[CHURCH NAME] PHOTOGRAPH AND RECORDING PERMISSION Print two copies. One goes in the file, one goes home with the person who signed. Source: churchposting.com/resources/communications/church-social-media-policy/ ============================================================================= FORM A. GENERAL PERMISSION, ADULT ============================================================================= Name (printed) ______________________________________________________________ Phone _______________________________ Email ________________________________ [CHURCH NAME] takes photographs and makes recordings at services, classes, meetings, meals, work days, and events, and posts some of them to the church's own accounts and website. Check one. Neither choice affects your standing here in any way. [ ] YES. I agree that [CHURCH NAME] may photograph and record me and may post those images on the church's own website, printed materials, and social media accounts. [ ] NO. Please do not post images of me. Add my name to the No-Photo list. This permission does NOT cover, and a separate signature on Form C is required for, any use that asks for money, promotes a campaign, advertises the church, or appears in paid promotion. I understand that I may cancel this permission at any time, for any reason or none, by telling any staff member in any way, and that the church will remove the images it controls within 24 hours. Signature ____________________________________ Date ________________________ ============================================================================= FORM B. GENERAL PERMISSION, MINOR ============================================================================= One form per child. This form expires 12 months from the date signed. Child's name (printed) ______________________________________________________ Date of birth ____________________ Ministry or class ______________________ Parent or legal guardian name (printed) _____________________________________ Phone _______________________________ Email ________________________________ Check one. [ ] YES. I am the parent or legal guardian of the child named above, and I agree that [CHURCH NAME] may photograph and record my child and post those images on the church's own website, printed materials, and social media accounts. [ ] YES, WITH LIMITS. As above, except: ____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ [ ] NO. Please do not post images of my child. Add the name above to the No-Photo list. Whichever box is checked, [CHURCH NAME] agrees that it will not: - publish my child's first and last name together - publish my child's school, team, class time, or any address - allow a name badge, check-in tag, or roster to be legible in any image - add a location tag to any post containing my child - publish any image of my child in a swimsuit or in any state of undress - use any image of my child in fundraising or advertising without a separate signature on Form C I understand that I may cancel this permission at any time, for any reason or none, by telling any staff member in any way, and that the church will remove the images it controls within 24 hours. Signature ____________________________________ Date ________________________ Relationship to child ________________________________________________________ ============================================================================= FORM C. SPECIFIC PERMISSION FOR FUNDRAISING, ADVERTISING, OR A NAMED STORY ============================================================================= Form A and Form B do not cover this. One signature per use. Person pictured ______________________________________________________________ If under 18, parent or guardian ______________________________________________ Describe the exact image or recording: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Describe the exact use, including where it will appear and for how long: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Will this image be used to ask for money? [ ] Yes [ ] No Will this image appear in paid promotion? [ ] Yes [ ] No Will the person be named? [ ] Yes [ ] No Will any detail of their circumstances be told? [ ] Yes [ ] No If the last box is Yes, write out exactly what will be said, here, and have the person read it before signing: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ This permission covers only the use described above. It ends on ______________ and does not carry over to a later campaign. Signature ____________________________________ Date ________________________ Requested by (staff) _________________________ Role ________________________ ============================================================================= FORM D. WITHDRAWAL ============================================================================= Anyone may use this form, and nobody has to. A phone call, a text, or a sentence after the service is enough, and the church records it the same way. Name ________________________________________________________________________ I am withdrawing permission for images of: [ ] myself [ ] my child, named ______________________________________________________________________________ Received by ______________________________ Date and time ___________________ Added to No-Photo list on ______________ by ________________________________ Images removed from: [ ] Facebook [ ] Instagram [ ] YouTube [ ] Website [ ] App [ ] Slide loop [ ] Newsletter [ ] Annual report [ ] Other _________________ Completed on ______________ by ______________ Person notified on __________ ============================================================================= NOTES FOR THE PERSON WHO KEEPS THESE FORMS ============================================================================= 1. File Form A and Form B by last name, not by event. You will look them up by the person in the picture. 2. Form B expires 12 months from signing. Re-collect at the start of each program year rather than chasing renewals one at a time. 3. Form C lives with the campaign file it belongs to, and a copy goes in the person's file. 4. A withdrawal outranks every signature on file, including one signed the same morning. 5. A release is permission, not ownership. It does not make an image the church's property and it does not survive a withdrawal. 6. This is not legal advice and no lawyer wrote it. The consent rules for using a person's likeness are state law and they differ. Have counsel in your state read this before you use it, especially if your church is in New York, where using a living person's picture for advertising or trade without written consent is a misdemeanor under Civil Rights Law section 50.