PRIVACY POLICY

INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We collect two categories of information: what you provide to us directly, and what is collected automatically when you visit the site.

INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE

When you submit a form (volunteer, nominate a community, request Sidekick help, sponsor/partner, or general contact), we collect the information you provide:

• Name
• Email address
• Organization or affiliation (if provided)
• Phone number (if provided)
• The content of your message, request, or nomination
• Information about a community, nonprofit, or individual you are nominating or referring

INFORMATION COLLECTED AUTOMATICALLY

When you visit the site, our hosting provider and analytics tools may automatically collect:

• IP address (usually anonymized or truncated)
• Browser type, version, and operating system
• Pages viewed, time spent, and referring URLs
• Device identifiers and screen resolution
• Cookies and similar tracking data (see Section 03)

We do not collect Social Security numbers, financial account information, payment card details, or government-issued ID numbers. The foundation does not accept monetary donations, so no payment processing occurs through this site.

HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

We use the information we collect to:

• Respond to inquiries, evaluate your requests, assess nominations, evaluate community nominations, and coordinate volunteer or sponsor matching.
• Operate our programs, connect sponsors with recipients, facilitate engagements, and bring communication with partners, sponsors, and volunteers.
• Maintain records, keep accurate records of our engagements, partnerships, and gift-in-kind contributions as required for our operations and tax-exempt status.
• Improve the site, understand which content is useful, fix issues, and improve the user experience.
• Comply with the law, meet legal, tax, regulatory, or audit requirements, including those tied to our nonprofit status.
• Protect rights and safety, investigate suspected misuse, protect against fraud or harm, and enforce our terms.

We do not use your information for targeted advertising, profiling, or behavioral marketing.

COOKIES & SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES

The site uses cookies and similar technologies (like web beacons) to understand how the site is used and to save your session or interaction preferences.

CATEGORIES WE USE

• Essential cookies: Required for the site to function (page navigation, form submission, security).
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it. This data is typically aggregated and anonymized.
• Preference cookies: Remember choices you make (such as your language or region) for a more tailored experience.

YOUR COOKIE CHOICES

You can control cookies through your browser settings (typically under "Privacy" or "Security"). Most browsers allow you to block cookies, delete existing cookies, or receive a warning before a cookie is set. If you disable cookies, some parts of the site may not function properly (for example, forms may fail to submit or the site may not remember your preferences).

We do not currently respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals because no industry standard for these signals has been finalized.

HOW WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION

We share information outside the foundation only in the limited circumstances described below. We do not sell personal information.

• Service providers: We share information with vendors who help us operate (website hosting, email delivery, analytics, storage). These vendors are restricted from using the information for their own purposes.
• Program partners: When you nominate a community, volunteer for an engagement, or sponsor a deployment, we may share relevant details with the partner organization, school, or internal recipient as needed to coordinate the work. We do not share contact information beyond what is strictly necessary.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information if compelled by law, court order, or subpoena, or to comply with reporting obligations tied to our 501(c)(3) status.
• Protection of rights: To protect the safety, rights, or property of the foundation, our volunteers, our partners, or the public.
• With your consent: In other circumstances where you explicitly agree to a specific disclosure.

For clarity: we will not trade, share, or sell a donor's personal information with anyone else, nor send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations.

THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

We rely on a small number of third-party services to operate the site and our programs. These vendors have their own privacy policies that govern their handling of information:

• Website hosting and forms: We use Webflow to host the site and process form submissions.
• Analytics: We use analytics providers (such as Google Analytics) to understand traffic usage patterns.
• Email and communication: We use standard email services to communicate with you after you reach out.
• Cloud storage: We store operational files using standard cloud storage providers.

Our site may contain links to external websites (such as partner sites). If you click a link to an external website, our policy does not apply.

YOUR RIGHTS & CHOICES

Depending on where you live, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Deletion: Ask us to delete personal information we hold about you, subject to certain legal exceptions.
• Restriction: Ask us to restrict the processing of your information.
• Portability: Receive your information in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Object: Object to our further processing of your information.
• Withdraw consent: Where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, email hello@kertcherfoundation.org. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond to valid verifiable requests within a reasonable timeframe.

CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), provides you with additional rights:

• Right to know what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and share.
• Right to access the specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
• Right to delete your personal information.
• Right to opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information. We do not sell or share personal information for targeted advertising, so this right applies in principle but requires no action on your part.
• Right to limit the use of sensitive personal information. We do not collect sensitive personal information as defined under CCPA.
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights.

To exercise these rights, email hello@kertcherfoundation.org. You may also designate an authorized agent to make requests on your behalf, subject to verification.

SHINE THE LIGHT

California Civil Code Section 1798.83 allows California residents to request information about disclosures of personal information to third parties for direct marketing purposes. We do not share personal information for direct marketing.

DATA RETENTION

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy, including:

• To respond to and follow up on your inquiry or engagement.
• To maintain records of our programs and partnerships.
• To comply with legal, accounting, audit, or reporting requirements (including those tied to our 501(c)(3) status).
• To resolve disputes or enforce our agreements.

When information is no longer needed, we delete or anonymize it.

DATA SECURITY

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. These include access controls, encryption in transit, and vendor security reviews.

However, no internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. If we become aware of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and applicable authorities as required by law.

CHILDREN'S PRIVACY

The site is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly.

Some of our programs involve serving K-12 communities. In those operational circumstances, we work directly with adult partners (schools, nonprofits, administrators, parents, guardians) — not with children directly. Any information about minors that we encounter is handled through adult partners, who are responsible for obtaining appropriate consent.

If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without parental consent, contact us immediately at hello@kertcherfoundation.org.

INTERNATIONAL USERS

The Kertcher Foundation is based in the United States. If you access the site from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, which may have different data protection laws than your country of residence.

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and equivalent laws, including the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. We process your data only when we have a lawful basis, such as your consent, to fulfill a contract, to comply with legal obligations, or for legitimate interests that do not override your rights.

CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices. We will post the updated policy on this page and revise the "Last Updated" date at the top. If we make material changes, we will provide a more prominent notice (such as a banner on the site or an email notification if you are on our list).

We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

CONTACT US

If you have questions, concerns, or requests about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, please reach out:

For security and privacy requests related to California or European residents, please include "PRIVACY REQUEST" in your subject line.