Privacy Policy

Effective Date: January 1, 2025

Bird of Light Foundation Inc. (“the Foundation,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization EIN: 93-4194744 registered in the state of Delaware. We value your privacy and are committed to protecting any personal information you share with us online, through donations, via email, or by other means. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information and explains your rights and choices regarding that information.

1. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to information we collect on our website (the “Site”), as well as through email, donation forms, social media, event registrations, and any other medium that references this Policy. By accessing our Site or otherwise providing us with personal information, you acknowledge and agree to the practices described in this Policy.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect several types of information from and about individuals who interact with the Foundation, including:

1. Personal Information

• Contact Information: Name, email address, mailing address, phone number.

• Donation Information: Payment details (e.g., credit card or bank account information), donation amounts, and any additional notes you include with a donation.

• Communication Preferences: Newsletter sign-up, event registration, or opt-in/out preferences.

• Volunteer or Employment Application Information (if applicable): Résumé/CV, references, and any other information submitted by applicants.

2. Automatically Collected Information

• Device & Usage Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, referral URLs, and actions on our Site (e.g., pages viewed, links clicked).

• Cookies & Similar Technologies: We use cookies, web beacons, tags, and pixels to collect data about how you interact with our Site, improve user experience, and tailor our communications.

3. Information from Third Parties

• We may receive information about you from social media platforms, online fundraising platforms, event registration services, or other partners, subject to their privacy policies.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for purposes including, but not limited to:

• Donation Processing: To process and acknowledge donations, and send donation receipts.

• Communications: To send newsletters, event information, fundraising appeals, and other updates about our work.

• Responding to Inquiries: To provide customer support and respond to questions or requests.

• Site and Service Improvements: To analyze how users interact with our Site, improve functionality, and tailor user experiences.

• Legal Compliance and Protection of Rights: To comply with legal obligations and protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property, as well as those of our users and partners.

4. Legal Bases for Processing (Where Applicable)

If you are located in certain jurisdictions (e.g., the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom), we process your personal information under one or more of the following legal bases:

• Consent: You have given explicit consent to the processing of your personal data for one or more specific purposes.

• Contract: Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract (e.g., processing a donation).

• Legal Obligation: Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation (e.g., tax or accounting rules).

• Legitimate Interest: Processing is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights and freedoms (e.g., improving our Site, safeguarding our services).

5. How We Share Your Information

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

• Service Providers and Partners: We work with third-party service providers to facilitate donations (e.g., payment processors), manage email communications (e.g., newsletter platforms), host our website, or provide other operational services. These providers only have access to the information necessary to perform their functions and are contractually obligated to protect your information.

• Legal Compliance and Protection of Rights: We may disclose information if required by law or when we believe disclosure is necessary to comply with legal obligations, protect our rights or the rights of others, or prevent harm.

• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, reorganization, or transfer of all or a portion of our assets, your personal information may be among the transferred assets.

6. Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies

We use cookies (small text files stored on your device) and similar technologies (web beacons, tags, and pixels) to:

• Enhance User Experience: Remember your preferences, login details, and settings.

• Analytics: Track and analyze Site usage, performance, and trends (e.g., using Google Analytics or similar tools).

• Marketing and Fundraising Efforts: Serve relevant content, appeals, or advertisements based on your interests and interactions.

You can adjust your browser settings to refuse or delete cookies. However, some features of our Site may not function properly without cookies. For more information about how to manage cookies, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable administrative, technical, and physical measures to safeguard the personal information in our possession against loss, theft, and unauthorized use, disclosure, or modification. Although we make good-faith efforts to store information in a secure environment, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your personal information.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, to provide our services, and to comply with applicable legal, tax, or accounting requirements. For instance:

• Donation Records: Retained for at least seven years to comply with IRS and other financial regulations.

• Email Lists: Retained until you unsubscribe or otherwise opt out.

• Volunteers or Employment Applications: Retained for as long as necessary to evaluate applicants, maintain volunteer records, and comply with applicable laws.

Once retention is no longer necessary, we securely delete or de-identify your personal information.

9. International Data Transfers

If you are located outside the United States, please note that we may transfer your personal information to servers located in the U.S. or other jurisdictions where our service providers are located. By using our Site or otherwise providing us with your personal information, you consent to the transfer of your information to the U.S. or elsewhere, subject to this Privacy Policy. Where required by law, we will implement appropriate safeguards (e.g., Standard Contractual Clauses) for cross-border transfers of personal data.

10. Donor Privacy

We respect the privacy of our donors and do not sell or share personal information about our donors with any other entity for their own marketing or fundraising purposes. We may share donor information with third-party service providers (e.g., payment processors) only to the extent necessary to process donations and fulfill our legitimate charitable objectives.

11. Children’s Privacy

Our Site and services are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us (see Section 16), and we will promptly delete it.

12. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, such as:

• Access and Correction: You may request access to or correction of your personal information.

• Deletion (Right to Be Forgotten): You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions (e.g., legal requirements).

• Objection and Restriction: You may object to or request the restriction of the processing of your personal information.

• Withdrawal of Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time.

• Opt-Out of Communications: You can unsubscribe from our email lists by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any email or by contacting us directly.

For California residents, additional rights may apply under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) or California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). If you are a California resident, you may have the right to know what personal information we collect, how we use and share it, and to request that we delete or restrict use of your personal information. Please contact us to exercise these rights or for more information.

13. Data Breach Notification

In the unlikely event of a data breach that compromises your personal information, we will promptly investigate and take necessary remedial steps. Where required by applicable law, we will notify you (and any relevant regulatory authorities) of the breach in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay.

14. External Links and Third-Party Websites

Our Site may contain links to other websites or services that we do not control. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit before providing any personal information.

15. Policy Updates and Changes

We may modify this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes become effective when we post the updated Policy on our Site, and the “Effective Date” at the top indicates when the latest revisions occurred. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically to stay informed.

16. How to Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy, please contact us at: contact@birdoflightukraine.org