Privacy Policy

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Privacy Policy

The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Inc. understands your concerns about privacy and how your information is used and safeguarded when you contact us, make a donation from our website, interact with us on our social media channels, and use our public apps.

Who we are

Our website address is: https://sistersofmercy.org.  

We are the Sisters of Mercy, a religious congregation committed to serving communities through education, healthcare, and social justice initiatives. This privacy policy outlines how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you visit our website.  

What personal data we collect and why we collect it

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the Sisters of Mercy website and social media platforms, we collect the data shown in the comments form, along with the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help with spam detection.  

An anonymized string (hash) created from your email address may be provided to the Gravatar service to check if you’re using it. The Gravatar privacy policy is available at: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After your comment is approved, your profile picture may be visible to the public alongside your comment.  

Media Files

If you upload images to the Sisters of Mercy website and social media platforms, please avoid including embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors can download and extract location data from images on these public-facing website platforms.  

Mobile Applications 

If you use our mobile applications, we may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device you use, your device operating system, unique device identifiers, and information about your use of the app. We may also request access to certain device features such as your camera, location services, or contacts, but only with your explicit permission. This information helps us to improve app functionality and user experience.  

Social Media Accounts and Interactions  

If you engage with our content on social media (e.g., by liking, commenting, or sharing posts), we may have access to certain information from your social media account in accordance with your privacy settings on those platforms. We do not control how social media platforms collect or use your data; please refer to the privacy policies of those services for more details.  

Contact forms 

If you contact us using a form on the website, we collect the information you provide (such as name, email address, and message content) to respond to your inquiry. We do not use this information for marketing purposes unless you give us permission.  

Donations

The only personal information that we collect from donors, online and offline is voluntarily provided to us. For example, if you opt to donate by “clicking” the “donate” button on our website, we will collect certain personally identifiable information, which may include your name, email address, and postal address. 

Regarding processing of donations – whether or not processed through a third-party payment processor – the payment information you provide to us will only be used to process your donation.  If you opt to make a recurring donation, then required payment information will be stored to facilitate future donations; otherwise, your payment information will not be stored or used for any other purpose. 

Black Baud is our online donation platform. All donation data collected is subject to the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”), and other applicable privacy laws. Non-Personal Information that is collected remains anonymous or non-personally identifiable. All Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is encrypted. Financial information such as banking information or credit card number, name, CVV code or date of expiration, is collected and stored by a third-party payment processor. Inside Blackbaud, data is stored in password-controlled servers with limited access. 

When donating, information collected may include: 

    • Contact and account information such as name, email address, physical address, location data, phone number, and social media information; 
    • Technical information collected. Such information may include standard web log entries that contain IP address, cookies, page URL and timestamp. 
    • The Sisters of Mercy has the power to modify and vary any donor direction or restriction in the event they become unnecessary, incapable of fulfillment, or inconsistent with the charitable needs of the Sisters of Mercy. 

    For more information, please see Black Baud privacy policy.  

    Our tax-exempt status

    Sisters of Mercy of the Americas is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization (EIN/Tax ID: 52-1653282). Donations to Sisters of Mercy of the Americas are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 

    Cookies 

    If you leave a comment, you may opt in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies for your convenience. These cookies last for one year.  

    If you visit our login page, a temporary cookie will determine if your browser accepts cookies. It contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.  

     When you log in, cookies store your login and display preferences. Login cookies last for two days (or two weeks if you select “Remember Me”). Screen options cookies last for one year. Logging out removes the login cookies.  

     If you edit or publish an article, a cookie with the post ID is saved in your browser. It does not contain personal data and expires in one day.  

    Embedded content from other websites 

    Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g., videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content behaves the same as if you visited the source website. These external sites may collect data, use cookies, and track your interactions if you are logged into their platform.  

    Analytics 

    We may use analytics tools to understand how visitors use our site. These tools collect anonymized data such as your browser type, operating system, and pages visited. This helps us improve our website performance and content.  

    Who do we share your data with  

    We do not share your personal data with third parties unless it is necessary to provide our services (e.g., spam detection or analytics tools), comply with the law, or protect our rights.  

    How long do we retain your data  

    If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This allows us to recognize and approve future comments automatically.  

    For registered users (if applicable), we store personal information in their user profiles. Users can see, edit, or delete their information (except usernames). Website administrators can also manage this data.  

    What rights do you have over your data  

    If you have an account on this site or have left comments, you may request an exported file of the personal data we hold about you. You can also request that we erase your data. This does not include data we must keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.  

    Where do we send your data  

    Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.  

    Your contact information  

    For privacy-specific concerns, you may contact us at https://sistersofmercy.org/contact-us/.  

    Additional information:  

    How do we protect your data  

    We implement security measures like encryption, firewalls, and access controls to protect your data from unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure.  

    What data breach procedures do we have in place  

    In case of a data breach, we will notify affected users as soon as possible and take steps to mitigate the impact, including informing relevant authorities if required.  

    What third parties do we receive data from  

    We may receive anonymized data from third-party services such as analytics providers or social media platforms that integrate with our website.  

    What automated decision-making and/or profiling do we do with user data  
    We do not use your personal data for automated decision-making or profiling that significantly affects you.  

    Industry regulatory disclosure requirements  

    We comply with applicable data privacy laws and industry regulations relevant to our organization and services.  

    Feedback invited:  

    Thank you for visiting the Sisters of Mercy website. We are committed to maintaining a transparent and user-friendly privacy policy. If you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns about this policy, we encourage you to reach out. Please feel free to contact us at https://sistersofmercy.org/contact-us/. Your feedback helps us improve how we communicate and protect your information.