UNITY OF FAIRFAX CONFIDENTIALITY & PRIVACY POLICY
Approved by Board of Trustees: July 1, 2025
Unity of Fairfax (“UOF”) recognizes the importance of protecting an individual’s privacy. We take all reasonable steps to ensure that an individual’s personal information is protected from misuse or unauthorized disclosure.
UOF subscribes to the Donor Bill of Rights developed by the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), The Giving Institute, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
UOF recognizes that the efficient operation of the organization requires the maintenance and management of extensive donor and prospect records. These records may contain sensitive information that has been shared with or developed by UOF staff or volunteers on a confidential basis. (“Records” is construed to mean all files—including electronic data—containing information on donors or prospective donors to UOF.) Donors and prospects may be attracted to UOF on the basis of its ability to assure temporary or permanent anonymity. Protecting donor confidentiality is an essential part of providing good service to donors.
Additionally, care must be taken to preserve the confidentiality of discussions that take place and information that is shared in the course of conducting Unity of Fairfax business.
The purpose of this policy is to codify UOF’s position on confidentiality.
1. Confidentiality of Records
The Senior Minister (or designee) shall be responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of donor and prospect records, as well as fund information. Records will normally be available to staff as needed to fulfill their duties. At the discretion of the Senior Minister, staff may make all or part of any record available to UOF volunteers to assist them in executing their specific responsibilities. UOF’s auditors, legal counsel, and other contractors are authorized to review donor/prospect and fund records as required for the purposes for which they are engaged.
All persons accessing donor/prospect or fund records in the conduct of UOF business shall maintain the confidentiality of said records. This applies to endowment funds as well as to other types of funds. Staff may share information with donors, fund beneficiaries, and grantees pertaining to their own gifts, funds, grants, etc. Except in those instances, any copies of confidential information shall not be held outside UOF’s office for extended periods and are to be destroyed in accordance with UOF’s Records Retention Procedures.
2. Publication of Donor Names
Unless otherwise requested by the donor, the names of all individual donors may be printed in UOF marketing, solicitation, and recognition communications and in other appropriate listings. UOF will not publish the amount of any donor’s gift without the permission of the donor. Unless otherwise specified in the governing document, donors making gifts to UOF by bequest or other testamentary device are deemed to have granted such permission.
3. Memorial / Tribute Gifts
The names of donors of memorial or tribute gifts may be released to the honoree, next of kin, or appropriate member of the immediate family, unless otherwise specified by the donor. Gift amounts are not to be released without the express consent of the donor.
4. Anonymous Gifts
The Senior Minister is authorized to accept anonymous gifts to UOF and to handle them appropriately. The name of the donor and size of the gift may be withheld from the Board of Trustees at the Senior Minister’s discretion, if so requested by the donor. When made known to Board members, they will respect the anonymity of any such gift.
5. Giving Categories
If giving categories have been stipulated for a specific fund drive, challenge grant, or project, or as part of UOF’s ongoing recognition program, then donors—unless they otherwise specify—are deemed to have given permission for UOF to publish their names associated with the particular giving category. Similarly, UOF may publish giving categories associated with donor names in its annual report, unless a donor specifies otherwise.
6. No Disclosures to Third Parties
UOF shall not release to third parties or allow third parties to copy, inspect, or otherwise use UOF records or other information pertaining to the identification of a donor or a donor’s gifts. No disclosures to third parties of such information, including addresses and demographic information, shall be made without the donor’s consent.
No personal information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.
7. Confidentiality of Organization Business
Discussions that take place in the context of UOF operations require discretion, including discussions pertaining to grantmaking, personnel issues, development activities, operational fundraising, and investment management. The positions or statements of individual Board members, advisors, or staff should not be discussed outside of official UOF meetings and processes. Likewise, the content of UOF business—including documents or UOF analysis of documents—should not be discussed or shared outside official meetings and processes.
8. Public Disclosure
UOF will comply with both the letter and spirit of all public disclosure requirements, including the open availability of its annual Form 990 (or equivalent) tax returns. This Confidentiality & Privacy Policy shall not be construed in any manner to prevent UOF from disclosing information to taxing authorities or other governmental agencies or courts having regulatory control or jurisdiction over UOF. However, all staff, volunteers, and contractors must hold strictly confidential all information of a private nature, including, but not limited to, all items explicitly discussed in this policy.
9. Consequences of Policy Violation
Violations of this policy are considered very serious and may result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal for employees or contractors, or removal from the Board or any committee for volunteers.
PRIVACY PRACTICES
10. Information We Collect
UOF collects and uses personal information from donors, members, and friends of the congregation, including addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, month and day of birth, and donation dates/amounts.
Specific requests made by donors/volunteers are recorded. For example, requests to remain anonymous or to be excluded from certain mailings are respected. We also specify the relationship with UOF, such as volunteer, congregant, private individual, company, etc.
11. How We Collect the Information
* When donations—whether solicited or not—are made to UOF, the details provided by donors are recorded in our database (unless the donor has specifically requested not to be added). * Personal details of volunteers who contact UOF to offer their services are also entered into our database. * Individuals who participate in fundraising events, programs, worship services, classes, or other activities may receive invitations, newsletters, surveys, and web‑based communications that enable UOF to capture contact information. Through these channels, individuals are given the opportunity to provide their contact information and can specify whether they would like their details added to our database and in what capacity.
12. Storage and Security of Information Held
All donor contact information, donations, designations, and related paperwork are stored in a safe, secure location. UOF’s relational database is password‑protected, and we have a strict hierarchy of access rights in place.
13. How We Use the Information
UOF will use contact information (email, telephone number, and address) of donors and members only for the following purposes: * To distribute receipts for donations. * To send donor acknowledgment letters and thank donors for their contributions. * To inform supporters about upcoming fundraising and other Unity of Fairfax activities. * For internal analysis and record keeping. * For general mailings, e.g., newsletters and direct mail to donors and/or volunteers.
Donors have the option to have their name publicly associated with their donation. However, unless the donor explicitly chooses to remain anonymous, the default is that all donations may be publicly acknowledged. Comments or testimonials given to UOF staff or volunteers may be used in promotional materials with the express consent of the individual.
14. Access and Correction of Information
Donors have the right to access and request correction of personal information. To ensure that recorded personal information is accurate and up‑to‑date, donors should notify UOF of any changes to personal details as soon as possible using the following contact methods:
Unity of Fairfax
2854 Hunter Mill Road
Oakton, VA 22124
Phone: 703.281.1767
Website: www.unityoffairfax.org
15. Financial Information
All access to donor financial information is strictly limited to professional staff responsible for processing and reporting on this data. For online payments, UOF only uses processing services with proven security and strong reputations. UOF does not have access to credit‑card or bank‑account details sent to those processing services, and the information is not stored electronically by UOF.
16. Notification of Changes
If UOF decides to change this Confidentiality & Privacy Policy, those changes will be posted on our website at www.unityoffairfax.org so donors and congregants are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and the circumstances (if any) under which we disclose it. If at any point we decide to use personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time it was collected, affected individuals will be notified and given a choice as to whether or not we may use the information in this different manner. We will always use information in accordance with the policy under which the information was collected.