You do not have to share personally identifiable information to use the EQUALITY OHIO web site. EQUALITY OHIO does not collect personally identifiable information about people without their permission. However, please be aware that our site links to other websites and EQUALITY OHIO cannot control and is not responsible for the content or the privacy policies of those websites.

Our privacy policy explains the information practices we use at equalitiyohio.org.

How we use the information gathered when you become a member of EQUALITY OHIO or use one of our online services:

We gather contact information when you contribute to EQUALITY OHIO online or via mail, join at pride or another event, when you sign up to use the EQUALITY OHIO Action Center or when you sign up on one of our listservs such as news@equalityohio.org. We use this information to send you legislative updates, action alerts, press releases, information about EQUALITY OHIO programs, events and activities, local volunteer opportunities and membership and renewal appeals.

EQUALITY OHIO also uses information gathered via the EQUALITY OHIO website to improve our web-based services. EQUALITY OHIO periodically performs statistical analyses of aggregate user behavior and characteristics in order to measure interest in and use of various areas on our website and to use such information to improve on our website's ability to serve you better.

Cookies: EQUALITY OHIO may use "cookies" on some Web pages. A cookie is a small piece of data stored on an End User's hard drive but does not itself contain any personal information. Cookies enhance an End User's experience by saving the End User from having to log in or provide information each time he or she re-visits an EQUALITY OHIO Web page and by customizing content based on an End User's interests. An End User can configure his or her browser to be alerted when a site is attempting to send a cookie and refuse the cookie.

EQUALITY OHIO also tracks End User activity and click-through behavior to provide an End User with a more personalized experience while visiting our Web pages and for more personalized e-mail alerts. EQUALITY OHIO also uses IP addresses to analyze trends, administer the Web site, track End User movement and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use.

How you receive e-mails and e-mail newsletters from EQUALITY OHIO:

You will only receive email newsletters from us if you have a) expressly signed up for a newsletter on an EQUALITY OHIO website; b) you are a subscriber to our EQUALITY OHIO online Action Center and/or have been invited to sign up to for the online Action Center at Prides, EQUALITY OHIO Action Center, paid membership, and at many other hosted EQUALITY OHIO events.

The information we gather from subscribers to our email newsletters (including email addresses) is not shared with other organizations or parties without your permission. From time to time we may send out emails on behalf of these like-minded organizations, but we do not provide them with access to any personal information that you have provided without your permission.

In order to provide you with better and more relevant information, we compile information about email response and website usage. This information helps us to better understand our members' site usage patterns and also what types of content and information may help improve your user experience on the EQUALITY OHIO website.

All emails sent contain a link to unsubscribe or to modify your profile. You may subscribe or unsubscribe to any newsletter or e-mail communication from EQUALITY OHIO at any time.

How we track HTML newsletters:

We make use of both "open-tracking" and "click-tracking" in our HTML newsletters (i.e. emails that contain text and images). Open-tracking allows us to find out how many people have viewed our email newsletters and click-tracking allows us to find out which links in the newsletter were clicked on. This helps us to refine and improve the editorial content of our newsletters, and to provide you with relevant information.

"HTML-sensing" is used to determine if your email client supports HTML-based emails. This is employed only if you request our system to detect whether you can receive HTML emails.

If you have any questions, please email: info@equalityohio.org.

How we protect your information:

EQUALITY OHIO is extremely protective of the information gathered through its membership and website. Our web site has security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of the information under our control. Our web server is located in a locked, secure environment. All databases containing personal information are securely stored on a separate system that is not connected to the Internet.

When you contribute to EQUALITY OHIO on-line, we use a secure server and encryption to protect your financial and other personal information during transmission.

EQUALITY OHIO follows the Association of Fundraising Professional's (AFP) Ethical Guidelines to the Code of Ethical Principles and Standards of Professional Practice.

EQUALITY OHIO does not specifically ask children under 18 for any information and we do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information about them.

How to unsubscribe from mailing lists:

All EQUALITY OHIO communication, whether via email or US mail, provides information on how to unsubscribe quickly and easily. Those wishing to opt out of receiving communications from EQUALITY OHIO ("do not contact"), or from being included in list exchanges with like-minded organizations ("do not exchange") can simply contact our members services at info@equalityohio.org.

How to correct information you have provided:

You may correct and/or change any information regarding your membership by contacting our member services at info@equalityohio.org.

How to contact us about our policies:

If you have any questions about our privacy policy, the information we have collected from you online, the practices of this site or your interaction with this website, send email to: info@equalityohio.org.