Privacy Policy

The Virginia Wine Coalition (the “Coalition,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of our website visitors and members. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information gathered through our website, http://www.virginiawinecoalition.org (the “Website”).

By accessing or using our Website, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the practices described in this policy, please do not use our Website.

1. Information We Collect

We collect various types of information from and about users of our Website, including:

Personal Information: This is information that can identify you directly or indirectly. We may collect personal information when you voluntarily provide it to us, such as when you:
- Sign up for our newsletter or email updates (e.g., name, email address).
- Fill out a contact form (e.g., name, email address, phone number, message content).
- Register for an event or membership (e.g., name, address, email, phone number, payment information).
- Participate in surveys or provide feedback.
- Apply for a position or volunteer opportunity.
Non-Personal Information (Automatically Collected): When you visit our Website, we may automatically collect certain non-personal information about your device and browsing activity. This information is typically aggregated and does not directly identify you. It may include:
- Usage Data: Information about how you interact with our Website, such as the pages you visit, the time spent on those pages, the links you click, and your navigation paths.
- Device Information: Information about the device you use to access our Website, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information.
- Referral Information: The website you visited before coming to our Website.

2. How We Collect Information

We collect information through various methods:

Directly from You: When you voluntarily provide it to us through forms, registrations, or communications.
Automatically: Through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies as you navigate through the Website.
From Third Parties: We may receive information from third-party service providers (e.g., analytics providers, payment processors) that assist us in operating our Website and services.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:

To Provide and Maintain Our Website: To ensure the proper functioning and security of our Website.
To Communicate with You: To respond to your inquiries, send you newsletters, updates, event notifications, and other information you have requested or that we believe may be of interest to you.
To Process Transactions: To process memberships, event registrations, or other payments.
To Improve Our Website and Services: To understand how users interact with our Website, analyze trends, and enhance user experience, content, and functionality.
For Marketing and Promotional Purposes: To send you information about our activities, events, and partners that may be relevant to you, in accordance with your preferences.
For Internal Operations: For data analysis, auditing, fraud prevention, and other internal business purposes.
To Comply with Legal Obligations: To meet legal, regulatory, or governmental requirements.

4. How We Share Your Information

We may share your information with third parties in the following circumstances:

Service Providers: We may share your information with trusted third-party service providers who perform functions on our behalf, such as website hosting, data analytics, email delivery, payment processing, event management, and customer support. These providers are obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them.
Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court order or subpoena).
To Protect Our Rights: We may disclose your information when we believe it is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding potential violations of our policies, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the safety of any person, or as evidence in litigation in which we are involved.
Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.
With Your Consent: We may share your information with other third parties when we have your explicit consent to do so.
Aggregated or Anonymized Data: We may share aggregated or anonymized information that cannot reasonably be used to identify you with third parties for various purposes, including analytics, research, or marketing.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Website uses “cookies” and similar tracking technologies (like web beacons and pixels) to enhance your experience, analyze Website usage, and for marketing purposes.

What are Cookies? Cookies are small text files stored on your device (computer, tablet, smartphone) when you visit certain websites. They allow a website to recognize your device and remember information about your visit.
How We Use Cookies: We use cookies for:
- Essential Website Functionality: To enable core features like navigation and access to secure areas.
- Performance and Analytics: To collect information about how visitors use our Website, which pages are most popular, and identify areas for improvement. This helps us understand and optimize our Website.
- Personalization: To remember your preferences and settings.
- Advertising (if applicable): To deliver more relevant advertisements to you on other websites based on your interests.
Your Choices Regarding Cookies: Most web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. You can typically adjust your browser settings to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent. However, if you disable cookies, some parts of our Website may not function properly.

6. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, while we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

7. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including:

Access: The right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Correction/Rectification: The right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information we hold about you.
Deletion/Erasure: The right to request that we delete your personal information under certain circumstances.
Opt-Out of Marketing Communications: You can opt-out of receiving marketing emails from us by following the unsubscribe instructions provided in those emails or by contacting us directly.
Data Portability: The right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in the “Contact Us” section below. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.

8. Third-Party Links

Our Website may contain links to third-party websites that are not operated by us. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

9. Children’s Privacy

Our Website is not intended for individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently received personal information from a child under the age of 13, we will delete such information from our records. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will post the updated Privacy Policy on this page and revise the “Effective Date” at the top. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of the Website after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at: info@virginiawinecoalition.org