HELPUSADOPT.ORG, INC. WEBSITE PRIVACY POLICY
Thank you for your interest in HelpUsAdopt.org, Inc., a Maryland non-stock corporation (the “Organization”, “we” or “us”), and for visiting our website (the “Site”). We are committed to protecting the personal privacy of the users of our Site, who may submit personal information or financial information to us. As used herein, the term “Information” refers to personally identifiable information that visitors submit on the Site, including (i) personally identifiable information about you, including, without limitation, your name, date of birth, social security number, address and phone number, and (ii) financial information, including, without limitation, your income level, credit history and employment status. Through our activities, including, without limitation, providing grant assistance to individuals seeking to adopt a child, soliciting donations for our Organization, and offering information about adoption, Information may be collected. Our success depends on your trust. To better protect your privacy, we have established this Privacy Policy to inform you of our practices with respect to how we collect and use your Information.
As used in this Privacy Policy, the term “you” shall refer to any visitor to our Site, including, without limitation, grant applicants, grant recipients and donors.
Collection, Use and Sharing of Your Information
• We respect your privacy, and, in general, you can visit our Site without revealing any Information about yourself. We will not collect any Information about you unless you choose to provide that Information to us.
• Information may be collected through online registration forms, online request forms, or forms that can be downloaded from the Site, including, for example, the Organization’s Grant Application. By completing our Grant Application or otherwise providing us with your contact information, you are consenting to receive information from us about the Site and the Organization’s services.
• Your Information will only be used in a manner that is compatible with your requests. For example, if you submit a Grant Application, we may contact you to provide more information relating to the Grant Application or to inform you regarding whether your Grant Application has been approved or denied. We also reserve the right to verify your Information by contacting the references that you provide to us.
• You may opt out of future correspondence with the Organization at any time and ask us to delete any Information we have about you, or you may access, correct, amend and update your Information, by contacting us at the mailing address or e-mail address below.
• The Organization will not sell, share or retransmit your Information to any party not affiliated with the Organization, unless (i) we have your permission to make the disclosure, (ii) the disclosure is required by law, regulation or other legal requirement, (iii) the Information is publicly available, or (iv) the disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property or safety of the Organization or others.
• No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All other categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties
Security
We value your interest in our Organization and have taken reasonable measures to keep your Information secure and confidential, including limiting access to your Information by the Organization’s employees. Our procedures, which also include the periodic purging of all paper and electronic records, are designed to ensure that your Information is not shared with third parties without your express consent. The Organization’s procedural measures are reasonably designed to protect your Information from loss, misuse or unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration or destruction. However, we cannot assure you that the Information that we collect will never be disclosed in a manner that is inconsistent with this Privacy Policy or that a security breach will never occur. If the Organization learns of an unauthorized disclosure or security breach involving your Information that could result in financial harm to you or identity theft, we will attempt to notify you by email, postal mail and/or telephone so that you can take appropriate protective steps. If we cannot reach you, we will post a message on the Site revealing that there has been a security breach and directing you to the appropriate person at the Organization to contact for more information.
Collection, Use and Sharing of Anonymous Data and Cookies
• We may also collect anonymous data from the visitors of the Site. For example, we may utilize technology to track how many visitors have accessed the Site, the length of the visit, and which pages of the Site are viewed. This technology is used to enable us to compile statistics about our Site so that we may improve the content and functionality of the Site, better understand the needs of the users of our Site, and to improve the Organization’s services.
• We may use “cookies” to enhance your browsing experience. Cookies are small pieces of information that are stored on your computer’s hard drive that enable us to track your computer’s usage of our Site. You may adjust your browser settings to reject cookies from us before entering the Site. Please consult the "Help" section of your browser for more information. Note, however, that if cookies are disabled, you may not be able to view parts of our Site.
External Hyperlinks
Our site may link to websites of third parties whose information practices may be different than ours. We have no control over the information that is submitted to, or collected by, these third parties; therefore, whenever a hyperlink takes you to another website, you should carefully review that website’s privacy policy before transmitting any information to that website. All hyperlinks contained on our Site are provided as a courtesy and for your convenience. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content or accuracy of the information on these other websites and you navigate such websites at your own risk.
Children
This Site is not directed to, or intended for children under age 13. Accordingly, we do not knowingly collect Information from children under age 13 and, if we discover that such information was collected, we will promptly delete or destroy such information.
Policy Changes
We are continually improving and adding new features to this Site and adding to our existing services and programs. Because of such ongoing changes, as well as changes in the law and technology, this Privacy Policy may change from time to time. We will post any revisions to this Privacy Policy on this Site to notify you of the changes. If we make material changes to the way we collect, use or disclose your Information, we will notify you by email, postal mail or telephone. After such notification, your continued use of our Site and services will be subject to our then-current Privacy Policy.
Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact our Privacy Administrator at privacy@helpusadopt.org or HelpUsAdopt.org, Inc., P.O. Box 20435, New York, NY 10021, attn: Privacy Administrator.
Effective Date
This Privacy Policy is effective as of November 1, 2007
Becky and Kipp Fawcett
Co-Founders