PRIVACY POLICY

Purpose

This policy describes how S3C Foundation collects, uses, protects, and discloses personal information gathered through its website, donation processes, community platforms, publications, and programs. S3C Foundation serves survivors of trauma and dissociation, and privacy is a condition of that work rather than an administrative formality. This policy is intended to make the organization’s practices clear enough that a person can decide, in advance and with accurate information, what they wish to share.

Scope

This policy applies to all board members, officers, staff, contractors, volunteers, facilitators, and representatives of S3C Foundation who collect, access, store, or use personal information on behalf of the organization. It applies across all organizational activities, including the website at s3cfoundation.org, the System Speak podcast and its associated properties, online community spaces, email communications, symposium and event registration, book distribution, donation processing, and program participation.

This policy applies to individuals in every location. Where the law of a person’s state or country provides greater protection than this policy, that law governs.

Guiding Principles

Privacy practice at S3C Foundation is grounded in:

•      consent, autonomy, and informed choice

•      collecting the least information necessary to accomplish a stated purpose

•      transparency about who holds information and why

•      awareness that disclosure carries different risk for survivors than for the general public

•      accountability and willingness to correct errors

Information We Collect

Information you choose to provide

•      name, email address, and mailing address when you subscribe, register, order, or correspond with us

•      donation amount, frequency, designation, and billing details processed through our payment providers

•      registration details for symposiums, trainings, book studies, and community groups

•      the content of messages, questions, grievances, and correspondence you send us

•      signed consent, release, and acknowledgment forms where you have agreed to participate in recorded or published content

•      information you voluntarily share in community spaces, comment threads, or story submissions

Information collected automatically

•      internet protocol address, browser type, device type, referring page, pages visited, and dates and times of access

•      aggregate website traffic and engagement data used to understand which resources are reaching people

Information received from others

•      confirmation of a completed gift from a payment processor, donor advised fund sponsor, or employer matching platform

•      registration and membership data held by the platform providers we use to operate programs

Information We Do Not Require

You are not required to disclose a diagnosis, treatment history, trauma history, or any clinical information in order to donate to, subscribe to, register for, or participate in any activity of S3C Foundation.

S3C Foundation is not a health care provider. It does not deliver clinical services, does not maintain clinical or treatment records, and does not function as a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Any clinical services a person receives from a licensed professional are governed by that professional’s own privacy practices and are entirely separate from this policy and from the records of this organization.

How We Use Information

S3C Foundation uses personal information to:

•      deliver the programs, resources, publications, and events a person has requested

•      process, acknowledge, and receipt charitable contributions and meet substantiation requirements

•      send newsletters, program announcements, and organizational updates to those who have opted in

•      respond to questions, requests, complaints, and grievances

•      maintain accurate financial, governance, and compliance records

•      understand in aggregate which programs are reaching people, so the board can evaluate effectiveness

Personal information is not used for any purpose materially different from the purpose for which it was collected without first obtaining the person’s consent.

Payment Information

S3C Foundation does not store complete payment card numbers. Card and bank transactions are handled by third party payment processors that maintain their own security and compliance obligations. The organization retains the records of a gift required for accounting, acknowledgment, and tax substantiation, including donor name, amount, date, and designation.

Service Providers and Platforms

S3C Foundation relies on third party providers to host the website, distribute the podcast, operate community spaces, deliver email, host meetings, fulfill book orders, and process payments. These providers receive only the information needed to perform their function and are expected to protect it. Each provider maintains its own privacy policy, and use of a platform is also governed by that platform’s terms.

S3C Foundation reviews the privacy terms of providers it engages and will discontinue use of a provider whose practices are inconsistent with this policy.

What We Do Not Do

•      We do not sell, rent, trade, or lease personal information.

•      We do not exchange or share donor lists with other organizations.

•      We do not disclose the identity of donors, subscribers, community members, or program participants to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

•      We do not use community participation, program registration, or podcast listenership to target advertising.

Personal information is disclosed outside the organization only where the person has consented, where a service provider needs it to perform a function described in this policy, where disclosure is required by law or valid legal process, or where there is a credible risk of serious harm and disclosure is permitted by law and consistent with the Foundation’s Safeguarding and Abuse Prevention Policy.

Donor Privacy

Donors may give anonymously. Donors may also decline public recognition of any kind, including listing in an annual report, on the website, or at an event, and this preference will be honored on request and recorded with the gift.

Aggregate financial information is published in the Foundation’s financial reporting. Individual donor identities and gift amounts are not published without the donor’s permission, except where disclosure is required by law.

Community and Program Confidentiality

Community spaces, book studies, symposiums, and groups convened by S3C Foundation are intended to be places where people can participate without exposure. Participants may use a pseudonym where a platform permits it. Participant lists, rosters, and contact information are not shared with other participants, vendors, or outside organizations.

Individuals are not required to disclose personal experience in order to participate. Identifying details shared in a group setting are not repeated, published, or used in organizational communications without the informed consent of the person concerned, consistent with the Foundation’s Media and Communications Policy.

Email and Communication Preferences

A person may opt out of any category of communication at any time, and opting out of one category does not affect the others. Transactional messages, such as a donation receipt or an event confirmation, may still be sent where required for the transaction itself.

Cookies and Website Analytics

The website and the platforms it relies on may use cookies and similar technologies to keep a session active, remember preferences, and produce aggregate traffic statistics. Most browsers allow a person to refuse cookies or to be notified when one is set. Refusing cookies may limit some website functions. S3C Foundation does not use cookies to build advertising profiles.

Your Rights

Regardless of where you live, you may ask S3C Foundation to:

•      confirm whether the organization holds personal information about you

•      provide you with a copy of that information

•      correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete

•      delete information the organization is not required by law to retain

•      stop sending you communications

•      withdraw a consent you previously gave, including consent to publish a story, recording, or image, where withdrawal is still feasible

Requests may be made using the contact information below. S3C Foundation will acknowledge a request promptly and respond within a reasonable period. The organization will not treat anyone less favorably for exercising these rights.

Certain records must be retained even after a deletion request, including donation records required for tax and audit purposes and records governed by the Foundation’s Document Retention and Destruction Policy. Where information cannot be deleted, the organization will explain why.

Children and Young People

The programs, publications, and community spaces of S3C Foundation are intended for adults. The organization does not knowingly solicit or collect personal information from children under the age of thirteen. If S3C Foundation learns that it has collected such information without verifiable parental consent, it will delete that information. A parent or guardian who believes a child has provided personal information may contact the organization using the information below.

Data Security

S3C Foundation maintains administrative, technical, and physical measures appropriate to the size of the organization and the sensitivity of the information it holds. These include:

•      limiting access to personal information to those whose role requires it

•      requiring individual accounts, strong authentication, and multi-factor authentication where available

•      using reputable hosting, payment, and platform providers that encrypt data in transit

•      requiring that all board members, staff, contractors, and volunteers sign the Policy Acknowledgment and Agreement Form before receiving access

•      reviewing access when a role ends and removing it promptly

•      holding paper records containing personal information in a secured location

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. S3C Foundation does not claim that its systems are immune to compromise, and encourages anyone with a concern about a specific communication channel to raise it before sharing sensitive information.

Data Retention

Personal information is retained only as long as needed for the purpose for which it was collected or as required by law, in accordance with the Foundation’s Document Retention and Destruction Policy. Information no longer needed is destroyed in a manner appropriate to its sensitivity.

Response to a Data Breach

If S3C Foundation becomes aware of unauthorized access to or disclosure of personal information, it will investigate promptly, take steps to contain the incident, notify affected individuals and any required authorities within the time frames set by applicable law, and report the incident and the organization’s response to the Board of Directors.

Links to Other Sites

The website and organizational communications may link to sites operated by others, including partner organizations, platform providers, and professional resources. S3C Foundation does not control those sites and is not responsible for their privacy practices. A person following such a link should review the privacy policy of the site they reach.

Changes to This Policy

S3C Foundation may update this policy to reflect changes in law, technology, or organizational practice. The current version and its effective date will be posted on the website. Where a change materially affects how previously collected information is used, the organization will seek consent or provide notice before applying the change to that information.

Contact

Questions, requests, and complaints regarding privacy may be directed to:

S3C Foundation

PO Box 343

Burlington, WA 98233

Inquiries may also be sent to the email address published on the Contact page at s3cfoundation.org.

A person who is not satisfied with the organization’s response may raise the matter through the Grievance and Complaint Resolution Policy, or with the office of their state attorney general.

Responsibility and Oversight

The Board of Directors holds oversight responsibility for this policy. Implementation may be delegated to designated leadership or staff. Any person acting on behalf of S3C Foundation who becomes aware of a privacy concern shall report it through established reporting channels.

Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed periodically by the Board of Directors to ensure alignment with legal requirements, ethical standards, and the evolving work of S3C Foundation.

Policy Adoption

This Privacy Policy is presented to the Board of Directors of S3C Foundation for adoption. Upon adoption, the effective date shall be recorded below, the policy shall be added to the Board Policy Adoption Resolution, and the current version shall be published on the organization’s website.

Date Adopted:  8/17/26

Effective Date:  8/17/26

Certified By:  Board