UUFS Privacy and Data Security Policy

Created January 29, 2015

This policy addresses the collection, use, and safeguarding of data about individuals in the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Sunnyvale (UUFS) electronic database.

1. Who do we keep information about?

• Current and former members of our congregation, staff, and visitors who have volunteered personal information.
• People who have made gifts to the UUFS and UUFS-sponsored activities.

2. What information do we keep?

• Basic contact information: name, address, telephone number, email address, and family and household relationships.
• A child’s date of birth, or certification that they are at least 18 years old (certification of majority).
• A person’s affiliations with our congregation, including positions (e.g., board and committee memberships) held.
• Preferences about whether to receive email newsletters, inclusion in print and electronic directories, solicitations, etc.
• History of service, such as dates of membership, service on committees and other congregational activities.
• History of giving, both pledge and donations, including financial information required for automatic funds transfer.
• History of event attendance (e.g., Sunday Services and fund-raising events).
• Social security numbers for people employed or contracted by the UUFS congregation..
• Bank information for people who receive direct deposits from the UUFS.

3. What information don’t we keep?

• Credit card numbers. We use secure and certified third-party processors to manage and retain credit card information (e.g., PayPal).

4. Where does the information come from?

• Contact information about members, friends, supporters and visitors come from themselves to enable contact with each other and the staff of UUFS.
• Birthdates or certifications of majority come from congregational administrators or members themselves.
• Donors supply information about themselves.
• UUFS staff members provide information as part of doing business with the congregation our leaders and members.
• Notices of address changes are supplied by the U.S. Postal Service.

5. Who has access to the information?

• Authorized UUFS staff members responsible for keeping information up-to-date.For example, the minister, director of religious education and office staff.
• In the future, UUFS can elect to have an online directory of its own members and leaders. (Individuals can opt out of the online directory altogether, or they can indicate whether to exclude their address, phone number, and/or email address.) Only members and leaders of a congregation can view the online directory.
• In the future, each member of a congregation can view and change their own information.
• UUFS uses postal addresses and email addresses to stay in contact with constituents for a variety of purposes, including periodical mailings, email newsletters, and fund raising appeals, for example.

6. What do we use the data for?

• Mailing lists for UUFS publications.
• Production of the UUFS Directory
• Fundraising and gift processing.
• Tracking statistics about our congregation, such as attendance and the rate of growth of our congregation.

7. Where is the information stored, and how is it kept safe?

• The information is stored in computer databases on the UUFS premises and on an internet servers contracted by UUFS. Copies and backups are distributed to authorized personnel for the uses listed above.
• There is no direct link between the database and any public web sites.
• Online access to the database requires knowledge of a valid user ID andpassword. Access to specific types of information, and rights to view or change information, are strictly limited by each authorized person’s role as assigned and overseen by both a system administrator and a database administrator.
• Personally identifiable information about individuals under 18 years of age is never made available to anyone other than UUFS staff or authorized persons within the UUFS congregation. All UUFS staff are subject to criminal background checks prior to employment.

8. What about online hackers or “bots” getting into the database?

• It is not technologically possible to absolutely guarantee the security of data stored in a computer. Our goal is to make unauthorized or malicious access both difficult and detectable.

9. How often is the information updated?

• The information is updated by UUFS staff every day.
• In the future, individuals will be able to view and make changes to their information on file at any time.

10. Whom should a person contact with a question or to have information corrected or
removed?

• Individuals can ask their congregation’s administrator to change their information, by email to communications@uufs.org or by phone, 408-739-0549, with their request.
• At some point in time, individuals will be able to view and change their own contact information online. This will require a one-time registration for identity verification.
• Individuals can “opt-out” of receiving various email correspondence from the UUFS (e.g. email newsletters) by clicking the unsubscribe button in the body of the email.
• Persons with questions or concerns about this policy or data security at the UUFS are welcome to contact us at communications@uufs.org or 408-739-0549.