Privacy & Policies
Last Updated: November 1st, 2025
1. Introduction and Scope
This Privacy Policy describes how GivePulse, Inc., a Delaware corporation, collects, uses, discloses, and protects information in connection with our platform and services. GivePulse provides technology that helps organizations, businesses, educational institutions, nonprofits, and individuals connect, coordinate, manage, and measure community engagement, volunteerism, service-learning, corporate social responsibility, philanthropy, and other social impact activities. Through the GivePulse platform, millions of people participate in and contribute to community activities and organizations record and measure millions of engagements and impacts each year.
Our Services include volunteer management, event coordination, impact measurement, fundraising tools, educational partnerships, and artificial intelligence-powered tools and features. This Policy applies to all interactions with our platform, whether accessed through www.givepulse.com, mobile applications, APIs, AI-powered tools, or third-party integrations.
Geographic Scope: We operate primarily in North and Central America but serve users globally, complying with applicable privacy laws including CCPA/CPRA, GDPR, FERPA, COPPA, VCDPA, CPA, CTDPA, TDPSA, and other relevant federal and state regulations.
Contact Information: For privacy questions, contact us at support@givepulse.com or GivePulse, Inc., 14205 N Mo Pac Expy Ste 570 PMB 220196, Austin, Texas 78728-6529
2. Information We Collect
Information You Provide: When you create an account or use our Services, we may collect personal information such as your name, email address, phone number, and profile preferences. When you create or manage an account on behalf of an organization, nonprofit, business, educational institution, or other entity, we may also collect information about that organization, including its name, contact information, website, organizational type, tax-exempt or legal status, mission, programs, social responsibility or community engagement initiatives, and other information you choose to provide. Where applicable, we may also collect financial or payment-related information necessary to facilitate subscriptions, donations, payments, disbursements, or other transactions.
Engagement and Event Data: Through use of the Services, we may collect and process information related to an organization's programs, events, and community engagement activities. This may include volunteer applications, event registrations and participation records, service hours, skills and interests, attendance, donations or fundraising activities, surveys and evaluations, impact contributions, and other information relating to participation or engagement. We may process this information on behalf of organizations that use the Services to manage their programs and relationships with participants, members, volunteers, donors, students, employees, community members, and other individuals. We implement appropriate safeguards designed to protect this information, including access controls that limit access to authorized personnel and, where appropriate, the use of aggregated or de-identified information for reporting, analytics, and other legitimate business purposes.
Third-Party Integrations: When you connect social media accounts or other third-party services, we collect profile information and contacts you choose to import.
Payment and Financial Information:
For Organizations Setting Up Donations and Events: When you set up donation campaigns or ticketed events on GivePulse, our payment processors (including but not limited to Stripe, Authorize.net, Touchnet, PayPal, and PayPal Giving Fund) collect and maintain information related to your withdrawal of funds. This includes:
Bank account information for fund withdrawal (the “Withdrawing Account”)
Tax identification numbers and organizational verification details
Transaction records and fee disclosures
Automated tax receipt generation information
For Donors and Event Participants: When you donate to campaigns or purchase event tickets through GivePulse, our payment processors collect:
Credit card details and payment method information
Billing addresses and contact information
Transaction history and donation records
Tax receipt information where applicable
Payment Processor Relationships: By setting up donations or ticketed events, you agree to the processing, use, transfer, or disclosure of data by our Payment Processors pursuant to their applicable terms. We maintain current links to all payment processor terms for easy reference and ensure:
All applicable payment processor fees are clearly disclosed before implementation
Organizations can choose whether fees are deducted from donations or paid separately
Donors are clearly informed about fee structures
Tax receipt information is automatically provided where applicable
Data Security: Payment processing data is handled according to PCI DSS standards and the respective privacy policies of our certified payment processor partners. We do not store complete credit card information on our servers. These payment processors maintain their own privacy policies that govern how they handle payment data, and we encourage you to review their respective privacy policies for information about their data practices.
Automatic Collection: We automatically record information from your device, its software, and your activity using the Services. This may include:
Device Information: Your device’s Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, operating system, and device identification numbers
Usage Data: The web pages you visited before coming to our website, information you search for on our website, locale preferences, and mobile carrier information
Activity Records: Date and time stamps associated with transactions, system configuration information, metadata concerning your uploaded files, and other interactions with the Service
Platform Analytics: How you navigate through volunteer opportunities, organizational profiles, event registrations, and impact tracking features
This information helps us maintain platform security, improve our civic engagement tools, and provide personalized volunteer opportunity recommendations. We use cookies and similar technologies for authentication, analytics, and user preferences.
Special Protections: For users aged 13-17, we require parental consent and implement enhanced data protections. Educational records are processed in compliance with FERPA requirements.
Artificial Intelligence Features: When you use our optional AI-powered tools, such as event creation assistants, data synthesis features, or interactive content generation, we collect the inputs you provide to those tools (including text prompts, event details, and data selections) and the outputs generated. We use this information to provide the AI features. We do not use your personal information or content to train or improve generative AI models. Aggregated, de-identified usage data may be used to improve the performance and reliability of AI features, as described in Section 5. You may opt out of any optional AI features at any time through your account settings.
3. Educational Records (FERPA Compliance)
When educational institutions use GivePulse for service-learning programs or academic credit tracking, student records may be subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Directory Information: Unless students opt out through their institution, we may publicly display: name, volunteer activities, service hours, and community event participation. Students can opt out by contacting their educational institution directly.
Student Rights: Students have the right to:
• Inspect and review their educational records within 45 days
• Request corrections to inaccurate information
• Control most disclosures of their records
• File complaints with the U.S. Department of Education for FERPA violations
Contact your educational institution’s registrar to exercise these rights.
Disclosure Limitations: We share educational records only with school officials who have legitimate educational interests, with student consent, or as permitted under FERPA exceptions (directory information, health/safety emergencies, legal orders). We do not disclose records for commercial purposes.
Record Keeping: We maintain disclosure records and work with institutions to provide annual FERPA rights notifications to students. For FERPA questions, contact your institution or email support@givepulse.com with “FERPA Inquiry” in the subject line.
4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
What Are Cookies: We use cookies to collect information and improve our Services. A cookie is a small data file that we transfer to your device when you visit our platform. Cookies help us provide you with a better user experience and enable certain features of our civic engagement platform.
Types of Cookies We Use:
Persistent Cookies: We use persistent cookies to save your registration ID and login password for future logins to the Service, making your experience more convenient and allowing you to access your volunteer activities and organizational connections without repeatedly entering credentials.
Session ID Cookies: We use session ID cookies to enable certain features of the Service, to better understand how you interact with our platform, and to monitor aggregate usage and web traffic routing on the Service. These cookies are essential for maintaining your session while you navigate between volunteer opportunities, events, and impact tracking features.
Analytics Cookies: We use third-party analytics services to understand platform usage patterns, measure the effectiveness of our civic engagement tools, and improve our services. These cookies help us analyze how users interact with volunteer opportunities, organizational profiles, and community impact features.
Cookie Management: You can manage your cookie preferences through the cookie consent banner displayed when you first visit our platform, or at any time by accessing the cookie preference center available in the platform footer. You can also instruct your browser, by changing its options, to stop accepting cookies or to prompt you before accepting a cookie from the websites you visit. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use all aspects of the Service, including volunteer registration, event management, and personalized opportunity recommendations.
Web Beacons and Email Tracking: Our platform and emails may contain electronic images known as web beacons (sometimes called single-pixel gifs) that are used along with cookies to:
Compile aggregated statistics on how our platform is used
Measure the effectiveness of our volunteer engagement features and community impact campaigns
Track which emails and links have been opened by recipients
Gauge the effectiveness of our communications regarding volunteer opportunities, organizational updates, and fundraising campaigns
Analyze user engagement with our civic engagement tools and services
This allows us to improve our platform’s effectiveness in connecting volunteers with meaningful opportunities and helping organizations measure their community impact while maintaining appropriate privacy protections for our civic engagement community.
Third-Party Analytics: We use analytics services that may place their own cookies on your device to track website performance and user behavior patterns. These services help us understand how users engage with our volunteer matching system, organizational tools, and impact measurement features while maintaining appropriate privacy protections for our civic engagement community.
Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control Signals: Our platform does not currently respond to “Do Not Track” browser signals. However, we recognize and honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals as valid opt-out requests where required by applicable law, including under the California Consumer Privacy Act. You can also control tracking through your browser settings and our cookie preferences.
5. How We Use Your Information
Core Platform Operations: We use your information to provide account management, facilitate volunteer matchmaking and connections, coordinate events and fundraisers, capture qualitative and quantitative data, and measure community impact. Your profile displays your first name and last initial publicly, with additional information you choose to include.
Impact Measurement: We track and verify volunteer service hours, generate impact reports, and support research on civic engagement effectiveness. Data is anonymized when possible for reporting purposes while maintaining additional safeguards for sensitive volunteer information.
Educational Services: For educational partnerships, we support service-learning programs, track student participation, and facilitate academic credit management in compliance with FERPA requirements. Educational institutions retain ownership of their curricula and assessment materials.
Financial Services: We facilitate charitable giving through certified payment processors, generate tax documentation, and ensure compliance with charitable solicitation laws.
Communications: We use your contact information for essential service notifications, security alerts, and administrative messages. With your consent, we may send marketing communications, which you can opt out of at any time.
Security and Compliance: We process information to maintain platform security, prevent fraud, comply with legal obligations, and fulfill user rights requests under applicable privacy laws.
Artificial Intelligence and Automated Processing
GivePulse offers optional AI-powered features designed to assist with event creation, data synthesis, and interactive content generation. These features are powered by third-party AI service providers and process data as described below.
Data Inputs and Outputs: AI features process the information you provide as prompts or inputs, which may include event details, organizational data, and user-generated content. AI-generated outputs are provided for your review and editing before publication or use. GivePulse does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content, and you are responsible for reviewing all outputs before use.
Training and Model Improvement: We do not use your personal information, organizational data, or content to train or improve generative AI models. Aggregated, de-identified usage data may be used to improve the performance and reliability of AI features.
Automated Decision-Making: Our AI features are designed as assistive tools and do not make automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on individuals. If we introduce any such functionality in the future, we will update this Policy, provide notice, and offer the right to opt out or request human review as required by applicable law, including GDPR Article 22.
Third-Party AI Providers: AI features may be powered by third-party service providers who process data on our behalf under data processing agreements that include appropriate security, confidentiality, and use restrictions. These providers are prohibited from using your data for their own purposes, including model training. Third-party AI providers are included on the sub-processor list described in Section 6 and are subject to the same change-notification procedures applicable to other sub-processors.
6. Information Sharing and Disclosure
Public Information: Your basic profile information (first name and last initial) is publicly visible to facilitate volunteer connections. You control what additional information to include in your public profile. Volunteer opportunity listings may be distributed through third-party widgets to expand community engagement opportunities.
Service Providers and Sub-Processors: We share information with trusted service providers and sub-processors, including payment processors, cloud infrastructure providers, AI service providers, and analytics services. All service providers are bound by data processing agreements with appropriate security and confidentiality requirements. A current list of sub-processors is available upon request, and we will notify institutional customers of material changes to our sub-processor list.
Organizational Connections: We facilitate information sharing between volunteers and organizations to enable effective community engagement, including volunteer applications, service records, and communication coordination. For educational institutions, we share student information only with authorized personnel in compliance with FERPA requirements.
Legal and Safety: We may disclose information when required by law, to protect our rights and users' safety, or in response to valid legal process. For charitable organizations, we support compliance with solicitation laws and regulatory requirements.
Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or business transfer, user information may be transferred with advance notice and continued privacy protections.
No Sale of Personal Information: We do not sell personal information to third parties for commercial purposes. We may share anonymized, aggregated data for research and civic engagement studies.
7. Data Retention
Standard Retention: Upon account termination, we retain personal information for 90 days to allow for account reactivation. After this period, data is deleted or anonymized except as required by law or for legitimate business purposes.
Organizational Records: For nonprofit organizations and educational institutions, we retain volunteer records and service hour data for up to seven years to support reporting and compliance requirements. Financial records are retained per payment processor requirements and applicable regulations.
Educational Records: Student information is retained per institutional policies and FERPA requirements, with educational institutions maintaining primary control over retention periods.
AI Interaction Data: Inputs and outputs from AI features are retained for no more than ninety (90) days following the applicable interaction, as described in Section 5. Where an institutional customer's data processing agreement or subscription agreement specifies a shorter retention period, those terms will control. Users may request earlier deletion by contacting support@givepulse.com.
User Control: You may request earlier deletion of your personal information by contacting us at support@givepulse.com. We implement automated deletion processes and conduct regular reviews of retention schedules.
8. Your Privacy Rights and Choices
Account Management: You can review, update, correct, or delete personal information in your registration profile by contacting us at support@givepulse.com or by editing your profile directly. For organizational accounts, administrators can make changes to organization and event information 24 hours a day through the platform.
Account Deletion: If you would like us to deactivate or delete your GivePulse account, contact us with the subject “Deactivate Account” or “Delete Account” and we will accommodate your request unless we have legal obligations or legitimate business reasons to retain the information. Comments posted via the platform may remain publicly viewable after account deletion in anonymized form, with your personal identifying information removed.
Communication Preferences: You can opt out of marketing communications, newsletters, and promotional materials at any time by following unsubscribe instructions in emails or updating your notification preferences. You cannot opt out of essential service-related communications necessary for platform operation.
Profile Visibility Control: You can select which personal information to include in your public GivePulse profile beyond the required first name and last initial. You can review and revise your profile information at any time to control your public visibility.
European Economic Area (EEA) Rights: If you reside in the EEA, you have additional rights under GDPR including the right to request copies of your information, update inaccurate data, restrict processing, object to processing, delete your information, and transfer your data to third parties. Contact us at support@givepulse.com to exercise these rights, and we will respond within the legally required timeframe.
California Privacy Rights: California residents have rights under CCPA including the right to request deletion of personal information and disclosure of information we collect, use, disclose, and sell during the preceding 12 months. We do not sell personal information and will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.
Third-Party Account Connections: You can disable connections between your GivePulse account and third-party social networking services at any time by accessing the “settings” section of the platform. Note that your relationship with third-party service providers is governed by your agreements with those providers.
9. California Privacy Disclosures
Information We Collected (Past 12 Months): We collected the following categories of personal information from California residents:
Identifiers: Name, email address, phone number, IP address, and account usernames
Personal Information: Contact details, emergency contacts, and educational background
Commercial Information: Volunteer event registrations, donation history, and organizational engagement
Internet Activity: Website usage, search history, and platform interaction data
Geolocation Data: General location information for volunteer opportunity matching
Professional Information: Organizational affiliations, volunteer skills, and work background
Inferences: Volunteer preferences and community interests derived from your activity
Sources of Information: We collected this information directly from you, from connected social media accounts, from other users who invite or reference you, through automatic collection technologies, and from our payment processing partners.
Why We Collect Information: We use personal information to provide our civic engagement platform services, facilitate volunteer connections, send communications, maintain security, analyze platform usage, comply with legal requirements, and process payments and donations.
Information Sharing: We share personal information with service providers (hosting, analytics, communications), payment processors (Stripe, PayPal, etc.), nonprofit organizations for volunteer coordination, educational institutions for service-learning programs, other platform users through public profiles, and legal authorities when required by law.
No Sale or Sharing of Personal Information: We do not sell or share (as those terms are defined under the CCPA/CPRA) personal information and have not sold or shared personal information in the past 12 months.
Your Rights: California residents can request to know what information we collect, request correction of inaccurate personal information, request deletion of personal information, limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information, and will not face discrimination for exercising these rights. Authorized agents may submit requests on behalf of California residents with appropriate verification. Contact support@givepulse.com to exercise your rights.
10. Texas Privacy Rights (TDPSA)
As a Texas-based company, GivePulse is committed to compliance with the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA). Texas residents have the right to confirm whether we are processing their personal data, access their personal data, correct inaccuracies, delete personal data provided to or obtained by GivePulse, obtain a portable copy of their personal data in a readily usable format, and opt out of the processing of personal data for purposes of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, or profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.
To exercise these rights, contact support@givepulse.com with the subject line “Texas Privacy Rights Request.” We will verify your identity and respond within forty-five (45) days, with one extension of up to forty-five (45) additional days where reasonably necessary. If we decline a request, you may appeal by contacting us at the same email address with the subject line “TDPSA Appeal,” and we will respond within sixty (60) days. If the appeal is denied, you may file a complaint with the Texas Attorney General.
11. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)
Legal Basis for Processing: Under GDPR, we process your personal information based on the following legal grounds:
Contract Performance: To provide our civic engagement platform services, manage your account, and facilitate volunteer connections as outlined in our Terms of Service
Legitimate Interests: For platform security, fraud prevention, service improvement, and analytics where our interests don't override your privacy rights
Consent: For marketing communications, optional data sharing, and connecting third-party social media accounts
Legal Compliance: To meet regulatory requirements, respond to legal requests, and support charitable solicitation compliance
Vital Interests: In rare cases where processing is necessary to protect someone's life or physical safety
Your Rights Under GDPR: As an individual in the European Economic Area, you have the following rights:
Right of Access: Request copies of your personal information and details about how we process it
Right to Rectification: Correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information
Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal information in certain circumstances
Right to Restrict Processing: Limit how we use your personal information in specific situations
Right to Data Portability: Receive your personal information in a structured, machine-readable format or transfer it to another service
Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing
Data Transfers Outside the EEA: When we transfer your personal information outside the European Economic Area, we use Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission or other appropriate safeguards to ensure your information receives adequate protection.
Data Retention Periods: We retain personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations. Individual account data is retained for 90 days after account termination, while organizational volunteer records may be retained for up to seven years for compliance purposes.
Exercising Your Rights: To exercise your GDPR rights, contact us at support@givepulse.com with the subject line “GDPR Rights Request.” We will verify your identity and respond within one month (extendable to three months for complex requests). You will not be charged for exercising your rights unless requests are manifestly unfounded or excessive.
Right to Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe we have not handled your personal information in accordance with GDPR requirements.
Data Protection Contact: For specific GDPR inquiries, contact our privacy team at support@givepulse.com or write to us at GivePulse, Inc., 14205 N Mo Pac Expy Ste 570 PMB 220196, Austin, Texas 78728-6529, United States.
12. International Data Transfers
Cross-Border Processing: Your information may be processed in the United States and other countries where laws regarding data processing may differ from those in your country. By using our Services, you consent to the transfer and processing of your information in these jurisdictions.
EEA Transfer Safeguards: For users in the European Economic Area, when personal information is transferred to countries not recognized by the European Commission as providing adequate protection, we use Standard Contractual Clauses or other frameworks recognized by relevant authorities to ensure appropriate safeguards.
UK Data Transfers: For UK residents, we comply with UK GDPR requirements and use appropriate safeguards including Standard Contractual Clauses when transferring data to countries not recognized by the ICO as providing adequate protection.
13. Data Security
Security Measures: We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information, including encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access controls, employee security training, vendor risk assessments, and regular security audits. We follow generally accepted industry standards to protect personal information during transmission and storage.
Security Limitations: No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you have security concerns, please contact us directly.
Breach Notification: We will make legally required disclosures of any security breaches involving your unencrypted personal information via email or conspicuous posting on our platform in the most expedient time possible, consistent with law enforcement needs and measures necessary to restore system integrity.
14. Children's Privacy
Age Restrictions: Our Services are not directed to persons under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13. Users under 13 are prohibited from creating accounts.
Youth Volunteers (13-17): For users between 13-17 years old, organizations must clearly indicate age restrictions, require parental consent for participation, limit data collection, and comply with applicable laws regarding youth volunteer activities. Parents or legal guardians must register accounts for volunteers in this age range and are responsible for monitoring their use.
Parental Rights: If a parent or guardian becomes aware that their child has provided personal information without consent, they should contact us at support@givepulse.com. We will take steps to delete such information from our files upon discovery.
15. Third-Party Services and Links
External Links: Our platform may contain links to other websites that are not under our control. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external websites and encourage you to review their privacy policies.
Third-Party Integrations: When you connect third-party accounts or services, those relationships are governed by your agreements with those providers. We make no effort to review third-party content and are not responsible for information from connected services.
Testimonials: With your consent, we may post testimonials on our platform along with your name. Contact us if you want your testimonial removed.
16. Changes to This Privacy Policy
Policy Updates: We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make changes that we believe materially reduce your rights, we will provide notice via email. For other changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this Policy.
Continued Use: By continuing to use our Services after changes become effective, you agree to be bound by the revised Privacy Policy. Where consent is the legal basis for processing your personal information, we will obtain your affirmative consent before applying material changes that affect that processing.
Institutional Contracts: For institutions, nonprofits, businesses, and partners with subscription agreements, contract terms may control over this Privacy Policy regarding data protection standards.
17. Contact Information
For questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
Privacy Inquiries: support@givepulse.com
Mailing Address: GivePulse, Inc. 14205 N Mo Pac Expy Ste 570 PMB 220196, Austin, Texas 78728-6529, United States
We strive to respond to all inquiries within two business days.