**Effective Date: July 10, 2025**
The Commons Foundation is committed to protecting the privacy of its donors, members, volunteers, program participants, and website visitors. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information.
1. Information We Collect
We may collect personal information from you in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, when you:
* Make a donation
* Sign up for our newsletter or email updates
* Register for an event or program
* Volunteer your time
* Contact us with an inquiry
* Visit our website
The types of personal information we may collect include:
* Contact Information: Name, address, email address, phone number.
* Donation Information: Donation amount, date, payment method (though we do not store full credit card numbers).
* Demographic Information: (Optional) Age, gender, interests, if relevant to our programs and with your explicit consent.
* Website Usage Data: IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, and time spent on our website (collected via cookies and analytics tools).
* Communication Preferences: Your preferences for receiving communications from us.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
* To Process Donations: To acknowledge donations, provide tax receipts, and manage donor records.
* To Communicate with You: To send newsletters, updates, event invitations, and other information related to our mission.
* To Manage Programs and Events: To register participants, communicate event details, and track attendance.
* To Solicit Support: To inform you about opportunities to support our work.
* To Improve Our Services: To understand how our website is used and to improve our programs, services, and communications.
* To Comply with Legal Obligations: To meet legal and regulatory requirements.
* For Internal Operations: For data analysis, auditing, and preventing fraud.
3. How We Share Your Information
The Commons Foundation will not sell, rent, or lease your personal information to third parties. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:
* Service Providers: We may share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our organization, such as payment processors, email service providers, and database management systems. These service providers are contractually obligated to keep your information confidential and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them.
* Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to a valid legal request (e.g., a subpoena or court order).
* Protection of Rights: We may disclose your information when we believe it is necessary to protect our rights, property, or safety, or the rights, property, or safety of others.
* With Your Consent: We may share your information with third parties when we have your explicit consent to do so.
4. Your Choices and Rights
You have certain rights regarding your personal information:
* Opt-Out of Communications: You can opt-out of receiving marketing communications from us at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions included in our emails or by contacting us directly at info@thecommonsfoundation.org.
* Access and Correction: You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and to request corrections to any inaccuracies.
* Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions.
* Data Portability: You may have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
* Withdraw Consent: Where we rely on your consent to process your personal information, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in Section 7.
5. Data Security
We implement reasonable technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our website may use "cookies" and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience and collect information about how you use our website. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites set or access cookies. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this website may become inaccessible or not function properly.
7. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
The Commons Foundation
PO Box 152
Little Compton, RI 02837
info@thecommonsfoundation.org
http://www.thecommonsfoundation.org
8. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The revised Privacy Policy will be posted on our website with the effective date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.