It is Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s (“Catholic Charities”) policy to respect and protect the privacy of our website visitors (“visitors”). This policy statement tells you how we collect information from you and how that information is used and kept.
Catholic Charities recognizes the importance of protecting any information we may collect from visitors to our website. Catholic Charities uses this collected information for internal purposes only and maintains fitting security measures to keep this information private and secure. Catholic Charities has put in place appropriate security measures such as integrated physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information collected in order to prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and to ensure the appropriate use of this information. This information will not be disclosed to third parties for commercial purposes as Catholic Charities is committed to protecting our visitors’ privacy. However, Catholic Charities may disclose personal information if required to do so by law or if it believes such action is necessary to comply with the law or legal process, protect against misuse or unauthorized use of the Catholic Charities website, or protect the personal safety or property of visitors, the public, or Catholic Charities and its officers, directors, employees, and volunteers.
Visitors can use the website without revealing any personal information. For instance, Catholic Charities occasionally looks at the domains from which people visit the website. Catholic Charities utilizes this data to help make improvements to the website. During this process, no personal identifiers are collected or seen by Catholic Charities. This data is then properly discarded.
If one chooses to provide personal information while on the website for the purposes of making donations, sending emails or comments on Catholic Charities’ comment forms, or registering for an event, then it is Catholic Charities’ intent to let visitors know how Catholic Charities will use such information.
If visitors inform Catholic Charities that they do not wish to have this information used for further contact, Catholic Charities will respect those wishes. Each email that is sent to a visitor who has provided their information will have an opt-out link. If visitors wish to review or correct the personal information Catholic Charities collected, visitors should contact Catholic Charities utilizing the contact information provided at the end of this Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Use of Cookies
Use of Cookies Certain sections of Catholic Charities’ website may use “cookies” to store visitor information. A cookie is a small string of text that a website can send to your browser that is intended to enhance your visit. In general, cookies can securely store a visitor’s ID and password specific to that website, personalize home pages, identify which parts of a website have been visited, or keep track of selections in a form or shopping cart. A cookie does not retrieve data from your hard drive, pass on computer viruses, or capture your email address.
Cookies helps Catholic Charities understand which parts of the website are the most popular, where visitors are going, and how much time is spent there. Catholic Charities uses cookies to study traffic patterns on the website so suitable improvements to the website can be made and provide visitors with better user experience. Cookies are not designed to provide Catholic Charities with any information unrelated to the website. One’s browser, however, does automatically provide the type of computer and operating system a visitor is using.
Cookie Consent
We use cookies and similar technologies to provide a better user experience, personalize content, and analyze site traffic. You can manage your preferences or accept all cookies to continue.
Security
Catholic Charities has implemented security measures to help protect against the risk of loss, misuse and alteration of any information under Catholic Charities’ control. Catholic Charities protects visitor information by using Secure Sockets Layer (“SSL”) technology. SSL encrypts all online orders and donation information to avoid the decoding of that information by anyone other than Catholic Charities. Nevertheless, such security measures may not prevent all loss, misuse or alteration of information on the website, and Catholic Charities is not responsible for any damages or liabilities relating to any such security failures. Although Catholic Charities takes every precaution possible, understand that data and communications, including e-mail and other electronic communications, may be accessed by unauthorized third parties when communicated over the Internet. Furthermore, the website contains links to other websites. Catholic Charities is not responsible for nor can Catholic Charities ensure the privacy practices or content of such other websites.
Illinois PIPA Compliance
Catholic Charities complies with the Illinois Personal Information Protection Act (815 ILCS 530/1 et seq.) regarding breach notifications. In the event of a data security breach involving Illinois residents’ personal information, Catholic Charities will provide notice to affected individuals and the Illinois Attorney General in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay, consistent with measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach and restore system integrity. Notifications will include all information required under Illinois law.
Information We Collect
We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you visit our website or register to receive communications and information from us (the “Services”), express an interest in obtaining information about us or our Services, when you participate in activities with us, when you make a contribution to us, or otherwise when you contact us. The personal information that we collect depends on the context of your interactions with us, the choices you make, and the products and features you use. The personal information we collect may include the following:
- Your Name
- Your Email
- Your address
- Your Phone Number
We automatically collect certain information when you visit, use, or navigate our site or when you otherwise interact with us. This information does not reveal your specific identity (like your name or contact information) but may include device and usage information, such as your IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, location, information about how and when you use our website, and other technical information. This information is primarily needed to maintain the security and operation of our site and our Services, and for our internal analytics and reporting purposes.
Data Retention
Catholic Charities will retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, comply with legal and regulatory obligations, and support operational requirements. After the applicable retention period, personal information will be securely deleted or anonymized using industry-standard methods. Retention schedules will be documented and reviewed annually to ensure compliance with applicable laws, including HIPAA, PCI DSS, and state regulations.
We also collect information through cookies and similar technologies. We process your personal information for a variety of reasons, depending on how you interact with our Services, including:
- To facilitate account creation and authentication and otherwise manage user accounts. We may process your information so you can create and log in to your account, as well as keep your account in working order.
- To deliver and facilitate delivery of Services to the user. We may process your information to provide you with the requested Service.
- To respond to user inquiries/offer support to users. We may process your information to respond to your inquiries and solve any potential issues you might have with the requested service.
- To send administrative information to you. We may process your information to send you details about our work and our Services, changes to our terms and policies, and other similar information.
- To seek financial and other contribution support from you to support our Services and our work.
- To enable user-to-user communications. We may process your information if you choose to use any of our offerings that allow for communication with another user.
- To request feedback. We may process your information when necessary to request feedback and to contact you about your use of our Services or your support of our work.
- To protect our website and Services. We may process your information as part of our efforts to keep our Services and website safe and secure, including fraud monitoring and prevention.
- To identify usage trends. We may process information about how you use our website to better understand how it is being used so we can improve the site and our Services.
- To determine the effectiveness of our marketing and promotional campaigns. We may process your information to better understand how to provide marketing and promotional campaigns that are most relevant to you.
- To save or protect an individual’s vital interest. We may process your information when necessary to save or protect an individual’s vital interest, such as to prevent harm.
We may share your data with third-party vendors, service providers, contractors, or agents (“third parties”) who perform services for us or on our behalf and require access to such information to do that work. We have contracts in place with our third parties, which are designed to help safeguard your personal information. This means that they cannot do anything with your personal information unless we have instructed them to do it. They will also not share your personal information with any organization apart from us. They also commit to protect the data they hold on our behalf and to retain it for the period we instruct. Mobile opt-in data will not be shared with third parties for marketing purposes.
Depending on the jurisdiction in which you reside, you may have certain rights regarding the data that you share with us. These may include:
- Right to be informed whether or not we are processing your personal data
- Right to access your personal data
- Right to correct inaccuracies in your personal data
- Right to request deletion of your personal data
- Right to obtain a copy of the personal data you previously shared with us
To the extent that one or more of these rights is required in the jurisdiction in which you reside, and that you wish to exercise one or more of these rights, please reach out to our team at [email protected]
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information, including phone numbers, to third parties for marketing or lead generation purposes. We prioritize the confidentiality of your information and only share data in limited circumstances, such as:
- Service Providers: Third-party vendors (e.g., payment processors or email services) for business operations
- Legal Authorities: When required by law or to protect our rights
SMS Messaging
By providing your mobile phone number to us when you donate or otherwise communicate with us, you are voluntarily opting in to receive mobile messages from Catholic Charities at the mobile phone number associated with your opt-in. You agree that any mobile number you provide to us is a valid mobile phone number of which you are the authorized user. If you change your mobile phone number or are no longer the owner or authorized user of the mobile number, you agree to promptly notify us at email [email protected].
You can opt out of receiving SMS messages at anytime by replying STOP to any text you receive from us. After you send STOP, you will receive one final message confirming your opt-out status. No further messages will be sent unless you re-enroll.
Message frequency may vary and message and data rates may apply.
Special Note about Children
Catholic Charities does not knowingly gather any personally identifiable information from children under the age of 13. You must be 13 years of age or older when visiting the website. In accordance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998.
Restrictions on Use of Materials
This website is owned and operated by Catholic Charities. No material from this website or any website owned, operated, licensed, or controlled by Catholic Charities may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way without written permission from our Communications Department.
To obtain permission to use or copy Catholic Charities’ copyrighted materials (audio, text, graphics, images, artwork) from Catholic Charities’ website or from Catholic Charities’ printed materials, please e-mail your request to [email protected]. Fax requests should be sent to (312) 930-0425.
Please provide the following in your request:
- Information about the exact Catholic Charities material you propose to use or copy, including the title of the document, page numbers, section titles, and copyright dates. To use information from the Catholic Charities website, include the Web address (URL) and, if possible, attach a copy of the specific information you wish to use;
- An explanation of how the Catholic Charities information will be used and/or distributed and whether reprinted materials will be sold;
- A description of the nature of your organization or business (for-profit, not-for-profit, etc.); and
- Contact information, including your phone number, fax number, e-mail address, and/or mailing address.
Intellectual Property Notice
All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are proprietary to Catholic Charities. All materials contained on this website are protected by copyright and trademark laws and are owned by Catholic Charities or are licensed or otherwise published by Catholic Charities with the permission of the owner of the material. All rights in such materials published with permission of the material’s owner are reserved to the respective owners.
Acceptance of Terms of Use & Privacy Policy
Catholic Charities reserves the right to change this policy without notice. Any changes to this policy will be posted to this page as soon as reasonably possible. Use of the Catholic Charities website constitutes consent and acceptance to any Terms of Use & Privacy Policy then in effect.
Limitation of Liability
You agree that you will hold harmless Catholic Charities and its officers, directors, employees, and volunteers from all claims arising out of or related to your access or use of, or your inability to access or use this website or the information contained in this website or other websites to which it is linked. This includes, but is not limited to, information or materials viewed or downloaded from this website or another website to which it is linked that appear to you or are construed by you to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, or that infringe upon your intellectual property rights. In no event will Catholic Charities, its officers, directors, employees, volunteers, or the contributors of information to this website be liable to you or any other third party for any decision made or action taken by you in reliance on such information or for any consequential, special or similar damages, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or comments concerning Catholic Charities’ Terms of Use & Privacy Policy, please contact us via email at [email protected] or send a letter to:
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Communications Department
721 North LaSalle Street, Second Floor
Chicago, IL 60654
At Catholic Charities, we try to ensure the security of all of our electronic communications such as email and our websites. If you receive any email that appears to be fraudulent or feel our website has been compromised in any way, please contact us immediately at [email protected] to report this activity. Fraudulent activities will be reported to the proper authorities. Never release any personal or financial information via electronic communication unless you are certain it is secure, such as through our secure online donation page.