Donor Rights & Privacy

1. To be informed of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
2. To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization’s governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
3. To have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.
4. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
5. To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.
6. To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
7. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
8. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
9. To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
10. To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

Personal identifying information is collected for the purpose of acknowledging donor contributions, sending out receipts, thank you cards, and to receive newsletters and other mailers from Ruff Start Rescue.

Personal information is never shared, traded, or sold to third parties or other partner organizations unless required by law or granting agencies.

Donor information is collected in several ways:

• Monetary contributions made online via donation links, which are processed via PayPal.
• Contributions by check, cash, or social media campaign sites. These sites are password protected and login information is only shared with key members of our leadership team.
• Online or onsite fundraising/community events where personal information may be collected for entrance fees, merchandise sales, or participation in raffles or silent auctions.Information may include name, mailing address, phone numbers, email address(es), workplace information, etc. These records are stored in a web-based rescue group database that is password protected.

No credit/debit card or bank account information is ever stored in our database. If we receive checks and credit card information, this content is shredded upon receipt and is not retained as either electronic or hard copy files.

Credit/debit card information provided through one of our third party social campaign sites—such as PayPal, GiveMN, or Razoo—is never provided to Ruff Start Rescue. These campaign websites have developed their own safeguards and SSL encryption to protect the personal and financial information of our donors.

If a donor chooses to remain anonymous and not share any personal information with Ruff Start Rescue, each one of the payment portals and campaign sites have opt-out options that ensures personal information will not be provided to our organization.

Also, donors will only be acknowledged in Ruff Start Rescue printed materials, email blasts, or social media posts if said individuals or businesses have agreed to such recognition in writing.

Questions regarding this policy can be directed to our office at 763-355-3981 or via email.