This Notice describes the kinds of information we collect from you when you visit our website, and how that information is used and shared.
This Notice should be read in connection with our Terms of Use for accessing our website (the “Site”).
Types of Personal Information We Collect
When you visit our Site, we may collect “Personal Information” from you. Personal Information is information that could reasonably be used to identify you, such as your name, address, email, and phone number. Personal Information can include “Sensitive Personal Information,” such as your ethnic background or payment information. We attempt to limit the collection of Personal Information to what is relevant to further our mission.
When you submit a general inquiry through the Site, we may collect the following Personal Information: name, address, phone numbers, email address, Masonic affiliation, the nature of the information request, and any other information you may provide to us.
In making a charitable contribution through our Site, the following Personal Information may be collected: name, address, phone numbers, email address, Masonic affiliation, the amount of your contribution, and bank and/or payment information.
In applying for a scholarship through the Site, we may collect the following Personal Information: name, address, phone numbers, email address, Masonic affiliation, financial eligibility information, current and intended school of attendance, date of birth, religious affiliation, student ID number, social security number, ethnic background, intended major or career, and contact information for your parent or guardian.
Our web servers may also collect, at least temporarily, the following information: Internet Protocol (IP) address of computer being used; web pages requested; referring web page; browser used; date and time. We use this information to analyze usage trends, administer the site, and track our users’ movements across our site. This information will not reveal, nor is it associated with, your personal identity.
The above information may not encompass future activities for which we collect information.
How Your Information is Collected
Your Personal Information may be collected in a variety of ways, such as when you make a charitable contribution, apply for a Foundation scholarship, or request information. Any Personal Information submitted by you is your implied consent for us to collect and use the information for our legitimate purposes.
In most cases, your Personal Information is voluntarily disclosed to us by you. However, some information may be collected virtually using “cookies.” Cookies are small text files placed on your computer by a website you visit that contains information on your activity on a specific website. You may adjust or disable cookies using your browser’s settings, however doing so may alter certain interactive features on our website. For more information on cookies, please visit https://www.epic.org/privacy/internet/cookies/.
How Your Information is Used
Your Personal Information collected through our website is used to carry out our organization’s mission and our operational and charitable activities. In making a charitable contribution through the Site, your Personal Information is used for purposes such as processing the contribution, acknowledging donations, record keeping, recognizing stewardship opportunities, and soliciting further charitable donations. In applying for a scholarship through the Site, your Personal Information is used for the purposes of evaluating your eligibility, managing the administration of your scholarship, and maintaining contact with the recipients.
We may use cookies (described above) to personalize your online experience at the Site. We may also utilize third parties to place cookies on your browser in order to serve targeted advertising for measurement and analytics purposes. You can decline to have personal data collected via third party tracking technologies by navigating to the settings feature in your browser and declining all third-party cookies or declining third party cookies from specific sites, or, for mobile, limiting ad tracking or resetting the advertiser identifier via the privacy settings on their mobile device. Available third-party opt-out tools include: the Digital Advertising Alliance, and the Network Advertising Initiative.
How Your Information is Shared
Your Personal Information may be shared internally within our organization and externally with our charitable affiliates and partners, and third-party vendors, when there is a legitimate operational or charitable purpose. We attempt to limit the Personal Information shared to what is reasonable to accomplish our purpose. We may share your Personal Information regarding a charitable contribution with our charitable affiliates and with third-party vendors in order to process, record, recognize and encourage additional charitable contributions. For example, we use a third-party vendor to process on-line donations to our organizations. In the case of a scholarship application, we may share your Personal Information with our charitable partners who facilitate our scholarship programs, your schools, and scholarship trustees in order to evaluate your eligibility and manage our scholarship programs.
We may also share your Personal Information with government and law enforcement agencies or regulators to comply with legal process, or a subpoena, order or other legal or regulatory requirement applicable to us. Disclosure may also occur if we consider it necessary to protect our legal rights, or if the information relates to actual or threatened harmful conduct. This Privacy Notice does not apply to Personal Information available to the public or your semi-public interactions on other websites.
We will not sell your Personal Information to third-party organizations.
How Your Information is Stored
Your Personal Information may be stored on internal and external servers and databases. We use, or contract with third parties that use, encryption technology to store and protect bank and credit card payment information. We store your Personal Information for as long as needed to fulfill the particular purpose for which it was collected and to further our mission.
Your Options Regarding Your Personal Information
Submission of your Personal Information is entirely voluntary. If you decline to submit your Personal Information for any reason you may, however, be unable to use certain Site features or receive certain services. Once submitted, you may receive promotional emails from us or our affiliates. If you do not wish to receive promotional emails or other communications, you may opt out of the recipient list by contacting the Privacy Office at privacy@freemason.org. If you wish to review or verify the Personal Information collected by us, you may request to do so by contacting the Privacy Office. You may also request a change, update, correction, or deletion of your Personal Information by contacting the Privacy Office.
“Do Not Track” (DNT) Disclosure
If your browser or your computer software has an enabled a DNT feature to inform us that you do not wish to have your Personal Information collected by accessing the Site, we will be unable to respond to the request solely from receiving the signal. You must make the request to have your Personal Information removed by contacting the Privacy Office directly at privacy@freemason.org.
Privacy of Children
We do not intend to collect or use personal information about children under the age of 13.
Changes to our Privacy Notice
We may modify this Privacy Notice in the future. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information.
If you have any questions on how we collect and process your Personal Information, please contact privacy@freemason.org or the Privacy Officer located at 1111 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94108.
Last modified: May 2022