Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

We may collect information that you voluntarily provide when you contact Autism Foundation of America, make a donation, volunteer, request information, participate in an event, or otherwise communicate with us.

Information submitted through the contact form may include your name, email address, telephone number, selected subject, message, and any other information you choose to provide.

When you make a donation, our payment processor may collect your name, email address, billing information, payment information, donation amount, donation frequency, and related transaction details. Autism Foundation of America does not receive or store your full payment card number through this website.

Our website and service providers may also automatically receive limited technical information, such as your IP address, browser type, device type, referring page, requested pages, timestamps, and information needed to operate, secure, and diagnose the website.

2. How We Use Information

We may use collected information to:

• Respond to questions and contact requests.
• Provide information about programs, resources, volunteering, events, partnerships, and support.
• Process and document donations.
• Send donation confirmations, receipts, and service-related communications.
• Maintain, secure, troubleshoot, and improve the website.
• Prevent fraud, spam, misuse, and other harmful activity.
• Comply with applicable legal, accounting, and reporting obligations.

We do not sell personal information or use contact-form submissions for third-party advertising.

3. Donations and Payment Processing

Donations are processed through Stripe. When you begin checkout, you are transferred to a Stripe-hosted payment page. Stripe processes payment and transaction information according to its own privacy and security practices.

Autism Foundation of America may receive limited transaction information from Stripe, such as your name, email address, donation amount, payment status, donation frequency, card brand, and the last four digits of the payment method. This information may be used for donation administration, receipts, accounting, fraud prevention, and legally required records.

4. Service Providers and Disclosure

We may share information with trusted service providers when reasonably necessary to operate the website and provide related services. These providers may include:

• Stripe for donation and payment processing.
• Resend for delivery of website-generated email.
• Netlify for website hosting and server functions.
• Google and other email providers used to receive and manage communications.
• Domain, email-forwarding, security, technical, accounting, or professional service providers.

These providers may process information on our behalf and may maintain information under their own terms and privacy policies.

We may also disclose information when required by law, legal process, court order, governmental request, or when reasonably necessary to protect the rights, safety, security, and integrity of Autism Foundation of America, website visitors, or others.

5. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Autism Foundation of America does not currently use the website for targeted advertising. The website and its service providers may use essential cookies, session information, security tools, or similar technologies needed to provide website functions, prevent fraud, process donations, and maintain security.

Third-party services, including Stripe Checkout, may use cookies and similar technologies under their own policies when you use their services.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including responding to communications, administering donations, maintaining organizational records, preventing fraud, resolving disputes, and meeting legal, tax, accounting, or reporting obligations.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information, the reason it was collected, and applicable requirements.

7. Information Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards intended to protect personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. Payment card information is entered through Stripe's hosted checkout rather than directly into the AFA website.

No website, transmission method, or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Please use care when deciding what information to submit online.

8. Sensitive and Emergency Information

Please do not submit Social Security numbers, full payment card numbers, account passwords, complete medical records, insurance records, or other highly sensitive information through the general contact form.

The website and contact form are not emergency services. Do not use them to request immediate medical, mental health, law enforcement, or emergency assistance. In the United States, call 911 for an immediate emergency.

9. Children's Privacy

The website provides information for families and communities, but it is not intended to knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 without the involvement of a parent or legal guardian.

Children under 13 should not submit a contact form, donation, or other personal information without permission and assistance from a parent or legal guardian. A parent or guardian who believes a child submitted information may contact us to request review or deletion.

10. Your Choices and Requests

You may contact us to ask about personal information you previously submitted or to request that inaccurate information be corrected or that information be deleted. We will review requests and respond as reasonably appropriate, subject to identity verification and any information we must retain for legal, financial, security, or organizational purposes.

11. External Websites

The website may link to government agencies, nonprofit organizations, service providers, and other external websites. Autism Foundation of America does not control the privacy, security, content, or practices of those external websites. You should review their policies before submitting personal information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as the organization, website, services, or legal requirements change. The current version will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.