Purpose
This organization has established and is implementing a donor privacy policy to maintain the trust and confidence of donors and prospective donors, which are of utmost importance. The purpose of this Donor Privacy Policy is to provide transparency regarding the organization’s standards, practices, and procedures for collecting, using, and protecting information related to donors and prospective donors.
Scope of the Policy
This Donor Privacy Policy applies to the collection, use, and protection of personal information, including information voluntarily provided by donors and prospective donors, as well as information collected through the organization’s website.
Personal Information
For the purposes of this policy, “personal information” refers to information that can personally identify current and prospective donors, such as their name, address, telephone number, and email address. The organization collects and stores personally identifiable information provided by donors and prospective donors.
Examples of Personal Information
- Name, address, and email collected when donors and prospective donors contact the organization via email, phone, or in person.
- Name, email address, and other contact details when donors and prospective donors register for an event.
- Name, email address, phone number, and payment details when donors make a contribution, either on the website, over the phone, or by mailing a check.
- Information such as age, gender, wealth ratings, etc., collected using research tools supported by third-party services like Blackbaud during donor and prospect research. This information is treated the same as other personally identifiable information.
- Personally identifiable information may also be collected through volunteer interactions with donors.
- Automatically collected data, such as IP addresses, browser type, domain names, access times, and referring website addresses, when donors and prospective donors use the website. This information is used to operate the service, maintain quality, and provide statistics regarding the website’s usage.
Consent
By submitting their information to the organization or any of its staff, donors and prospective donors consent to the terms and conditions of this policy and to the organization’s processing of personal information for the purposes outlined above.
Use and Disclosure of Personal Information
Under this policy, the organization will use donors’ and prospective donors’ personal information to:
- Comply with the law or when required by legal process, to protect and defend our rights, or act in emergency situations to protect others’ safety.
- Protect against potential fraud. The organization may verify the information provided during the donation, event registration, or other transactions. If a donor uses a credit or debit card on the website, the organization may use fraud screening services to ensure the card and address match the information provided, and that the card has not been reported as lost or stolen.
- Collect payment information, billing address, and other details only when necessary to process donations or event registrations.
The organization will not:
- Disclose donors’ and prospective donors’ personal information to any third party except as described in this policy or when specifically requested by the donor.
- Sell, trade, or share personal information with anyone.
- Share personal information unless the donor or prospective donor has granted specific permission.
- Send mailings on behalf of other organizations.
The Web Development Team monitors the website and pages visited by stakeholders (including donors and prospective donors) to determine which services and content are most popular. This information is used to deliver customized content and advertising within the organization based on user behavior.
The Web Development Team will disclose personal information only when required by law or in good faith belief that it is necessary to:
(a) Comply with legal requirements,
(b) Protect the rights or property of the organization,
(c) Protect users’ personal safety or the public in urgent circumstances.
Security of Donors’ and Prospective Donors’ Personal Information
The organization secures donors’ and prospective donors’ personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Personal information is stored on secure servers in a controlled environment. Sensitive data, such as credit card numbers, is encrypted during transmission using the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.
Donor Recognition
Donor contributions may be publicly recognized in materials produced by the organization, including print, spoken, or web-based media. If a donor does not wish their name to appear in these materials, they should contact the organization via email at [email protected] or in writing to the organization’s office.
Access to Records
Donors and prospective donors have the right to review the personal information the organization has collected about them. To review this information, donors should contact the organization via email at [email protected] or in writing.
Relation to Other Policies
This policy complements the organization’s other policies related to donor information and is not intended to override any other privacy policies. In cases of conflict between policies, the terms of this Donor Privacy Policy will take precedence.
Policy Compliance
The Executive Team (CEO, Chief Development Officer, and Chief Marketing Officer) ensures that the policy is properly followed by all staff, consultants, and volunteers.
Changes to the Privacy Policy
The organization reserves the right to amend this Donor Privacy Policy at any time, with or without notice to donors. Donors are encouraged to review the policy periodically to stay informed about how their information is being protected.