Policies & Guidance
Donor Privacy Policy
Overview
The League of Women Voters Minnesota (LWVMN) is committed to protecting the personal information and the privacy of our donors. It is our policy to collect and store only personal information that is knowingly provided to us. We have developed this privacy statement to ensure our donors that donor information will not be shared with any third party.
LWVMN does not rent, sell or give without permission names, mailing addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers or our donors or former donors with other organizations or individuals.
information collected
LWVMN collects and uses various types of information from donors including:
Identity Information: First name, middle initial, last name
Contact Information: Physical address, email addresses and telephone numbers
Financial Data: Copies of donation checks
Transactional Data: details about events donors attend, amounts and number of donations made, donor comments, payment type, and amount donated
Communications Information: newsletter subscription preferences, recent newsletter activity (open and click rates), legislative districts and associated representatives, and meeting registration and event history
how information is collected
Information is collected when donors:
Make a contribution through LWVMN’s website, by mail, or at a special event or through a third-party affiliate such as GiveMN or PayPal
Sign up to receive emails or other communications
Directly provide information to LWVMN
How Information is Protected
Donor privacy is assured through the following internal controls:
Incoming checks are opened by the administrative assistant, copied for audit purposes, and given to the accounting manager for deposit.
Check copies are kept in a locked drawer, according to our donor retention policy.
Checks to the accounting manager are kept in a locked office, prior to deposit.
All donor information via checks or online is password protected within our database system, The Databank. The Databank also has its own privacy policy and procedures to ensure donor privacy.
Access to The Databank is password protected, and only shared with the office staff who handle data entry and retrieval.
Online donations through our Classy Donor Management System are also protected through their donor privacy policy. Access to the Classy system is password protected, and only shared with office staff who interact with this system.
Any donor records not stored in a locked database will be shredded on an as needed basis.
Any donor information used for reporting purposes omits financial information. No bank accounts nor credit card numbers are printed out with reports.
how we use information collected
LWVMN will use donor information for these purposes only:
Build a relationship and communicate with donors
Distribute donation receipts
Donor thank you notes, emails or phone calls and in annual reports
Inform donors about upcoming events, organizational news and fundraising opportunities
Internal analysis and record keeping
Reporting to relevant U/S. and State agencies (these reports are not for public inspection)
financial data
LWVMN does not disclose or store credit card or bank account information provided by its donors, except for copies of donation checks. Check copies are kept in a locked filing cabinet and periodically shredded per our data retention policy. When donors choose to pay by credit card, that information is collected and submitted directly to secure credit card processors.
LWVMN uses online payment processing services with a strong reputation and high security. LWVMN does not store, nor does it have access to, your credit card information, bank account numbers or other account data sent to those processing services.
Access to donor financial information is limited to professional staff who need to process related data. No data is given to any person, organization or group.
contact
Questions or concerns about this privacy policy may be directed to LWVMN at:
League of Women Voters Minnesota
Executive Director
546 Rice Street, Suite 200
St. Paul, MN 55103
Email: mwitte@lwvmn.org
Phone: 651-224-5445
LWVMN Adheres to the Donor Bill of Rights
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:
I. 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.
II. 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.
III. To have access to the organization's most recent financial statements.
IV. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
V. To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.
VI. To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
VII. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
VIII. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
IX. To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
X. To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers
The Donor Bill of Rights 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 nonprofits. It has been endorsed by numerous organizations.