PRIVACY POLICY

This website (the “Site“) is owned and operated by the Shanti Project (“Shanti”, “we,” “us”). Your privacy is important to Shanti. This Privacy Policy outlines the types of personally identifiable information (such as your email address, first and last name, phone number, and address) and other information (such as cookies and log files that, when linked to your name or contact information, allows us to personalize your visit) that we gather while you are visiting the Site, as well as ways in which we process and disseminate such information.

Shanti reserves the right to change, modify, add, or remove provisions of this Privacy Policy. Any changes to this Privacy Policy will be posted here, and we encourage you to check back from time to time to ensure continuing familiarity with the most current version of our Privacy Policy. At the top of this page, we will indicate the “Effective Date” of the most recent version of the Privacy Policy; this will allow you to determine whether the Privacy Policy has been revised since your previous visit to the Site.

Please read this Privacy Policy as well as the Terms of Use carefully. Your use of the Site constitutes your acceptance to be bound by this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use without limitation, qualification or change. If at any time you do not accept all the terms and conditions contained herein and in the Terms of Use, you must immediately discontinue use of the Site.

What Information We Collect

Non-Personally Identifiable Information.
When you enter the Site, information is gathered from your Internet browser. This information may include your IP address and log files (which allows us to determine the identity of your Internet Service Provider), your operating system and the type of browser software that you are using to access the Site. All information obtained from your browser is anonymous, and no personal information is ever transmitted to us in this manner.

The Site may use a standard technology called a “cookie”, or web beacons or other similar technology to collect information about how you use the Site. Cookies reside on your computer and help the Site recognize your computer’s browser as a previous visitor. In addition, on occasion the Site may also set a “session cookie” which helps us administer the Site. The session cookie expires when you close your browser and does not retain any information about you after it expires.

If you use a standard web browser, you should be able to modify your browser preference to provide you with choices relating to cookies; for example, you should have the choice to accept all cookies, to be notified when a cookie is set or to reject all cookies. If you choose to reject cookies, you may be unable to use certain Site services (e.g., those services that require you to log on to the Site). For more information on modifying your browser preference, please refer to the documentation accompanying your browser.

Personally Identifiable Information.
We do not collect any personally identifiable information from you without your knowledge. The only personally identifiable information that we collect about you as a result of your visit to the Site is limited to such information that you may voluntarily submit to Shanti by filling out registration, membership and/or donation forms found on the Site. Except with respect to your L.I.F.E. Online Outcome Manager (“LOOM”) account, the terms of which are governed by the L.I.F.E. Online USER Agreement, The information requested in such forms may include, but is not limited to:

• first and last name;
• email address;
• mailing address;
• telephone number;
• personal demographic information (such as gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and political party preference); and
• fax number.

Shanti may also from time to time request additional information that is helpful or necessary for running the Site and providing products, services and information.

Transactions With E-Commerce Partners, Vendors and Advertisers.
When you provide personally identifiable financial information and other personally identifiable information to one of the Site’s e-commerce partners, vendors or advertisers, this transaction will occur in connection with the site of the e-commerce partner, vendor or advertiser, not on the Site, and, as such, the financial and other personally identifiable information you provide is collected pursuant to and controlled by the privacy policy of such e-commerce partner, vendor or advertiser. Shanti is not responsible for such parties’ privacy policies and we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the applicable privacy policy of the e-commerce site with which you transact business or to contact the operator of such site for more information.

Shopping/Commercial Services.
The Site may offer merchandise and/or services, which may be offered by us or by an entity that operates a store under contract with us. If the Site offers shopping or other commercial services, you will use a customer order form to request information, products, and services. The order form will ask you to give us personally identifiable information (such as name, email address, mailing address, and telephone number), financial information (such as account or credit card numbers), and demographic information (such as zip code or age). We will use your mailing address to fulfill orders of merchandise as well as to send you announcements and notifications that may be of interest to you. We will use the financial information that you provide to bill you for products and services. By giving the Site your credit card and related personal information, you are authorizing us to give that information to the merchant (if the merchant is a separate entity) and credit card company in order to confirm and fulfill your order. We may use your email address or mobile telephone number’s messaging capability to send you special announcements or notifications of events or services that may be of interest to you and to verify and authorize the use of your credit card for services for which you have registered or requested.

Online Surveys/Sweepstakes and Contests.
From time to time, we conduct online surveys and offer online sweepstakes or contests on the Site. These will ask you for your personally identifiable information (such as name or email address) and demographic information (such as zip code or age), as well as any other contact information necessary (such as a physical address) for us to provide notifications or deliver requested materials related to the survey, sweepstakes or contest. We may use this information from our surveys, sweepstakes and contests to provide you with information about Shanti and promotional material on behalf of some of our partners, and to contact you when necessary. Please note that we may post relevant privacy information in the official rules and/or registration area for the sweepstakes or contest. That privacy information, to the extent it conflicts with this Privacy Policy, will govern that particular sweepstakes or contest.

Donations.
In order to make a donation on our Site, you must first complete a donation form, which will ask you to give us personally identifiable information (such as name, email address, mailing address, and telephone number), and financial information (such as account or credit card numbers). We will use your mailing address for billing purposes, as well as to send you donation and tax receipts. By giving the Site your credit card and related personal information, you are authorizing us to give that information to a credit card company to complete your donation or recurring pledge.

Public Forums and Other Interactive Features.
Because Shanti reserves the right to use content created or provided by you in connection with our blogs, comment board, or news groups, to the extent that you include personally identifiable information in such content, Shanti may republish such personally identifiable information, as part of the content, in connection with the Site and promotion thereof. If we republish your content, we may provide authorship credit by listing your member name as well. Please be aware that when you disclose personally identifiable information in a blogs, comment board, or news group on the Site, the information may become public and accessible to all or a part of the Site community and can in turn be used by those people to send you unsolicited communications, so it is important for you to exercise discretion and appropriate caution when deciding to reveal personal information in these areas. For example, your e-mail address may be available to other Site members, who may send unsolicited e-mail to you. In the event that you encounter any Site user who you believe is improperly collecting or using information about you or other users, please notify us immediately at communications@shanti.org.

Compliance With Applicable Law.
Shanti may also access and disclose personally identifiable information in the event that we believe, in Shanti’s discretion, that such action is reasonably necessary to comply with government requests; to enforce the Terms of Use or other published guidelines; to protect Shanti, its users or others; to respond to circumstances that we feel constitute an emergency; or as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law. Please be aware that, in connection with the foregoing, Shanti may provide information about you gathered through other sites controlled, owned or operated by Shanti or Shanti’s affiliates to the extent permitted under the applicable privacy policy governing collection and use of such information.

How We Use Information We Collect

Non-Personally Identifiable Information.
We may use non-personally identifiable information to measure the number of visits, average time spent on the Site and pages viewed as well as to diagnose problems with our servers and to administer the Site. We may then use this information to analyze and improve the features and functionality of the Site.

Personally Identifiable Information.
Shanti uses your personally identifiable information for purposes that include, but may not be limited to: sending you notifications of special offers, new offerings, products or other services targeted to your interests, newsletters, action alerts, press releases, information about Shanti programs, local volunteer opportunities, and donation appeals, and to contact you when reasonably necessary.

Sharing.
Shanti does not sell or rent donor names and addresses with any third parties. The terms of your L.I.F.E. Online Outcome Manager (“LOOM”) account are governed by the L.I.F.E. Online USER Agreement.

Opt-In/Opt-Out Policy.
When you supply Shanti with personally identifiable information in connection with the Site, you may be asked to indicate whether you are interested in receiving information from us about our product and service offerings. If you do choose to opt-in, you will receive such communications in accordance with your “opt-in” consent. You may, of course, choose not to receive additional information from us as follows:

• At any time, you can follow a link provided in our commercial email messages (but excluding e-commerce confirmations and other administrative emails) to unsubscribe from that particular mailing list or email service; or
• At any time, you can contact a development officer at (415) 674-4700 or communications@shanti.org.

If you decide to contact us to change your contact preference to “Do Not Contact Me”, Shanti will implement this change within ten (10) business days after your request. Please be aware that your requested change will not be effective until Shanti implements such change. In addition, please keep in mind that even if you opt-out from receiving communications from the Site, residual information about you will remain within Shanti databases, access logs and other records, which may or may not contain such personally identifiable information. The residual information will not be used for commercial purposes; however, Shanti reserves the right, from time to time, to contact former customers or users of the Site for administrative purposes or in order to comply with applicable law.

Please note that Shanti reserves the right to change its opt-in/opt-out practices by modifying or updating this Privacy Policy as set forth above.

Children’s Personal Information.
Consistent with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act: This Site does NOT collect, use, or disclose personal information (including online contact information) of children under the age of 13. In the event that a child under the age of 13 attempts to register or make a purchase on the Site, we will NOT accept the registration and will delete information received from the child. In the event that a child posts personal information in a public forum such as a chat room, we will attempt to delete that information once we become aware of it.

Security Precautions.
Shanti employs reasonable security measures consistent with standard industry practice, for information collected through the Site. However, you should exercise discretion with respect to the submission of any personal or financial information to the Site. Transmitting information via the Internet is never completely secure and, therefore, any information submitted may be intercepted, collected, used or disclosed by others. We cannot, and do not, guarantee that information supplied by users will not be accessed on our servers, or intercepted, collected, used or disclosed by others while being transmitted to or from the Site over the Internet.

Links to Other Websites.
The Site may contain links to other websites, which may or may not be owned or operated by Shanti. All links to websites not part of Shanti are made without any representations or warranties relating to the integrity, security or legitimacy of such websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of websites that are not owned and operated by Shanti, including such sites’ use of any information (such as IP number, browser type or operating system) collected when visitors to the Site click through links to those sites. This Privacy Policy cannot and does not apply to external websites and, once you leave the Site, you are subject to those websites’ privacy policies and procedures. We strongly encourage you to become familiar with the privacy practices and privacy policies of external websites before providing personally identifiable information. If you have concerns about any linked website, please contact us.

Legal Construction of this Privacy Policy.
This Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use provided on the Site are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, United States of America, without regards to its principles of conflicts of law. You agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of any State or Federal court located in the County of San Francisco, California, United States of America, and waive any jurisdictional, venue or inconvenient forum objections to such courts. No waiver by either party of any breach or default hereunder shall be deemed to be a waiver of any preceding or subsequent breach or default. Any heading, caption or section title contained in this Privacy Policy is inserted only as a matter of convenience and in no way defines or explains any section or provision hereof.

If any provision of this Privacy Policy, or the application thereof to any person or circumstances, is held to be unlawful, void or for any reason unenforceable, then that provision shall be deemed severable from this Privacy Policy and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions. Unless expressly provided otherwise, this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use presented on the Site comprise the entire agreement between you and Shanti with respect to the use of the Site and shall not be modified except in writing, signed by an authorized representative of Shanti.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about Shanti, the Site or this Privacy Policy, please contact us by clicking on the Contact Us link on the Site.