Privacy Policy

We at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (“BBBS”) respect your concerns about privacy and value the trust you have placed in us. We are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. We have developed this Privacy Policy (“Policy”) in order for you to understand the types of personally-identifiable information BBBS collects on this website, how we may use that information, and with whom we may share it. Our Policy also describes the measures we take to protect the security of the information you provide when using this website. In addition, we describe the choices you can make about how we use the information you provide to us through this website. We tell you how you can update your contact information, remove your name from our mailing list, or answer any questions you may have about our privacy practices.

BBBS reserves the right to change our information practices and the terms of this Policy, and to apply the changed practices to all information we have about you. You should check the page from time to time to ensure you are satisfied with any changes. If you do not agree with or are not comfortable with any actions described in this Policy, your remedy is to discontinue use of this website. This Policy is effective from November 1, 2016.

What types of information does BBBS collect about me from my use of this website and how does BBBS use the information?
We collect and use information about you to communicate with you about our services, promotions, programs, and events, and to customize our communications in those areas. We also collect information to improve your website experience, enroll Big Brothers and Big Sisters and Littles, and enable you to make donations to BBBS. Here are the ways we obtain information about you and the types of information we obtain:

Register for Our Newsletter.When you ask us to send you our newsletter, you provide us with your email address so we can fulfill your request.

Contact Us Link.If you contact us via our website, we may ask you for information such as your name, address, and email address so we can respond to your questions or comments. Unless you consent, we do not retain this information except to respond to your inquiries.

Like many organizations, we use cookies and log files on our website. Cookies are small text files that websites often store on the computer hard drives of visitors to their sites. A cookie contains a unique code, which is used to recognize your computer when a user of your computer returns to a website that was visited previously. Log files are small text files that websites automatically create when a user visits a site. We use cookies and log files to enhance the online experience of our visitors and to better understand how our site is used. Cookies and log files may tell us, for example, whether you have visited our site before or whether you are a new visitor.

The “help” portion of the toolbar on most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to be notified when you receive a new cookie, and how to disable existing cookies. Remember, though, without cookies, you may not be able to take full advantage of all our website features, such as participating in online games and sweepstakes.

When you enroll online to become a Big or Little, you give us your name, email address, and phone number. If you are under 13 years old, we ask you to have your parent or guardian enroll you, or you may call your local agency directly.

Special Offers and Instant Coupons.From time to time, we may offer you discounts and rewards provided by our supporters. When you choose to download any special offers or instant coupons from our websites, we do not collect any personal information about you.

You may ask us to send an eCard on your behalf. We do not use any personal information you provide in connection with sending an eCard except to send the eCard.

Participate in Contests and Sweepstakes.When you sign up to participate in one of our contests or sweepstakes, you may provide us with information such as your name or email address. We may use the information to enter you in the contest or sweepstakes and contact you if you win. Also, unless you previously asked us not to send you our newsletter, we will add your email address to our newsletter list. If you do not want to receive information about BBBS, you may choose not to participate in our contests and sweepstakes.

You also give us contact information and credit card or checking information so we can process your donation. We use this information for that purpose and to customize our communication with you. BBBS will not share or sell a donor’s personal information with anyone else, nor send donor mailings on behalf of non-BBBS organizations.

Does BBBS share the information it obtains about me with third parties?
BBBS does not share personal information about you with any third parties for their own marketing purposes. We do share this information with service providers we have retained to perform services on our behalf who may have their own privacy policies that may apply, but these service providers are not authorized by us to use or disclose the information except as necessary to perform services on our behalf or to comply with legal requirements. We also may disclose information about you to other members of the BBBS family (such as our local agencies, which may have their own privacy policies) or to sponsorship partners solely with respect to tracking and enhancing campaigns in furtherance of our mission and as required by law.

How does BBBS protect personal information?
The security of personal information is a high priority for us. We maintain online and offline safeguards to protect against unauthorized disclosure, use, alteration and destruction of the personal information in our possession. To protect the security of your credit card information, we use the industry standard for Internet security -- Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. This Internet encryption standard scrambles data as it travels from your computer to our server. You’ll know that you’re in a secure area of our website when the “http” portion of the BBBS website address in your browser changes to “https.” The “s” stands for “secure.” When we work with other companies to process credit card transactions, many of those companies also use encryption and/or other security measures. If you prefer not to make a financial donation online, you may also send a check to: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, 2502 N. Rocky Point Drive, Suite 550 Tampa, FL 33607.

While we use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, we also protect your information offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, donations) are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers/servers in which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment.

Does the BBBS website contain links to other websites?
The BBBS website may contain links to other websites that operate independently of BBBS and are not under our control. We provide links to those sites solely for your convenience and information. We encourage users to be aware when they leave our site and to look at the privacy notices for any websites that collect personally identifiable information. BBBS is not responsible for information that is provided by those sites or for any other use of the sites.

How can I update my contact information?
Please email us to indicate that you would want to change the contact information we have for you. Please email us from the email address we would have on file so we can verify ownership.

Email us at bigbrothersbigsisters@bbbs.org.

Will I receive email from BBBS?
We will send you email only if you have provided us with your email address and have asked us to communicate with you this way.

What if I prefer not to receive communications from BBBS?
You may always unsubscribe from our emails by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email. Or you may email us to indicate that you would like to unsubscribe from our mailings. Please email us from the email address we would have on file so we can verify ownership.

Email us at bigbrothersbigsisters@bbbs.org.

If you have any questions about this Policy or BBBS’s privacy practices, click here. If you feel that we are not abiding by this Policy, you should contact us immediately via telephone at 813-720-8778 or via email to bigbrothersbigsisters@bbbsa.org.

DATED: Nov. 1, 2016