Privacy Policy

The Sterling Institute Privacy Policy

Effective Date August 1, 2023

The Sterling Institute is committed to protecting the online and offline privacy of users and donors. Portions of our site are directed to our adult donors, friends, and supporters, while other areas include content specifically designed for teens and young men and women. Please review the information below to familiarize yourself with our policies on privacy, and contact The Sterling Institute if you have any questions.

OVERVIEW OF THE THE STERLING INSTITUTE PRIVACY POLICY

The Sterling Institute adheres to the standards of ethics laid out in the Association of Fundraising Professionals “Donor Bill of Rights:”

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • To have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.
  • To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
  • To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.
  • To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
  • To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
  • To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
  • To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.  As well, The Sterling Institute will not sell donor information to any third-party entity, nor share donor information with outside parties without the express consent of the donor.
  • To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

OVERVIEW OF THE THE STERLING INSTITUTE WEBSITE PRIVACY POLICY

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected online when visiting our website and governs online data collection and usage at the The Sterling Institute site.

You do not have to provide personal information to visit and enjoy many features of our sites. To make a contribution online, purchase products (if applicable), or engage in certain other activities, we will request personal information from you, such as your name, address, and e-mail address.  We ask users to certify before submitting an online donation that they are eighteen years of age or older.  Any personal information provided to The Sterling Institute by users who identify themselves as being under thirteen years of age will be deleted or destroyed by The Sterling Institute immediately upon receipt or as soon thereafter as reasonably practicable.

We use the information that you voluntarily provide to fulfill your requests, such as signing you up for e-updates or newsletters, and for surveys and user research to improve our site.

We do not share your personal information with third parties, other than with our agents who provide technical support for our site or help fill your purchase order. We cannot provide e-updates or newsletters to any user under thirteen years of age.

INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE

Visitors can visit our site without registering or providing personal information, but we do collect personal information to make certain features and options available. We collect personal information when it is voluntarily provided, for instance when registering for e-mail updates, taking our online pledge, completing our online surveys, or making a donation. We may ask users for first and last name, mailing address, phone number, and an e-mail address; an address and phone number is required to process online orders or donations, and other demographic information is requested to help us understand our visitors’ needs and interests. For any person under thirteen years of age, any information provided will then be deleted immediately upon receipt or as soon thereafter as reasonably practicable.

INFORMATION THE STERLING INSTITUTE COLLECTS AUTOMATICALLY

Your web browser offers “cookies” which, if you allow their use, store small amounts of data on your computer when you visit a web site. Cookies do not contain any personally identifiable information about you and therefore cannot be used to identify you personally. You have the ability to accept or decline cookies by modifying your browser and our web sites are viewable even if you disable the cookie function on your browser. However, if you disable cookies, some advanced and customized features of our site will not be available to you.

The Sterling Institute may utilize cookie technology to assist us in tracking which of our features you like best. Cookies also enable us to provide online shopping, customize our content according to your preferences, and to age screen users for compliance with our policies for children under thirteen years of age. We DO NOT use cookies or other non-consensual methods to take personally identifiable or online contact information about you or your family off of your computer. The Sterling Institute DOES NOT use cookies for direct marketing or promotional purposes. Cookies are also NOT used to collect information specifically about you or your family for sharing with third parties [without consent].

Personal data is processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal data, including protection against unauthorized or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage, using appropriate technical or organizational measures.  We strive to use commercially acceptable means such as firewalls, password-protected databases with limited physical or electronic access, and encryption to protect personally identifiable information.   No method of transmission over the Internet, method of electronic storage or other security methods are one hundred percent secure so we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

WHAT WE DO WITH COLLECTED INFORMATION

We use the personal information we collect to fulfill your requests. For instance, if you wish to start a The Sterling Institute in your area, donate to The Sterling Institute, or purchase a product online (if applicable), we will use the information you provide to provide you with information (including by text messages), process your donation or purchase order. We also use collected information to evaluate and administer our service, respond to any problems that may arise, and to gauge user trends to determine what features are of most interest to our visitors.

We may, at times, produce reports containing aggregate information about our users such as demographic, age, and online usage information. This allows us to offer information and features that are most relevant to our users. We do not include personally identifiable information in these reports.

The Sterling Institute uses technical tools (i.e., cookies) to check the age of visitors who sign up for newsletters and updates. Our community features, if available, are designed to prevent visitors from posting personally identifiable information. Any personal information collected from a child under thirteen years of age will be deleted or destroyed immediately after identifying that such data pertains to a person under thirteen years of age or as soon as reasonably practical thereafter. Parents may review and request that we delete their child’s information or request that The Sterling Institute cease collection or use of such information by emailing a signed request, including their email address, the child’s e-mail address or other identifier, birth date, and first name, to our Content Manager at vvela@girlsinc.org. The Sterling Institute will abide by any request to delete or cease collection or use of data with respect to any child but can only provide information to a requesting parent to the extent it can verify the relationship between the requesting parent and child. No such information shall be distributed to any third parties.

UPDATING YOUR PREFERENCES

A user can, at any time, change, correct, modify or delete any personal information they may have provided to The Sterling Institute. Users can also unsubscribe from any newsletters or opt out of various promotional e-mailings at any time by clicking on “unsubscribe” links in the newsletter or e-mails.

 

VISITORS FROM OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

The Sterling Institute and the server which makes this site available worldwide are located in the United States. All matters relating to this site are governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee in the United States. Any information you provide will be transferred to the U.S. By visiting this site and submitting information you authorize this transfer.

PROTECTING OUR SITE

We reserve the right to use or disclose any information without notice or consent as needed to satisfy any law, regulation or legal request; to conduct investigations of consumer complaints or possible breaches of law; to protect the integrity of our site and our property; to protect the safety of our visitors or others; to fulfill your requests; or to cooperate in any legal investigation.

CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY

We will occasionally update this Privacy Policy as necessary to maintain the highest protection for our users and to comply with a changing environment. We recommend that you check the policy when you visit our site to be sure you are aware of and understand our current policy. If we make material changes to this policy or in how we will use or collect your personally identifiable information, we will prominently post such changes prior to implementing the change. We will not make retroactive changes in how we handle previously collected personal information unless legally required to do so.

We want all our visitors to have fun navigating our site and urge you to use common sense whenever disclosing personal information on this site or anywhere on the Internet.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@thesterlinginstitute.org.