Charter Committee of Greater Cincinnati

Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: May 27, 2025

Introduction

The Charter Committee of Greater Cincinnati (“Charter Committee,” “we,” or “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through our website and how we use, share, and safeguard that information. This website is an informational platform for our political activities, including details on candidates, donations, event RSVPs, and volunteer sign-ups. By using our website, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Note: This site is intended for users in the United States. We do not specifically comply with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Information We Collect

We do not require you to create an account to use our site, and we do not host user-generated content. However, we may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide, as well as some information automatically. The types of information we collect include:

  • Information You Provide to Us: When you engage with features on our site (for example, filling out a volunteer sign-up form, RSVP for an event, subscribing to updates, or making a donation), you may provide personal information. This can include your name, email address, phone number, mailing address, and any details you submit through forms (such as interests in volunteering or event preferences). If you donate, you might be asked for additional details like payment information or, if required by law, your occupation/employer (for example, certain donor information may be required for campaign finance reporting). Please note: Online donations on our site are processed through third-party payment providers (e.g. PayPal), so financial information (like credit card numbers) is collected directly by those providers, not stored on our servers.
  • Information Collected Automatically: Like most websites, we automatically receive and log certain technical details when you visit our site. This may include your IP address, browser type, device information, pages you viewed on our site, the date and time of your visit, and the website that referred you to our site. We may use cookies or similar tracking technologies to remember your preferences and analyze site traffic. Cookies are small text files placed on your device that help us improve your experience (for example, by recognizing you if you return to our site). You can adjust your browser settings to refuse cookies if you prefer, though some site features might not function as intended.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information collected for purposes consistent with our mission and the reason you provided it. Specifically, the information may be used to:

  • Provide and Manage Services: We use your information to carry out the actions you request, such as registering you for an event, signing you up as a volunteer, processing your donation, or sending you information you requested (e.g. newsletters or updates about our initiatives).
  • Communicate with You: We may send you communications about important organizational updates, upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, or fundraising campaigns if you have provided your contact information for these purposes. You can opt out of promotional or informational emails at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions included in those emails or by contacting us directly.
  • Operate and Improve the Website: Information about how users navigate and use our site (such as aggregated analytics on which pages are most visited) helps us maintain, customize, and improve our website. This data allows us to enhance user experience, fix technical issues, and plan for future content that better serves our supporters.
  • Ensure Security and Legal Compliance: We may use information (for example, IP addresses or activity logs) to protect the security of our website, staff, and users – such as detecting and preventing fraud or unauthorized access. Additionally, if you make a donation, we use the information provided to process that transaction and comply with any legal obligations. For instance, we may be required by campaign finance laws to collect and report certain information about donors (e.g. disclosing donations above a certain amount to regulatory authorities). We will only use and disclose personal information as needed to meet such legal requirements.

Information Sharing and Disclosure

Your privacy is important to us. We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. We only share personal information in limited circumstances, such as:

  • Service Providers: We may share information with trusted third-party service providers who help us operate our website or conduct our activities. For example, this can include payment processors (to handle online donations securely), email/newsletter distribution services, event or volunteer management tools, or web analytics providers. These companies are only given the information necessary to perform their specific services on our behalf, and they are expected to protect your information and use it only for the purposes for which we engage them.
  • Legal Compliance: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or if we, in good faith, believe such action is necessary to (a) comply with a legal obligation or government request, (b) protect and defend our rights or property, (c) prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the site, (d) protect the personal safety of users or the public, or (e) protect against legal liability. This includes complying with any applicable election laws or regulations (for example, submitting donor information to election boards or commissions if mandated).
  • Organizational Transfers: In the unlikely event that the Charter Committee undergoes a significant organizational change (such as a merger, reorganization, or dissolution), the personal information we have collected might be among the assets transferred or reviewed. If such a transfer occurs, we will endeavor to ensure your information remains protected by appropriate privacy commitments.

Other than the situations described above, the personal information you provide to us through our website will not be shared with or disclosed to others. We may share aggregated, non-personal data (information that does not identify you individually) publicly or with partners – for example, to report on the number of volunteers signed up or total site visits – but this data will not include any personally identifiable information.

Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect the security of your personal information. Our website and associated systems employ industry-standard security practices to safeguard data – including the use of encryption for sensitive information transmissions (such as donation processing via our payment partner) and maintaining updated security software. We limit access to personal data to staff or volunteers who need it to perform their roles. While we strive to protect your information, please note that no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a security breach that compromises your personal data, we will notify affected individuals as required by applicable law and work to remediate the issue as soon as possible.

Your Choice and Rights

Because our site does not require user accounts, we collect personal information only when you voluntarily submit it for specific purposes. You have choices about how we handle and communicate with you regarding that information:

  • Opting Out of Communications: If you subscribe to our newsletter or sign up for updates, you can unsubscribe or opt out at any time. Simply click the “unsubscribe” link in any email you receive from us, or contact us at info@chartercommittee.org with a request to be removed from our mailing list. We will honor such requests promptly.
  • Accessing or Updating Your Information: If you have provided personal information to us (such as when volunteering or donating) and you would like to review, correct, or update that information, please contact us at info@chartercommittee.org. We will help make the requested changes where possible. For example, if you move or change your email and want to continue receiving updates, you can let us know and we will update our records.
  • Deletion of Information: Should you wish to have your personal data removed from our records (for example, you no longer want to be contacted or listed as a supporter), you may request deletion by contacting us. We will delete the information we hold about you to the extent feasible. Please note that certain records (such as past donation records required for legal/accounting purposes or campaign finance reports) may need to be retained for compliance reasons, but we will inform you if that is the case.
  • Do Not Track Signals: Our site does not currently respond to “Do Not Track” browser signals. Given that we only use basic tracking for functionality and analytics, we do not alter our data collection when we detect a Do Not Track signal from your browser. You can always adjust cookie settings on your browser as mentioned above in the “Information Collected Automatically” section.

Children's Privacy

Our website and services are intended for a general audience and are not directed to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, please do not submit any personal information through our forms (for example, do not sign up to volunteer or RSVP, as these activities are intended for adults or supervised minors). If we become aware that we have inadvertently received personal data from a child under 13, we will delete such information from our records. Parents or guardians who believe that the Charter Committee might have any information from or about a child under 13 may contact us at info@chartercommittee.org, and we will promptly investigate and address the issue.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update or revise this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. If we make significant changes, we will post the updated Privacy Policy on this page with a new effective date, and we may provide additional notice (such as a statement on our homepage or a notification via email if you are on our contact list). We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of the website after any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes acceptance of those changes.

Contact Us (Privacy Concerns)

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, please contact us at:

Charter Committee of Greater Cincinnati
 1055 St. Paul Place, Suite 157
 Cincinnati, OH 45202
 Email: info@chartercommittee.org

We will be happy to assist you and address any issues you may have.

Terms of Use

Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Charter Committee of Cincinnati’s website (the “Site”). By accessing, browsing, or using this Site in any way, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree with these Terms, you should not use or continue to use the Site. We may update or modify these Terms from time to time. Whenever we make changes, we will post the revised Terms on the Site and update the “Effective Date.” Your continued use of the Site after any changes are posted signifies your acceptance of the revised Terms, so please check back periodically for updates.

Effective Date of Terms: May 27, 2025

(These Terms apply to all visitors and users of our Site. Please also review our Privacy Policy above, which describes how we collect and use information on the Site. By using our Site, you consent to our data practices as described in the Privacy Policy.)

Permitted Use of the Site

You are granted a personal, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use our Site for informational purposes and other purposes explicitly made available to you (such as learning about our candidates and initiatives, signing up to volunteer, making donations, or RSVPing to events). All use of this Site must be lawful and in accordance with these Terms. You agree not to misuse the Site or its content. In particular, when using our Site you agree that you will NOT:

  • Violate any applicable law or regulation in connection with your access or use of the Site. This includes, for example, all local, state, and federal laws (such as applicable election laws or anti-spam regulations).
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion or feature of the Site, our servers, or any related systems or networks. You will not attempt to breach security or authentication measures or probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of our Site or any associated system.
  • Interfere with or disrupt the proper working of the Site. This means you will not introduce any virus, worm, malware, or any other harmful code, nor conduct attacks such as denial-of-service (DoS) or similar attempts to disrupt our website’s functionality.
  • Use any automatic device, script, bot, spider, crawler, or other automated means (other than standard search engine protocols) to access, scrape, or index the Site or its content without our express permission.
  • Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or organization while interacting with our Site (for example, do not submit false information in a volunteer or RSVP form, or use someone else’s identity or email).
  • Use the Site to advertise or promote any commercial services, or to send unsolicited communications (for example, no posting of unrelated promotional content via any forms or attempting to spam our contact channels).
  • Engage in any other conduct that restricts or inhibits anyone’s use or enjoyment of the Site, or which, as determined by the Charter Committee, may harm or offend the Charter Committee, its mission, or users of the Site, or expose them to liability.

We reserve the right to take appropriate action for any unauthorized or unlawful use of our Site, including suspending or terminating access to the Site for any user who violates these Terms or who, in our judgment, poses a security or legal risk to the organization or others.

Intellectual Property and Content Ownership

All content on the Site is the property of the Charter Committee of Greater Cincinnati or our content providers, and it is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. This includes, but is not limited to: text, articles, logos, graphics, photographs, videos, design layout, and any other materials made available on the Site (collectively, the “Content”).

You may not use, reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works from our Content without our prior written permission, except in the following limited ways:

  • Personal, Non-Commercial Use: You are welcome to view, download, or print pages from the Site for your own personal, informational, and non-commercial use. For example, you may print a page about our platform or save a news update for later reading. When you do so, you must not remove or alter any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices on the Content.
  • Sharing for Informational Purposes: We encourage you to share information about the Charter Committee’s work. You may share brief excerpts or summaries of our Site content for commentary, news reporting, or on social media, provided that you give appropriate credit to the Charter Committee and (if online) include a link back to the relevant page on our Site. However, please do not imply any endorsement or affiliation by the Charter Committee without our explicit consent.
  • Copyright and Trademark Notices: The Charter Committee name and logo are trademarks/service marks of our organization. All rights are reserved. You agree not to use our name, logos, or any confusingly similar marks in any manner (including in press releases, marketing, or fundraising) without prior written permission. Likewise, any third-party names, logos, or content on the Site (such as media partner logos or photographs from others) are the property of their respective owners and are used on our Site with permission; you must obtain permission from those owners before any use of their content.

If you wish to request permission to use any content from our Site beyond what is allowed above (for example, reprinting an article in full or using a photograph in your own publication), please contact us at info@chartercommittee.org with details of your request. We are generally happy to allow use of our materials for non-commercial, educational, or news purposes with proper attribution, but written permission is required in those cases.

Organization’s Rights and Site Management

The Charter Committee reserves all rights not expressly granted to you in these Terms. We maintain full authority over the operation of this Site and its content. In particular:

  • Content Management: We may update, change, or remove Content on the Site at any time, without notice. This means information on the Site (including event details, candidate information, or policy positions) may be modified or corrected as needed. We strive for accuracy, but there is no guarantee that all content is up-to-date at all times.
  • Site Availability: We reserve the right to suspend or discontinue any part of the Site, or the entire Site, temporarily or permanently, at our discretion. We also reserve the right to implement limits on certain features or restrict access to parts or all of the Site without notice or liability. Our goal is to ensure a positive experience on our Site, but there may be times when maintenance or external factors make the site unavailable.
  • Enforcement: We have the right (but not the obligation) to monitor any activity and content associated with our Site. We may investigate any reported violation of these Terms or complaints and take any action that we deem appropriate. This can include issuing warnings, removing content, or terminating access for users who violate the Terms or engage in behavior that is unlawful or objectionable.

By maintaining this Site, the Charter Committee does not waive any rights to the content and does not surrender any intellectual property rights or control over the material we publish. Any unauthorized use of the Site or Content may result in civil or criminal penalties under intellectual property laws and other applicable regulations.

External Links and Third-Party Services

For your convenience and to provide further information, our Site may include links to third-party websites or services that are not operated by the Charter Committee. Examples might include: an external news article about our activities, a partner organization’s page, a social media platform, or our online donation processing service (e.g. PayPal or a similar payment gateway).

Please note that when you click on a third-party link and leave our Site, these Terms and our Privacy Policy no longer apply. The third-party site’s own terms of use and privacy policy will govern your interaction there. We do not have control over and assume no responsibility for the content, availability, or practices of any third-party websites. We are not endorsing or guaranteeing the information or services provided by external sites. As such, accessing any third-party websites linked from our Site is done at your own discretion and risk. We encourage you to review the terms and privacy policies of any external sites you visit via links from our Site.

Privacy and Personal Information

Your use of our Site is also subject to our Privacy Policy (see above), which is hereby incorporated into these Terms by reference. The Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect and how we use and protect it. By using our Site, you acknowledge that you have read and understood our Privacy Policy. If you submit personal information through the Site (for example, by filling out a volunteer form or making a donation), you agree that we can handle that information as described in the Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our data handling practices, please do not provide your personal information or use those features of the Site.

Disclaimer of Warranties and Liability

(Intentionally Omitted) – The Charter Committee’s Terms of Use focuses on acceptable use and rights regarding content. Standard liability disclaimers and warranty clauses have been omitted in accordance with our organization’s preferences.

(In other words, we aim to provide accurate and helpful information on our Site, but we are not including a formal warranty disclaimer here. Users are expected to use the site in good faith and understand that all content is provided for general informational purposes.)

Governing Law

These Terms of Use are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Ohio, USA, without regard to its conflict of law principles. This means that any dispute or claim arising out of or relating to your use of the Site or these Terms will be resolved under Ohio law. By using this Site, you agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the state or federal courts located within Ohio for the purpose of litigating such claims.

Contact Information

Thank you for reading our Terms of Use. We value transparency and accountability. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about these Terms or the Site itself, please feel free to contact us:

Charter Committee of Greater Cincinnati
 1055 St. Paul Place, Suite 157
 Cincinnati, OH 45202
 Email: info@chartercommittee.org

We will do our best to address your inquiry and assist you. Your use of our Site and your support of the Charter Committee’s mission are greatly appreciated.