Privacy Policy

Last Updated: Oct. 6, 2010

Your Privacy
Your right to privacy is important to the Better Government Association ("BGA") and we are committed to maintaining your trust. This privacy policy discloses how we collect, protect, use, and share information gathered from users of our website, located at http://www.bettergov.org (the "Site"). We may, from time to time, update this policy, and the date of last revision will be available at the top of this page.

What Information does BGA collect and how is it used?
While we do not generally require that you provide us with personally identifiable information in order to visit and use our Site, please note that to participate in some activities, such as signing up to be a BGA member or to receive newsletters, it is necessary for you to provide this information.

As part of the member sign-up process on the Site, we may request personal information, including your name, mailing address, e-mail address, age, and telephone number. You will also be required to select a User ID and password for use on the Site. Certain features of the Site, including donations and purchases of BGA Wear, may require credit card and billing information as well. We do not collect any personal information, including your email address, without your prior knowledge and consent. We reserve the right to combine personally identifiable information we collect with publicly available information or information obtained from third parties or affiliates.

For each visitor to BGA’s Site, BGA’s Web server may recognize, collect and/or store information such as the visitor’s IP address/domain name combination and any referring sites to keep track of where our visitors come from and to help diagnose problems with our server. The information we collect from our visitors helps us personalize and continually improve our Site and our organization.

If you wish to be removed from our e-mail newsletter list, click on the link to "unsubscribe" at the bottom of any message and you will be immediately unsubscribed.

How We Use the Information
BGA may use your information for the following purposes:

• To process and respond to inquiries;
• For the purposes for which you provided the information;
• To confirm transactions you make through the Site;
• To improve the content and navigability of the Site;
• To alert you to new Site features, BGA special events and news;
• To customize the advertising and content you see, including the display of targeted and contextual advertisements;
• To generate anonymous and/or aggregated reporting; and
• To enforce the legal terms that govern your use of the Site.

Persons who assist BGA in providing the functions described herein, including third-party contractors, may have authorized access to your personal information. We may anonymize and/or aggregate your information for business purposes, including for reporting and research. Anonymous and/or aggregated data does not identify you, and BGA may use and disclose such information without limitation. The information you provide will not be sold or distributed to solicitors, telemarketers, or anyone.

Cookies and Other Information Collection
We may employ cookies when you visit the Site. A cookie is a small, text-only string of information that we place in your computer's cookie file. For example, some pages on our Site may use cookies so that we can remember who you are when you revisit the Site, provide you easier access to registered user areas, or track your preferences to improve your Site experience. We may use the data generated from cookies to compile statistical data on your use of our Site. You may decline the cookie by modifying the appropriate settings in your browser; however, please note that disabling cookies may prevent you from taking advantage of certain features on the Site.

BGA may allow ad networks, such as third party ad servers and ad agencies, to serve advertisements within our web pages. We may also place web beacons for these companies within our pages. Because your web browser must request these advertisements and web beacons from the ad network’s servers, these companies can view, edit or set their own cookies, just as if you had requested a web page from their site.

How We Protect Your Information
BGA attempts to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of your personal information. Personal information you provide is stored in a secure location and is accessible only by designated authorized staff. BGA has partnered with Groundspring.org to securely process your online credit card transactions via the Groundspring.org Donor Advised Fund.

Updating Your Information or Preferences
You can update your account information at any time by logging into your account on the Site. By logging in, you can also access your communications preferences, including your choices with regard to marketing communications from our advertising and promotional partners.

Your Agreement
By providing any personal information to the BGA site, all users fully understand and consent to the collection and processing of such information.

Amendment of Policy
The terms of this policy will govern the use and any information collected while it is in place. BGA reserves the right to make changes to this policy. The revised Privacy Policy will be displayed via a link on the home page of our site. Changes to this privacy policy are effective as of the stated "Last Update Date" and your continued use of this site on or after the Last Update Date will constitute acceptance of, and agreement to be bound by, those changes.

Links and Advertising by Third Parties
The Site may contain links to third-party websites or advertising for third-party websites. BGA is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites. By clicking on these links or advertisements, you are visiting sites outside of our control; we are not responsible for any content on those sites, and this Privacy Policy does not apply to any information you provide when visiting those sites.

Your California Privacy Rights
If you reside in California and have provided us with your personal information, you may request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please write to us at 223 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 620, Chicago, IL 60606, Att’n: California Customer Choice Notice.

Commitment to Children’s Privacy
Protecting children’s privacy is especially important to us. It is our policy to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 and all other applicable laws. We recommend that children ask a parent for permission before sending personal information to us, or to anyone else, online.

Contact Us
If you would like to contact us for any reason regarding this Privacy Policy, please email info@bettergov.org or call us at 312-427-8330.