Help

Create an account and sign in

A free account keeps your gifts and tax receipts in one place, saves your emergency preparedness plan and lets you ask to join Blockwatch. There are two ways to make one: with a link we email you, or with a password.

Watch: Create your free account

3 minutes 6 seconds

Chapters

Read the narration

This short video shows you how to create a free account on the Normandy Park Police Foundation’s website.
There are two ways: with just your email address and a link we send you, or with an email address and a password.
Start on our home page, at normandyparkpolicefoundation.org.
A free account keeps your gifts and tax receipts in one place, saves your emergency preparedness plan, and lets you ask to join Blockwatch in your neighborhood.
The first way needs no password at all.
Choose Sign in, at the top of any page.
Type your email address, and choose Email me a sign-in link.
This works whether or not you have an account yet.
Then, on this same device, open the email we send you, and choose its link.
If you’re new, that creates your account, confirms your email address and signs you in, all in one step.
Each link works once. Next time, sign in the same way, with nothing to remember.
You can choose the email you get from us on your account page.
The second way uses a password.
You choose one now, and confirm your email address afterwards.
On the Sign in page, choose Create an account.
You’ll also find Create a free account on our home page.
Type your first and last name.
They’re optional, and you can add or change them later on your account page.
Next, type your email address.
We’ll send a link to it, to confirm that it’s yours.
Then choose a password of at least eight characters.
A short phrase of unrelated words is strong, and easy to remember.
These two boxes choose the email you get from us: our newsletter, and occasional special offers and invitations to events.
Both start ticked. Untick either one if you’d rather not.
For this example, we’ll keep the newsletter and untick special offers.
We send nothing to these lists until you press the confirmation link we email you, and every email has an unsubscribe link.
We never sell your information. Your account page lets you manage your profile and the email you get.
When you’re ready, choose Create account.
That’s it. You’re signed in, and this is your account page.
It keeps your gifts and tax documents, your emergency preparedness plan, Blockwatch, your email choices and your profile, all private to you. At the bottom are links to every help topic.
At the top of every page, a note asks you to confirm your email address.
Until you do, you can’t start a monthly or yearly gift, or join our email lists.
Choose Email me a confirmation link.
Then, in this same browser, open the email we send you and choose its link. That confirms your address, and the note goes away.
If you kept the newsletter ticked, look for a second email asking you to confirm that, too.
You’re all set. Next time, choose Sign in at the top of any page, and use an emailed link or your password.
Questions? Look for Help, or Contact, at the bottom of every page.
Thank you for supporting the Normandy Park Police Foundation.

In short

With an emailed link: choose Sign in at the top of any page, type your email address and choose Email me a sign-in link. Opening the link makes your account, confirms your email address and signs you in, all in one step. No password to remember.
With a password: choose Create a free account on the home page, or Create an account on the Sign in page. You are signed in at once; then confirm your email address with the link the note at the top of the page sends you.
Open every link we email you on the device and in the browser where you asked for it. Each link works once.
Once your email address is confirmed, add a passkey and sign in with Face ID, Touch ID or your device’s screen lock: no password, no waiting for an email. See Add a passkey.
Reading the site, giving, writing to us and finding your Blockwatch province need no account at all.

Step by step

Make an account with an emailed link

Choose Sign in at the top of any page.
Type your email address and choose Email me a sign-in link. The page says Sign-in link sent. Check your email.
On the same device, open the email from the Normandy Park Police Foundation and choose its link.
You are signed in, your email address is confirmed, and your account page opens. Add your name on it whenever you like.

Make an account with a password

Choose Create a free account on the home page, or Sign in at the top of any page and then Create an account.
Type your first and last name (optional: you can add them later), your email address and a password of at least 8 characters. A short phrase of unrelated words is strong and easy to remember.
Leave Send me the Foundation’s newsletter and Send me occasional special offers ticked, or untick either. Nothing is sent to these lists until you press the confirmation link we email you.
Choose Create account. You are signed in and your account page opens.
Confirm your email address next: see Confirm your email address.

Confirm your email address

Until your address is confirmed, a note at the top of every page says Confirm your email address.
Choose Email me a confirmation link. The note says where it was sent.
In the same browser, open the email and choose its link. Your address is confirmed, your password keeps working, and the note is gone from the next page.

Choose Sign in at the top of any page.
If you have added a passkey, choose Sign in with a passkey at the top and use Face ID, Touch ID or your device’s screen lock. Some browsers also offer your passkey as soon as you choose the email address box.
Otherwise, either choose Email me a sign-in link and open the link, or choose Sign in with a password, type your email address and password, and choose Sign in.

Add a passkey

Confirm your email address first: see Confirm your email address. A passkey can only be added to an account whose address is confirmed.
Sign in on the phone, tablet or computer you want to use. Until your account has a passkey, For you at the top of your account page (and of the admin dashboard, if you use the admin) says Add a passkey to your account. Choose it, or go straight to Passkeys on your account page, and choose Create a passkey.
Your device asks for Face ID, Touch ID, your fingerprint or its screen lock. Use it as you would to unlock the device. The page says Passkey created. Next time, choose “Sign in with a passkey”.
We email you whenever a passkey is added to your account or removed from it.

Rename or remove a passkey

Open your account page. Passkeys lists every passkey on your account by the device it was made on, such as “iPhone” or “Mac”.
Choose Rename to give one a name you will recognize, and save it.
Choose Remove to take one off your account, for example when you sell or lose a device, and confirm. That passkey no longer signs you in. You can still sign in with an emailed link or your password.

Reset a forgotten password

On the Sign in page, choose Sign in with a password, then Forgot your password?
Type your email address and send the request. If an account uses that address, a reset link is on its way; it expires in 30 minutes.
Open the link on the same device. Type a new password twice and choose Save new password. You are signed in.
Rather not have a password at all? Sign in with an emailed link instead; it works for every account.

Sign out

Choose your photo or initials at the top right of any page.
Choose Sign out. On a shared computer, always sign out when you are done.

Good to know

A sign-in link works once. A link to reset a password expires in 30 minutes.
Open a link on the device and in the browser where you asked for it. If you open it where someone else is signed in, the page asks first: you can continue with the link, or stay in the account that is signed in.
A password needs at least 8 characters. Passwords are handled by Stytch, our sign-in service: we never see yours.
A passkey can be added only once your email address is confirmed, and only while you are signed in. Your fingerprint or face never leaves your device: we and Stytch keep only a public key, which cannot sign anyone in by itself.
A passkey adds a way to sign in; it takes nothing away. An emailed link and your password keep working, so losing a device never locks you out.
A new account has no special access. The Foundation gives that only to the people whose work needs it, such as editors, Blockwatch volunteers and board members.
Until your email address is confirmed, gifts you made without signing in stay apart from your account, you can’t start a monthly or yearly gift, and you can’t join our email lists.
To stop anyone signing up with someone else’s address, gifts you gave before you had an account join it only once your address is confirmed.
We never sell your information. The privacy page says what we keep and why.

Questions and answers

Choosing a way

Which way should I choose?

Either works, and you can use both later. An emailed link is quickest and needs no password, and it confirms your address in the same step. A password lets you sign in without waiting for an email.

I made my account with a link. Can I add a password later?

Yes. On the Sign in page choose Sign in with a password, then Forgot your password?, and set one from the email. See Reset a forgotten password.

What is a passkey?

A way to sign in with Face ID, Touch ID, your fingerprint or your device’s screen lock instead of a password or an emailed link. Your phone or computer keeps it, so there is nothing to type or remember, and it only works on our site, so a fake site can’t trick you into giving it away. See Add a passkey.

Does my passkey work on my other devices?

Usually. A passkey made on an iPhone, iPad or Mac is kept in iCloud Keychain and works on your other Apple devices signed in to the same Apple account. One made in Chrome or on Android is kept in Google Password Manager, and password managers such as 1Password keep theirs too. On a device that doesn’t have it, sign in another way and add a passkey there as well.

What if I lose my phone?

Sign in with an emailed link or your password on another device, open your account page and choose Remove beside the lost device’s passkey. Without your Face ID, fingerprint or screen lock, nobody can use it.

Should I add a passkey on a shared computer?

No. Add passkeys only on devices that are yours. On a shared or public computer, sign in with an emailed link and sign out when you are done.

Do I need an account to give or to read the site?

No. You can give, read the news, find your Blockwatch province and write to us without one. An account keeps your gifts and receipts together, saves your preparedness plan, opens our documents and lets you ask to join Blockwatch. See the FAQ.

Links and email

The email hasn’t arrived. What should I do?

Wait a minute or two, then look in your spam or junk folder for an email from the Normandy Park Police Foundation. Check the address you typed. Then ask for a new link; we send at most a few to one address in a short time, so wait a few minutes before asking again.

Can I open the link on my phone if I asked for it on my computer?

It is best to open it where you asked for it. A link opened somewhere else signs you in there instead, and a confirmation link opened somewhere else still confirms your address, but an account with a password will then be asked to choose a new one.

Why do I have to confirm my email address?

So we know the address is yours. Until it is confirmed, nobody can see gifts given with that address by making an account with it, and we send nothing to our email lists.

Your account

I gave before I had an account. Will I see those gifts?

Yes, once your email address is confirmed: make the account with the same address you gave with, and your earlier gifts appear on your account page.

How do I change my name, or close my account?

Change your name and photo on your account page. To change your email address or close your account, write to us from the Contact page.

If something goes wrong

The messages you may see, word for word (“…” stands for a part that changes), what they mean and what to do.

“Email or password is incorrect.”: The password does not match the account with that email address, or no account uses it.; What to do: Check both and try again, or choose Email me a sign-in link instead and sign in without a password.
“For your security, this password must be reset. Use “Forgot your password?” below.”: Our sign-in service wants a new password for this account, usually because a sign-in link was opened outside the browser where the account was signed in.; What to do: Choose Forgot your password? and set a new one from the email, or sign in with an emailed link.
“An account with that email already exists. Sign in instead.”: You, or someone with your address, already made an account.; What to do: Sign in with an emailed link, or with Forgot your password? if you have forgotten the password.
“Choose a stronger password: longer, and harder to guess. A short phrase of unrelated words works well.”: The password is too short or too easy to guess.; What to do: Try three or four unrelated words, such as a phrase only you would think of.
“This sign-in link is invalid or has expired. Request a new one.”: The link was used already, or it is too old.; What to do: Ask for a new link on the Sign in page and open it once, in the same browser.
“This reset link is invalid or has expired. Request a new one.”: A reset link works once, for 30 minutes.; What to do: Choose Forgot your password? again and use the new link soon.
“This link is incomplete. Copy the whole link from the email, or request a new one.”: Part of the link was lost, often when an email program breaks a long link over two lines.; What to do: Choose the link in the email rather than copying it, or ask for a new one.
“This link signs you in to the account it was sent to instead.”: Someone is already signed in in this browser, and the link is for another account.; What to do: Choose Continue with this link to switch to the link’s account, or Stay signed in as … to leave things as they are.
“This link was sent to another account, so we did not use it. Sign out first, then ask for a new link.”: You asked for a confirmation link, but the one you opened belongs to a different account.; What to do: Sign out, sign in to the account you want, and ask for a new link.
“That passkey didn't sign you in. Try again, or sign in with an emailed link or your password.”: The passkey you chose isn’t on your account any more, or the device didn’t finish signing in.; What to do: Try once more. If it keeps happening, sign in with an emailed link, open your account page and add the passkey again.
“Confirm your email address before you add a passkey. Use the link in the “Confirm your email address” notice, then try again.”: Passkeys can only be added to an account whose email address is confirmed.; What to do: Choose Email me a confirmation link in the note at the top of the page, open the link, then add the passkey. See Confirm your email address.
“This device already has a passkey for your account.”: You added a passkey on this device before, so it needs no other.; What to do: Use Sign in with a passkey on this device. If you removed that passkey from your account, remove it from the device’s passwords settings too, then create a new one.
“This browser can't use passkeys. Try a recent version of Safari, Chrome, Edge or Firefox.”: The browser or the device is too old for passkeys, or passkeys are switched off on it.; What to do: Update the browser or the device, or sign in with an emailed link or your password.
“Your device didn't finish with the passkey. Try again.”: The device stopped before the passkey was made or used, sometimes because Face ID, the fingerprint or the screen lock didn’t match.; What to do: Try again. If it keeps happening, sign in with an emailed link or your password.
“Too many attempts. Wait a few minutes and try again.”: There were many tries in a short time, so we paused them for a few minutes.; What to do: Wait a few minutes, then try once more.
“Your sign-in has ended. Sign in again to continue.”: Sign-ins end after a while, and when you sign out on another page.; What to do: Sign in again; you return to the page you were on.

Still need help?

Write to us from the Contact page: the Foundation’s site administrators answer questions about accounts and signing in.
Questions about a gift or a receipt? See Give to the Foundation and Your account page.