United Way of Portage County Donor Privacy Policy

United Way of Portage County (United Way) values the trust its donors and other stakeholders place in the organization and adheres to the highest standards in gathering, using and safeguarding their information.  We do not sell or otherwise give access to donor information to any third party outside of the United Way system.

To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect.  Firewalls prevent outside parties from accessing our database and internal United Way access to the database is restricted to authorized individuals.  We restrict access to our offices, require passwords to protect our network, applications, files and databases, and we maintain state-of-the-art virus detection software.  Online donations are transmitted via a secure server using the latest encryption technology and United Way and our technology partners for online credit card processing are PCI compliant. 

The information you or your employer provides to us is used to help ensure accurate records for our campaign, to confirm receipt of your donation, to provide tax receipts as appropriate, and to respond to any of your requests.  We also use your information to provide you with information about our work which we think you may find of interest.  If you do not wish to receive such communications, you may let us know at any time by contacting the United Way office. 

United Way educates our employees and volunteers on the importance of protecting the privacy and security of confidential personal and organizational information.  All employees and volunteers that have access to donor personal information are required to sign a confidentiality agreement. 
We do not provide donor information to third parties except under the following conditions:

Designations – if a portion of your donation is directed to another United Way or agency, we provide your name, your contact information, the amount of your donation and your workplace to the organization receiving your donation.  If you do not want this to occur, you may indicate on your pledge form that you wish to remain anonymous.  Although we encourage agencies to set high privacy standards, we do not control their policies and we therefore cannot take responsibility for their use of donor contact information.

Public Recognition – There are times when we wish to publicly recognize and thank donors, volunteers and other stakeholders for their generosity.  A donor, however, may ask to remain anonymous in which case no such public recognition or thanks will be given. 

Third Party Suppliers – In order to maintain cost effectiveness and continue to provide a high level of donor service, selected third parties (for example: data processing or mailing firms) may require access to confidential donor information.  These companies will be required by United Way to enter into strict confidentiality agreements and agree not to keep information on file after their services are complete. 

As Required By Law – United Way will release information when we are required to comply with the law.