Privacy Policy for Online, Offline and Electronic Use

The National Audubon Society respects our visitors’ privacy interests and is committed to honoring your preferences.  This privacy policy governs the way we collect and use your information both offline and online, including at www.audubon.org and its subdomains, websites accessed through your mobile devices, our downloadable mobile applications and Audubon’s own social media sites (“Media”).  Your use of Media or provision of personal information to Audubon constitutes your acceptance of the terms of this policy and to Audubon’s Terms of Use.

The Information We Collect

We collect and use the information you provide when you interact with Audubon offline and through Audubon Media.  This information falls into two categories: 1) Personal information, which includes items such as your name and address, which you provide when you become a member, make a donation, fill out a survey or participate in an activity; 2) Non-Personal Information, which includes your IP address or website browsing patterns, which we collect through technology.  For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, personal information does not include the information Audubon employees share in connection with their employment.

Personal Information

In most cases, you may use Audubon’s Media without registering or submitting any personal information.  However, some Media sites require that you supply certain personal information, such as a verifiable email address, to register or to fully use the site.

You also may choose to log in, create an account or enhance your profile through a third party authentication service (like Facebook Connect or Twitter).  By doing this, you are asking the authentication service to send us certain information from your profile, and you are authorizing us to collect, store, and use this information.  After you’ve connected, some services, like Facebook Connect, will send us additional information from your profile, such as information that allows us to display a Facebook module on the Media pages you view.

Depending on the nature of your interaction with us, the personal information you are asked to provide may include your name, billing and shipping addresses, telephone and mobile phone numbers, and email addresses.  Audubon does not store sensitive financial information, such as credit card numbers or banking information.

Audubon may share your Personal Information within the Audubon network, with its service contractors, with select not-for-profit organizations, and, with your specific permission, with some commercial vendors. Audubon will not share text messaging originator opt-in data and consent with any third parties. Except as described below, you may opt-out from receiving communications from Audubon by contacting Audubon’s Supporter Care team at support@audubon.org.

Special Activities

When you choose to engage in any of the following special activities, you are agreeing to allow some use of your personal information.  To opt-out from additional uses, please contact Audubon’s Supporter Care team at support@audubon.org.

Participate in an Action Alert

When you take action to support conservation, such as participating in an Action Alert or sending a letter to your Senator, Audubon may send your personal information, such as your name and residential address, to the target of the action (e.g., a member of Congress, a government agency).

Download Mobile Apps

Audubon will ask you to provide personal information, such as a verifiable email address, when you register to use a mobile application.  Some mobile applications cannot be accessed unless you provide a verifiable email.

Mobile app users may delete their personal information on the app by using the navigation menu at the bottom of the screen and selecting My Audubon > Settings > Delete Account.  If you are having difficulty deleting your account on the app, you can contact Audubon’s Supporter Care team at support@audubon.org.

Enter a Contest or Sweepstakes

Audubon collects personal information from you when you participate in sweepstakes, contests or special offers.  If this information is also being collected by a third party, such as a co-sponsor, we will notify you at the time.

Engage on a Blog or Other Social Media Site

Audubon maintains presence on several social networking and blogging platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, and we also incorporate some third party social networking features onto our Media.  This policy applies to our use of information you submit to us, but it does not apply to what Facebook or any other third party platforms do with your information.  Those platforms have their own privacy policies, and we encourage you to read them.

Mobile Text Messaging

When you opt in to receive messages from Audubon, the data we collect for each SMS/MMS message may include your mobile telephone number, your carrier’s name and the date, time and content of your messages. Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent information will not be shared with any third parties. See our Terms of Use for more information.

Community Science Projects

Audubon collects personal information of participants in community science and conservation activities such as the Christmas Bird Count, Climate Watch, the Great Backyard Bird Count, Hummingbirds at Home, or in our Important Bird Areas program.  Your participation in these programs becomes part of the historical record.  Participants’ names may be displayed publically in reports, on the Audubon website, or in summary articles.  Audubon collects your personal information if you submit a digital photo through our websites to any of the programs listed above, and displays your name in proximity to any image you submit.  Audubon also collects location specific data when you use mobile apps associated with our community science programs.  This information is stored in our database in proximity to your personal information and any scientific bird observations you submit.

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a collaboration of Audubon, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada.  Any data submitted to the GBBC databases, including bird observations and photos, is governed by the GBBC privacy policy found here. 

Bird Migration Explorer 

When you complete the sign-up form for the Bird Migration Explorer, Audubon may share your contact information with certain of its Migratory Bird Initiative partners. Audubon will notify you at sign-in which partner(s) may receive your personal information.

Non-Personal Information

We may collect non-personal information about the computer, mobile phone, tablet or other device you use to access Audubon Media, such as IP addresses, geolocation information, unique device identifiers, and browser type.

Audubon’s Media also uses several techniques, such as cookies, beacons and pixel tags, to improve the functioning of our Media platforms, to help us understand how people are using Media, and to personalize your experience.  Audubon also contracts with third parties to provide analytics information, reports and analysis about the usage and browsing patterns of our Media visitors.

Some of our mobile applications can deliver content based on your current location if you choose to enable that feature of the app.  If you enable the location-based feature, your current location will be stored locally on your device, which will then be used by the app.  If you elect to have a location-based search saved to your history, we will store that information on our servers.  This information Is used to gather information to analyze traffic to the Media sites, to improve our content for navigation, to enhance our marketing efforts, and to personalize your experience.

We do not respond to browser-based “Do Not Track” signals.

How Audubon Uses the Information We Collect

Internally

Audubon may share the information you provide internally.  Audubon may use the contact information you provide, such as any email addresses or physical addresses, to send you information about Audubon and its mission, to send you newsletters and requests to take action, and requests for your support.

Every email and newsletter Audubon sends contains an unsubscribe button.  Or you may opt-out by contacting Audubon’s Supporter Care team at support@audubon.org.

Externally

Service Providers

Audubon hires contractors to assist us to perform certain business functions, such as credit card processing, order fulfillment, or email and membership list services.  Our contractors are provided only the information necessary for them to do their jobs and are prohibited from using the information they receive from Audubon in any way other than to provide their services to Audubon.  They may not share, resell or use the information they collect for their own direct marketing purposes.

Third Party Ad Servers

Audubon may use third-party companies to serve digital ads when you visit our site.  These companies may use information about your visits to Audubon Media (which generally does not include personal information) to provide advertisements about goods and serves that may be of interest to you.  These companies may employ tracking technologies to cause relevant ads to be displayed to you.

Third Party Not-for-Profit Organizations

Audubon may share your personal information with certain not-for-profit organizations for Audubon’s mission-related purposes, such as to notify a chapter of your interest, to help to develop a database of conservation voters, or to identify local activists for a joint conservation event.  To opt-out, please contact Audubon’s Supporter Care team at support@audubon.org.

Third Party Marketing and Commercial Vendors

Audubon has the opportunity to share information with its licensees and other commercial vendors as a means to support its conservation mission.  We will not sell, rent, swap or authorize any third party commercial vendor to use your email address or any other information that personally identifies you unless you tell us we may do so by opting-in where such information is collected.  And you can always change your mind later.  To opt-out, please contact Audubon’s Supporter Care team at support@audubon.org.

Under California’s “Shine the Light” law, California residents may opt-out of Audubon’s disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes.  As described above, Audubon will not share your personal information with any third party commercial vendors unless you tell us we may by opting in, and you can opt-out later if you change your mind. 

Miscellaneous

Children Under Thirteen Years of Age

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under thirteen years of age.

How Audubon Protects the Data We Collect 

Audubon is committed to protecting the information you provide to us. We employ multiple layers of physical, technical and administrative controls, including firewalls, anti-virus software and encryption technology, to protect the availability, confidentiality and integrity of our systems and the information stored there.  Access to our systems for staff and, when appropriate, volunteers is permission-based and access to Personal Information is restricted.  But no data transmission or storage system is 100 percent secure from unauthorized access or use.  If you have reason to believe that your Personal Information has been compromised while in our care, please immediately notify us at privacy@audubon.org.