Privacy Policy

Introduction

Friends of The Hudson River (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website at friendsofthehudsonriver.com, make a donation, sign up for our newsletter, participate in our programs, or otherwise interact with our organization.

By using our website or engaging with our services, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this policy, please do not access our website or provide us with your personal information.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly

We collect information that you voluntarily provide to us, including:

Contact Information: Name, email address, mailing address, and phone number when you fill out a contact form, sign up for our newsletter, or reach out to us directly.
Donation Information: When you make a donation, we collect your name, billing address, email address, and payment information. Payment processing is handled by secure third-party payment processors; we do not store your full credit card number on our servers.
Membership and Volunteer Information: If you become a member or volunteer, we may collect additional details such as your areas of interest, skills, availability, and emergency contact information.
Event Registration: When you register for events, cleanups, educational programs, or advocacy activities, we collect relevant registration details.
Communications: Any information you include in messages sent to us through our contact form, email, or other communication channels.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically, including:

Device and Browser Information: Your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, and device type.
Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URLs, click patterns, and other browsing behavior on our website.
Location Data: General geographic location based on your IP address.

Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third-party sources, such as:

Social media platforms when you interact with our social media accounts.
Partner organizations involved in joint conservation programs.
Public databases and records relevant to our advocacy and education mission.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

Mission Fulfillment: To advance our mission of protecting the Hudson River through education, community engagement, and advocacy.
Communication: To send you newsletters, event invitations, donation receipts, program updates, and other information related to our organization’s activities.
Donation Processing: To process and acknowledge your donations and provide tax receipts.
Event Management: To organize and manage events, volunteer activities, and educational programs.
Website Improvement: To analyze website usage patterns and improve our website’s content, functionality, and user experience.
Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.
Advocacy: To support our advocacy efforts on behalf of the Hudson River and its communities, including contacting elected officials when you opt in to advocacy campaigns.

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

Service Providers: We work with trusted third-party service providers who assist us with website hosting, email delivery, payment processing, and data analysis. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.
Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request.
Organizational Transfers: In the event of a merger, reorganization, or dissolution, your information may be transferred as part of our organizational assets, subject to the same privacy protections described in this policy.
With Your Consent: We may share your information with other parties when you have given us explicit consent to do so.

We do not share donor information with other nonprofit organizations for fundraising purposes unless you have explicitly opted in to such sharing.

Cookies and Tracking

What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They help websites remember your preferences and understand how you interact with the site.

How We Use Cookies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Essential Cookies: Required for basic website functionality, such as maintaining your session when you fill out a form.
Analytics Cookies: To understand how visitors interact with our website, which pages are most popular, and how we can improve the user experience. We use analytics services that aggregate data to provide insights without identifying individual users.
Preference Cookies: To remember your preferences, such as language or accessibility settings.

Managing Cookies

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can set your browser to refuse all cookies, accept only certain cookies, or alert you when a cookie is being placed. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

Encryption of data transmitted between your browser and our servers using SSL/TLS technology.
Secure storage of personal data with access limited to authorized personnel.
Regular security assessments and updates to our systems.
Training for staff and volunteers who handle personal information.

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data.

Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Correction: You may request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.
Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions.
Opt-Out: You may opt out of receiving marketing communications from us at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in our emails or contacting us directly.
Data Portability: You may request a copy of your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@friendsofthehudsonriver.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

California Residents

If you are a California resident, you may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to know what personal information we collect and how it is used, and the right to request deletion of your personal information.

New York Residents

As a New York-based organization, we comply with all applicable New York State privacy laws and regulations.

Children’s Privacy

Our website is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information as soon as possible.

For educational programs that involve minors, we obtain parental or guardian consent before collecting any personal information, and such information is handled in accordance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and applicable state laws.

Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including partner organizations, government agencies, and other resources related to our mission. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these external websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Donation records are retained in accordance with IRS requirements for tax-exempt organizations. When your information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy and, where appropriate, notify you by email or through a notice on our website.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Friends of The Hudson River Email: info@friendsofthehudsonriver.com Website: friendsofthehudsonriver.com

We are committed to resolving any concerns about your privacy and our collection or use of your personal information.