Privacy Policy

Our Tribute Fund (OTF) is committed to preserving your privacy and maintaining the accuracy, confidentiality and security of your credit card and other personal information. This privacy policy describes the personal information OTF collects through any means, including but not limited to Our  Tribute Fund Contributors' web portal forms and our website at www.ourtributefund.com (each “Site” and collectively the "Sites"), how we collect, use and safeguard that information, and the circumstances under which we may disclose it. By using one of our Sites or otherwise providing your personal information to us, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

What is personal information?

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, "personal information" is any information about an identifiable individual, other than an individual’s business title or business contact information. Personal information may include your name, address, age, credit card information, contribution history and banking information, among other things.  Personal information does not include information that cannot be associated with or tracked back to a specific individual.

What personal information does the Our Tribute Gift Foundation collect?

When you make a contribution to a campaign through one of Sites, OTF collects personal information directly from you in order to properly process your contribution and be able to issue a contribution receipt for it. OTF also collects personal information from you in this manner to enable OTF to contact you to confirm your contribution. This personal information consists of your name, address, phone number, email address, "acknowledgement" or "in memory of" information, recipient fund, your direction and notes to the recipient fund, and contribution amount.

It is unlikely that OTF will need to contact you, but we reserve the right in the event that we need to verify your personal information or to complete your contribution. If you contact us by email or phone, we may ask you to verify your personal information so that we may respond to your inquiry.  We may also collect personal information from emails, electronic messages and mail you send us, or from telephone conversations with you, for our use to complete your contribution and to send you a receipt.

We collect credit card information from contributors so that we can process contributions. This information is maintained on a PCI-compliant and secure server that is managed by a third party contractor. We also use a credit card processing company to process contributions.  Where we transfer personal information to a third party contractor to handle or process on our behalf, we ensure the third party agrees to use such information solely as necessary to provide the services to us, and that the third party otherwise handles and safeguards such personal information in a manner that is compliant with this policy and the laws and regulations that apply to OTF for the protection of personal information.

Sometimes our collection of personal information from you may happen automatically. We may use tracking technologies such as cookies, log files, and pixel tags to automatically collect information when users visit one of our Sites. Information we collect in this manner includes, but may not be limited to:

  • IP address to measure our website traffic and to help provide a more personalized experience;
  • Information regarding your browser and other technical specifications required to use our Sites;
  • Your transaction history relating to the use of our services;
  • Computer data or files, often called “cookies,” which may be sent by your web browser and stored on an individual computer to allow our server to “recognize” you through the navigation of our Sites; and
  • Computer data files, often called “web beacons” that are collected from emails or links on third-party sites that allow our server to evaluate the popularity of those links or the information contained in emails or on third-party sites.

We use this information to improve our service offerings and to customize your experience using our Sites.  For more information, see the “Cookies and Similar Technologies” section below.

How does OTF Use Your Personal Information?

As explained above, OTF uses your personal information to process your contribution, issue an official receipt for it, and to contact you if necessary for those purposes.  OTF may also use your personal information to provide you with services and support, personalize user experiences on our Sites, perform analytics and system improvement, and in compliance with our legal obligations.

OTF does not retain, share, store or use personally identifiable information for any secondary purposes without your express consent.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

We may use cookies, pixel tags, and similar technologies to gather information about your use of our Sites to improve our service offerings and to customize your experience using our Sites.

Cookies

Cookies are small data files that help us keep track of your usage of our Sites. Many of the cookies we use enable the Site to function as you would expect it to. Cookies enable the Site to remember things like your login information (if any) and other personalized settings. Cookies also enable us to track and analyze user behavior in order to improve our Sites and service offerings.  Most web browsers automatically accept cookies but you can choose to accept or decline certain types of cookies if you prefer. However, declining cookies may impact the functionality of the Site and in some cases you may not be able to access the functions of the Site. We may use the following categories of cookies on our Sites:

  • Session cookies
    Session cookies are stored on the user’s hard drive temporarily and are deleted when the user ends the browsing session. Session cookies are useful for things like keeping items in a shopping cart while the user continues to browse.
  • Persistent cookies
    Persistent cookies stay on the user’s hard drive until they expire, even after the browser is closed. Persistent cookies are useful for remembering things like login information, so users do not have to enter their password every time they visit the Site.

Clear GIFs

Clear GIFs (also called pixel tags or web beacons) are small files embedded in websites that tell us what content a user accesses and how users navigate our Sites. Clear GIFs enable us to track and analyse user behavior on our Sites in order to make them more intuitive and user friendly.

Protecting personal information:

OTF protects the personal information it collects using physical, technical and administrative safeguards that are suitable given the sensitivity of the information.  These safeguards help protect the personal information against loss or theft, unauthorized access, use, copying, disclosure and modification When a contributor is asked to enter personal information (such as contact information, address and credit card number) on one of our online forms, that information is encrypted and is protected using secure sockets layer (SSL) digital certificates. While on a secure page the lock icon on the bottom of Web browsers such as Chrome, Safari, or Firefox, becomes locked.

Does OTF Disclose Personal Information?

As a condition of service, OTF may disclose your name, contact information, "acknowledgement" or "in memory of "information, notes and directions and the amount you contributed, to the funeral home and/or distribution partners in efforts to inform and notify the family of the amount and contribution details as required.

OTF may disclose personal information when required by law, the IRS in the United States, the CRA in Canada, or other governmental authority, or if requested by a credit card issuer in case of a dispute.

In working with our service providers, your personal information may be accessible in, or transferred to, a foreign jurisdiction. Such information may be provided to law enforcement or national security authorities of that jurisdiction in order to comply with foreign laws.

Accuracy of Personal Information

We take reasonable steps to ensure the personal information we collect is accurate, complete and current as required for the purposes for which the information is collected.  You have the right to view and update your personal information or ask us to delete it at any time.  Simply send your detailed request to us using our contact information provided below.

Retention of Personal Information

We retain personal information only as long as it is required for the reasons it was collected for. The length of time we retain information varies, depending on the purpose and the nature of the information. When your personal information is no longer required for these purposes, the information is either physically destroyed or deleted. 

Children

We do not knowingly collect personal information about individuals under the age of consent in their jurisdiction of residence without the consent of their parent or guardian.  If we become aware that we have collected personal information from such an individual without the consent of his or her parent or guardian, we will undertake reasonable efforts to enable us to promptly delete such information from our database.

For EU Residents

The vast majority of our contributors are Canadians or Americans.  However, while we do not target our services to individuals outside of Canada or the United States, some of our individual donors may be residents of the European Economic Area (“EEA”). For the benefit of such users, we handle their personal data in accordance with applicable EU data protection laws and regulations, including the EU GDPR. Subject to certain exemptions set out in the GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to the Personal information we hold about you:

  • The right to access and inspect your personal information or to be provided with a permanent copy of the information being held about you;
  • The right to request the correction of any inaccuracies in your personal information or where the accuracy of information is disputed, to add additional information to give notice that you dispute the accuracy of the information content;
  • The right to request the erasure of your personal information, particularly where the continued processing of the information is no longer necessary;
  • The right to object to the processing of your personal information, particularly where there are no longer sufficient legitimate grounds for us to continue processing the information;
  • The right to restrict processing, data portability and the right to appeal any automated decision making or profiling; and
  • The right to complain to a Data Protection Regulator about our processing of your personal information.

It is important to note that the rights set out above are not unconditional and the specific circumstances of the processing being undertaken by us will determine if these rights may be exercised.  Further information concerning these rights and their application can be obtained by residents of the EEA by contacting us at the address provided below.

If you are a resident of the EEA, our legal basis for collecting and using the personal information described in this privacy policy will depend on the personal information concerned and the specific context in which we collect it.

However, we will normally collect personal information from you where the processing is in our legitimate commercial interests which are not overridden by your protection interests or fundamental rights and freedoms.  Typically, our legitimate interests include: providing our services, facilitating our security safeguards, and defending legal claims. 

If you use our services, we may need your personal information to perform a contract with you.  In some limited cases, we may be under a legal obligation to collect, use or disclose your personal information, such as disclosure required by court order.

Where we rely specifically on express consent to collect and process your personal information, you are not obliged to provide your consent and you may subsequently withdraw your consent once it has been provided.  It should be noted however that this may limit your experience with our resources and services.

If you have any questions about or need further information concerning the legal basis on which we collect and use your personal information, please contact us at the address provided below.

Withdrawing Your Consent

You may withdraw your consent to our collection, use or disclosure of your personal information at any time.  Simply contact us as set out below with your request.

For California Residents: Your California Privacy Rights

Access and Correction Rights

California Civil Code § 1798.83 permits users that are California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please contact us via the contact information provided below.

Do Not Track Signals

Our Sites do not respond to browsers’ Do Not Track signals.

Changes to our Privacy Policy:

OTF reserves the right to change its Privacy Policy and, in the event, will post those changes so that contributors are always aware of what information we collect, how we collect, use and safeguard it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it.  Please check this web page regularly to ensure you are aware of our current Privacy Policy. Your continued use of one of our Sites or your continued provision of your personal information to us by any means whatsoever constitutes your agreement to our then-current Privacy Policy.

Contacting OTF:

OTF works hard to ensure that your giving experience is a positive one. If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of OTF, or your dealings with our Websites, please contact:

Our Tribute Fund
[email protected]
Telephone: 1-855-355-6486
Privacy Policy as of July 2019.

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