This Privacy Policy explains what information HopeScan Initiative, Inc. (“HopeScan,” “we,” “our”) collects when you visit hopescan-initiative.org, and what we do with it. Our goal is to be plain about our practices. If anything here is unclear, email info@hopescan-initiative.org and we will respond.

1. Information we collect

Contact form. When you submit our contact form, we collect the name, email address, and message you provide. This information is sent to our staff inbox and used only to respond to your inquiry.

Newsletter signup. When you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address and use it only to send you the newsletter. You can unsubscribe from any newsletter email.

Donations. When you donate, our payment processor (Stripe, Inc.) collects the name, email address, billing address, and card or bank details required to process your gift. Stripe handles all sensitive payment data; we never see or store your full card number. Stripe returns to us only what we need to acknowledge your donation and issue a tax receipt: your name, email, donation amount, and the date.

Analytics. We use Google Analytics 4 to understand which pages are being read and how visitors find us. Google Analytics sets cookies that record an anonymized identifier, approximate location (country or region), device type, and the pages you view. IP addresses are truncated by Google before storage. We do not combine this data with your name or email.

Server logs. Our hosting provider (Hostinger) keeps standard web-server logs that include the visiting IP address, the page requested, and the time of the request. These logs are retained for a short period for security and diagnostic purposes.

2. How we use your information

• To respond to your questions and requests
• To process donations and issue receipts required for your tax records
• To send newsletters and program updates, where you have opted in
• To understand and improve how people use our website
• To comply with law, including IRS reporting obligations for a 501(c)(3) public charity

3. How we share your information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share it only with the service providers that help us operate, and only to the extent each needs to do its job:

• Stripe, Inc. — payment processing (see Stripe’s privacy notice)
• Google LLC — web analytics (see Google’s privacy policy)
• Hostinger International Ltd. — website hosting and email delivery

We may also disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or other legal process, or if necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of HopeScan, our staff, or others.

4. Cookies and tracking

Our site sets cookies from Google Analytics 4 (for usage measurement) and from Stripe on the donation page (to complete card payments securely). You can disable cookies in your browser settings; the site will still work, but some features (like card donations) will not. You can also opt out of Google Analytics site-wide via the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

5. How long we keep your information

We keep contact-form messages and donation records only as long as needed to serve our mission and meet legal obligations. Donation records are kept for at least seven years, as required by IRS recordkeeping rules for 501(c)(3) organizations. Newsletter subscriptions are kept until you unsubscribe. Analytics data follows Google’s retention settings (26 months by default).

6. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to request a copy of the information we hold about you, to correct inaccuracies, to ask us to delete it, or to opt out of certain uses. To exercise these rights, email info@hopescan-initiative.org. We will respond within 30 days. We do not charge a fee for reasonable requests.

California residents: Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), you have the right to know what personal information we have collected, to request deletion, to correct inaccurate information, and to opt out of any sale or sharing of personal information. HopeScan does not sell personal information.

EU/UK residents: Under the GDPR / UK GDPR, our legal bases for processing are your consent (newsletter, cookies), performance of a contract (processing your donation), and legitimate interests (responding to inquiries, security, and basic analytics). You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, and port your data, and to object to processing.

7. Children

This site is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has submitted information to us, email info@hopescan-initiative.org and we will delete it.

8. Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational steps to protect the information we hold, including HTTPS encryption in transit, hardened server configurations, and limiting internal access to staff who need it. No system is perfectly secure, but we will never stop working to keep your data safe.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date below and, where appropriate, notify subscribers by email.

10. Contact

HopeScan Initiative, Inc.
12313 Welford Manor Drive, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
Email: info@hopescan-initiative.org
EIN: 41-2397939 · 501(c)(3) public charity (IRS Section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi))

Last updated: April 24, 2026