BBB Wise Giving Alliance (BBB WGA) is committed to maintaining your confidence and trust, and accordingly maintains the following privacy policy to protect your personal information.
BBB WGA's Commitment to Security
BBB WGA encrypts billing information wherever requested online. Personal information is accessible only by staff and volunteers designated to handle complaints or requests. All BBB WGA agents and contractors with access to personal information are
also bound to adhere to this policy as part of their contract with BBB WGA.
Personal Information that BBB WGA May Collect
BBB WGA collects the following types of personal information: names, postal and e-mail addresses, phone and facsimile numbers, billing information, and complaint and inquiry information. BBB WGA may also collect information from charities that apply
for accreditation and for program participation, some of which might constitute personal information, as well as personal information from individuals acting solely in their work capacity.
BBB WGA does not collect or maintain information from those actually known to be under the age of 13, and no part of our site is structured to attract anyone under the age of 13.
Charity Information that BBB WGA May Collect Online
To participate in the BBB WGA's free accreditation review, a charity completes a special online charity questionnaire that is password protected. BBB WGA also requests copies of the following three documents as part of its accreditation review: (1)
charity audited financial statements, (2) IRS Form 990 and (3) annual report. These three documents will be available on request from BBB WGA to the inquiring public.
How BBB May Use Personal Information
BBB WGA will use your personal information for the purpose for which it was submitted such as to reply to inquiries, handle your complaints and process billing and charity requests related to program participation, and we will use such information
to provide operational notices, and in program recordkeeping and to conduct research on industry marketplace practices. Our research may lead to the publication of aggregate demographic data but will not result in the reporting or publication
of any personal information provided to us.
How Your Information May Be Shared
Complaints, requests or inquiries about nationally-soliciting charities are processed directly by BBB WGA. It is also possible that a complaint, request or inquiry (about a regionally soliciting charity) will be more appropriately handled by another
BBB, in which case the request or inquiry will be transferred to the proper BBB. By completing a complaint form or sending us a request or inquiry, you are allowing us to forward your information to the proper charity and also to the proper BBB,
if necessary. Donor inquiries (i.e. individuals asking about specific charities to assist in making their giving decisions) may be forwarded by email, and donors should recognize that this method of transmission may not be secure. BBB WGA may
also share your personal information with the International Association of BBBs (IABBB) for IABBB to research industry marketplace practices. Just as in any research we may do, IABBB research will not result in the reporting or publication of
any personal information. BBB WGA never sells or rents personal information.
We will also release personal information under the following circumstances:
- Where release is required by law (for example, a subpoena) or regulation, or is requested by an agency for governmental investigative purposes or governmental proceedings;
- Where our records indicate a company may be engaged in fraudulent activity or other deceptive practices that a governmental agency should be made aware of; or
- To appropriate persons, where your communication suggests possible harm to others.
BBB Scam Tracker: For those who participate in the BBB Scam Tracker
program to report an alleged charity scam, we will publicly post your description of the reported scam on the BBB website along with your postal code. We will share your name, state/province, postal code, email address and other information
you submit with BBBs administering BBB Scam Tracker. We may also share this information with governmental agencies, law enforcement, and other appropriate organizations for investigation. With your consent, we or a BBB may
share your information in response to media inquiries.
Help Us Keep Your Personal Information Accurate
If your personal information changes or you would like to review the personal information we may have on file, please email us with the new information or your review request at info@give.org.
Computer Tracking and Cookies
Our web site is not set up to track, collect or distribute personal information not entered by its visitors. Our site logs do generate certain kinds of non-identifying site usage data, such as the number of hits and visits to our site. This information
is used for internal purposes by technical support staff to provide better services to the public and may also be provided to others, but again, the statistics contain no personal information and cannot be used to gather such information.
A cookie is a small amount of data that is sent to your browser from a Web server and stored on your computer's hard drive. BBB WGA uses non-identifying cookies to provide easier site navigation and access to forms. You can still use BBB WGA site
if your browser is set to reject cookies. Our cookies do not generate personal data, do not read personal data from your machine and are never tied to anything that could be used to identify you.
International Transfers
If you are visiting our site from outside the United States, be aware that your information will be transferred to, and maintained on, computers located within the United States. The collection, use, retention and any other processing
of your information will be governed by United States law and further by the specific jurisdictions within the United States where that information is stored, unless otherwise specified.
Problems
If you have a complaint about BBB WGA's compliance with this privacy policy, you may contact us at info@give.org.