Privacy Policy

Our Respect for Individual Privacy
Tostan’s work in every community is based on the simple premise of respect for each and every individual — and it’s also a premise we employ in our interactions with the global community, whether in person or online.

This page explains Tostan’s approach and commitment to respecting the privacy of our website users, what type of information we collect from our visitors, and how we use that information.

Information we collect about you and how we use it
We use Google Analytics on our website to track visitor traffic to the site. Google Analytics uses IP addresses to provide and protect the security of the service, and to give website owners a sense of where in the world their users come from. So when you visit the Tostan web site, we can determine the general location from which you are visiting. This information helps us diagnose any problems that may arise with our server and also gives us basic statistical information on visitor traffic. These IP addresses are not stored anywhere.

If you choose to sign up to receive Tostan’s monthly newsletter, you voluntarily provide us with your contact information (name, email, and organization). We use this information to provide you with email updates about Tostan, and to communicate with you should you have questions or requests for our office. You may choose to opt out of these communications at any time, at which point you will no longer receive any communication from us. Your contact information will still reside in our Salesforce database (the security of which is managed by Salesforce) should you ever wish to resume communication with our organization.

Email Privacy
Tostan does not provide, sell, or rent email addresses to anyone outside the organization.

Your Donation Information
Donating through Tostan’s website is a safe and simple process. We use a secure, well-known platform called Classy to process all donations that are made through Tostan.org. Classy collects your first and last name, mailing address, phone number, and email to send you receipts and manage your donation account. Your credit card information is collected and stored by Classy’s secure servers that are monitored 24/7 for security issues. This information is used to track and record transactions, and is not shared with any organizations other than Tostan. Tostan receives only your contact details and the amount of your donation. This information is tracked in Salesforce; we never have access to your credit card information. To read Classy’s privacy policy, please click here. If you have donated online since we transitioned to Classy in March 2018, you can manage your information preferences through their website here.

When you donate to Tostan via check, we collect your name and contact information and store it in Salesforce. We do not provide, sell, or rent your personal information to anyone outside the organization, nor do we send correspondence on behalf of another organization.

Cookies
We like to eat them, but we use them sparingly on our web site!
A cookie is a small script placed on the hard drive of your computer for the purpose of recognizing you when you return to our web site. The only cookies we use on Tostan.org are re lated to our use of Google Analytics. While these cookies do not provide us with any personal details about you, they help us understand how you use the Tostan web site—what links you click, what pages you access on a regular basis. This information helps us see what areas of our web site are most popular, and what areas of our site need to be improved. Tracking how you use our web site allows us to continue to improve your experience with Tostan.org.

If you prefer to keep your site usage private, Google has created a browser add-on that blocks sites from keeping track of your interactions. You can download and install this add-on here.

Links To Other Sites
We frequently share links to other sites and organizations that are in line with Tostan’s mission and vision. These sites all have their own privacy policies…so once you leave Tostan.org, we can’t be responsible for any privacy issues you may encounter on those sites.

What happens to my information if the site gets hacked?
We wish we could say that the information you provide us will never be compromised in any way, but we operate in a digital world where the threat of hacking and data theft is a common reality. Although we take steps to protect the safety of your data, including regular security updates and patches to our web site platform, we do not guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted through our website. If we discover that your personal information has been compromised, Tostan’s policy is to inform you immediately via email, provide regular updates on the situation until it is resolved, and provide you with any additional information or steps you can take to ensure the protection of your personal information. Tostan strives to address security threats, viruses, and hacking issues swiftly and immediately.

If you notice something unusual or suspicious on our web site, please email us at info@tostan.org to report it.

Changes to this policy
While our foundational premise of respect for your personal privacy will never change, it’s possible that the details of this document will need to be updated or amended from time to time. If we make any changes or updates, you’ll see a notice posted visibly on our web site. We’ll take your continued use of our web site, after posting notice of updates, as an indication of your agreement with any changes made to this document.

Questions or comments about Tostan’s privacy practices?
Feel free to email us here.