Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

 

ReFED, Inc. (“ReFED,” “us,” “we,” and “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy.  This Privacy Policy, describes the information we collect through our website, www.refed.org and the ReFED Insights Engine (“Insights Engine”) at www.insights.refed.org (together, the “Sites”) or that you provide to us through other means, how we use and share it, and how you can make choices about our use of that information.  

Please note that this Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time, so please check back regularly.  By using the Sites after we have posted an updated Privacy Policy, you agree to that updated Privacy Policy.

By using ReFED’s Sites, you consent to our collection, use, and sharing of information as described in this Privacy Policy.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide to Us

We collect personally identifiable information (“Personal Information”), such as your name, email address, postal address and telephone number when you voluntarily provide it to us. Below are the most common ways in which you would provide your Personal Information:

  • Signing up for our mailing list
  • Submitting an inquiry related to ReFED’s programs and/or services
  • Submitting a media inquiry 
  • In connection with a donation to ReFED
  • Enter a contest or complete a survey
  • In connection with any other inquiries to ReFED by phone, email or otherwise, or any other place on the Sites where you knowingly volunteer Personal Information
  • Use social media to interact with us, or to share something from our Sites with others, we will receive information about what you share and other details that may be based on your social media privacy settings 

Information Automatically Collected 

We may also collect information about users when you interact with the Sites.  This includes the IP address of the device you use to access the Sites, your MAC address, the browser type, operating system, device-identifying information, information about your browsing behavior such as the time and date of visits to the Sites, and the website that referred or linked you to the Sites.  We may use this information to analyze how visitors use our Sites so we can improve the quality of the Sites.  

We or third-party service providers (each, a “Service Provider,” together, “Service Providers”) may collect some of this information through cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, clear gifs, or similar technologies.  In some instances, these technologies may allow us to match activities with particular users.

The Sites use Google Analytics, a third-party website analytics tool that collects automated information about visitor traffic. The information collected by Google Analytics is transmitted to and stored by Google and is subject to Google privacy policies.  You can learn how Google Analytics collects and processes data, please visit:  “How Google uses data when you use our partners’ sites or apps” located at www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners or to learn more about how to opt out of Google Analytics here.

Cookies

The Sites use “cookies,” which are small pieces of information stored by your browser or other application on your computer's browser or hard drive.  The cookies are used to connect your computer with information stored about your online activity, searches and preferences both within the same website visit and from one visit to the next on the Sites and/or other websites.  Some examples of this data include user specific information on pages accessed, searched terms or addresses entered, and previous visits to the Sites.  We use both session ID cookies and persistent cookies. A session cookie expires when your browser is closed, and a persistent cookie may stay on your hard drive for an extended period. Session cookies make it easier for you to navigate our site; persistent cookies can perform such activities as storing your password for forums or blogs so you do not have to sign in every time you visit those areas, and/or may be used to enable us to track and target the interests of our users so as to enhance the overall experience of using our Site.

We or our partners may also use Flash cookies (also known as Local Stored Objects) or other similar technologies. A Flash cookie is a small data file placed on a computer using Adobe Flash or similar technology that may be built into your computer or downloaded or installed by you to your computer. We use these technologies to personalize and enhance your online experience, facilitate processes, and personalize and store your settings. Flash cookies may help our website visitors to, for example, set volume preference associated with a video experience and perform surveys. They help us improve our Sites by measuring which areas are of greatest interest to visitors. They may be recognized by other sites or by our marketing or business partners. Flash cookies are different from browser cookies and the cookie management tools provided by your browser may not remove Flash cookies. Click here to learn how to manage privacy and storage settings for Flash cookies. If you disable Flash cookies or other similar technologies, please be aware that you may not have access to certain features and services that make your online experience more efficient and enjoyable.

We may also use web beacons, which are electronic images that may be used on our websites or in our emails. We use web beacons to deliver cookies, count visits, understand usage and campaign effectiveness and to tell if an email has been opened and acted upon.

You are not required to accept cookies from the Sites.  Your web browser allows you to disable the cookies function or delete existing cookies.  However, if you disable cookies, you may not be able to access certain features on the Sites.

How We Use Your Information

We or our Service Providers may use your Personal Information for the following purposes:

  • To send you information about news, events, or opportunities that we think may be of interest to you 
  • To provide you access to the Insights Engine
  • To respond to inquiries from you and communicate with you 
  • To ensure and improve the quality of our Sites
  • To notify you about substantive changes to our privacy practices
  • To detect, investigate, and protect against any activities that may violate our policies or the law and to establish, defend against, or enforce any related claims

How We Share Your Information 

We do not rent or sell Personal Information to any third parties.

We may share your Personal Information with our Service Providers that help us operate and provide services in connection with the Sites.  

We may use independent contractors or consultants to perform services for ReFED. These individuals and entities may have access to Personal Information only as needed to perform their functions and are obligated to maintain the confidentiality of any Personal Information collected by ReFED.

We also reserve the right to disclose and use Personal Information and other information in special circumstances, including to enforce this Privacy Policy or any other part of our Terms, to comply with legal process or law enforcement, to address actual or suspected illegal activity, to protect our property or rights, to protect the rights and safety of anyone, or for other reasons we determine in good faith are necessary, appropriate, or required by law.  If we ever merge with, are acquired by, or otherwise consolidate with another organization, Personal Information may be transferred along with our other assets.  

Third-Party Web Sites

The Sites may contain links to third-party websites (“Third-Party Sites”). Third-Party Sites may collect information about you when you interact with them through links on our Sites.  If you follow any link to a Third-Party Site, you should review those websites’ privacy policies to find out how they protect your privacy.  We are not responsible for Third-Party Sites or their privacy practices. 

Social Media

We maintain a social media presence, such as a LinkedIn page and a Twitter feed. You can interact with us through social media, such as by entering our contests, posting content, sharing material from our Sites, and using our social media plug-ins. When you interact with us using social media, we may receive information such as your user ID, your profile picture, photos you post, and similar information, which is often determined by your privacy settings at social media sites. We may use the information for the same types of purposes we describe throughout this Privacy Policy. Your use of social media sites is primarily governed by the site operators’ privacy policies and terms of service, and the information you share with us and with others is largely controlled by the privacy settings you have established at those sites.

Record Retention 

We will keep your Personal Information for as long as we need it, or as otherwise prescribed by law, for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. 

Security 

We use reasonable efforts to safeguard your Personal Information.  Of course, no transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, so you provide your Personal Information at your own risk.

Location of Servers and Transfer of Information 

Information collected through the Sites will be accessed and processed in the United States.  In addition, your information may be transferred outside the United States by our Service Providers with locations in other countries.  By using the Sites and providing your Personal Information to us, you consent to this transfer and to the collection, storage, processing and use of your Personal Information both within and outside of the United States. 

Your Choices Regarding Our Use of Your Personal Information

If you wish to review, update, correct, or remove the Personal Information we have for you, please email [email protected]

If you no longer wish to receive communications from us, you can unsubscribe by clicking on the “unsubscribe” link in any email communication you receive from us. If an “unsubscribe” link is not available, you can reply to the sender of the communication requesting to be unsubscribed. 

Do Not Track (DNT) Requests 

Some browsers have incorporated Do Not Track (“DNT”) preferences.  As there is not yet an industry-standard DNT protocol on how to interpret DNT signals, we do not honor DNT signals from browsers at this time.  However, you may refuse or delete cookies to prevent some tracking activities.

Children

Under Age 13

We do not knowingly collect information from or about children without verifiable parental consent. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 may have provided personal information through the Sites, please contact us at [email protected] and we will take all reasonable measures to delete such information from our databases and to not use such information for any purpose (except where necessary to protect the safety of the child or others as required or allowed by law). 

Under Age 18

Minors under 18 years of age may have the Personal Information that they provide to us through the Site deleted by sending an email to [email protected] requesting deletion.  Please note that, while we make reasonable efforts to comply with such requests, deletion of your personal information does not ensure complete and comprehensive removal of that data from all systems.

Your California Privacy Rights

California residents who provide personal information in obtaining products or services for personal, family, or household use are entitled to request and obtain from us once a calendar year information about the customer information we shared with third parties for their own direct marketing purposes, including the categories of information and the names and addresses of those businesses with which we have shared such information.  As discussed elsewhere in this Privacy Policy, we do not currently share the personal information of California residents with third parties for their own direct marketing purposes.  However, if you have further questions about our privacy practices and compliance with California law, please contact us as explained below.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

ReFED reserves the rights to modify this Privacy Policy from time to time without notice to you.  If we make substantial material changes to our Privacy Policy, we will notify you. ReFED may update this Privacy Policy by posting a new version on this webpage. This Privacy Policy is considered current as of the Last Updated date indicated below.

Questions

For any questions you may have about this Privacy Notice or our data practices please email [email protected]

Last Updated: February 8, 2022

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