Privacy policy

1. Information we collect

Contact form: when you submit the form on our Contact page we collect the first name, last name, email address, area of interest, and message you provide. You may also share a phone number, which is optional. We collect the date and time of each submission. We only collect what you type into the form — we do not ask for payment details there.

Email updates: if you subscribe to updates from the foundation, we collect your email address to send you news about our events, programs, and impact. Our email list is managed through Mailchimp, which handles your email address under its own privacy policy when you subscribe.

Donations: gifts are processed on our behalf by Zeffy, a third-party, PCI-compliant donation platform embedded on our Donate page. Any name, email, mailing address, and payment information you enter is collected and processed by Zeffy under its own privacy policy and terms. We never see or store your full payment card details.

Our website does not use advertising trackers or sell data. Basic, aggregated analytics may be used to understand site traffic.

2. How we use information

We use contact form submissions solely to read and respond to your inquiry and to follow up about volunteering, partnerships, media requests, events, or programs. We use donation records from Zeffy to issue receipts and acknowledgments and to meet legally required reporting.

We use email addresses provided through the subscribe form to send occasional foundation updates through Mailchimp. Every email includes an unsubscribe link, and you can opt out at any time. We do not sell or share your email address with anyone other than Mailchimp as our email service provider.

We do not use your information for automated decision-making, and we do not add you to our email list without your consent.

3. Where your information is stored

Contact form submissions are stored in a secure, access-controlled cloud database used by this website. Submissions can only be read by authorized foundation staff and board members; they are not publicly readable and are not shared with third parties except where required by law.

Email subscribers are stored in Mailchimp on our behalf. Donation records are held by Zeffy on its own infrastructure. We access both through our foundation accounts.

4. Donor privacy

The foundation does not sell, rent, or trade donor information. Donor records are used only for receipts, acknowledgments, and legally required reporting. If you prefer to give anonymously, note it with your gift and we will honor that request.

5. Photographs and media

Photos taken at foundation events may be used in our impact gallery, press materials, and reports. If you appear in a photo on this site and would like it removed, contact us at sdj5.foundation@gmail.com and we will take it down.

6. Data retention and your choices

We keep contact form submissions only as long as needed to respond and maintain a record of our correspondence, and donation records as long as required for tax and reporting purposes. Email subscribers stay on our list until they unsubscribe.

You may ask us to access, correct, or delete the personal information you submitted through this site by emailing sdj5.foundation@gmail.com. For information held by Mailchimp or Zeffy, contact us and we will help direct your request.

7. Data security

We apply reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information. Data submitted through this site is transmitted over an encrypted connection, and access to submissions and donor records is limited to authorized staff and board members. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Children's privacy

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through this website.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The current version will always be posted on this page with the effective date below.

10. Contact

Questions about this policy or your information: the Silas Demary Jr. Foundation, PO Box 15, Wake Forest, NC 27588 — sdj5.foundation@gmail.com.