GuideStar USA, Inc.

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: July 30, 2018

Protecting individual privacy is important to GuideStar USA, Inc. (“GuideStar”, “us” or “we”). This Privacy Policy is intended to described how we collect, use and disclose information from you, including through websites operated by us from which you are accessing this Privacy Policy (the “Websites”), through the software applications made available by us for use on or through computers and mobile devices (the “Apps”), through our social media pages (“Social Media Pages”), as well as through email messages that we send to you that link to this Privacy Policy (collectively the Websites, Apps, Social Media Pages and applicable emails are referred to as the “Services”) Please read this Privacy Policy carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your information and how we will treat it. BY USING THE SERVICES YOU AGREE TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET FORTH IN THIS PRIVACY POLICY, PLEASE DO NOT USE THE SERVICES.

1. Changes to Our Privacy Policy.

GuideStar may update GuideStar’s Privacy Policy at any time and will post the updated Privacy Policy on the Services. You are responsible for periodically reviewing the Services and this Privacy Policy to check for any updates or changes. Your use of the Services following the posting of any revised Privacy Policy shall be deemed acceptance of the revised policy, so we strongly recommend that you check back periodically to review this Privacy Policy.

2. The Information We Collect.

A. Personally Identifiable Information.

“Personally Identifiable Information” is information, that either alone or in combination with other information, identifies you. When we combine other information (i.e., information that does not, on its own, identify you), with Personally Identifiable Information, we treat the combined information as Personally Identifiable Information.

B. How We Collect and Use Personally Identifiable Information. 

We and our service providers collect the Personally Identifiable Information set forth below in order to provide the requested Services to you, or because we are legally required to do so. If you do not provide the Personally Identifiable Information we request, we may not be able to provide you with the requested Services. The Personally Identifiable Information we and our service providers collect includes but is not limited to:

  • Information Required to Complete the Registration Process for Services and Related Products.

GuideStar may decide to make certain features, products or services offered within the Services subject to registration requirements. To use those areas of the GuideStar Services (e.g., areas through which you can submit content to the Services or Registration-Based Products), you may be asked to provide certain information about yourself, such as your name, mailing address, e-mail address, username and password. GuideStar may also compile a subscription list to which you could voluntarily submit your name, mailing address and/or email address. We may use your email to inform you of new products, technical information and services, and upcoming events that may be of interest. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you may opt-out by clicking on and completing the opt-out link provided at the bottom of the applicable email.

  • Personally Identifiable Information Collected through Various Forms.

We and our service providers may collect Personally Identifiable Information in a variety of ways, including but not limited to: (i) through use of the Services; (ii) offline, such as when you contact customer service or (iii) from other sources, such as public databases, joint marketing partners, social media platforms (including from people with whom you are friends or otherwise connected) and from other third parties.

  • Personally Identifiable Information You Disclose Relating to Others.

If you disclose any Personally Identifiable Information relating to other people to us or to our service providers in connection with the Services, you represent that you have the authority to do so and to permit us to use the information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

C. Information We Automatically Collect through our Services.

We and our service providers collect the following types of information automatically when you use the Services:

  • Log Information.

When you use our Services, our servers automatically record information, including your Internet Protocol address (“IP Address”), browser type, referring URLs (e.g., the site you visited before coming to our Services), number of clicks, and how you interact with links on the Services, domain names associated with your internet service provider, pages viewed, and other such information (collectively, “Log File Information”). We may also collect similar information from emails sent to you which then help us track which emails are opened and which links are clicked by recipients. We use Log File Information collected from our implementation of the Services to further our legitimate interests in securing the Services by identifying potential threats and vulnerabilities, and in analyzing the effectiveness of our Services to improve the Services’ function and content.

  • Cookies and Similar Technology.

When you use or access the Services, we use cookies, device identifiers, and similar technologies such as pixels, web beacons, and local storage to collect information about how you use the Services. We process the information, including Personally Identifiable Information, collected through such technologies to further our legitimate interests in operating the Services, enhance your experience through personalization, and help us better understand the features of the Services that you and other users are most interested in.

Most browsers provide you with the ability to block, delete, or disable cookies, and your mobile device may allow you to disable transmission of device identifiers. If you choose to reject cookies or block device identifiers, some features of the Services may not be available or some functionality may be limited or unavailable. Please review the help pages of your browser or mobile device for assistance with changing your settings.

We may use Flash Local Shared Objects (“Flash LSOs”) and other similar technologies to, among other things, collect and store information about your use of the Services. If you do not want Flash LSOs stored on your computer, you can adjust the settings of your Flash player to block Flash LSO storage by visiting (http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager07.html). Please note that setting the Flash Player to restrict or limit acceptance of Flash LSOs may reduce or impede the functionality of some Flash applications).

We may also collect the physical location of your device by, for example, using satellite, cell phone tower or Wi-Fi signals. We may use your device’s physical location to provide you with personalized location-based services and content. We may also share your device’s physical location, combined with information about what advertisements you view and other information we collect, with our marketing partners to enable them to provide you with more personalized content and to study the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. In some instances, you may be permitted to allow or deny such uses and/or sharing of your device’s location but if you do, we and/or our marketing partners may not be able to provide you with the applicable personalized services and content.

Without an industry or legal standard of interpreting Do Not Track Signals (“DNT”) sent to us by your browser, we do not respond to DNT signals at this time. To learn more about how DNT works, please visit http://allaboutdnt.com/.

  • Other Information.

In addition to the other information outlined in this Section 2.C, we may also collect information that does not reveal your specific identity or does not directly relate to an identifiable individual, such as but not limited to: (i) browser and device information; (ii) App usage data; (iii) demographic information and other information provided by you that does not reveal your specific identity; and (iv) information that has been aggregated in a manner that it no longer reveals your specific identity.

3. How We Use Your Personally Identifiable Information.

A. Use of Personally Identifiable Information.

We and our service providers may use Personally Identifiable Information for our legitimate business interests, including the following:

  1. administering our Services and business including responding to your inquiries, fulfilling your requests, and providing you with related customer service;
  2. personalizing our Services for you by presenting products and offers tailored to you;
  3. sending you goods purchased through our Services;
  4. supplying professional services purchased through our Services;
  5. sending statements, invoices, and payment reminders to you, and collecting payments from you;
  6. sending you non-marketing commercial communications;
  7. sending you email notifications that you have specifically requested;
  8. sending you our email newsletter, if you have requested it (you can inform us at any time if you no longer require the newsletter);
  9. sending you marketing communications relating to our business or the businesses of carefully-selected third parties which we think may be of interest to you, by post or, where you have specifically agreed to this, by email or similar technology (you can inform us at any time if you no longer require marketing communications);
  10. dealing with inquiries and complaints made by or about you relating to our Services;
  11. verifying compliance with the terms and conditions governing the use of our Services (including monitoring private messages sent through our Website private messaging service); and
  12. for our business purposes, such as data analysis, audits, fraud monitoring and prevention, developing new products, enhancing, or improving or modifying our Services, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns, and operating and expanding our business activities.

B. To Whom We Disclose Personally Identifiable Information.

We may disclose your Personally Identifiable Information to any of our employees, officers, insurers, professional advisers, agents, suppliers, subcontractors or to any member of our group of companies (including our subsidiaries, our ultimate holding company and all its subsidiaries) as reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this policy.

In addition, we may disclose your Personally Identifiable Information to:

  • Our Service Providers. We employ service providers to perform tasks on our behalf and to assist us in providing the Services, such as website hosting, data analysis, payment processing, order fulfillment, customer service, information technology and related infrastructure provision, email delivery, and other services.

  • Third-Party Vendors. GuideStar uses third-party vendors (such as Google Analytics) to analyze how users use the GuideStar Services. GuideStar may use anonymous and aggregated data collected by GuideStar itself or by such third parties on behalf of GuideStar to track and examine the use of the GuideStar Services, to create statistics and reports for various business purposes, and to aggregate such anonymous data and share it with GuideStar’s advertisers, service providers or business partners in order to offer you potentially desirable products and services; however, such data will not include information that enables such third parties to identify you individually without your information. The Personally Identifiable Information compiled in our registration and subscription databases will not be shared with any marketing firms or other third parties (other than those providing services to GuideStar and that are restricted to using such information on behalf of GuideStar and solely as and to the extent necessary to provide such services to GuideStar) without the express consent of the registrant or subscriber.

  • Advertising. GuideStar incorporates remarketing by utilizing third party vendors (such as Google) to display content specific advertisements to visitors who have previously visited the GuideStar Services and/or expressed interest in the GuideStar products when such visitors go to other websites that also incorporate similar remarketing tools. GuideStar and other third-party vendors, including Google, use first-party cookies and third-party cookies together to inform, optimize and serve ads based on user’s past visits to the GuideStar Services.

    Remarketing is a way for GuideStar to connect to GuideStar users based upon such users’ past interactions with GuideStar. Third-party vendors (such as Google) may show GuideStar ads on other sites on the Web.

    You may opt out of this use of cookies by visiting the following sites:

    http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/ads/

    http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/

    If you choose, you can opt out by turning off cookies in your browser. You can opt-out from being tracked by Google Analytics by downloading and installing Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on for your current web browser, by visiting: http://www.tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

    Finally, you may opt out by turning off cookies in the preferences settings in your browser.

    • Companies Involved in Merger and Acquisition Transactions. In some cases, we may choose to buy or sell assets. In these types of transactions, user data (including Personally Identifiable Information) is typically one of the business assets transferred. Moreover, if GuideStar, or substantially all of its assets, were acquired, user data would be one of the assets that is reviewed and transferred or acquired by a third party.

    • Law Enforcement, Government Agencies, and Courts. We may disclose Personally Identifiable Information at the request of law enforcement or government agencies or in response to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal process to establish, protect, or exercise our legal or other rights or to defend against a legal claim or as otherwise required or allowed by law, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of a customer or any other person. We may also disclose Personally Identifiable Information to investigate or prevent a violation by you of any contractual or other relationship with us or your illegal or harmful activity.

      GuideStar may also use your personal information to identify which account or IP address user to terminate in the event that GuideStar decides to terminate your use of, or registration on, the Services as required by applicable law or pursuant to our Terms of Use.

    • By You. To the extent you submit content to public areas of the Services, it will be available to the public and GuideStar and other third parties may reuse and republish or utilize such information at our discretion and in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy. Please understand that you submit such content at your own risk.

    • Search Engines and Other Sites. Search engines and other sites not affiliated with the GuideStar, such as archive.org or google.com, may crawl the Services and make available to the public publicly-available content and postings from the Services.

    4. Your Data Subject Rights.

    If you provide us with Personally Identifiable Information, you have the right to access, edit, delete, or export (i.e. data portability), or object to or restrict certain categories of Personally Identifiable Information that you have supplied to us by contacting us in accordance with the information provided in Section 10 below. We will promptly review all such requests in accordance with applicable laws.

    5. How We Protect Your Information.

    The security of your Personally Identifiable Information is important to us and we take reasonable precautions to protect it. However, notwithstanding such precautions, GuideStar assumes no responsibility for the security of the Services or any data transmitted to GuideStar, including, but not limited to, information related to potential employment or applications therefore, or any other matter.

    6. Personally Identifiable Information Transferred from the EU or Switzerland to the United States.

    GuideStar complies with the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework and Swiss-US Privacy Shield Framework (collectively, “Privacy Shield”) as set forth by the US Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of Personally Identifiable Information from the European Union (the “EU”) member countries and Switzerland. GuideStar has certified to the Department of Commerce that it adheres to the Privacy Shield Principles of Notice, Choice, Accountability for Onward Transfer, Security, Data Integrity, Purpose Limitation, Access, Recourse, Enforcement, and Liability. A violation of GuideStar’s commitment to Privacy Shield may be investigated by the Federal Trade Commission and/or the United States Department of Commerce. If there is any conflict between the policies in this Privacy Policy and the Privacy Shield Principles, the Privacy Shield Principles shall govern. To learn more about the Privacy Shield program, and to view our certification page, to the extent available, please visit https://www.privacyshield.gov.

    In compliance with the Privacy Shield Principles, GuideStar commits to resolve complaints about your privacy and our collection or use of Personally Identifiable Information about you. Persons from the EU or Switzerland who have inquiries or complaints regarding this Privacy Policy should first contact us via email at: privacy@guidestar.org.

    GuideStar has committed to refer unresolved privacy complaints under the Privacy Shield Principles to JAMS, an alternative dispute resolution provider located in the United States. If you do not receive timely acknowledgment of your complaint, or if your complaint is not satisfactorily addressed, please visit https://www.jamsadr.com/eu-us-privacy-shield for more information and to file a complaint.

    These recourse mechanisms are available at no cost to you. Damages may be awarded in accordance with applicable law. Please note that if your complaint is not resolved through these channels, under limited circumstances, a binding arbitration option may be available before a Privacy Shield Panel. In cases of onward transfer to third parties of data of EU or Swiss individuals received pursuant to the Privacy Shield, GuideStar is potentially liable.

    7. Children’s Use of the Services.

    The Services are not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect Personally Identifiable Information from children under age 13. If you are under 13 years old, do not use or provide any information on or through the Service. If we learn we have collected or received Personally Identifiable Information from a child under the age of 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information. If you believe we might have any personally identifiable information from or about a child under the age of 13, please email us at support@guidestar.org.

    8. Links to Affiliate, Partner, and other Third Party Websites.

    To the extent the Services contain links to any networked web pages and/or other websites operated by our partners, affiliates, or other third parties, the privacy policy featured on such partner, affiliate, or third party site shall control. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of the partner, affiliate, or other third party websites you choose to visit.

    9. Retention.

    We will retain Personally Identifiable Information about you for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes for which Personally Identifiable Information about you has been collected as outlined in this Privacy Policy unless a longer retention period is required by law.

    10. Contact Information.

    Questions regarding privacy issues should be directed to GuideStar USA, Inc., 4801 Courthouse St., Suite 220, Williamsburg, VA 23188, ATTN: Counsel or privacy@guidestar.org. We will use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly determine and remedy the problem.