Privacy Policy
This policy covers personal information provided to us by individuals who contribute support, communicate with Groundswell Conservancy, and/or who use the website of Groundswell Conservancy. This policy is posted on our website.
We collect information about you when you sign up for our e-news, register for an event, make a donation, are honored by someone else’s donation, fill out a form, or perhaps simply ask a question. In the course of these activities, you may have directly provided us with personal information such as your name, postal address, email address, telephone number, and credit/debit card information.
How is the information collected used?
We use your personal information to fulfill your request, process a donation, send updates about our work, and/or seek further support from you.
Although you can browse our website without revealing personally identifiable information about yourself, when you browse our website, your visit is tracked anonymously. We use the tracking information to measure the use and effectiveness of our website. Groundswell Conservancy’s website sets and uses cookies (simple text files stored on your web browser) to anonymously track use.
Groundswell Conservancy does not sell your personal information to other organizations. We never share email addresses or donor giving history. Occasionally we exchange names and postal mailing addresses of some donors with a small number of peer Wisconsin nonprofit organizations. Trading such information helps a small nonprofit like ours expand financial support by reaching out to individuals who give to similar causes. At any time you may opt out of having your information shared – see “Opt-out Instructions” below.
When we send you an email, we use technology to track whether you open the email and/or whether you click on a link in the email. We use this information to gauge the interests of our supporters and to help us write more engaging messages that match those interests.
How Do We Protect Your Information?
We take a variety of physical, electronic, and procedural security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information and protect it from loss, misuse, and alteration. All Groundswell staff and volunteers that have access to and/or are involved with the processing of personal data are obliged to respect the confidentiality of your information.
We provide a secure server on our online donation page. You can verify this by looking for a closed lock icon on your web browser or looking for “https” at the beginning of the address of the web page.
Your credit/debit card information is never stored by Groundswell Conservancy. Any credit/debit card information provided online is encrypted and directly transmitted to a credit card processing company. If you submit credit/debit card information to us via postal mail, your credit card number and expiration date is cut off your reply card and destroyed after we transmit that information to the credit card processing company. Please ask us if you want to know the name of our current credit card processing company.
Confidentiality of Donor Information
Donor information is held confidentially by Groundswell Conservancy.
Groundswell Conservancy uses vendors to assist with processing and managing donations, donor data, and donor mailings. We give these vendors access to donor data only as necessary. Our vendors are bound by confidentiality and are permitted to use donor data only to support Groundswell Conservancy operations.
Groundswell Conservancy uses a donor database to maintain records of financial contributions and our interactions with supporters. Staff and volunteers with access to this information sign confidentiality agreements. When using the database, staff and volunteers log in with individual passwords, some of which are restricted to limited access only.
We may release your information to comply with laws or protect our or others’ rights, property, or safety.
Opt-out Instructions
At any time you may opt out of receiving further information from us, such as our print newsletters, email updates, and appeal letters.
You may also opt out of having your name and mailing address exchanged with other Wisconsin nonprofit organizations.
If you do not wish to be recognized by name for a financial or other contribution, you may request that your donation be anonymous.
To opt out in any respect, please contact us:
- By emailing Heidi Habeger at heidi@groundswellconservancy.org
- By calling our office at 608-258-9797
- By writing to us at Groundswell Conservancy, 303 S. Paterson St., Suite 6, Madison WI 53703
- By selecting “unsubscribe” when receiving an electronic communication from our mailing list.
Links to Third-Party Websites
This privacy policy addresses only activities connected with Groundswell Conservancy’s website and server. When using our links to connect to other websites, you may wish to review the privacy policies for those third-party websites. Groundswell Conservancy does not endorse and has no responsibility for the content or accuracy of these linked websites.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
Groundswell Conservancy is accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. This policy may be updated to reflect changing accreditation standards and practices, as well as changing organizational needs and best practices for electronic interactions.