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PRIVACY & DONOR POLICY

Last Updated: September 25, 2026

Privacy & Donor Policy

Heritage Ways (“Heritage Ways,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects the privacy of our visitors, donors, participants, volunteers, partners, and supporters. We are committed to being transparent about how information is collected, used, protected, and shared when you visit Heritage Ways.org, make a donation, contact us, participate in our programs, or interact with our virtual experiences.

Information We May Collect

We may collect information you voluntarily provide to us, including:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Mailing address
  • Telephone number
  • Contact form submissions
  • Donation information
  • Newsletter and communication preferences
  • Volunteer or partnership inquiries
  • Accessibility feedback
  • Survey, research, or program information voluntarily submitted to Heritage Ways

Our website may also automatically collect limited technical information such as browser type, device type, IP address, referring website, pages visited, approximate location derived from an IP address, and general website interaction information.

How We Use Information

Heritage Ways may use information to:

  • Respond to questions and requests
  • Process and acknowledge donations
  • Provide donation receipts
  • Communicate about our mission, programs, projects, and events
  • Coordinate volunteers, participants, and organizational partners
  • Improve our website and virtual experiences
  • Identify and address accessibility barriers
  • Understand general website usage
  • Protect the security and integrity of our website
  • Fulfill legal, accounting, tax, reporting, and regulatory obligations

Heritage Ways does not sell personal information.

Donor Privacy

We value the trust of every individual and organization that supports our mission.

Donor information may be used to process contributions, provide receipts and acknowledgments, maintain financial records, communicate the impact of our work, and provide information about Heritage Ways programs and opportunities to support our mission.

HeritageWays does not sell, rent, or trade donor names, contact information, giving history, or other personal donor information to outside organizations for their independent marketing or fundraising purposes.

Donors may request that their gifts remain anonymous in public recognition materials. Where legally permitted, Heritage Ways will honor reasonable requests concerning public recognition.

Certain donation information may still need to be retained internally or disclosed when required by law.

Donations and Payment Processing

Online donations may be processed by a third-party payment provider.

Payment information, such as complete credit or debit card numbers, may be collected directly by the payment provider and may not be received or stored by Heritage Ways.

Third-party payment processors maintain their own privacy and security practices. Visitors should review the policies of the applicable payment provider when submitting payment information.

Donor and Email Communications

You may request to stop receiving fundraising, newsletter, or promotional communications from Heritage Ways at any time by using an unsubscribe option provided in the communication or contacting us directly.

We may continue to send administrative communications necessary to process or document a donation, respond to a request, or satisfy legal obligations.

Cookies and Website Analytics

HeritageWays.org may use cookies and similar technologies to support website functionality, security, analytics, embedded content, and visitor preferences.

We may use third-party analytics services to better understand general website traffic and how visitors interact with our content. These providers may collect technical information according to their own privacy practices.

Where legally required, visitors will be provided with appropriate choices regarding non-essential cookies.

Virtual Tours, Video and Embedded Content

Heritage Ways may use third-party services to provide 360° virtual tours, video, maps, interactive media, donation processing, and other digital experiences.

When you interact with embedded third-party content, the provider may receive technical information about your device or interaction and may use cookies or similar technologies according to its own privacy policy.

Third-party services are governed by their respective privacy practices and terms.

Accessibility Information

If you contact Heritage Ways regarding an accessibility issue, accommodation, or alternative way to access content, you may voluntarily provide information about your accessibility needs.

We will use that information to respond to your request, improve accessibility, and support participation in our programs.

You are not required to provide a medical diagnosis to report an accessibility barrier or request assistance. Please do not provide medical or other sensitive information that is unnecessary for us to assist you.

Research, Surveys and Participant Information

Certain Heritage Ways projects may involve research, usability testing, surveys, interviews, oral histories, participant feedback, or evaluation of accessible experiences.

When a project requires additional consent, releases, research protocols, or privacy disclosures, participants will be provided with the applicable information separately.

Those project-specific notices and agreements supplement this Privacy & Donor Policy.

Children’s Privacy

Heritage Ways may provide educational materials that are useful to students, families, and educators. Our website is not intended to knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 without appropriate authorization.

If we learn that personal information from a child under 13 has been collected improperly, we will take reasonable steps to address or delete that information as appropriate.

How Information May Be Shared

Heritage Ways may share limited information with service providers that help us operate our organization, including website hosting providers, donation processors, email services, analytics providers, accountants, professional advisers, and other operational vendors.

We may also disclose information when required by law or when reasonably necessary to protect the rights, security, or integrity of Heritage Ways, our visitors, or others.

Service providers are provided information only as reasonably necessary to perform services on our behalf.

Data Security

HeritageWays uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, loss, or misuse.

However, no website, electronic transmission, or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Data Retention

We retain information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and to satisfy applicable legal, accounting, tax, research, reporting, and recordkeeping requirements.

Your Choices

You may contact HeritageWays to:

  • Update or correct information you have provided
  • Change your communication preferences
  • Unsubscribe from promotional communications
  • Ask questions about how your information is used
  • Make a privacy-related request

Certain records may need to be retained when required for financial, tax, legal, research, or organizational purposes.

Changes to This Policy

Heritage Ways may update this Privacy & Donor Policy as our organization, programs, technology, or legal obligations change.

The “Last Updated” date at the top of this page identifies the latest revision.

Contact Heritage Ways

Questions regarding privacy or donor information please contact us.