Privacy Policy
Last Updated: August 6, 2025
Overview
Our website address is: https://www.usilefcc.org/
The US and International Law Enforcement and Firefighters Chaplain Corps (“we,” “us,” “our”) is deeply committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the individuals we serve, our donors, and our supporters. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, share, and protect your information.
This policy applies to all information received by us, both online and offline, on any Platform (“Platform” includes our website, social media, and any other digital services) as well as any electronic, written, or oral communications.
Our Foundational Commitment to Confidentiality
The core of our mission is to provide a ministry of presence built on a sacred trust. Confidentiality is paramount in all our interactions with first responders and their families.
Communications with our chaplains are considered strictly confidential. We are dedicated to providing a safe and trusted space for emotional, mental, and spiritual support. Information shared in confidence with a chaplain will not be disclosed to any third party, including law enforcement or fire department administration, except under the following specific and limited circumstances:
- When there is a clear and imminent risk of serious harm to yourself or others.
- When there is a reasonable suspicion of child or elder abuse or neglect, as required by law.
- When we are compelled to disclose information by a court order or other legal mandate.
Except for these legally required exceptions, we will not share the content of your communications without your explicit, written consent.
Information We Collect
We collect information to support our mission of serving first responders and to process the generous contributions that make our work possible.
1. Information from First Responders & Their Families (Service Recipients): When you seek support from our chaplains, you may voluntarily provide us with highly sensitive personal information related to your well-being, personal challenges, and family life. The collection of this information is solely for the purpose of providing you with effective and compassionate care.
2. Information from Donors and Supporters: When you make a donation, register for an event, or subscribe to our communications, we may collect the following types of information:
- Contact Information: Name, address, telephone number, and email address.
- Payment Information: Credit card number, expiration date, and billing information. This information is processed by secure third-party payment processors and is not stored by us.
- Donation History: Information about your contributions, dates, and amounts.
3. Information Collected Automatically: When you visit our website, we may automatically collect non-personally identifiable information, such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, and browsing behavior, to help us improve our website and user experience. This is typically done through cookies and server logs.
Comments
When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.
An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.
Media
If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.
Cookies
If you leave a comment on our site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.
If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.
If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after 1 day.
Embedded content from other websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
Who we share your data with
If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.
How long we retain your data
If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognize and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.
For users that register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.
What rights you have over your data
If you have an account on this site, or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
Where your data is sent
Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for purposes that are directly related to our non-profit mission:
- To Provide Chaplaincy Services: To offer confidential support, critical incident stress management, and family assistance.
- To Process Donations: To process your contributions, issue tax receipts, and maintain accurate financial records as required by law.
- To Communicate with Supporters: To send acknowledgements, share updates on our work, and inform you of future events and fundraising opportunities. You may opt out of these communications at any time.
- For Administrative and Operational Purposes: To operate, maintain, and improve our website, prevent fraud, and comply with legal obligations.
How We Share and Disclose Information
Our policy on sharing information is guided by our commitment to confidentiality and respect for our supporters.
- Chaplaincy Communications: As stated above, these are strictly confidential and are not shared except under legally mandated circumstances.
- Donor Information: We will not sell, share, or trade our donors’ names or personal information with any other entity, nor send mailings to our donors on behalf of other organizations. This policy applies to all information received from donors, both online and offline. The only exception is sharing information with trusted third-party service providers (e.g., payment processors) as necessary to complete a transaction you have initiated.
- Third-Party Service Providers: We may use trusted vendors to perform services on our behalf, such as website hosting, database management, and email communications. These vendors are bound by confidentiality agreements and are only permitted to use your information to perform the services we have requested.
Data Security
We are committed to protecting your information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. We implement a variety of administrative, technical, and physical security measures to safeguard your personal data. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, so we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
Data Retention
We will retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, or as required by applicable laws, such as for tax and accounting purposes.
Your Rights and Choices
You have certain rights regarding the information we hold about you.
- Access and Correction: You may request access to or correction of the personal information we hold about you.
- Opt-Out of Communications: You can opt out of receiving future fundraising or informational communications from us at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions in any email you receive or by contacting us directly.
- Donor Anonymity: We respect the wishes of donors who prefer to remain anonymous. Please let us know if you would like your contribution to be anonymous.
International Data Transfers
As an international organization, your information may be processed in a country other than your own. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy policy.
Children’s Privacy
Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected such information, we will take steps to delete it.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the “Last Updated” date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at:
[info@usilefcc.org] [+1 (413) 330-9249] [163 Methuen Street, BSMT, Springfield, MA 01119]