At the Blue Ridge Humane Society, we value our donors. Without donor support, we would not be able to fulfill our mission to preserve the lives and enhance the well-being of animals. Therefore, we want our donors to know that we respect and value their right to privacy. 

Donor Information 

BRHS collects and maintains the following types of donor information when it is voluntarily provided to us: 

  • Contact information such as name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address 
  • Giving information 
  • Information on events attended, publications received, and special requests for program information 
  • Information provided by the donor in the form of comments and suggestions 

This confidential 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, volunteers, and consultants only on a confidential and need-to-know basis. 

Data Protection Officer 

The Data Protection Officer for the Blue Ridge Humane Society is Angela Prodrick. Please contact her via e-mail at donate@blueridgehumane.org should any concerns regarding the acquisition, storage, deletion, or usage of your data occur. 

List sharing 

The Blue Ridge Humane Society does not sell, rent, trade or share its donor list with any other organization. BRHS does not send out mailings on behalf of other organizations. 

Discontinuing Contact Upon Request 

It is the policy of BRHS to communicate with donors according to their expressed preferences whenever possible. BRHS 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. 

BRHS shall maintain a record of all requests by persons who indicate to the Blue Ridge Humane Society, its professional fundraiser, or other agents, that they do not wish to be contacted by or on behalf of the Blue Ridge Humane Society. Upon a person’s (or a person’s authorized representative’s) request that the Blue Ridge Humane Society discontinue further contacts, the person’s name and address will be promptly modified in the Blue Ridge Humane Society’s donor database to ensure that no further contact is made with the person. The Blue Ridge Humane Society 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 the Blue Ridge Humane Society’s control. 

Donor Bill of Rights 

BRHS 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. 

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. III. 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 acknowledgment 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. VII. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature. 
  8. VIII. 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. 

Changes to the Privacy Policy 

We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy from time to time.  When we do, we will note the last update on this Privacy Policy. 

 

Updated: November 3, 2020