Privacy policy

Animal Humane Society (AHS) respects the privacy of our website users and their personal information. Our Privacy Policy was written to ensure users of AHS’s commitment to maintaining the privacy, security, and confidentiality of any and all personal information of such users.

Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of the terms contained within this Privacy Policy, as well as any changes that may be made to it in the future. If any portion of this Privacy Policy is unacceptable to you, do not use this website.

Collection of information

This website collects various types of information, such as:

  • Personal information that is voluntarily shared by you. This includes identification information, such as your name, telephone number, postal address, email address, and payment/billing information.
  • Non-personal information that does not identify any specific individual in any way. This includes information related to general patterns on the website, or the number of times a specific page was viewed in a particular month, etc. We may use and share this form of information for analysis purposes.
  • Information received through the website that is delivered anonymously. In some instances, you may be prompted/asked to provide certain personal information (i.e. name, address, billing information, etc.) in order to facilitate the operation of a website feature. You have absolute authority to enter such personal information or refuse to provide it.
  • Information about financial gifts made to AHS (including date of gift, gift total, billing address, and payment method).

Use of information collected

Your privacy is important. Animal Humane Society does not rent or sell its donor list.

Your personal information may be used by AHS in certain situations. AHS may collect and make use of your personal information in order to fulfill a request from you, or ensure proper delivery of services you may have requested. In the process, we may share your information with internal staff needed to complete such request(s). In addition, we may share any non-identifying information for statistical or analytic purposes and all personal information can be shared within the organization.

Donor information is kept on file for IRS purposes. It is also used to analyze overall giving patterns in order to make more accurate budget projections, as well as to understand donors’ interests in our mission and to update them on the organization’s plans and activities. This information is shared with staff, board members, and consultants only on a confidential and need-to-know basis.

Security

While AHS cannot control all possible breaches, we shall endeavor to take every precaution to maintain adequate physical, procedural, and technical security with respect to our offices and information storage facilities, so as to prevent any loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure or modification of the user’s personal information under AHS’s control.

Social media

This website may offer the ability to participate in third-party social media site(s), such as Facebook and Instagram. Any information you post to such social media platforms is outside the scope of AHS’s website, and is not covered by this Privacy Policy. Therefore, your choice to share personal information on such social media sites, through AHS’s website, is done voluntarily and at your own risk. AHS is not responsible for any act or omission of any social media site, nor are we responsible for the consequences of your decision to share your personal information on such site(s).

Links to other websites

AHS’s website may contain links to other websites, and those sites may not follow the same privacy policies as AHS. Since those sites are outside of our control, AHS is not responsible for the privacy practices of such third-party websites. This Privacy Policy applies only to this website, and not to any other third-party websites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any website that collects personal information from you.

Children’s privacy

AHS is committed to protecting the privacy and safety of all children. This website is not designed for, or directed to, children under the age of 17. AHS shall not be held liable for any unauthorized use of this website by minors. Please contact us if you believe a child under the age of 13 has provided any personal information to this website without parental consent.

Discontinuing contact upon request

It is the policy of AHS to communicate with donors according to their expressed preferences whenever possible. AHS will discontinue or change the method used to contact any person upon that person’s oral or written request directed to the organization, its professional fundraiser, or other agent.

AHS shall maintain a record of all requests by persons who indicate to AHS, its professional fundraiser, or other agents, that they do not wish to be contacted by or on behalf of AHS.

This policy does not prohibit contact by an individual or group voluntarily soliciting on behalf of AHS, even if the person being contacted has requested to be placed on the "do not contact list."

Upon a person’s (or a person’s authorized representative’s) request that Animal Humane Society discontinue further contacts, the person’s name and address will be promptly modified in AHS’s donor database to ensure that no further contact is made with the person. AHS will also take steps to ensure that no further contact is made with the individual and that the person’s name is removed from any external databases or records under AHS’s control.

Permanent Record: Animal Humane Society will maintain an electronic record of all requests for discontinuance of contacts, effective with the adoption of this policy by AHS’s board of directors. Oral requests will be noted in writing by AHS staff then permanently recorded in the electronic donor database. The records of persons who have made such a request will be maintained by AHS to the extent necessary for legal or liability purposes.

Donor Bill of Rights

AHS subscribes to the Donor Bill of Rights, which was created by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and the Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits.

Donor Bill of Rights

Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To ensure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the nonprofit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:

  1. To be informed of the organization's mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
  2. To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization's governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
  3. To have access to the organization's most recent financial statements.
  4. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
  5. To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.
  6. To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
  7. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
  8. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
  9. To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
  10. To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

Contacting this website

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or AHS’s website, please contact us at [email protected] or 952-435-7738.

Request erasure of your personal data

You have the right to request AHS deletes or removes personal data when there is no good reason for us to continue processing it.

You may exercise your rights of cancellation and deletion by contacting us at [email protected]. Please note that we may ask You to verify Your identity before responding to such requests. If you make a request, we to you as soon as possible.

For caring, compassionate advice and resources to address all your animal concerns.

Contact the Pet Helpline