Privacy Policy

Be My Eyes Foundation

Effective Date: July 1, 2026  ·  Website: www.bemyeyesfoundation.org

This Privacy Policy describes how the Be My Eyes Foundation, a California nonprofit public benefit corporation (“Foundation,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal information when you visit our Site or make a donation through it. Please read it carefully. If you do not agree with its terms, please do not use the Site or provide your personal information to us.

This Privacy Policy is not a contract and does not create legal rights or obligations beyond those otherwise provided by law. You can access our Terms of Service by clicking this link.

The Be My Eyes Foundation is the data controller for data covered by this policy unless otherwise stated below.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information you provide directly

When you make a donation or otherwise interact with the Site, we may collect:

• Contact information: full name, email address, postal address, and telephone number.
• Donation information: donation amount, donation type (one-time, monthly, or annual recurring), and transaction date.
• Payment information: we do not collect or store full payment card numbers or bank account details. Transactions are handled by our third-party payment processor under its own privacy policy.
• Communications: any messages or feedback you send to us directly.

1.2 Information we collect automatically

When you visit the Site, we and our service providers may automatically collect:

• Device and browser information: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, and device identifiers.
• Usage information: pages viewed, links clicked, referring URL, and time spent on the Site.
• Cookie and tracking data: see Section 5, Cookies and Tracking Technologies.

1.3 Information from third parties

We may receive limited information about you from third-party platforms, such as payment processors or analytics providers, in connection with your use of the Site or your donations.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect to:

• Process charitable donations and issue acknowledgment letters or tax receipts.
• Manage recurring donation arrangements, including processing, modifying, and canceling recurring gifts.
• Communicate with you about your donation, the Foundation’s activities and mission, events, and related matters.
• Send newsletters, impact reports, and other communications to donors and prospective donors who have opted in or have an existing relationship with us, in accordance with applicable law.
• Respond to your inquiries and requests.
• Comply with applicable legal obligations, including record-keeping requirements for charitable organizations.
• Detect and prevent fraud, unauthorized access, and other harmful activity.
• Analyze and improve our Site and fundraising programs.

3. Legal Bases for Processing (EU and UK Visitors)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, we process your personal information on the following legal bases:

• Performance of a contract or pre-contractual steps: processing necessary to complete your donation transaction.
• Compliance with a legal obligation: processing necessary to meet our record-keeping and other legal obligations as a charitable organization.
• Legitimate interests: maintaining donor relationships, communicating about our mission, and detecting fraud, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Consent: for certain marketing communications, withdrawable at any time by contacting [email protected]. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

4. Disclosure of Your Information

4.1 Service providers

We may share your personal information with trusted third-party service providers that help us operate the Site and administer our charitable programs, including payment processors, email and communications platforms, analytics providers, and cloud hosting and infrastructure providers. These providers may use your information only to perform services on our behalf and must protect it in accordance with applicable law.

4.2 Sharing with other nonprofits

We may share donor contact information with other nonprofit organizations whose missions align with or complement the Foundation’s, such as organizations serving blind or low-vision individuals, disability rights organizations, or accessibility-focused nonprofits. We will not sell your information to any organization for commercial purposes. If you prefer that your information not be shared this way, opt out any time at [email protected].

4.3 We do not sell your information

The Foundation does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their own marketing or commercial purposes.

4.4 Legal requirements and safety

We may disclose your information when we believe disclosure is required by applicable law, regulation, or legal process, or when necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Foundation, our donors, or others.

4.5 Organizational transfers

If the Foundation merges with, or transfers substantially all of its assets to, another charitable organization, donor information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to continued protection consistent with this Privacy Policy.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Site uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to operate and improve the Site, analyze usage, and support our communications.

5.1 Types of cookies we use

• Strictly necessary cookies: essential for the Site to function, such as session management and donation form processing.
• Analytics cookies: collect information about how visitors use the Site. This data is typically aggregated and does not identify individual users.
• Marketing and preference cookies: remember your preferences and support outreach efforts, used only with your consent where required by applicable law.

5.2 Your cookie choices

You may control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse or delete cookies, though disabling cookies may affect Site functionality. Where required by applicable law, including EU and UK cookie regulations, we obtain your consent before placing non-essential cookies.

6. International Data Transfers

6.1 Transfers from the EEA and the United Kingdom

The Foundation is based in the United States. If you are located in the EEA or the UK, your personal information will be transferred to and processed in the United States when you make a donation or otherwise interact with the Site. The Foundation is subject to the GDPR and UK GDPR as a data controller for personal information collected from EEA and UK donors, and relies on the following transfer bases:

• Performance of a contract (Article 49(1)(b) GDPR / UK GDPR): where you choose to donate, transferring your data to the US is necessary to complete that transaction.
• Explicit consent (Article 49(1)(a) GDPR / UK GDPR): where we have obtained your explicit, informed consent, including for marketing communications. You may withdraw consent at any time at [email protected]; withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of transfers made before withdrawal.

The Foundation processes your personal data as data controller and does not transfer it onward to countries other than the United States. Our US-based service providers act as data processors under written agreements consistent with Article 28 GDPR and UK GDPR.

6.2 Transfers from other jurisdictions

Where required by applicable law, we implement appropriate safeguards for cross-border transfers of personal information from other jurisdictions in which we operate.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, comply with legal obligations, and resolve disputes. For donors, this typically means retaining your information for seven years after your last transaction, consistent with standard nonprofit accounting and legal requirements. Where we rely on consent, we retain information until you withdraw consent or we determine it is no longer needed.

Notwithstanding any deletion request, the Foundation may retain information where necessary to comply with legal, tax, accounting, audit, or regulatory obligations; to maintain records of charitable contributions; to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims; or as otherwise permitted by applicable law. Retained information is limited to those purposes and kept only as long as required.

8. Your Rights

8.1 All users

Regardless of your location, you may:

• Opt out of marketing communications by selecting “unsubscribe” in any email from us, or by contacting [email protected].
• Cancel a recurring donation at any time by contacting [email protected].
• Request information about our privacy practices by contacting [email protected].

8.2 EEA and UK residents

If you are located in the EEA or the United Kingdom, you have the following additional rights under the GDPR or UK GDPR: access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability, objection to processing based on legitimate interests, and the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. To exercise any of these rights, contact [email protected]. We respond without undue delay and, in any event, within 30 days, or the timeframe required by applicable law.

8.3 California residents

California residents may have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). Because the Foundation is a nonprofit public benefit corporation, many CCPA/CPRA provisions do not apply to our processing of personal information received in the context of charitable giving or donor support. We remain committed to transparency and will respond to verifiable consumer requests as described above. Questions can be directed to [email protected].

9. Children’s Privacy

The Site is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected such information, we will promptly delete it. If you believe we may have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact [email protected].

10. Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no data transmission over the internet or electronic storage system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. Updates will be posted on the Site with a revised effective date. Material changes will be communicated to donors by email or through a prominent notice on the Site. Continued use of the Site after posting constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact:

Be My Eyes Foundation
Attn: Privacy
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.bemyeyesfoundation.org

If you are located in the EU or UK and we have not resolved your concern to your satisfaction, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.