Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2024-06-03

Privacy Introduction

American Friends of Canadian Nature (referred to as AFCN, “we”, “our”, or “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy of our donors, partners, volunteers, and others with whom we interact. AFCN values the trust of our donors and supporters and recognizes that maintaining this trust requires that we be accountable and transparent in how we treat the information shared with us.

In our mission to support conservation initiatives that are of common interest to both Canada and the United States, we frequently gather and use Personal Information. AFCN adheres to and complies with federal and state requirements and principles for the collection, use and disclosure of Personal Information.

As part of our commitment to you, we want to clarify why we may ask for your Personal Information and how we will use it. This policy outlines the principles and practices we follow in protecting your Personal Information.

This policy applies to AFCN and any person providing services on our behalf. A copy of this policy is provided to anyone on request.

What is Personal Information?

Personal Information means information about an identifiable individual. Personal Information can be used to distinguish, identify, or contact a specific individual. This includes an individual’s name, contact information, social status, and family relationships. Exceptions include business-related information, such as business contact information, including business address, name, e-mail address, title, and fax.

Purposes of collection

AFCN collects and maintains Personal Information about individuals with whom we interact to administer and manage our relationship with them. For example, AFCN maintains relationships with donors, supporters, land-owners, volunteers, and partners. To maintain these relationships, AFCN collects contact information, and when applicable, donation information, land-ownership information, and financial information. Certain information is collected to satisfy the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In the course of our work, AFCN will only collect, use, or disclose Personal Information that is necessary to fulfill the purpose of collection.

The purposes for which AFCN may collect your information include Personal Information required to:

  • Process a donation.
  • Issue an official tax receipt.
  • Follow up with donors about a donation.
  • Process recurring donations.
  • Notify supporters of upcoming events of interest.
  • Deliver requested products and services.
  • Enroll supporters in programs, campaigns, surveys, or promotions.
  • Guarantee an event registration.
  • Process a magazine or e-marketing subscription.
  • Verify identity.
  • Verify land information, including ownership, legal title, and easements.
  • Conduct transactions related to land ownership and interest.

Types of Data Collected

Each of AFCN’s purposes listed above may result in the collection and use of the following types of information:

  • Contact information such as your name, mailing address, telephone number, e-mail address, or social media account information.
  • Donation information such as the date of the gift, amount, appeal (the campaign you contributed to), name of spouse or partner if it was a joint gift, and receipt number. In the case of a tribute gift, we collect the name and contact information of the tribute recipient.
  • Prospect research information (with implied or explicit consent) such as wealth screening data, giving preferences, relationships, marital status, gender, and donations made to other charities.
  • Financial information such as your payment method, preferences, billing and banking information (credit card number and expiry date or chequing account transit numbers, depending on the payment type you choose).   
  • Land and property related information, such as address, parcel identification number (PIN), legal titles, liens, and other title documents and encumbrances.
  • Conservation appraisals of land and other ecological gifts, including fair market value.
  • On our websites, we collect behavioral information such as, IP addresses, browsing patterns, language preferences, search terms, web browser type, operating system, etc.

Collection Mechanisms

AFCN collects Personal Information in the following ways:

  • via the phone;
  • in-person;
  • via our web site and other charitable giving web sites (e.g. JustGiving);
  • via donation reply coupons;
  • via personal cheques;
  • via purchase order forms;
  • via third party suppliers, from whom we obtain confidentiality and protection of privacy commitments;
  • via public domain sources such as published directories or other organizations’ public documents such as annual reports, which facilitate our prospect research; with donor consent, via list trading with other progressive, like-minded charities, from whom confidentiality and protection of privacy commitments are obtained.

How Do We Use Personal Information?

We will not, without your consent, use your Personal Information for any purpose other than as described in this privacy policy, except where permitted or required by applicable law or regulatory requirements.

Consent

It is important to us that we only collect, use, or disclose your Personal Information where we have your explicit or implied consent to do so. We do not take your consent for granted and your consent is voluntary and can always be revoked, subject to limitations as permitted under the applicable laws.

At any time, you have the right to withdraw your consent.  To update your preferences, please contact us using the information at the bottom of this policy.

AFCN does not address anyone under the age of 14. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 14. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with Personal Information, please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected Personal Information from anyone under the age of 14 without verification of parental consent, we take steps to remove that information from our databases.

At any time, you have the right to request access to and verify the accuracy of the Personal Information that AFCN has collected about you.

Retention

AFCN will retain your Personal Information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy policy. We will retain and use your Personal Information to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies.

When AFCN conducts prospect research or marketing campaigns with the aim of expanding its supporter base, we will occasionally receive no solicitation requests. These requests and the associated Personal Information that we use for identity verification are retained to ensure that we have a record of your solicitation preferences. This will ensure that AFCN respects your preferences.

AFCN will also retain usage data for internal analysis purposes. Usage data is anonymized (meaning all identifiable information has been removed) and retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of our website, or we are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.

Information Transfer

Your information is stored and processed at AFCN’s operating offices and in any other places where our authorized third-party service providers are located.

It means that this information may be transferred to, processed in, and in some cases, maintained on — servers located outside of your state, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from your jurisdiction.

AFCN will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your information is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy policy and no transfer of your Personal Information will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place protecting the security of your Personal Information.

Access to your Personal Information

You can request to see and obtain a copy of the Personal Information that we hold about you. If you want to review, verify, or correct any inaccurate, incomplete, or equivocal Personal Information, please contact our Privacy Officer using the contact information provided at the end of this policy. At the time of request, we will need specific information from you to enable us to verify your identity, search for, and provide you with, the Personal Information that we hold about you. AFCN will reply to any request for access or rectification no later than 30 days after the date the request is received.

Accuracy of Your Personal Information

You have the right to request that we limit the use of or delete your Personal Information. Once we verify your identity, you can correct, update, and delete Personal Information from our database at any time. Please see the contact information provided at the end of this policy for more information about how to submit a request.

Please note, that AFCN may need to retain certain information when we have a legal obligation or lawful basis to do so.

Sharing of Personal Information

When sharing your information, AFCN will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your information is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy policy. With the proper safeguards, we may share your Personal Information in the following situations:

AFCN Employees

In the course of their work, our employees may have access to your Personal Information. Their access is limited to what is necessary for the performance of their duties.

AFCN Partners

In the course of our work, AFCN works closely with both Canadian and American partners. No transfer of your Personal Information will take place to a partner organization unless there are adequate controls in place protecting the security of your Personal Information.

Business Transactions

If AFCN is involved in a merger, acquisition or asset sale, the Personal Information held by us may be transferred, subject to the formalities prescribed by law. We will provide notice before your Personal Information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

Law enforcement

Under certain circumstances, AFCN may be required to disclose your Personal Information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g. a court or a government agency).

Other legal requirements

AFCN may disclose your Personal Information in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

  • Comply with a legal obligation.
  • Protect and defend the rights or property of AFCN.
  • Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with our services.
  • Protect the personal safety of users of our services or the public.
  • Protect against legal liability.

Privacy Officer

AFCN’s senior management has delegated the management of the privacy program to the Privacy Officer. The Privacy Officer is responsible for the internal management and oversight of AFCN’s privacy program.

The Privacy Officer approves and implements our privacy policies and procedures, ensuring that they are functioning properly, and reports to AFCN’s senior management on the effectiveness of the program. 

It is also the responsibility of the Privacy Officer to provide you with the necessary support in the event of a question, complaint or request relating to the protection of Personal Information.

Personal Information Management Program

In order to protect your Personal Information, we have put in place policies, practices and procedures relating to the management of the Personal Information we hold. 

These internal policies and procedures govern the collection, use, disclosure, retention and destruction of Personal Information, as well as complaint handling, information security and data governance. These policies and practices also provide the framework for the implementation of Privacy Impact Assessments, as well as the prevention of and response to potential privacy incidents. All of these policies and practices have been approved by our Privacy Officer. 

The collection of your Personal Information through our application complies with the requirements of this program.

Safeguards and Security

Personal Information gathered by AFCN is kept in confidence. Safeguards are in place to ensure that the information is not disclosed or shared more widely than is necessary to achieve the purpose for which it was gathered. Access is only given to employees who must use Personal Information to perform their job function. Measures are in place to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the information and to prevent its being lost, stolen, or prematurely destroyed.

Links to Other Websites

There are links on AFCN’s website that take you to other websites that are not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly advise you to review the privacy policy of every site you visit.

We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third-party sites or services.

Policy Updates

We regularly review our privacy practices. We may change this policy from time to time to ensure new standards and legislative requirements are met. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new privacy policy on this page and update the “Last updated” date at the top of this privacy policy.

You are advised to review this privacy policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this privacy policy are effective when they are posted on this page

Contact Us

If you have a question or concern about any collection, use of disclosure of Personal Information by AFCN, or about a request for access to your own Personal Information, please contact AFCN’s Privacy Officer and Executive Director:  

Kyria Knibb-McLuhan, Executive Director
American Friends of Canadian Nature Inc.
email: info@americanfriendscanadiannature.org

Mailing address:
American Friends of Canadian Nature
365 Bloor Street East, Suite 1501
Toronto, ON
Canada M4W 3L4

Business address:
50 Fountain Plaza, Suite 1400
Buffalo, NY 14202
United States of America

AFCN will respond to all requests and complaints within 30 days. To contact us for other requests and inquiries, click here.