Privacy Policy

1. Information we collect

When you register with Our Common Roots or get in touch, we collect only the information you choose to give us. That includes:

• Contact and identity details — your first and last name, email address, and phone number.
• Mailing address — your street address, city, state, and ZIP code.
• Consent records — a record of the consent you gave (including the date, time, and the wording you agreed to) when you opted in to receive communications from us.
• Messages you send us — any information you include when you write to us, fill out a form, or reply to our emails or texts.

We do not ask for or collect sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, or government ID numbers through our registration form.

2. How we use your information

We use your information solely to run Our Common Roots and to stay in touch with you about our work. Specifically, we use it to:

• Send you our newsletter, invitations to our events, and volunteer opportunities — the communications you registered to receive.
• Contact you by email, phone call, or text message about our programs, events, and the ways you can take part, consistent with the consent you gave.
• Respond to your questions and follow up on requests you send us.
• Keep accurate records of your registration and your communication preferences, including your consent.
• Meet our legal and recordkeeping obligations as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

3. We do not sell or share your information

Your information is used only for the work of Our Common Roots. We do not sell, rent, trade, or share your personal information with any third parties for their own marketing or any other purpose.

The only limited exceptions are when we are legally required to do so — for example, to comply with a valid legal request or court order, or to protect the safety of our community. We may also rely on trusted service providers (such as our email delivery system) strictly to operate our communications on our behalf; these providers may only use your information to provide that service to us and may not use it for their own purposes.

4. Consent & communications

When you register, you check a box to give your express written consent for Our Common Roots to contact you at the email address and phone number you provided — including by marketing emails, phone calls, and text messages that may be sent using automated technology and/or prerecorded messages. This box is never pre-checked; you choose to opt in.

Consent is not a condition of receiving any goods or services from us. Message and data rates may apply to text messages. You can opt out at any time:

• Text messages: reply STOP to any text to stop receiving them.
• Emails: click the unsubscribe link in any email, or email us at the address below.
• Phone calls: tell us during any call, or email us, and we will remove your number.

We also use a double opt-in process: after you register, we email you a verification link, and your registration is only completed once you confirm it.

5. How long we keep your information

We keep your information only as long as we need it for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law.

If you ask us to delete your information or you opt out of our communications, we will remove you from our active lists, but we may retain the limited consent and opt-out records described above for the period required to demonstrate our compliance.

6. Your California privacy rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), gives you certain rights regarding your personal information. These include the right to:

• Know what personal information we have collected about you and how we use it.
• Access a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate personal information we hold about you.
• Delete the personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain legal exceptions.
• Opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. Our Common Roots does not sell or share your personal information, so there is nothing to opt out of — but you may exercise this right at any time, and we will honor it.
• Be free from discrimination for exercising any of your privacy rights.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at privacy@ourcommonroot.org. We will verify your request and respond within the timeframes required by law. You may also designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf.

7. Children & people under 18

Our registration form and marketing communications are intended for adults. Our Common Roots does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18 years of age through this form, and you must be 18 or older to register. If you believe a person under 18 has provided us with personal information through our registration form, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

(Youth participate in our mentoring and community programs only through separate, supervised enrollment with a parent or guardian's involvement — not through this online registration form.)

8. How we protect your information

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information against loss, misuse, and unauthorized access. Access to your information is limited to staff and volunteers who need it to do their work. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your information and to keep our practices up to date.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or the law. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. If we make material changes, we will take reasonable steps to let you know.

10. Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, your information, or your rights, we'd be glad to hear from you.