauses: forum access, members-only calendar visibility, private event invitations, the volunteer rotation if you're on one.

How to come back: email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We restore access within a few days. No re-vetting required as long as you're still within your annual re-vetting window.

Re-vetting while paused: the annual public registry check runs on schedule regardless of pause status. If you're paused when it runs, we'll let you know the result. If something on the check requires conversation, that's a conversation we have whether you're paused or active.

Withdraw

Withdrawal is leaving for good. The account closes, the forum access ends, the calendar access ends, you stop appearing on the active member list.

What we delete: per the privacy policy, your encrypted PII (legal name, date of birth, address) is purged 12 months after a member withdraws. Your account record (username, email, hashed password) is removed when you withdraw.

What we keep: the institutional record of "vetting was completed for this person, here's the decision and the registry-check date" stays indefinitely. We keep this so that future vetters know whether and how to handle a returning applicant. We also keep audit log entries (these don't contain your personal data — they contain hashes and timestamps).

What about my forum posts? By default, your posts stay (with the username they were posted under, which becomes inactive). If you'd rather we remove them, say so in the withdrawal email and we'll do our best within what the forum software supports.

Can I come back later? Yes. You'd reapply through the standard process. Your old vetting decision is part of your record; if it was an approval, the process is often faster. If it was a decline or revocation, that history follows you and is part of any new decision.

Edge cases

I'm an applicant, not yet vetted. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with "please withdraw my application." We close the application and delete the encrypted fields within 90 days per the standard declined-applicant retention. No questions asked; no impact on a future application from you if you ever want to apply again.

I'm currently paused and want to withdraw. Same email; we move you from pause to withdrawn. Counts as a clean withdrawal.

I want a partial pause — for example, off the forum but still coming to munches. That's just attending public events without active member access. Easiest path: pause your membership, attend public events as a member would but without the private invitations. Or just stop logging in for a while; the calendar and forum are there when you're ready.

I was banned (revocation). Withdrawal is not the same as banned. Bans happen through the incident-response process and are documented separately. If you've been banned, the incident-reporting policy covers the appeal process. Withdrawing a membership that's already been revoked isn't really a thing — the record reflects the actual outcome.

I want my partner to handle this for me. We need to hear from you directly, even if briefly. A one-line email from your address is enough.

How to do either

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Subject "pause" or "withdraw." One line in the body is plenty:

"Please pause my membership through [date or 'until further notice']."

or

"I'd like to withdraw my membership."

We'll confirm within a couple of business days and tell you the effective date.

What we won't do

• Ask why. You can volunteer a reason if you want; we won't push.
• Try to talk you out of it.
• Out you to other members. We close your account quietly; we don't post about it.
• Share your data with other venues unless legally compelled.
• Make you complete a survey or sit through an exit interview.

Stepping away is your call. We just want to make sure the door closes cleanly behind you, with everything we can do for your data done.

Questions about how either of these affects something specific to your situation? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and ask. We'd rather answer the question than have you guess.