At Lutheran Social Services (LSSNCA), we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, polarservicecenter.net. We believe in transparency and want you to understand our practices regarding data collection and usage. This policy outlines the types of information we gather, how we use that information, and the measures we take to keep your data safe. Your trust is important to us, and we are dedicated to maintaining the confidentiality and security of your personal information.
What Information Does Lutheran Social Services Collect Through Our Website?
When you navigate our website, Lutheran Social Services may collect information in two primary ways:
- Personal Information You Voluntarily Provide: This is information you knowingly and willingly disclose to us on an individual basis.
- Website Use Information Collected Automatically: This is information gathered on an aggregate basis as you and other users browse our site.
Let’s delve into each of these categories to provide a clearer understanding.
Personal Information You Choose to Share with Lutheran Social Services
In various instances on our website, Lutheran Social Services may request you to voluntarily provide personal information. This might include:
- Email Address: For correspondence, newsletters, and updates.
- Postal Address: For sending information or processing donations.
- Telephone Number (Home or Work): To contact you regarding inquiries or services.
- Other Personal Information: Relevant details for specific purposes such as service requests, estimate requests, online surveys, or event registrations.
For example, if you choose to contact us via email, we will retain the content of your email messages, your email address, and our responses. We treat these electronic communications with the same level of protection as information received through traditional mail and telephone.
Alt text: User interacting with a computer, representing the voluntary input of personal information on the Lutheran Social Services website.
Website Use Information: How We Monitor Website Activity
Similar to many organizations, Lutheran Social Services’ website utilizes standard technologies to collect information about website usage. This includes “cookies” and web server logs. This automatically collected information is aggregated and anonymized, meaning it is not linked to you as an identifiable individual. This data helps us understand how our website is being used and how we can improve it.
The information gathered through cookies and server logs may include:
- Date and Time of Visits: To track website traffic patterns.
- Pages Viewed: To understand user interests and popular content.
- Time Spent on Our Website: To assess content engagement.
- Referring and Exit Sites: To analyze website navigation paths and understand how users find our site.
This aggregate data helps us analyze trends, administer the site, track user movement, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. It is important to reiterate that this information is collected on an aggregate basis and is not linked to your personal identity.
How Lutheran Social Services Uses the Information We Collect
Lutheran Social Services utilizes the collected information for a variety of purposes, all aimed at improving our services and better serving our community. Broadly speaking, we use personal information for:
- Administering our organizational activities: Managing our operations and internal processes.
- Providing services and support: Delivering the programs and assistance that Lutheran Social Services offers.
- Making available other products and services: Informing you about relevant services and programs that may be beneficial to you or your community.
- Improving website functionality and user experience: Analyzing website usage data to enhance site navigation and content.
Occasionally, we may use the information to notify you about important updates to our website, introduce new services, or inform you of special offers that we believe will be valuable to you. These communications are managed with the same commitment to privacy and security as all other personal information we handle. You have the right to opt out of receiving these promotional communications at any time.
Alt text: Lock icon symbolizing the secure protection of user data and privacy by Lutheran Social Services on their website.
Understanding Cookies and Their Role
Cookies are small text files that web browsers use to remember information about your visit to a website. They are a standard feature of web browser software and allow web servers to recognize your computer. Cookies are stored on your computer’s hard drive by your web browser.
Cookies enable websites to:
- Remember User Preferences: Personalize your experience by recalling your settings and preferences.
- Simplify Website Interactions: Streamline navigation and reduce the need to re-enter information.
- Enhance User Experience: Make your online experience more efficient and personalized.
For example, cookies can remember what items you have placed in a shopping cart or keep you logged into a website. They contribute to a smoother and more user-friendly online experience.
How Lutheran Social Services Utilizes Cookies
Lutheran Social Services utilizes website browser software tools, including cookies and web server logs, to analyze website user browsing activities. This data helps us:
- Continuously Improve Our Website: By understanding how users interact with our site, we can make necessary enhancements and updates.
- Better Serve Our Users: Optimize website design and content to better meet the needs and expectations of our visitors and community members seeking assistance from Lutheran Social Services.
- Design User-Friendly Web Pages: Arrange our web pages in a way that is intuitive and easy to navigate.
- Collect Business and Technical Statistics: Gather important data about website traffic and user behavior.
- Trace User Navigation Paths: Understand how users move through our website to identify areas for improvement in site structure and content placement.
- Evaluate Website Visitor Capacity: Assess our website’s ability to handle traffic and ensure optimal performance.
It is important to note that Lutheran Social Services does not use cookies or these technologies to capture your individual email address or any personally identifiable information. Cookies are used to gather aggregate, anonymous data to improve our website and better serve our community.
Staying Informed: Notices of New Services and Website Changes
As part of our commitment to keeping you informed, Lutheran Social Services may occasionally use the information we collect to notify you about:
- Important Changes to Our Website: Updates to site functionality, design, or content.
- New Services Offered by Lutheran Social Services: Information about new programs and initiatives that may be available.
- Special Offers: Opportunities or events that may be of interest to you.
As a user of our website, you will always have the opportunity to opt out of receiving these types of communications. Typically, this is done by clicking an “unsubscribe” link in email communications or by contacting us directly through our website contact form.
Securing Information Transmissions: Protecting Your Data
When you submit sensitive personal information to Lutheran Social Services through our website, we take precautions to protect that information during transmission. We utilize secure server software that encrypts all information you input before it is sent to us.
This encryption process:
- Scrambles Information En Route: Makes your data unreadable to unauthorized parties during transmission.
- Decodes Information Upon Arrival: Ensures that your information is properly received and understood by our systems.
However, it’s important to note that standard email communications may not be secure unless we explicitly advise you that security measures are in place prior to your sending information. Therefore, we advise against sending confidential information such as Social Security numbers, credit card details, or account numbers through unsecured email. Please use secure methods provided on our website for transmitting sensitive data.
Protecting Your Information: Our Security Practices
Lutheran Social Services is dedicated to protecting your information through robust security measures and practices.
Information Security Measures
We employ encryption and security software to safeguard the confidentiality of personal information we collect from:
- Unauthorized Access or Disclosure: Preventing unauthorized individuals from accessing your data.
- Accidental Loss, Alteration, or Destruction: Protecting against data loss or corruption.
Regular Evaluation of Information Protection Practices
Lutheran Social Services periodically reviews our operations and business practices to ensure compliance with organizational policies and procedures governing:
- Security: Maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of data.
- Confidentiality: Protecting sensitive information from unauthorized disclosure.
- Quality of Information: Ensuring data accuracy and reliability.
Employee Access, Training, and Expectations
Our organizational values, ethical standards, policies, and practices are deeply committed to the protection of user information.
- Limited Employee Access: Our business practices generally restrict employee access to confidential information to only those who require it for authorized purposes.
- Authorized Use and Disclosure: We limit the use and disclosure of confidential information to authorized personnel, processes, and transactions.
- Employee Training: We provide training to employees on data privacy and security best practices to ensure they understand their responsibilities in protecting user information.
Accessing and Correcting Your Information
You have the right to access and correct the personally identifiable information that Lutheran Social Services collects online and maintains in our databases. To request access to your information, please contact us by emailing us through the contact form available on our website. We will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections.
Disclosure to Outside Parties: When and Why
Lutheran Social Services may provide aggregate, anonymized information about our customers, sales, website traffic patterns, and related website information to:
- Affiliates: Related organizations or partners.
- Reputable Third Parties: Trusted organizations that assist us in delivering our services or improving our operations.
However, this aggregate information will not include personally identifying data, except as otherwise explicitly stated in this privacy policy.
Legally Compelled Disclosure of Information
Lutheran Social Services may disclose information in specific circumstances when legally compelled to do so. This means we may disclose information when we, in good faith, believe that:
- The Law Requires It: When required by subpoena, court order, or other legal processes.
- Protection of Legal Rights: To protect our legal rights or defend against legal claims.
Permission to Use of Website Materials
The materials on the Lutheran Social Services website are protected by copyright law.
- Personal Use Permission: Users are granted permission to download, store, or output website materials for personal, non-commercial use only.
- Restrictions on Reproduction: Materials may not be reproduced in any edited form.
- Prohibition of Other Uses: Any other reproduction, transmission, performance, display, or editing of these materials by any means (mechanical or electronic) without our express written permission is strictly prohibited.
Users seeking permission to reprint or reproduce any materials appearing on this site should contact us directly through the website contact form.
Google Advertising Features and Your Privacy
Lutheran Social Services has enabled Google Advertising Features on our website to better understand and reach our target audience. By enabling these features, we allow Google Analytics to collect data about our website traffic through Google advertising cookies and identifiers, in addition to standard Google Analytics data collection.
It is important to understand that:
- User Anonymity: We will not identify individual users or merge personally identifiable information with non-personally identifiable information collected through any Google advertising products or features.
- Demographics and Interests Reporting: Enabling Google Advertising Features provides us with access to aggregated demographic and interest category data about our website visitors.
- Improved Advertising and Content: We use these anonymous analytic cookies and identifiers to develop more effective Google ads and webpages to better reach our target audience of community supporters and potential clients who are in need of Lutheran Social Services’ services.
You have the option to opt out of Google Advertising Features for this site and other websites by visiting Google Analytics’ current opt-out features page: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Lutheran Social Services also utilizes Google Signals, which, for users who have activated Google Ads Personalization, provides us with additional aggregated and anonymized information from Google. This data is used for:
- Remarketing with Google Analytics: Reaching users who have previously interacted with our website.
- Advertising Reporting Features: Gaining insights into the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns.
- Demographics and Interests Reports: Further understanding the characteristics of our website audience.
- Cross-Device Reports: Analyzing user interactions across different devices.
In turn, Lutheran Social Services provides similar anonymized and aggregated information about our users who have activated Google Ads Personalization to the Google Signals network. Users can manage their Google Ads Personalization settings through Google’s My Activity website.
We are committed to transparency and protecting your privacy. If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us through our website.
