Donor Privacy Policy

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, (hereinafter the "Center"), is committed to protecting our donors' privacy. Our donors trust in us concerning the personal information that they may share with their gifts. We value that trust and we recognize that maintaining this trust requires us to be transparent and accountable to our supporters and the public at all times. An organization that deals with individuals and information about individuals in its daily operations and fundraising activities must secure that information. This policy will help ensure that all personal information is properly collected, used only for the purposes for which it is collected, and is disposed of in a secure and timely manner when it is no longer needed.

As used in this Policy, "personal information" means information that is recorded in any form, and that can be used to distinguish, identify or contact a specific individual. It does not include publicly available information such as names, addresses and telephone numbers. "Donor" refers to any individual or organization that contributes funds, securities or property to the Center. For purposes of this policy, "Employee" describes both paid and volunteer workers for the Center.

It is vital for the Center to have knowledge about its supporters and those people who provide the necessary funding. In order to be successful during a campaign, strong donor relationships must be established and cultivated. Information is the key to any relationship. Due to the sensitive nature of personal information disclosed by a Donor or obtained by the Center, the Center shall at all times abide by this Policy.

Accountability

The Center and its employees are responsible for all Donor personal information in our possession. Each department of the Center shall establish, maintain, and revise practices and procedures to ensure compliance with this Policy. Every reasonable precaution shall be taken to protect and preserve the confidentiality of our Donors' personal information. All employees, agents and authorized service providers of the Center are individually required to safeguard each individual Donor's personal information. Any outside contractors or third party service providers are selected with due care and must abide by this Policy. External service providers shall be required to agree to protect any personal information of Donors, use it for only the purposes set out in the scope of the contract with the Center, and to not keep the personal information on file.

Donors may notify the Center of a privacy-related issue or grievance by contacting the Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative Officer of the Center. We will provide information about our privacy procedures and investigate the complaint. If a problem is discovered during the review, we will take all appropriate steps to revamp our policies and procedures if necessary.

Use and Disclosure of Personal Information

The Center collects, uses and discloses personal information only for certain purposes that are identified to the Donor. We may use it to establish and manage our relationship with a Donor, as well as providing requested information. Personal information can also help us understand a Donor and identify preferences and expectations. The main uses will involve raising money to reach our campaign goals and to process gifts and return appropriate receipts. To publicly recognize and thank them for their generosity, we occasionally release a list of our Donors. In such cases, other organizations and third parties will have access to our Donor names and in limited cases donation amounts.

The Center holds special events to create publicity for our campaign, thank supporters, and raise funds. At some of these events Employees may obtain personal information. If so, Donors will be advised of this fact and the information related to the event will be disposed of properly when it is no longer needed.

We collect Donor information for internal use only, and just to the extent required for our purposes. We obtain relevant personal information about Donors when necessary.

Donors' Consent

The Center only uses and discloses personal information with Donor permission. Donor permission can be in writing or implied, either verbally and/or electronically. A Donor may withdraw permission to collect, use, and disclose personal information at any time by giving the Center reasonable notice, subject to legal or contractual obligations. When a Donor has communicated to the Center a desire to opt out of the disclosure of his or her information, the Center will not include the Donor's data to another organization or third party.

Donors who wish to avoid any public recognition may inform the Center when making a pledge or gift. The option to remain anonymous shall be made available to Donors by the Center and its appropriate employees. This request for anonymity shall be honored by the Center until the Donor informs us otherwise.

In order to cost-effectively build our Membership, we sometimes exchange our Members’ names with other worthy non-profit organizations. We will not sell, share or trade our donor lists or other personal information without their written consent. If you prefer that your name not be included, please send an e-mail containing your name and postal address to information@wiesenthal.com. The Center never shares with third parties any financial information you provide when purchasing a membership or making a donation.

Custody and Care of Personal Information</p>

The Center operates under the assumption that any Donor or Donor prospect has the right to review his or her record maintained by our organization. Donors may request in writing to see personal information about them that is in the possession of the Center. Donors also have the right to know how the information is obtained and used. We will respond to Donor requests within a reasonable time (within 30 days or less) by either providing copies of the documents or access to the information. The Center will generally respond at no charge to the Donor, but depending on the nature of the request and the amount of information requested, we reserve the right to charge a reasonable amount. In some situations, the Center may not be able to provide access to all the personal information held on a Donor. Exceptions will be limited and specific as permitted or required by law, and the reasons for non-disclosure shall be communicated to the requesting party.

The Center will keep Donors' personal information collected online or otherwise only as long as it is necessary to satisfy the purposes for which it was obtained, or as legally required. Access to Donor file materials containing personal information is restricted to Center Employees and authorized service providers who need it to do their jobs.

All information provided to the Center is transmitted using SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption. SSL is a proven coding system that lets your browser automatically encrypt, or scramble, data before you send it to us. We also protect account information by placing it on a secure portion of our website that is only accessible by a certain qualified employees both the Center and its technology vendors. Unfortunately, however, no data transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of such information.