Privacy Policy

Our Commitment to Privacy

Prison Fellowship values your privacy. To better protect your privacy, we provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used. Any third-party sites and services have their own privacy policies.

Personal Information We Collect

On some areas of our site, you are prompted to provide us with personal information when you, for example, make a donation, order products, register to receive newsletters, register for an online course, apply to be a volunteer, or fill out a petition. Also, some areas of our site require personal information before access is granted. The types of personal information collected at these pages vary, but may include the following kinds of general information:

Name
Address
Email address
Phone number
Credit/Debit Card Information
(etc.)

On some pages, you can submit information about other people. For example, if you order a gift online and want it sent directly to the recipient, you will need to submit the recipient’s address. In this circumstance, the types of personal information collected are:

Name
Address
Phone Number
(etc.)

We may from time to time give users the opportunity to participate in online surveys to provide feedback on aspects of our ministry. These surveys are always optional, and data collected in them will only be used to provide more personalized content, as well as to better understand how people respond to our ministry efforts and how those efforts might be improved.

The Way We Use Personal Information

We use the information you provide about yourself when placing an order to complete that order.

We use the information you provide about someone else when placing an order to ship the product and to confirm delivery.

We use email addresses to fulfill your requests for newsletter subscriptions and to answer the email we receive.

We also use email addresses and mailing addresses to send updates about various ministry activities. To exclude yourself from any of these mailings, electronic or postal, please contact us. (You may also opt out of electronic mailings by clicking the unsubscribe link included in each mailing.)

Cookies and Other Automatic Information

We use non-identifying and aggregate information to better design our Web site. For example, we analyze how many people visit each area of the site, how long they stay, the type of browsers that are being used, certain demographic and affinity information, how many people click on various Web promotions. This information is collected primarily through Google Analytics. If you do not wish for this information to be captured, please sign out of all Google accounts prior to visiting the website. You can also opt-out of all Google Analytics features, for all sites, via their opt-out tool.

Our email newsletter software tracks people subscribing or unsubscribing from each email newsletter, who opens email messages we send (if your computer supports such capabilities), and who clicks on which links in the email. In general, we use this information only in aggregate to analyze the success of email campaigns. However, we may at times target email newsletters based on this activity.

Like many sites, we use “cookies” to help analyze our Web site traffic. Cookies are small identifying tags that we transfer to your computer through your Web browser. They do not provide us with any personal information about you. We use them to track how many times people visit our sites – whether most people come once / week, once / month, or are first-time visitors. We analyze this data in aggregate, not at an individual level. If you choose not to accept cookies, it will not affect your experience at our site.

Agents

We engage companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, and individuals to perform functions on our behalf. Examples include sending email newsletters, shipping products, maintaining databases, sending mail, and consulting. These third parties use your information only to fulfill the tasks we have hired them to perform.

Sharing Information with Third Parties

Prison Fellowship Ministries® will never sell or trade personal information provided by donors with third party organizations. This applies to both online and offline donations, as well as all donation types and methods.

Content as Endorsement

All media and content published online or in print are for educational and informational purposes and do not constitute an endorsement from Prison Fellowship Ministries®.

Data Appends

From time to time we acquire details about people who are in our database from third parties, such as NCOA, to enhance the data we already have.

Our Commitment to Data Security

To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online. Prison Fellowship (PF®) uses Internet Encryption Software, Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Protocol when collecting or transferring sensitive data such as credit card information. Any information you enter is encrypted at your browser, sent over the public Internet in encrypted form, and then de-encrypted at our server. Once we receive your credit card information, it is accessible only to a small number of trusted PF® staff that have been specially trained in processing this information.

Our Commitment to Children’s Privacy

Protecting the privacy of children is extremely important. For that reason, we never collect or maintain information at our website from those we know are under 13, and no part of our website is designed to attract anyone under 13.

Gift Acceptance Policy

Your generous contribution to Prison Fellowship Ministries supports year-round programs and initiatives that allow us to encounter Jesus with those impacted by incarceration. As good stewards of your donations, we follow clear guidelines in processing your gifts.

1. Prison Fellowship Ministries solicits and accepts gifts that are consistent with its mission and support its core programs, as well as special projects.
2. Donations will generally be accepted from individuals, partnerships, corporations, foundations, or other entities, without limitations.
3. In the course of its regular fundraising activities, Prison Fellowship Ministries will accept donations of money, real property, personal property, stock, life insurance beneficiary designations, other gifts such as charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts and gift-in-kind services.
4. Certain types of gifts must be reviewed and are subject to approval prior to acceptance due to liabilities they may pose for Prison Fellowship Ministries.
5. Prison Fellowship Ministries seeks to protect its donors so we have in place various policies, guidelines, rules, and restrictions to prevent unlawful activity regarding donor information, donations, and refunds.

Donor Rights

Philanthropy is for the common good and necessary for quality of life. To facilitate philanthropy and earn the general public’s respect and trust so that donors and prospective donors have full confidence in Prison Fellowship Ministries, we provide these rights to all donors:

To be informed of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization’s governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
To have access to the organization’s most recent audited financial statements and IRS Form 990.
To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
To receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition.
To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists.
To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

Refund Policy

If you have made an error in making your donation or change your mind about contributing to Prison Fellowship Ministries (PFM), we will honor your request for a refund made within 15 days of your donation. To request a refund, call 1-800-206-9764 or email info@pfm.org. Refunds will only be returned to the actual donor, with exceptions only if requestor provides PFM® with documented legal authorization to receive such refund. Refunds are returned only upon PFM validating your information and using the original method of payment, except cash donations will be returned via check. If you made your donation by credit card, your refund will be credited to that same credit card. No exceptions to this rule will be made. Please allow 30 days for your request to be processed.

If you feel there is an unauthorized transaction on your credit card account, please contact your credit card merchant to dispute the charge directly. PFM is unable to refund fraudulent transactions.

If you unintentionally mailed a check to PFM and it was not made payable to PFM but inadvertently deposited and you would like a refund you will need to dispute the transaction with your bank directly. Due to regulatory banking guidelines PFM is unable to refund these types of transactions.

Uniform Disclosure Statement

Prison Fellowship Ministries® (PFM®) is a §501(c)(3) organization, gifts to which may be deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. You may obtain a copy of PFM’s financial statements by writing: Prison Fellowship Ministries, 44180 Riverside Parkway, Lansdowne, VA 20176, calling 877.478.0100 or going to prisonfellowship.org/resources/financials/.

PFM registers with agencies in many states. Residents of the following states may request information as indicated: FL: A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL FLORIDA REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE, 1.800.HELP.FLA. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVALS OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. (FLORIDA REG. #CH2500) GA: The following will be sent upon request: A full and fair description of the charitable program for which this solicitation is made; a financial statement or summary, consistent with the requirements of Georgia Code § 43-17-5. MD: A copy of our financial information can be obtained by contacting Prison Fellowship (see the top of this form). Documents and information submitted under the Maryland Solicitation Act may be obtained for the cost of copies and postage from the Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401, 410.974.5534. NC: Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 919.807.2214. The license is not an endorsement by the State. MS: The official registration and financial information of Prison Fellowship Ministries may be obtained from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office by calling 1.888.236.6167. Registration by the Secretary of State does not imply endorsement by the Secretary of State. PA: The official registration and financial information of Prison Fellowship Ministries may be obtained from the Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1.800.732.0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. VA: A financial statement may be obtained upon written request from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218. WA: Financial or other information is available by calling the Secretary of State at 1.800.332.4483 or visiting sos.wa.gov/charities. WV: West Virginia residents may obtain a summary of the registration and financial documents from the Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305. Registration does not imply endorsement. Prison Fellowship^® and Angel Tree^® are registered trademarks of Prison Fellowship Ministries.

ALL GIFTS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE to the fullest extent allowed by law. Our policy is to apply all gifts given toward a specific project to that project. Occasionally, we receive more contributions than can be wisely applied to a specific project. When that happens, we use the excess funds to meet other pressing needs that will help advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ to prisoners and/or their families. Prison Fellowship Ministries is a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

How You Can Access or Correct Your Information

You can access your personally identifiable information, make corrections, or request that this information be removed from our system by calling us at (877) 478-0100.

How to Contact Us

Should you have other questions or concerns about these policies, please contact us.

Changes to this Policy

Prison Fellowship reserves the right to change the terms of this Privacy Policy. You can always find our most recent copy posted here, and continued use will be considered acceptance of the policy terms.

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