The Ranches is unique in that it is not sponsored by any national group or church denomination, and does not accept funding from government sources. We are, therefore, dependent on individuals, businesses, corporations and civic groups to fund the work we do with children and families. The following information explains the donor privacy practices and policies of The Ranches. Please direct any questions about these issues to The Ranches via e-mail at privacy@theranches.org.
Personal Information
Donor privacy has always been very important to us. Therefore,
it is our written policy that we will not share, give, rent or sell
any donor information to any other commercial or nonprofit organization
or individuals unless required by law.
All employees, subcontractors and vendors of The Ranches are required to sign confidentiality agreements that prohibit them from sharing personal information about donors, volunteers or the children and families who utilize our services with anyone outside their organization without written authorization.
Web site visitors can browse our website without providing any personal information. However, visitors who choose to make a donation online are required to provide their name, mailing address and telephone number to verify credit card information, and an e-mail address to acknowledge donations for tax purposes and express appreciation for support. Visitors who request e-mail updates are also required to provide an e-mail address.
If visitors wish to make a gift in memory or honor of someone, we will use the information supplied about that individual(s) to send acknowledgements as the donor directs. The information will not be used for other purposes.
Personal information is kept secure as described under “Security of Personal and Credit Card Information.”
Telephone Solicitations
The Ranches does not employ individuals or use outside
vendors to solicit donations by telephone. However, we do call donors
to express appreciation for a gift already made, clarify address
information regarding a donation, answer inquiries or share information
about special events or projects.
Correcting Personal Information
Keeping our records accurate and updated is important to
us. Individuals needing to correct or update identifying information,
such as an address or e-mail address, can do so in a variety of
ways. Corrections or changes can be e-mailed to dev@theranches.org,
changed online through a login account created by the user, or by
calling 1.800.660.0289.
Opt-Out
Individuals who no longer wish to receive notifications
from The Ranches should send an e-mail to dev@theranches.org
, call 1.800.660.0289, or write a note instructing us to remove
them from our mailing list.
Security of Personal and Credit Card Information
It is very important to us that information provided when
making an online donation remains
secure. Therefore, great care has been taken in selecting the company
that handles our online donations. All personal and credit card
information provided by visitors is stored in computer servers with
limited access that are located in controlled facilities. Information
is encrypted using 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption.
Credit card information is used for the current transaction only,
unless otherwise directed by the donor for future transactions and
for monthly giving.
In addition to these safety measures, we urge visitors to take precautions to protect their online personal data by using a combination of letters and numbers for passwords, and by changing their passwords often.
Domain Name and Cookies
The servers that host The Ranches Web Site automatically
recognize but do not collect or use a visitor’s IP address
or domain name. Cookies are small pieces of information that are
sent to an Internet browser from a web server and stored on a user’s
computer hard drive. The Ranches does not use cookies to track or
collect information about visitors to our web site.
However, a cookie is created when visitors choose to make an online
donation. The cookie holds information about the gift basket (i.e.,
number of items in the basket, the total amount of the donation,
etc.). The cookie is deleted when visitors correctly log out of
the donation area by clicking on the logout button. Visitors who
prefer not to receive cookies can set their browser to warn them
before accepting a cookie or to refuse all cookies. Visitors who
choose not to accept cookies will not be able to view the gift basket
summary when making an online donation.
E-mail Addresses
The Ranches web site does not automatically recognize e-mail
addresses. Individuals who wish to receive e-mail updates from The
Ranches must check the box that says, “Please send periodic
e-mail updates and announcements” and provide an e-mail address.
Related Links Privacy
We may occasionally provide links to other web sites to
provide certain types of information. For the privacy statements
of these providers, please see their respective sites. The Ranches
does not control these sites or their privacy practices. The Ranches
Privacy Statement does not cover any personal information provided
by visitors on these other sites.
