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DATA PRIVACY POLICY

Last Updated: November 22, 2023

Sprout Society is committed to preserving your privacy. This privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”) covers how we collect, use, and treat data and/or information, including personal information (“Information” or “Data”) that you may provide through your use of the Internet sites, applications, electronic communications and online services and other digital products or services that link to this Privacy Policy (collectively the (the “Website” or the “Site”), as operated by or controlled by The Russell J. Efros Foundation, Inc. dba Sprout Society (“Sprout Society”). The terms “you” and “your” refer to any visitor to our Website. The terms “us”, “our” or “we” refer to Spout Society. If you have any questions concerning the Privacy Policy or Sprout Society’s collection and processing of your Information, you may contact us at hello@sproutsociety.org.

By visiting this Website, you are accepting the practices and policies described in this Privacy Policy, and you are further indicating that you agree to be bound by the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy you should not visit this Website or use any of the “links” on this Website. We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, so please check this Privacy Policy periodically for changes. The date this Privacy Policy was last updated is referenced at the beginning of this Privacy Policy.

Collection of Data

We collect Data from you in several different ways on the Site, including personal data and data about your use of the Site which does not identify you personally. 

When you interact with the Site, we may collect and use the following types of personal data, without limitation:

  • Contact details (including names, postal addresses, email addresses, and telephone numbers) and any other information you choose to include interact with us, such as when you make a donation, request information, engage with our customer service or subscribe to Sprout Society updates or publications;
  • Transactional information if you make a donation or purchase, including your name, email address, billing information, payment card information, and billing address;
  • Feedback information, including information you provide in response to questions or surveys we may send you through our services including for feedback and research purposes.
  • Information required for Sprout Society to meet legal and regulatory requirements;
  • Technical information about interactions with our Site, such as your IP address, browser type, unique identifiers, the referring webpage; and
  • Any other information you may voluntarily provide to Sprout Society.

When you interact with our Site, certain information about you is automatically collected via cookies and similar technologies (referred to collectively herein as “cookies”). Cookies are small text files that are stored within your device’s memory by a website. Cookies enable a website such as ours to keep track of your activities to improve user experience, advertise our services, and ensure the security of our Site. 

Some content on the Site may be served by third-party content providers and may also use cookies, pixels, tags or other similar tracking technologies to automatically collect data about you, both on the Site and throughout the Internet. We do not control the technologies of those third parties. Data collection and. Use by those third parties is subject to the privacy policies of those third parties. It is up to you to review the terms of use and privacy policies of those third parties.

We may use Google Analytics to conduct analytics and collect usage details. You can learn more about Google Analytics here, and opt out of collection of your information by using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. We may also use Google Ads and Facebook Pixel to customize our advertising and to serve you ads based on your browsing behavior. These partners use cookies to serve you ads based on your prior visits to our Services and other websites on the internet. These cookies allow your behavior to be tracked after you have been redirected to our Services by clicking on an ad. You can learn more about Google Ads here and Facebook here. You can opt-out of personalized advertising through Google’s Ad Settings and Facebook’s Ad Settings. You can also clear and control the information third parties share with Facebook in your Off-Facebook Activity page.

Use of Collected Data

The Sprout Society may use your information for any of the following purposes:

  • Provide our services: Provide the requested services to you, including to maintain your account, fulfill your purchase or donation, register you for online events or programming, send requested marketing materials, and evaluate award applications.
  • Communicate with you: Provide support, respond to your questions, inquiries, and other requests, and send you notifications related to your account, your transaction, or changes to the Site.
  • Improve the services and our Site: Grow the Sprout Society and our mission, understand the effectiveness of our marketing, events, and other promotional campaigns, and conduct market research and statistical analysis.
  • Marketing: Send you information, recommendations, and events we feel may be of interest to you, administer surveys, and tailor the content we display to you on the services and/or Site and communications, including advertising.
  • Offer and maintain the services and/or Site: Monitor the performance of the services and/or Site, ensure the security of the services and/or Site, personalize your experience, and conduct analytics on your use of the services and/or Site.
  • Comply with legal and regulatory obligations: Comply with legal requirements, defend against legal claims or demands, exercise our legal rights, detect, investigate, and prevent activities that may violate our policies or be fraudulent or illegal, and protect our rights and the rights of others.
  • For employment purposes: Evaluate, recruit, and hire personnel.
  • Carry out any other purposes with your consent or as permitted by law.

Sharing of Collected Data

Sprout Society may share the information we collect as follows:

  • With service providers that we believe need the information to perform a technology, business, or other professional function for us such as payment processing, IT services, maintenance and hosting of our services and/or Site, marketing, accounting, auditing, tax services, and other professional services.
  • With advertising and measurement partners who assist us in serving advertisements regarding the services and/or Site to others who may be interested in the services and/or Site, or who use cookies to display interest-based advertising to you on the services and/or Site. These third parties use tracking technologies on the services and/or Site to collect or receive information from the services and/or Site and elsewhere on the internet and use that information to provide measurement services and target ads. Third parties may allow other companies to access information about you so that they may market other products you may be interested in.
  • With third parties whose products, services, or offerings may be of interest to you. The Sprout Society may share, rent, or sell donor contact information with third parties that we believe engage in activities that may be of interest to you. You can opt-out of this sharing by emailing hello@sproutsociety.org.
  • With our sponsors or event partners in connection with certain events or programming;
  • When required by law and when we are legally required to do so, such as in response to or in compliance with court or regulatory agency orders, legal proceedings, or legal process, to exercise our legal rights, to defend against legal claims or demands, or to comply with the requirements of any applicable law.
  • To prevent harm or if we believe it is necessary in order to detect, investigate, prevent, or take action against illegal activities, fraud, or situations involving potential threats to the rights, property, or personal safety of any person.
  • As part of a business transaction with another entity or its affiliates or service providers in connection with a contemplated or actual merger, acquisition, consolidation, change of control, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, or if we undergo bankruptcy or liquidation.
  • With your consent or at your direction.

Transfer of Collected Data

The Site is operated in the United States. If you are located in another jurisdiction, please be aware that the data we collect will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States. By using the Site and/or providing us with any data, you consent to this transfer, processing, and storage of your data in the United States, a jurisdiction in which the privacy laws may not be as comprehensive as those in the country where you reside or are a citizen such as the European Union. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Notice. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is subject to appropriate safeguards and ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Protection of Your Data

We use a combination of physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect the information we collect through the Site. While we use these precautions to safeguard your information, we cannot guarantee the security of the networks, systems, servers, devices, and databases we operate or that are operated on our behalf.

Donor Privacy Choices

As a Sprout Society donor, you may submit a request to review the information we maintain on you and request corrections if the information is inaccurate. You may also submit a request to opt-out of your contact information (name, mailing address, email address) being shared with third parties for marketing purposes. To submit a request, please contact the Sprout Society at the below email, telephone number, address. To ensure we can process your request in a timely manner, please include your full name, physical address, and email address.

Sprout Society

Attention: Legal Department

449 Troutman Street, Unit C1

Brooklyn, NY 11237

hello@sproutsociety.org

General Privacy Choices

You may have certain choices when it comes to how we collect and use your information as follows:

  • Update and view your account information: You can access your Sprout Society account at any time to update and view certain information of yours in our possession and which is associated with your account, such as your email address and telephone number.
  • Update your marketing preferences: If you no longer wish to receive marketing communications from us, you can click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email from us. If you no longer with you receive automated marketing text messages, you can opt-out by responding to any of our text messages with STOP.
  • Change or view your cookie preferences:
    • You can opt-out or set preferences regarding cookies as described in this section. Please note you will need to set preferences on each device you use to visit the Site.
    • You can set your browser to refuse cookies or indicate when a cookie is being sent. Please note that if you do, certain features of the Site may not function properly or be available. If you are visiting the Site from a mobile device, the operating system of the device may offer you options regarding how the device collects and uses your information for interest-based advertising.
    • You can visit the Network Advertising Initiative or the Digital Advertising Alliance to learn more about your options for opting out of the use of your information by certain companies to deliver interest-based advertising.
    • Your browser or device may include “Do Not Track” functionality. Because definitions and rules for a “Do Not Track” standard have not yet been established, including whether such signals must be user-enabled, we do not yet respond to “Do Not Track” signals sent from browsers.

Jurisdiction-Specific Choices

Based on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights, in addition to any other rights set forth in applicable laws, rules and regulations, with respect to your personal data held by Sprout Society:

  • The right to access or right to know your personal data and request certain information concerning your personal data, such as an explanation of the purpose of the processing and disclosure of third parties with whom Sprout Society shares the data;
  • The right to rectify inaccuracies in your personal data or to ensure that it remains up to date;
  • The right to erasure or deletion of your personal data under certain circumstances. For example, you may request erasure if the data is no longer needed in connection with the reasons it was collected or processed or if you withdraw your consent to further processing. Sprout Society may deny your request where it is required or permitted by law to retain your personal data or when we need to retain you information in connection with the exercise or defense of legal claims;
  • The right to restrict processing or the right to opt-out of the sale of personal information;
  • The right to data portability by requesting a copy be provided in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and/or requesting that Sprout Society transmit your personal data to a third party where technically feasible;
  • The right to object to processing of your personal data where you contest that the processing is necessary for the purposes of Sprout Society’s or its business partners’ legitimate interests. Sprout Society may deny your request because it has compelling legitimate business interests or the exercise or defense of legal claims. You may also advise us at any time that you no longer wish to receive direct marketing materials from Sprout Society; 
  • The right to non-discrimination for the exercise of a consumer’s privacy rights; and
  • The right to bring a complaint before the applicable governmental privacy regulator. You may contact the data privacy officer concerning your rights.

To exercise your rights per the above, please submit a request to Sprout Society at the below address. To ensure we can process your request in a timely manner, please include your full name, physical address, and email address. When you submit your request, we will reasonably verify your identity prior to processing your request to access or delete any personal information we may hold about you. You must provide sufficient information that allows us to reasonably verify you are the person about whom we collected personal information or an authorized representative of that person.

Sprout Society

Attention: Legal Department

449 Troutman Street, Unit C1

Brooklyn, NY 11237

hello@sproutsociety.org

Retention of Your Data

We retain data only as long as necessary in light of the purpose(s) for which it was originally collected. Please note that we may retain your data for longer periods of time as necessary to comply with our legal obligations or respond to governmental authorities.

Children and Parents

We respect children’s privacy. We do not knowingly or intentionally gather personal information about children under the age of 13. By using the Site, you have represented and warranted that you are either at least 18 years of age or using the Site with the supervision of a parent or guardian. If you are under the age of 13, you may not use the Site. If you become aware that we have inadvertently collected the personal information of a child under 13, or equivalent minimum age depending on jurisdiction, a parent or guardian of that child may contact us at hello@sproutsociety.org to request that we delete the information from our records or otherwise cease the use of that information in accordance with applicable law.

Your Data Preferences

If you no longer want us to use your collected data as described above, please submit a request to Sprout Society at the below address. To ensure we can process your request in a timely manner, please include your full name, physical address, and email address.

Sprout Society

Attention: Legal Department

449 Troutman Street, Unit C1

Brooklyn, NY 11237

hello@sproutsociety.org

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice, please contact Sprout Society at:

Sprout Society

Attention: Legal Department

449 Troutman Street, Unit C1

Brooklyn, NY 11237

hello@sproutsociety.org

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