Privacy Policy
Effective Date / Date of Last Revision: April 5, 2023
We respect the privacy of every individual with whom we do business and those who visit our websites and mobile applications. The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to plainly and transparently disclose how we collect, use, and share information, and how we attempt to safeguard the data you provide to us. We are committed to securing data that we collect concerning you and complying with applicable data protection and privacy laws.
This policy does not apply to information processed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For more information about the university’s privacy policies, visit the Office of the Registrar’s website at registrar.wisc.edu.
Who We Are
The Wisconsin Foundation & Alumni Association (“WFAA,” “we” or “us”) is a private, nonprofit corporation that encourages individuals and organizations to make gifts to and connect with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and its affiliated organizations, such as UW Health. WFAA is an entity independent of the university; however, through a close, unique, and long-standing partnership, WFAA can identify and support the university and donors’ priorities as well as coordinate advancement activities.
WFAA hosts certain mobile applications and websites (such as www.supportuw.org, www.uwalumni.com, www.advanceuw.org) (collectively, “Sites”) that provide information and opportunities to alumni, donors, students, and others who are seeking information about WFAA and our initiatives.
How To Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding data protection or your rights, please contact us:
Wisconsin Foundation & Alumni Association
Attn: Data Privacy & Protection
1848 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53726-4090
dataprivacy@supportuw.org
Why and How We Collect and Use Data
To effectively advance the University of Wisconsin-Madison and its affiliated organizations, WFAA requires data regarding alumni, donors, prospective donors, beneficiaries of fundraising efforts, and others (collectively referred to as “constituents”). WFAA collects, processes, and uses data to operate effectively, to communicate with our constituents, and provide you the best experiences with our Sites and programs. The legal basis for our collection is with your consent, for our legitimate business purposes, and/or to comply with our legal and contractual obligations. We obtain information directly from you, through cookies, Google Maps APIs, and other technologies, and from third parties.
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- Information from you. You provide data directly to us when you interact with us, set up an account, or submit a form or document to us with personal information (e.g., when you send us an address update or make a gift). You are not obligated to provide WFAA with any information, but in some cases, it is necessary to process your requests and/or to provide services or information to you.
- Cookies and Technology. We collect data by automatically recording how you interact with our websites and emails, for example, using technologies like cookies and Google Maps APIs. More information is provided below.
- Third Parties. We collect data from third parties, such as:
- Entities for whom we provide fundraising and engagement support, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, UW Health, and other affiliated entities;
- Volunteers and others who provide constituent information in support of our work;
- Data brokers from which we purchase data to supplement and improve our constituent records;
- Social media and other technology platforms on which WFAA maintains a presence;
- Partners with which we offer co-branded services or engage in joint marketing activities; and
- Publicly available sources such as open government databases or other data in the public domain.
How We Use Personal Data
We use the data we collect to operate our business, to communicate with constituents, to improve our products, and to personalize your experiences. WFAA uses this data to help achieve the following goals:
- Get to know our constituents better and offer a more personalized experience.
- Compile constituent information for fundraising and engagement purposes.
- Encourage our constituents to interact with us, the university, and our affiliates in more meaningful ways.
- Identify new friends and supporters as well as expand our support networks.
- To say, “thank you,” to constituents who help fulfill WFAA’s mission.
In working toward these goals, we combine data we collect to give you a more seamless, consistent, and personalized experience. We also use data to help show more relevant ads delivered by third parties such as Google and Facebook. If you use our Sites or otherwise interact with us, we collect and process various types of data from you.
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Some additional detail about how we use personal data:
- Operating our business. As stewards of alumni and donor records for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and its affiliates, WFAA plays an important role in the university’s data ecosystem. WFAA is responsible for the storage and maintenance of constituent information and this work is central to WFAA’s mission to support the university, its many schools, colleges, and units, and its affiliated organizations. We work to keep constituents connected to the university and these connection points emerge in a variety of ways for different constituents including, but not limited to: Wisconsin Alumni Association (“WAA”) chapters and affinity groups, publications or promotional materials, newsletters from schools and colleges, donor gifts, alumni travel, and volunteer opportunities. In addition, we store records for our partners, such as UW Health, the American Family Children’s Hospital, and other related entities.
- Communicating with constituents. We use data we collect to communicate with you on behalf of WFAA (which includes the University of Wisconsin Foundation (“UWF”) and WAA), the University of Wisconsin-Madison, UW Health, and other affiliated organizations. For example, we may contact you by phone, mail, email, or other means to inform you of university-related news, invite you to events you may be interested in, ask you to make a gift, or share a variety of other information. If at any point you would like to change channels through which we communicate with you or the topics you hear about, please contact us at recordsupdates@supportuw.org. We are happy to adjust our records accordingly.
- Improving our products. We use data to improve the products and services we offer to our constituents. For example, we analyze data to understand topics alumni are interested in and build alumni events, publications, or promotional materials related to those topics. We also use tools like Google Analytics to capture data about our website visitors. Web analytics programs capture and store information like the type of browser you are using, the type of computer operating system you are using, the IP address of your computer, and the domain name of the website from which you linked to our site. This information is used to ensure our website meets the needs of the majority of our users, as well as to diagnose problems with our website. This information also helps us produce statistics on how frequently our various pages are visited.
- Personalizing your experience. While we serve a large number of constituents, technology allows us the opportunity to personalize your experience based on what we know about you. For example, if you were a graduate of the College of Engineering, a season ticketholder for Women’s Basketball, and have indicated an interest in career networking, we may communicate with you about these topics. We believe that delivering content customized for you, based on your interests, provides a better experience than content generalized for an audience as broad and diverse as the University of Wisconsin-Madison community. You may see this customized content in the mail, on our websites, in email we send you, in social media, in our publications or promotional materials, or in advertising.
- WFAA uses data we collect through our interactions with you and through third-party sources to select and deliver some of the ads you see from us. The ads that you see may be selected based on data we process about you, such as your educational history, your interests, your location, your transactions, or the content you view on our websites. We may share data we collect with third parties, such as Facebook and Google, so that they can select and deliver some of the ads you see on their platforms, or other sites and apps serviced by these partners. Advertisers may choose to place web beacons or cookies on their sites in order to allow them to collect information such as activities, purchases, and visits. You may find more information about these companies’ practices, including the choices they offer, by clicking on the company names above. As mentioned above, this data helps us deliver a more personalized experience for you and helps us be more effective with our advertising. Our goal is for you to see ads that may be of interest to you and those that will help you maintain your connection to the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Categories of Information We Collect, Process, and Store
WFAA collects, processes and stores contact, background, and other information about constituents; user account information; donation and payment information; communications records; information you provide to us; and technical and usage information.
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Some additional detail about the categories of information we collect:
- Constituent Information. We collect personal information such as name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, demographic information, family information, education information (attendance dates, graduation date, major), and employment information (employer name, job title). We may collect other types of constituent information that is relevant to our work.
- Account Information. If you set up an account with WFAA, including its Wisconsin Alumni Association (“WAA”) Badger Bridge or Alumni Email services, you will set a user name and password. You may also voluntarily provide other information as part of your profile.
- We collect and maintain information when you send us inquiries or otherwise communicate with us. We may also gather information from any photos, posts, comments, ratings, reviews, and other content you share with us, including via our social media and other accounts.
- Donation Payment Information. We track all donations made and received.
- Payment Information. When you make a payment on our Sites, you may provide payment card information and/or other payment details. We use a Payment Card Industry-compliant, third-party vendors, such as Stripe and Braintree, for payment services. WFAA does not process or store payment card information.
Cookies and Similar Technologies We Use
WFAA uses cookies (small text files stored on your device) and similar technologies to enable full functionality of our Sites and online services. Cookies allow us, among other things, to store your preferences and settings, enable you to sign-in, combat fraud, analyze how our websites and online services are performing, and provide interest-based advertising. When you log into one of our Sites or services, we use your username and sessions for similar purposes. Our Sites may also include web beacons and cookies from third-party service providers.
There are a variety of tools you can use to control cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies. These include browser controls to block and delete cookies and controls from some third-party service providers to opt out of data collection through web beacons and similar technologies. See the “How to Access and Control Your Personal Data” section for more information on these tools.
Your browser and other choices may affect your experience with our Sites and services or limit functionality.
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Some additional detail about the categories of information we collect:
- Usage Information. We collect information such as which of the pages on the Sites you access, the frequency of access, and what you click on while in the Site(s).
- Technical Information. We collect technical information about your connection to our Sites, including the Internet protocol (IP) address browser type, and browser version.
- Device Information. We collect information about the device you are using, such as hardware model, operating system, and application version number. When you access our Sites via a browser, we collect and aggregate information about whether you are accessing the Sites via a mobile device or tablet, device type, and carrier.
- Location Information. We collect location information from Site visitors on a city and regional basis. We also use Google Maps APIs to identify your location when using some location-centric features. This Privacy Policy incorporates by reference Google’s Privacy Policy with respect to this and other Google technology used on the Sites.
Information We Share
We share your personal data with your consent and as we deem necessary to advance our mission to encourage the interest, engagement, and financial support of alumni, donors, and friends in the life of the university, its affiliates, and with each other. We also share data when required by law; to respond to a legal process; to protect our constituents; to protect lives; to maintain the security, integrity, and accuracy of our systems and records; and to exercise our own rights.
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We share data with:
- Others that you direct us to share with. We share the information you provide to us with those you consent to or request we share access with.
- Entities we support. We share information with the entities for whom we provide fundraising and engagement support, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, UW Health, and other affiliated entities.
- Those assisting in our advancement work. The effort, input, and expertise of alumni, donors, and friends is critical in advancing WFAA’s mission. Individuals assist WFAA’s work in any number of ways including through WAA chapters or affinity groups, WAA affiliate groups, university Board of Visitor membership, campaign committee membership, attendance at WFAA or university/UW Health events, assistance with stewarding donor gifts (such as memorial or tribute gifts), or involvement in other advancement projects on behalf of WFAA, the university, or its affiliates. We may share your information with such individuals, but when we do, we share only such information as is necessary based on the purpose for which it is being shared and typically require that recipients agree in writing to use the information for only that purpose and to keep otherwise it confidential and protected.
- Event attendees. When you register for an in-person or virtual WFAA, university, or UW Health event, certain personal data you submit as part of the registration process may be disclosed for networking and engagement purposes to other event attendees in ways such as name badges, table tents, attendee/delegate lists, etc.
- Our service providers and business associates. We share information with service providers who, on our behalf, perform data services (e.g., email, hosting, maintenance, backup, analysis, etc.); process payments; prepare, deploy, and analyze advertising content; or provide other services.
- Our marketing partners. We share information with partners with whom we offer co-branded services or engage in joint marketing activities.
- For limited academic research purposes. WFAA occasionally receives requests from University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate students and faculty members seeking limited WFAA information for university-related academic research. WFAA may honor these requests in line with its mission to advance the university’s status as a world-class university, provided that the information sought is limited in scope and its use is overseen by a university faculty member.
- Others to meet our legal requirements or exercise our rights. We share information:
- When we are required to do so by law.
- In connection with any legal proceedings or prospective legal proceedings.
- To establish, exercise, or defend our legal rights, including providing information to others for the purposes of fraud prevention.
- To any person who we reasonably believe may apply to a court or other competent authority for disclosure of that personal data where, in our reasonable opinion, such court or authority would be reasonably likely to order disclosure of the information.
- As part of our own corporate transactions, such as during financing of our organization, or any organization or asset sale or merger.
How to Access and Control Your Personal Data
We respect your privacy and try to provide ways for you to choose whether to share your information with us or any third parties.
Decline to Provide Information. You have the right to decide not to share information with us through our Sites.
Review and Request Changes. You may use your WAA Alumni Email or Badger Bridge account to access, correct, or view certain personal data we have collected which is associated with your account. You may also contact us at recordsupdates@supportuw.org to request information or changes.
Request Deletion. You may submit a request to update or delete your personal data on file with WFAA by contacting us at dataprivacy@supportuw.org. Upon receiving a request from you to delete your personal data, we will take steps to verify whether we have your personal data, whether we can verify your identity, and whether we can grant your request. Please note that in some circumstances, we are unable to delete records entirely as we have a legal, contractual, or ethical obligation to maintain information. For example, we have an obligation to maintain accurate donor records. We will let you know if we are unable to grant your request in whole or in part and will work with you to otherwise limit the personal data we maintain and use. This may include keeping a general record relating to you but removing you from our mailing lists and other communication tools.
PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO PROVIDE US WITH CERTAIN INFORMATION OR ASK US TO DELETE YOUR INFORMATION, WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH THE FULL FUNCTIONALITY OF OUR SITES OR SERVICES. IN ADDITION, IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES, WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO MODIFY OR DELETE DATA DUE TO OUR OWN OBLIGATIONS.
Marketing Communications. You can always choose whether you wish to receive communications we send via email, SMS messages, telephone calls, and postal mail. To do so, contact us at recordsupdates@supportuw.org. You can also opt out from receiving interest-based advertising from us on Facebook and Google by adjusting your settings on those platforms.
Control Cookies. You can learn more about which entities have currently enabled cookies for your browser or mobile device and how to opt-out of some of those cookies by accessing the Network Advertising Initiative’s website or the Digital Advertising Alliance’s website. For more information on mobile specific opt-out choices, visit the Network Advertising Initiative’s Mobile Choices website.
Protecting Your Privacy Generally
Industry-Standard Protection. We utilize industry-standard security measures to safeguard the information we collect, maintain, and use. These measures include technical and procedural steps to protect your data from misuse, unauthorized access or disclosure, loss, alteration, or destruction. When forms on our Sites ask you to submit personally identifiable information, that information is encrypted and authenticated using TLS 1.2 when it is sent from your browser to our server. TLS 1.2 is a strong protocol and industry standard method of securing online communications. Many browsers will notify you that the website is using encryption by placing a lock symbol in your browser window or address bar. To learn more about TLS encryption, please visit this article from Click SSL. Although we work hard to protect the information we collect, we cannot guarantee the performance or adequacy of such security measures.
Limitation on Access. Any information that you submit to our Sites is stored on secure servers. When this data is downloaded for processing and business purposes, we take additional precautions to protect your data in our access-restricted offices. Access to any personal information we collect and store is generally restricted to our employees and/or non-employees who require it to perform a job or other contracted function and to those discussed in the “Information We Share” section above. We require vendors and contractors we work with to use reasonable, industry standard protocols and processes to maintain the confidentiality, security, and integrity of information.
Children. Our Sites are not directed toward minors and WFAA does not knowingly solicit, collect, or disclose information from minors. We do not intentionally target interest-based advertising to minors. If you are a parent and you wish to monitor your child’s online activities, we recommend exploring available parental control tools that can assist with ensuring children do not disclose personal information without parental consent. If we become aware of any personal information we have received from minors, we will delete the personal information.
Processing of Data by App Store Providers. We may make mobile application(s) available through various application stores. WFAA has no control over the collection or processing of data by Google, Apple, or any other app store provider at the time of downloading an app or creating an account with such app store providers. Please refer to the data privacy statements of these providers.
External Websites. Our Sites contain links to other websites. Please be aware that WFAA is not responsible for and has no control over the privacy practices or contents on those sites. Please review the privacy policies of those sites carefully if you choose to visit them.
Data Retention
We will store your information for as long as: (a) you use our Sites; (b) our work requires it; (c) in accordance with our data retention policies; and (d) as long as our ethical or legal obligations require.
Accessibility
We are committed to ensuring this Privacy Policy is accessible to individuals with disabilities. If you wish to access this Privacy Policy in an alternate format or would like to report an issue you are experiencing, please email us at dataprivacy@supportuw.org. You expressly agree to attempt to resolve any and all issues with accessibility directly with us and in good faith prior to instituting any legal action against us.
Notice to Nevada Residents
Nevada law allows Nevada residents to opt-out of the sale of certain types of personal information. Subject to a number of exceptions, Nevada law defines “sale” to mean the exchange of certain types of personal information for monetary consideration to a person for the person to license or sell the information to additional persons. We do not currently sell personal information as defined in the Nevada law. However, if you are a Nevada resident, you still may submit a verified request to opt-out of sales and we will record your instructions and incorporate them in the future if our policy changes. Opt-out requests may be sent to dataprivacy@supportuw.org.
Notice to California Residents
WFAA is a non-profit entity and therefore, the provisions of the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), and certain other California privacy laws do not apply.
Notice to Residents of the European Economic Area
We do not operate in the European Economic Area and do not target or market our Sites or Services to individuals in the European Economic Area. However, to the extent the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) may apply to you, you have certain rights. The GDPR allows us to collect and use personal information from individuals within the European Economic Area only for one or more of the following reasons:
- To fulfill a contract we have with you;
- When we have a legal duty;
- When it is in our legitimate interest; or
- When you provide consent.
If you reside in the European Economic Area, you have a number of rights under data protection laws in relation to the way we process your personal data. These are set out below. You may contact us at dataprivacy@supportuw.org directly to exercise any of these rights, and we will respond to any request received from you within one month from the date of the request. In exceptional circumstances we may need more time to respond, but we will always tell you in advance if we do, and our reasons why.
| Number | Description of your right |
|---|---|
| Right 1 | A right to access personal data held by us about you, as well as information about how we are using your data. |
| Right 2 | A right to require us to rectify any inaccurate personal data held by us about you. |
| Right 3 | A right to require us to erase personal data held by us about you, and where the personal data has been made public, for other controllers processing the personal data to also erase links to, or copy or replication of, such personal data. This right will only apply where (for example): we no longer need to use the personal data to achieve the purpose we collected it for; or where you withdraw your consent if we are using your personal data based on your consent; or where you object to the way we process your data (in line with Right 6 below). |
| Right 4 | A right to restrict our processing of personal data held by us about you. This right will only apply where (for example): you dispute the accuracy of the personal data held by us; or where you would have the right to require us to erase the personal data but would prefer that our processing is restricted instead; or where we no longer need to use the personal data to achieve the purpose we collected it for, but you require the data for the purposes of dealing with legal claims. |
| Right 5 | A right to receive personal data, which you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format. You also have the right to require us to transfer this personal data to another organization, at your request. |
| Right 6 | A right to object to our processing of personal data held by us about you (including for the purposes of sending marketing materials to you). |
| Right 7 | A right to withdraw your consent, where we are relying on it to use your personal data (for example, to provide you with marketing information about our services or products). |
If you have any concerns regarding our processing of your personal data or are not satisfied with our handling of any request by you in relation to your rights, please get in touch with our team through the contact information provided in the “How to Contact Us” section above. You may also reach out to your applicable Data Protection Authority (“DPA”) for more information. There is a DPA located in each EU Member State.