Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 8/23/2023

This Privacy Policy (this “Privacy Policy” or “Policy”) applies to your access and use of all products and services that are made available by the Advocacy Institute, including without limitation the products and services made available through or in relation to the Advocacy Institute’s website, located at advocacy-institute.org (the “Website”), and is incorporated into and is subject to the Advocacy Institute’s Terms of Use (the “Terms”). Capitalized terms that are not defined in the Privacy Policy have the meaning given to them in the Terms. This Privacy Policy only applies to information collected (i) on the Website and related web-based sites or platforms provided to you (collectively, including without limitation any content hosted by the Advocacy Institute thereon or provided by the Advocacy Institute in connection therewith, the “Site”); and (ii) in connection with the services provided to you by the Advocacy Institute which may include, without limitation, trainings, consultation, and information regarding political advocacy (the “Membership Services.”). It describes the information that we gather from you, how we use and disclose your information, and the steps we take to protect your information. By using the Site or Membership Services, you consent to the privacy practices described in this Policy.

The information that we collect

● Personal Information

We collect certain types of information from and about users of the Site or Membership Services directly from you when you provide it to us or third parties authorized to share it with us, as well as automatically through your use of the Site or Membership Services. If you provide us with Personal Information, we will store and use that information in accordance with this Policy (when we use the term “Personal Information,” we mean information that can be associated with a specific person and can be used to identify that person, such as name, e-mail address, mailing address, telephone number, demographic, and other similar types of information). For example, you may provide us with Personal Information when you fill out forms or fields on the Site or in connection with Membership Services; when you register for a membership account; when you sign up for our newsletter; when you access tools on the website including, but not limited to, My Tools and Interactive Snapshots; when you make a donation through the Site; when you register for and/or participate in trainings; and when you contact us or request information about us, this Site and our products or services (whether by email, text, social media, or other means).

● Cookies Information

When you use the Site, we may send one or more “Cookies” (which are small text files containing a string of alphanumeric characters) to your computer or mobile device, to help analyze our web page flow, customize our content, and promote trust and safety. Cookies also remember your preferences, which may allow you to navigate between pages more efficiently and improve your browsing experience. You are always free to decline our Cookies if your browser permits, although doing so may interfere with your ability to use the Site or certain features of the Site. We may also use Google Analytics, or a similar service which uses Cookies, to help us analyze how users use the Site.

● Automatically Collected Information

When you visit the Site, we may automatically receive and record certain information from your computer, web browser and/or mobile device, including without limitation your domain, IP address, or other device address or ID, web browser and/or device type, operating system, hardware and software settings and configurations, the pages you view on the Site, your actions on the Site, and the dates and times that you visit, access, or use the Site (“Automatically Collected Information”). When you use the Site on a mobile device, we may also collect the physical location of your device by, for example, using satellite, cell phone tower or wireless local area network signals, and how long you visit, access, or use the Site.

How we use the information we collect

● We use non-identifying information about your use of the Site or the Membership Services to understand and analyze the usages trends and preferences of our users, to improve our Site and services and tools, to better communicate with you, for marketing purposes, and/or to improve fraud detection and information security.

● We may use your e-mail address or other Personal Information to contact you for administrative purposes such as customer service, and/or to send you promotional materials. Generally, you can opt-out of receiving promotional communications using the unsubscribe link in the promotional emails that you receive from the Advocacy Institute. You can update or delete the information that you have provided to us by contacting us directly at hello@advocacy-institute.org. Although your changes are reflected promptly in active user databases, we may retain all information you submit for a variety of purposes, including backups and archiving, prevention of fraud and abuse, and analytics.

● We may use Cookies and Automatically Collected Information to: (a) personalize our services, such as remembering your information so that you will not have to re-enter it during your visit or the next time you visit the Site; (b) provide customized content and information; (c) monitor and analyze the effectiveness of the Site; and (d) monitor aggregate site usage metrics such as total number of visitors and pages viewed.

When we disclose information

● We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to take precautions against liability; to protect the Advocacy Institute from fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful uses or activity; to protect the security or integrity of the Site; to investigate and defend ourselves against any third party claims or allegations; to assist government enforcement agencies; or to comply with state and federal laws, in response to a court order, judicial or other government subpoena or warrant.

● We may disclose your Personal Information to third-party service providers that we engage to help us provide the Membership Services or operate and maintain the Site, store data and administer activities on our behalf including, but not limited to, Quickbooks, HubSpot, Ramp, Airtable, Givebutter, Magiclink, Zapier and, Signal. If these third-party service providers have access to your Personal Information, they are required to protect the confidentiality of the information and use it only for the limited purpose for which it was provided. For your information and convenience, this Site may contain links to third-party sites. These third-party websites are not under our control and are governed by their own privacy policies and terms of use. The Advocacy Institute’s responsibility and liability ends once you have entered the third-party’s website.

● In the event the Advocacy Institute were to be engaged in or contemplating a divestiture, merger, consolidation, or asset sale, or in the unlikely event of a bankruptcy, the Advocacy Institute may transfer or assign the data, including Personal Information, that we have collected from users.

Your Choices

● You may, of course, decline to share certain information with us, in which case we may not be able to provide to you some of the features and functionality of the Site.

● Once you have registered for a membership or other account on the Site, you may update or delete the information that you have provided to us by contacting us directly at hello@advocacy-institute.org. Although your changes are reflected promptly in active user databases, we may retain all information you submit for a variety of purposes, including backups and archiving, prevention of fraud and abuse, and analytics, as consistent with applicable law.

● If you do not wish to receive email solicitations or newsletters from us, you can opt-out of receiving email information from us (except for emails related to the completion of your registration, correction of user data, change of password, and other similar communications essential to your transactions through the Site) by using the unsubscribe link in the promotional emails that you receive from the Advocacy Institute. Although your changes are reflected promptly in active user databases, we may retain all information you submit for a variety of purposes, including backups and archiving, prevention of fraud and abuse, and analytics.

Our Commitment to Children’s Privacy

Protecting the privacy of young children is especially important. For that reason, we do not knowingly collect or maintain information from persons under 13 years of age, and no part of the Site is directed to persons under 13 years of age. If you are under 13 years of age, then please do not use or access the Site at any time or in any manner. If we learn that information has been collected through the Site from persons under 13 years of age and without verifiable parental consent, then we will take the appropriate steps to delete this information. If you are a parent or guardian and discover that your child under 13 years of age has provided us with information, please alert us at hello@advocacy-institute.org to request that we delete the information from our systems.

Our Commitment to Data Security

We use certain physical, managerial, and technical safeguards that are designed to protect the integrity and security of your information; however, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable, so we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us through the Site or the Membership Services, and you do so at your own risk. We also cannot guarantee that such information may not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed by breach of any of our physical, technical, or managerial safeguards. We cannot control the actions of other users or other third parties with whom you may choose to share your information and therefore we cannot and do not guarantee that information you post through the Site will not be viewed by unauthorized persons. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Site. Even after removal, copies of information that you have posted may remain viewable in cached and archived pages or if other users have copied or stored such information. We retain information as long as it is reasonably necessary and relevant for our operations, and/or to comply with the law, prevent fraud, collect any fees owed, resolve disputes, troubleshoot problems, assist with any investigation, or enforce our Terms or other agreements.

Visitors from Outside the United States

This Site and the Membership Services are controlled and operated by the Advocacy Institute in the United States. This Site and our services are not directed or targeted to persons or entities located outside the United States. If you choose to access the Site or use the Membership Services from outside the United States, you acknowledge that you will be transferring your information, including Personal Information, outside of those regions to the United States for storage and processing, as necessary to provide to you the products and services available through the Site. Where required, we comply with applicable legal frameworks relating to the collection, storage, use, and transfer of personal information. Depending on the jurisdiction in which you reside, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or restrict use of certain Personal Information covered by this Privacy Policy. Depending on the jurisdiction, you may also have the right to request that we refrain from processing your Personal Information. Please bear in mind that if you exercise such rights this may affect our ability to provide our products and services. For inquiries about your Personal Information, please contact us by e-mail at hello@advocacy-institute.org, or through any of the contact information provided below. While the Advocacy Institute will make reasonable efforts to accommodate your request, we also reserve the right to impose certain restrictions and requirements on such requests, if allowed or required by applicable laws. Please note that it may take some time to process your request, consistent with applicable law.

Limitation of Liability

By accessing this Site and/or providing us with Personal Information and other data, you expressly and unconditionally release and hold us harmless from any and all liability for any injuries, loss, or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with the use and/or misuse of such information. In addition, while we take efforts to ensure the proper and appropriate use of data by our service providers that may receive your information from us, we are not responsible for any injuries, loss, or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with the use and/or misuse of your information caused by those service providers.

Changes and Updates to this Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to make changes to this Privacy Policy at any time. We will notify you about significant changes in the way we treat your information, including by placing a prominent notice on the Site or by sending you an email so that you can choose whether to continue using the Site. Material modifications are effective 30 calendar days after our initial notification or upon your acceptance of the modified Terms. Immaterial modifications are effective upon posting of the updated Privacy Policy or Terms of Service on the Site. Please revisit this page periodically to stay aware of any changes to this Privacy Policy. For the avoidance of doubt, disputes arising hereunder will be resolved in accordance with the Privacy Policy in effect at the time the dispute arose.

Do Not Track Disclosures

Third parties such as advertising networks, analytics providers, and widget providers may collect information about your online activities over time and across different websites when you access or use this Site or the Membership Services. Currently, various browsers offer a “Do Not Track” option, but there is no standard for how DNT should work on commercial websites. Due to lack of such standards, the Site does not respond to Do Not Track consumer browser settings.

Our Contact Information

Please contact us with any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, your personal information, our use and disclosure practices, or your consent choices by e-mail at hello@advocacy-institute.org.

Attn: Privacy
Advocacy Institute
c/o cori schmanke parrish
224 W. 35th St. Suite 500 #23
New York, NY 10001
(917) 398-3820