Watch Duty is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and our work is supported by both donations and memberships. Both help fund Watch Duty, but they work differently.
A donation supports our mission without adding member features to your account. A membership supports Watch Duty while also giving you access to additional features.
What does a donation include?
A donation is a one-time or recurring contribution that directly supports Watch Duty and helps us keep our core life-safety features available to everyone for free. For more information about donation methods, employer matching, and tax implications, see Ways to Donate to Watch Duty.
Donations do not unlock membership features in the Watch Duty app.
If you want to support Watch Duty without purchasing additional features, a donation is a great way to do so.
What does a membership include?
A Watch Duty membership supports our ongoing operations and gives you access to additional features beyond our free core experience.
Depending on your membership, these may include features such as flight tracking and other enhanced situational-awareness tools.
For the most current membership options, pricing, and included features, visit the Watch Duty Membership page. For additional information, see What’s Free in Watch Duty, and What Does a Membership Add?
What's always free?
You don't need to donate or purchase a membership to access Watch Duty's core life-safety features.
These include:
- Wildfire and flood alerts
- Incident maps
- Active evacuation information
- Updates from Watch Duty reporters
Our core wildfire and flood safety information remains available for free.
Which should I choose?
It depends on how you'd like to support Watch Duty:
- Choose a donation if you'd like to financially support our mission without receiving additional app features.
- Choose a membership if you'd like to support Watch Duty while also receiving the additional features included with your membership.
For more information, see What’s the Difference Between a Donation and a Watch Duty Membership?
What if I donated when I meant to purchase a membership?
If you accidentally made a donation when you intended to purchase a membership—or made the wrong type of contribution—contact Watch Duty Support. Our team can review what happened and help determine the appropriate next steps.