Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church – Apple Valley, Minnesota
Privacy Policy
Introduction
Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church (“SOTV,” “we,” or “our”) values the trust and relationship it has developed with its members and friends. SOTV respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. To help preserve that trust and grow our relationship with you, we have developed a set of policies and practices (the “Policy”) regarding the protection, use, and disclosure of your personal information by SOTV; whether used, provided, or disclosed through our website at www.sotv.org (the “Website”), or via other SOTV-related publications or media. This Policy describes the types of information we may use and collect from you or that you may provide to SOTV through the Website or by or through other means, methods, and media.
Your Consent
Please read this Policy carefully to understand SOTV’s policies and practices regarding your personal information. By using the Website or otherwise providing personal information to SOTV, you consent to SOTV’s collection and use of your personal information, all as described in the Policy.
Information We May Collect
SOTV collects information on or through the Website or by other means, methods, and media that identifies you or your family, and other personal information (“Personal Information”). Personal Information may include, but is not limited to:
- Information you provide by filling in forms on the Website, such as signing up to volunteer or registering for an event;
- Contact information for you or your family members, such as first and last name, home or work address, birthdate, phone or fax number, email address, or social media links;
- Information relating to your personal interests, hobbies, etc.;
- Records and copies of your correspondence (including email addresses) if you contact us via the Website;
- Details of transactions you carry out through the Website;
- Information that is about you, but does not identify you, such as employment history and educational history.
- Your search queries on the Website; or
- Any other information that personally identifies you or your family that you choose to provide.
Children under the age of 13 are not the target audience for the Website. As such, SOTV does not knowingly solicit or collect Personal Information from children who are under the age of 13. If you are under the age of 13, please do not provide Personal Information to SOTV through or for the Website. Any information regarding children provided to or for the Website must be provided by a parent or responsible guardian.
User Contributions
You may provide information to be displayed or published on the Website or transmitted to other users of the Website, or to third parties (“User Contributions”). Although SOTV takes reasonable steps to secure the information you provide, no security measures are fail-safe or impenetrable. Also, SOTV cannot control the actions of other users of the Website with whom you may choose to share your User Contributions. Therefore, your User Contributions are posted on the Website and transmitted to others at your own risk.
Financial Transaction Information
SOTV does not accept or store any credit card information or bank account information that may be required for you to complete a transaction via the Website. SOTV uses one or more third party intermediaries to collect such financial information and to perform transaction processing services. If you perform a financial transaction with SOTV or our intermediary via the Website, the intermediary, and not SOTV, must request financial information from you, including but not limited to credit card and bank account information.
How SOTV May Use Personal Information
SOTV may use Personal Information that we collect about you or that you provide to SOTV, for purposes that, without limitation, include:
- Providing you with information or services that you may request from us;
- Allowing you to register for events and programs;
- Sending you news items or updates;
- Enabling you to make donations and for us to acknowledge them;
- Notifying you about changes to the Website or any services we offer or provide through the Website;
- Allowing you to apply for employment with SOTV;
- Any other purpose stated on the Website or otherwise disclosed to you when you provide information to us; and
- Any other purpose with your consent.
SOTV may share your Personal Information with consultants, third party service providers, and other third parties who act for or on behalf of SOTV. SOTV will not otherwise share your Personal Information with third parties except if required by law to do so, or in urgent circumstances, to protect personal safety, the public, or the Website.
SOTV will not sell, rent, or trade Personal Information to anyone, and we will not disclose any Personal Information to others in ways different from what is described in this Policy.
Tools for Collection, Use, and Sharing of Information
As you navigate through and interact with our Website, we may use automatic data collection technologies to collect certain information about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. These technologies do not identify you personally; they simply enable SOTV to compile statistics about our Website visitors and their use of the Website.
The information collected may include information from a web browser such as browser type and browser language, date and time of your visit, actions taken on the Website such as the web pages viewed and the links clicked, name of your Internet service provider, Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, the uniform resource locators (“URLs”) of the websites and pages you visit, information about the computer hardware and software you use, and other information that may become available due to your visit or use of the Website. The technologies we use for this automatic data collection may include:
- Cookies – A cookie is a small file placed on the hard drive of your computer. Cookies are used to recognize you on return visits to the Website, collect information related to your use of the Website, and to enable SOTV to enhance your browsing experience. Cookies may also be used to store Personal Information. You may elect to adjust your browser settings or use other means to prevent cookies from being placed on your computer. However, by doing so, you might experience reduced Website functionality and a less personalized browsing experience.
- Web Beacons – SOTV’s Website may contain small electronic files known as web beacons. Web beacons can recognize certain types of information on your computer, such as cookies. Web beacons allow us to compile information related to your use of the Website.
Third Party Use of Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies
SOTV may engage third parties to track and analyze usage and other statistical information that has been collected on the cookies placed on your computer. The information provided to these third parties may be used for purposes that include operating and improving the services provided via the Website. The information provided by SOTV to such third parties does not include your Personal Information, however, the information may be associated with your Personal Information.
Links to Other Websites
The Website contains hyperlinks to websites that are not operated by SOTV. These hyperlinks are provided for your reference and convenience only, and to facilitate transactions and the delivery of information to you; the presence of these hyperlinks on the Website are not an endorsement by SOTV of the activities or content of these third party websites or their owners or operators. SOTV does not control these websites and is not responsible for their data practices. We recommend that you read the privacy policies of these third party websites before using these websites or providing any Personal Information.
Managing Your Personal Information
If you want to request access to, correct, or delete any Personal Information that you have provided to us, you may do so by sending us an e-mail at communications@sotv.org. Please request confirmation that your e-mail was received. We reserve the right to not make the corrections or deletions you request if doing so would violate any law or legal requirement or cause the information to be incorrect.
If you delete your User Contributions from the Website, copies of your User Contributions may remain viewable on cached and archived pages, or might have been copied or stored by other Website users.
Social Media Policy
SOTV utilizes various forms of social media, including our Website, Facebook, Twitter, and electronic and printed newsletters, to share photos and experiences illustrating the vibrant life of the SOTV congregation. SOTV endeavors to use appropriate discretion and respects the privacy rights of its members when using photos of adults engaged in SOTV activities, and is especially mindful of protecting the safety of children that may appear in the photos. To that end, SOTV is committed to the following social media policy guidelines:
- We don’t include a person’s name in the caption of photos unless that person has given consent on behalf of herself/himself, or on behalf of her/his child
- If requested by the photographer, we will give credit to the photographer on the photo or in the caption. We will also honor any copyright restrictions made known to SOTV.
- We will remove any photo promptly upon request.
- When taking photos, we make reasonable efforts to
- Not intrude into anyone’s solitude, seclusion or private property without permission
- Not publish – whether by photo or story – private information without permission
- Not print any photo or story that presents the person or persons in a negative light
- Not use a photo of any person for commercial purposes without that person’s permission
Changes to the Privacy Policy
SOTV is continually improving and adding new functionality and features to this website, as it continues to improve and add to its existing ministries, services, and programs. Because of these ongoing changes, changes in the law, and the changing nature of technology, SOTV’s privacy practices and policies may also change. When and if SOTV’s privacy practices and policies change, we will post the changes on the Website. We encourage you to check the Policy periodically for updates.
Contact Us
If you have questions or comments about SOTV’s Privacy Policy, contact us at:
Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church
12650 Johnny Cake Ridge Road
Apple Valley, MN 55124
www.sotv.org
952.432.6351
