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Sewausa

PRIVACY POLICY

Sewa International USA is committed to protecting your personal information. 

This policy explains what data we collect when you visit our website, donate, volunteer, 

or contact us — and how we use it. We never sell your personal information.

Contents
  1. Information We Collect
  2. How We Use Your Information
  3. Third-Party Services & Vendors
  4. Public-Facing Information
  5. Data Retention
  6. Your Rights & Choices
  7. Cookies & Analytics
  8. Security
  9. Changes to This Policy
  10. Contact Us

Information We Collect

We collect information in the following ways:

Information you provide directly

  • Contact details (name, email address, phone number, mailing address) submitted through volunteer sign-ups, contact forms, or event registrations
  • Donation information, including billing name and address (payment card numbers are processed directly by Stripe and are never stored on our servers)
  • Banking and reimbursement details submitted by chapter representatives through secured financial forms
  • Chapter membership and leadership information provided during onboarding
  • Communications you send to us via email, forms, or support channels

Information collected automatically

  • Browser type, operating system, and referring URL
  • Pages visited, time on site, and click interactions (via website analytics)
  • IP address and approximate geographic location
  • Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 7)

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Process and acknowledge donations and issue tax receipts
  • Coordinate volunteer activities, chapter programs, and events
  • Send newsletters, campaign updates, and event invitations (with your consent)
  • Manage chapter directories and member records
  • Process expense reimbursements and financial requests
  • Respond to inquiries and provide support
  • Improve our website and digital services
  • Comply with legal and regulatory obligations

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party for marketing purposes.

Third-party Services & Vendors

We use the following trusted third-party platforms to operate our programs and website. Each has its own privacy policy and data processing terms:

  • Zoho (CRM, Forms, Campaigns, Sites, WorkDrive) – member records, forms, email campaigns, and website infrastructure
  • Stripe – secure payment processing for donations; Stripe never shares card data with us
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3 – hosting of chapter photos and media assets

We share only the minimum data necessary with these vendors and require them to maintain appropriate data protection standards.

Public-Facing Information

Our Chapter Directory displays certain information about Sewa USA chapters publicly, including chapter name, location, contact email, and representative photos submitted with consent.

Chapter representatives and volunteers are informed at the time of data collection which fields will be publicly visible. Internal contact details and banking information are never displayed publicly.

Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy or as required by law:

  • Donor records – retained for a minimum of 7 years to comply with IRS nonprofit recordkeeping requirements
  • Volunteer and member records – retained for the duration of active involvement, plus 3 years thereafter
  • Financial reimbursement forms – retained for 7 years
  • Website analytics data – retained per the analytics provider's standard policy (typically 26 months)
  • Email marketing data – retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion

Your Rights & Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Access – request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
  • Correction – ask us to update inaccurate or incomplete information
  • Opt-out of marketing – unsubscribe from email communications at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email, or by contacting us directly

Cookies & Analytics

Our website uses cookies — small text files stored in your browser — to improve your experience. These include:

  • Essential cookies – required for the site to function (session management, form security)
  • Analytics cookies – help us understand how visitors use our site (pages visited, session duration)

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some site functionality. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.

Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information, including:

  • SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted to and from our website
  • Role-based access controls limiting who can view sensitive records in our CRM and financial systems
  • reCAPTCHA on sensitive forms to prevent automated abuse
  • Secure, access-controlled storage for financial and banking data

No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. In the event of a data breach that affects your rights, we will notify you as required by applicable law.

Changes To This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For material changes, we will provide a more prominent notice (such as an email notification to registered members). We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please reach out to us:

Sewa USA – Privacy Inquiries

Email: privacy@sewausa.org

Website: www.sewausa.org


Sewa USA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN available upon request.