Privacy Policy

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

Friends of The Petaluma River ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website friendsofpetaluma.com and use our services.

By accessing or using our website and services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use our services.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Personal Information

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

• • Apply for scholarships or student financial aid through our platform
• • Register for an account or subscribe to our newsletter
• • Contact us through our contact form or email
• • Make donations or participate in our charitable programs
• • Participate in surveys, contests, or promotional activities

This personal information may include:

• • Full name, date of birth, and contact information (email address, phone number, mailing address)
• • Educational background, academic records, and enrollment information
• • Financial information necessary for scholarship and aid processing
• • Social Security Number or Tax Identification Number (when required for grants or awards)
• • Payment information for donations (processed through secure third-party payment processors)
• • Essays, personal statements, letters of recommendation, and other application materials

1.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain information about your device and browsing behavior, including:

• • IP address, browser type, and operating system
• • Pages visited, time spent on pages, and navigation patterns
• • Referring website addresses and search terms used to find our site
• • Device identifiers, screen resolution, and geographic location data
• • Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 5 for details)

1.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third parties, such as educational institutions, verification services, payment processors, and analytics providers. This information helps us verify your eligibility for scholarships and grants, process applications, and improve our services.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:

2.1 Providing and Managing Services

• • Processing scholarship and financial aid applications
• • Evaluating eligibility and awarding grants, scholarships, and educational funding
• • Managing your account and providing customer support
• • Communicating with you about your applications, awards, and account status
• • Processing donations and maintaining donor records

2.2 Improving and Optimizing Our Services

• • Analyzing website usage patterns and user behavior to improve functionality
• • Conducting research and analytics to enhance our educational programs
• • Testing new features and optimizing user experience
• • Measuring the effectiveness of our charitable programs and grant distribution

2.3 Marketing and Communications

• • Sending newsletters, updates, and information about new scholarship opportunities
• • Providing targeted information about educational services and programs
• • Conducting surveys and gathering feedback to improve our services
• • Promoting fundraising campaigns and charitable initiatives

2.4 Legal and Security Purposes

• • Complying with legal obligations, regulations, and reporting requirements
• • Protecting against fraud, unauthorized access, and security threats
• • Enforcing our terms of service and other agreements
• • Responding to legal requests and preventing illegal activities

3. How We Share Your Information

We respect your privacy and do not sell your personal information to third parties. However, we may share your information in the following circumstances:

3.1 Service Providers and Partners

We may share your information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, and providing services to you. These providers include:

• • Payment processors for secure transaction handling
• • Cloud storage and hosting providers
• • Email service providers for communications
• • Analytics and marketing platforms
• • Verification and background check services

These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.

3.2 Educational Institutions and Grant Recipients

We may share relevant information with educational institutions, scholarship committees, and other organizations involved in the grant and award process. This sharing is necessary to verify eligibility, process applications, and distribute funds appropriately.

3.3 Legal Requirements and Protection

We may disclose your information when required by law or when we believe disclosure is necessary to:

• • Comply with legal processes, court orders, or government requests
• • Enforce our terms of service and other agreements
• • Protect the rights, property, or safety of our organization, users, or others
• • Prevent fraud, security breaches, or illegal activities

3.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the acquiring entity. We will notify you of any such change and provide information about your choices regarding your personal information.

3.5 Aggregated and Anonymized Data

We may share aggregated, anonymized data that cannot identify you personally for research, statistical analysis, marketing purposes, and to demonstrate the impact of our charitable programs.

4. Data Security

We implement comprehensive security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. Our security practices include:

• • Encryption of data in transit using SSL/TLS protocols
• • Secure storage of sensitive information with encryption at rest
• • Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• • Access controls and authentication mechanisms
• • Employee training on data protection and privacy practices
• • Secure backup systems and disaster recovery procedures
• • Firewalls and intrusion detection systems

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on our website, analyze usage patterns, and deliver personalized content.

5.1 Types of Cookies We Use

• • Essential Cookies: Required for website functionality, authentication, and security
• • Performance Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website
• • Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences and personalize your experience
• • Analytics Cookies: Collect information about website usage and visitor behavior
• • Marketing Cookies: Track visitors across websites to display relevant advertisements

5.2 Managing Cookies

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:

• • View and delete cookies stored on your device
• • Block third-party cookies
• • Block all cookies from specific websites
• • Delete all cookies when you close your browser

Please note that blocking or deleting cookies may affect your ability to use certain features of our website and may impact your user experience.

5.3 Third-Party Analytics

We use third-party analytics services, such as Google Analytics, to collect and analyze information about website usage. These services use cookies and similar technologies to track visitor behavior, measure website performance, and provide insights that help us improve our services. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

6. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location and applicable laws, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:

6.1 Access and Portability

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and receive a copy of that information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.

6.2 Correction and Update

You have the right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information. You can update your account information at any time by logging into your account or contacting us directly.

6.3 Deletion

You have the right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions. We may retain certain information when required by law or for legitimate business purposes, such as:

• • Completing transactions and fulfilling scholarship obligations
• • Complying with legal and regulatory requirements
• • Maintaining records for tax and accounting purposes
• • Protecting against fraud and security threats

6.4 Restriction and Objection

You have the right to request restriction of processing of your personal information or object to certain types of processing, including direct marketing communications. You can opt out of marketing emails by clicking the unsubscribe link in any promotional email or by contacting us directly.

6.5 Withdrawal of Consent

Where we rely on your consent to process your personal information, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

6.6 Exercising Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in Section 11. We will respond to your request within the timeframe required by applicable law, typically within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Our retention periods are based on:

• • The nature and sensitivity of the information
• • The purposes for which we process the information
• • Legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting requirements
• • The potential risks of unauthorized access or disclosure
• • Whether we can achieve our purposes through other means

Typical retention periods include:

• • Scholarship application data: 7 years after the application cycle
• • Financial and tax records: 7 years as required by law
• • Account information: Duration of account activity plus 2 years
• • Marketing communications: Until you unsubscribe or request deletion
• • Website analytics data: 26 months

When we no longer need your personal information, we will securely delete or anonymize it in accordance with our data retention and disposal policies.

8. Children's Privacy

Our services are designed to assist students of all ages, including minors, in accessing educational opportunities and financial aid. We recognize the importance of protecting children's privacy and comply with applicable laws, including the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

When we collect personal information from children under 13, we:

• • Obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information
• • Provide parents with notice of our information practices
• • Limit collection to information reasonably necessary for participation
• • Allow parents to review, delete, or refuse further collection of their child's information
• • Maintain the confidentiality, security, and integrity of children's information

Parents or guardians who believe we have collected information from their child without proper consent should contact us immediately at contact@friendsofpetaluma.com, and we will take prompt action to delete such information.

9. International Data Transfers

Our organization is based in the United States, and your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States or other countries where our service providers operate. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from those in your country of residence.

When we transfer personal information internationally, we implement appropriate safeguards to protect your information, including:

• • Standard contractual clauses approved by relevant authorities
• • Ensuring service providers maintain adequate data protection standards
• • Compliance with applicable data protection frameworks
• • Obtaining your consent where required by law

By using our services, you acknowledge and consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and other countries as described in this Privacy Policy.

10. Third-Party Links and Services

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, applications, and services that are not operated by us. This Privacy Policy applies only to our website and services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party sites.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit. When you click on third-party links or use third-party services, you are subject to their terms and privacy policies. We do not endorse or make any representations about third-party websites or services.

Some third-party services integrated into our website may collect information directly from you. These services operate independently and have their own privacy policies governing their data collection and use practices.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will:

• • Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
• • Post the updated policy on our website
• • Notify you via email or through a prominent notice on our website
• • Obtain your consent if required by applicable law

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information. Your continued use of our services after changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

If you do not agree with any changes to this Privacy Policy, you should discontinue use of our services and contact us to close your account or request deletion of your information.

12. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us using the information below. We are committed to addressing your inquiries promptly and transparently.

When contacting us about privacy matters, please include:

• • Your full name and contact information
• • A detailed description of your request or concern
• • Any relevant account information or reference numbers
• • Verification of your identity (for data access or deletion requests)

We will respond to your inquiry within 30 days of receipt. For complex requests, we may require additional time and will notify you of any extension.

13. Additional Information

California Privacy Rights

California residents have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), including:

• • Right to know what personal information is collected, used, shared, or sold
• • Right to delete personal information held by businesses
• • Right to opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information
• • Right to correct inaccurate personal information
• • Right to limit use and disclosure of sensitive personal information
• • Right to non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights

We do not sell personal information as defined by the CCPA. To exercise your California privacy rights, please contact us using the information provided in Section 12.

European Privacy Rights

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

Our legal basis for processing your personal information includes: performance of a contract, compliance with legal obligations, legitimate interests, and your consent where applicable.

Do Not Track Signals

Some web browsers have a "Do Not Track" feature that signals to websites that you do not want your online activities tracked. Our website does not currently respond to Do Not Track signals. However, you can manage cookies and tracking through your browser settings as described in Section 5.