Privacy Policy

Spirit Blossom Foundation, Inc. ("the Foundation," "we," "us," or "our") recognizes the trust individuals place in us and determines how personal information is collected and used for its operations.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, maintain, disclose, and protect information obtained through our website, communications, donations, volunteer participation, charitable activities, and related operations.

We seek to collect only information reasonably necessary for specified purposes. Where additional or sensitive information is needed, we provide an appropriate notice and obtain consent or establish another applicable lawful basis before processing it.

Our practices may evolve as our programs, service providers, and legal obligations change.

Depending on how you interact with the Foundation, we may collect:

• Your name, email address, telephone number, or messaging contact information.
• Country, city, community, or general location information.
• Information submitted through volunteer, contact, program, or partnership forms.
• Volunteer interests, availability, relevant skills, experience, reasons for volunteering, and age-eligibility confirmation.
• Application decisions, approved roles and assignments, SBF volunteer numbers, approval dates, expiration dates, and participation status.
• Limited identity-verification records, as explained in the volunteer section below.
• Information necessary to process, acknowledge, or document donations and authorized program payments.
• Communications, feedback, requests, concerns, and incident reports.
• Information reasonably necessary to coordinate and document charitable activities.
• Photographs and media supplied or collected for authorized purposes, subject to appropriate permissions.

We may use personal information for legitimate Foundation purposes, including to:

• Respond to questions, requests, and communications.
• Evaluate and coordinate potential volunteer participation, confirm identity and age eligibility, and reduce impersonation.
• Communicate with volunteers, donors, supporters, partners, coordinators, and community contacts.
• Plan, administer, document, and evaluate charitable programs and community activities.
• Process, acknowledge, administer, and maintain appropriate records of charitable contributions.
• Maintain financial, administrative, governance, operational, and compliance records.
• Protect the Foundation, participants, beneficiaries, volunteers, children, families, donors, and Foundation resources.
• Investigate suspected misuse of Foundation resources, misconduct, safety concerns, or other incidents.
• Improve our website, communications, programs, and charitable activities.
• Comply with applicable legal, regulatory, financial, accounting, tax, reporting, or recordkeeping obligations.

Optional public directory publication is handled separately from application review and identity verification.

We use an appropriate lawful basis for each processing activity. Where we rely on consent, it must be specific and informed. We do not treat a general volunteer acknowledgment as blanket permission for identity checks, sensitive screening information, marketing, or public publication.

Applications and approval

We use application information to assess potential participation, communicate with applicants, arrange approved assignments, and maintain records supporting safety, accountability, and program administration.

Live, view-only ID verification

Before full approval or certain assignments, we may ask an applicant to show an original government-issued photo ID during a brief, live video call. An authorized in-person check may be arranged where appropriate.

Before the check, we explain its purpose and obtain specific consent to view the information needed to confirm identity and age eligibility.

Applicants may cover ID numbers, addresses, signatures, and other details unnecessary for the check. We view only the information reasonably needed for verification. Any birthdate needed to confirm age eligibility is viewed without recording the full date.

Our private verification record may include:

• The applicant's name and SBF volunteer number, if assigned.
• Whether identity and required age eligibility were confirmed.
• The verification date and method.
• The reviewer's name.
• A limited follow-up note, if necessary, without copying unnecessary ID details.

We do not record government ID numbers or full birthdates in this verification record.

The selected video service processes the live connection and may process technical or account information under its own terms. The Foundation keeps recording, transcription, and automated meeting-summary features disabled for identity checks.

If an applicant cannot complete the proposed method or does not consent, they may contact us about an alternative. An assignment requiring verification may remain pending until an appropriate check is completed.

Identity verification does not establish that someone is trustworthy, replace safeguarding or reference checks, or authorize handling funds.

References and coordinator screening

Certain roles, particularly coordination or handling funds, may require additional references or appropriate clearance checks. Before requesting these, we explain the information needed, purpose, access, handling, and retention separately and obtain consent where required.

Applicants should not submit clearance documents or sensitive screening information through general website free-text fields.

With separate, optional permission, the Foundation may publish an active volunteer or coordinator profile containing:

• An approved display name.
• A portrait supplied specifically for public publication.
• An SBF-issued volunteer number.
• The approved role.
• Approval start and expiration dates.
• Current active status.

The directory helps members of the public confirm participation and reduce impersonation. A listing does not itself authorize fundraising, collecting payments, or making commitments for the Foundation. Requests involving money or representation should be confirmed directly with us.

Directory permission is separate from applying, being approved, and completing identity verification. Declining a public listing does not by itself disqualify someone from volunteering. We can provide private status verification where appropriate.

The directory is publicly accessible. Photographs and details may be viewed, copied, or indexed by others. We cannot guarantee removal of copies or search-engine caches outside our control.

Volunteers may request correction or withdraw listing permission by contacting us. We remove public profiles when approval expires, participation ends, active approval is suspended or withdrawn, or publication permission is withdrawn. We do not publish allegations or reasons for disciplinary action in the directory.

When you make a donation or other authorized financial contribution, information necessary to process and document the transaction may be collected by the Foundation and/or by the payment processor, financial institution, website provider, or other service provider involved in the transaction.

Payment card and financial transaction information may be transmitted directly to third-party payment processors or financial service providers. Their handling of payment information is governed by their own privacy, security, and service practices.

The Foundation may retain information reasonably necessary for donor acknowledgment, financial reporting, accounting, tax compliance, internal controls, audit support, and other legitimate charitable or legal purposes.

Our charitable activities may benefit children and families. Information involving children requires particular care.

Our website is intended for a general audience and is not designed to solicit personal information directly from children under 13. Children should not submit volunteer applications.

We limit beneficiary information to what is reasonably necessary for charitable, administrative, safety, or program purposes. We obtain parental or guardian consent, or another legally valid authorization, where required. School or community involvement does not automatically replace consent required by applicable law.

Volunteers should not submit children's personal information through general application forms or public group chats.

The Foundation may use photographs, videos, stories, program information, or other media to document charitable activities, communicate impact, maintain organizational records, recognize community support, and promote awareness of our mission.

We seek to handle media involving children, families, beneficiaries, volunteers, and community members respectfully and consistent with applicable Foundation policies, permissions, circumstances, and safeguarding considerations.

We may choose not to publish names, precise locations, or other identifying details where doing so could create unnecessary privacy or safety concerns.

Public volunteer directory portraits require the separate permission described in the directory section. Permission for a directory listing is not blanket permission for unrelated publicity or advertising.

Our website platform and other service providers may use cookies, similar technologies, server logs, device information, and analytics tools to operate the website, maintain functionality, understand website usage, protect the website, and improve visitor experience.

Depending on the technologies and settings in use, information collected automatically may include browser type, device type, general geographic information, referring pages, pages viewed, approximate visit duration, and similar technical information.

Browser settings and available website privacy controls may allow visitors to limit or manage certain cookies. Disabling certain technologies may affect website functionality.

Routine access to private volunteer applications, verification records, and screening records is limited to the Foundation's President and Vice President.

Approved coordinators and program partners receive only information reasonably necessary for their assigned activities. A coordinator title does not provide routine access to private application or verification files.

We use service providers, including Squarespace for website hosting and forms, Google services for Foundation communications and any enabled record storage, and the service identified when a verification call is arranged.

We may disclose relevant information to professional advisers, insurers, payment providers, regulators, law enforcement, or other appropriate recipients where necessary and lawful for:

• Program administration.
• Financial or compliance requirements.
• Safeguarding and incident response.
• Investigating suspected fraud or misuse.
• Establishing, exercising, or defending legal claims.
• Responding to lawful requests.

Additional access must be necessary, authorized, and subject to appropriate confidentiality and security measures. We do not routinely circulate ID-verification or screening records in volunteer group chats.

We do not sell personal information.

The Foundation is based in the United States and supports activities in the Philippines and potentially other countries.

Information submitted by Philippine applicants may be accessed and processed by Foundation leadership in the United States. Website, email, video, payment, and storage providers may process information in the United States or other locations where they operate.

We remain responsible for information under our control and use appropriate safeguards for cross-border processing. Being based in the United States does not remove applicable Philippine privacy obligations.

We use reasonable organizational, physical, and technical safeguards appropriate to the information and risks involved.

Private records are maintained in restricted Foundation-controlled computer folders and authorized service accounts. Access is limited as described above. Records should not be stored in shared public folders or circulated through informal group chats.

Our handling procedures include account access controls, device protection, confidential review, and appropriate disposal. We review concerns and respond to suspected unauthorized access or disclosure.

We retain information only as long as reasonably necessary for its stated purpose or another applicable lawful requirement.

• Unsuccessful or withdrawn applications: ordinarily retained for up to 12 months after the application review closes or the applicant withdraws, unless a specific lawful reason requires longer retention.
• Approved volunteer and coordinator records: retained during participation and afterward only as necessary for documented accountability, safeguarding, unresolved transactions, complaints, legal claims, or applicable recordkeeping obligations. We review continued need periodically.
• Identity-verification records: follow the necessary retention criteria for the associated application or volunteer record. No ID copy or verification recording is retained under the view-only process.
• Public directory profiles: removed when no longer eligible for publication under the directory section. Removal from the public directory does not automatically require deletion of necessary private records.
• Directory permission records: retained as necessary to document authorized publication and handle withdrawal or related requests.
• Financial, donation, governance, incident, and legal records: retained according to applicable requirements and the specific purpose of the record.

The 12-month application period is a Foundation practice, not a statutory deadline for all records.

Where records are needed for an unresolved incident, legal claim, or lawful preservation requirement, we restrict access and retain only what is necessary.

When information is no longer needed, we securely delete, destroy, or genuinely anonymize it. Moving a file into an archive does not make it deleted. Disposal procedures address relevant computer, email, cloud, and service-provider copies and applicable backup cycles.

You may contact us to:

• Request information about your personal data and its use.
• Request access or correction.
• Request deletion or restriction where applicable.
• Withdraw consent for processing based on consent.
• Withdraw optional directory or other publication permission.
• Stop non-essential communications.
• Raise a privacy concern.

We may verify your identity using a proportionate method before responding.

Withdrawal does not undo processing lawfully carried out before withdrawal. Some records may still need to be retained under a separate applicable lawful basis. Where a request cannot be fully fulfilled, we explain the reason as appropriate.

For Philippine privacy concerns, you may also contact the National Privacy Commission. Nothing in this policy limits applicable legal rights.

Our website may link to social media, payment services, partner organizations, and other external services.

Independent providers have their own privacy and security practices. We do not control their independent activities. Where a provider processes information on our behalf, the Foundation remains responsible for its applicable obligations concerning that processing.

We may update this policy as our activities, technology, providers, and obligations change.

We update the "Last Updated" date when revisions are published and communicate material changes where appropriate or required.

If a new use requires fresh consent, posting a policy update does not replace obtaining that consent.

The version posted on this page is the current website Privacy Policy unless otherwise stated.