Privacy Policy
What we collect, why we collect it, and what we do not do with it.
Unitive Spirituality, Inc. ("Unitive Spirituality," "we," "us," or "our") is a California nonprofit religious corporation, tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, EIN 84-3443988. We publish books, courses, teachings, and sacred music, and we offer meditation, contemplative, and interfaith programs. This policy explains what we collect when you use unitivespirituality.org, why we collect it, and what we do and do not do with it.
We wrote this policy to be read, not to be survived. If anything in it is unclear, write to us through the contact form at unitivespirituality.org/contact/ and we will explain it in plain language.
1. Information We Collect
We collect only what a visitor gives us and what a website necessarily records.
Information you provide directly. When you use our contact form we collect your name, your email address, and the content of your message. When you join our mailing list we collect your email address. If you choose to give us your mobile number for text messages, we collect that number together with a record of your consent. If you register for a program or event, we collect the information needed to enroll you.
Donation information. Donations are processed by Stripe, an independent payment processor. Your card number and payment credentials go to Stripe and are never transmitted to or stored on our servers. We receive the confirmation of your gift, the amount, and the contact details you supply so that we can acknowledge the donation and issue a tax receipt.
Information collected automatically. Like nearly every website, our servers record standard log data: IP address, browser type and version, the pages you visit, the time and date of your visit, and time spent on each page. We use Google Analytics to understand which teachings and pages people find useful. Google Analytics sets cookies and processes this data under its own terms.
Cookies. A cookie is a small file stored by your browser. We use cookies for basic site function and for the analytics described above. You can refuse cookies in your browser settings; parts of the site may then work less well.
2. How We Use Information
We use the information we collect to:
- answer your messages and respond to requests;
- send the teachings, program announcements, and offerings you asked to receive;
- acknowledge donations, issue receipts, and meet our record-keeping obligations as a tax-exempt organization;
- enroll you in classes, events, and programs;
- send text messages, but only in the categories you specifically consented to (see Section 9);
- understand which parts of the site are useful so we can improve them;
- comply with law and protect the safety and rights of our community.
3. What We Do Not Do
We do not sell your personal information. We do not rent, trade, or lease it. We have never done so and we do not intend to.
We do not share your information with third parties for their own marketing purposes. We do not exchange or trade donor lists with other organizations.
4. Donor Privacy
Donors to Unitive Spirituality, Inc. have specific assurances:
- We do not sell, rent, trade, or share our donor list with any other organization for any purpose.
- We do not publish donor names or gift amounts without express permission.
- You may ask at any time to be removed from all donor communications and we will honor it, while retaining the minimum record of your gift that tax law requires us to keep.
- Donation information is used to acknowledge your gift, issue your receipt, keep required records, and — only if you have consented — to tell you about our work.
5. Service Providers
We rely on a small number of outside providers to operate: a web host, an email provider, a payment processor for donations, an analytics provider, a course platform for our online courses, and a proprietary platform integrating messaging, CRM, and automation. These providers may access the information necessary to perform their function and are not permitted to use it for any other purpose. We choose providers who commit to that limitation.
6. Data Retention
We keep contact-form submissions and mailing-list records for as long as the relationship is active, and afterwards only as long as we have a legitimate reason to. Donation records are retained as long as tax law requires. Records of text-message consent and revocation are retained for at least four years after the consent ends, because that is the period during which we may need to demonstrate that consent existed.
7. Security
The site is served over HTTPS. Form submissions are written to storage outside the public web directory. We use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards. No method of transmission or storage over the internet is perfectly secure, and we will not claim otherwise.
8. Children's Privacy
Our site and programs are directed to adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Our text-message program is limited to individuals 18 and older. If you believe a child has given us personal information, write to us at unitivespirituality.org/contact/ and we will delete it.
9. Text Message (SMS/MMS) Communications
Consent is required, and it is separate. Unitive Spirituality, Inc. sends text messages only to people who have given prior express written consent to receive them. Being a 501(c)(3) nonprofit does not remove that requirement. You will never be enrolled automatically, and giving us your phone number for one purpose does not enroll you in text messages.
Consent is never a condition of anything. You are not required to agree to text messages in order to donate, to register for a program, to enroll in a course, to join our mailing list, or to receive any service from us. If you decline, everything else remains available to you exactly as before.
Three separate categories. We treat text messages as three distinct programs. You consent to each one separately, and you may be enrolled in one, two, all three, or none:
1. Service and program messages — confirmations when you register, reminders before a class or kirtan, and acknowledgments of a gift.
2. Ministry and community updates — program announcements, new teachings, sacred music releases, and community news.
3. Giving and fundraising — appeals and campaign messages. This consent is always requested on its own and is never bundled with the other two.
Message frequency. Frequency varies. Service and program messages are sent only when something you signed up for requires it. Ministry and community updates are typically no more than 4 messages per month. Giving and fundraising messages are typically no more than 2 per month, with a modest increase during a year-end campaign.
Message and data rates may apply. Your mobile carrier may charge you for messages sent and received. Contact your carrier for details of your plan.
How to stop — you may use any reasonable method. You may withdraw your consent at any time, and you do not have to use any particular word or channel. Replying to any of our messages with STOP, END, QUIT, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE, REVOKE, or OPT OUT will always work. So will telling us in your own words in a reply, sending us a message through unitivespirituality.org/contact/, calling or texting 323-482-1808, or writing to us at 5419 Hollywood Blvd, STE C 708, Los Angeles, CA 90027. We treat any reasonable expression of your wish to stop as a valid revocation.
How quickly we stop. We act on opt-outs as soon as we receive them, and in every case no later than 10 business days after receipt.
What an unqualified stop covers. If you ask us to stop without naming a category, we stop all text messages of every kind. If you would rather leave one category and keep another, just say which — for example, reply STOP FUNDRAISING — and we will end that one and leave the rest in place.
Confirmation. After you opt out you may receive a single message confirming that we have stopped. It will contain no promotional content and will be sent within five minutes. After that you will receive nothing further in the category you ended.
Help. Reply HELP to any message, or reach us at unitivespirituality.org/contact/ or 323-482-1808.
Carriers. Supported carriers include AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and other major U.S. carriers. Carrier support may vary. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
We do not share your number. Unitive Spirituality, Inc. does not sell, rent, share, or trade text-message opt-in data, phone numbers, or consent records with any third party for marketing or promotional purposes. Consent records and opt-in data are kept strictly confidential. The only parties who receive your number are the aggregators and message-delivery providers we use to send the messages you asked for, and they may use it for no other purpose.
Age. Our text-message program is for individuals 18 years of age and older.
10. Your Privacy Rights
Wherever you live, you may ask us to tell you what personal information we hold about you, correct it, delete it, or stop using it to contact you. Write to us through unitivespirituality.org/contact/.
California residents. Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended, you have the right to know what personal information we collect and why, the right to request deletion, the right to request correction, the right to opt out of sale or sharing of personal information, and the right not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights. Unitive Spirituality, Inc. does not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined by that law, so there is no "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" mechanism to offer — there is nothing to opt out of. To exercise any other right, write to us through unitivespirituality.org/contact/ and we will respond within the time the law allows.
11. Links to Other Sites
Our site links to other services, including our course platform, streaming music services, and booksellers. Those sites have their own privacy policies and we are not responsible for their practices. We encourage you to read them.
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy. When we do, we will change the "last updated" date above. If a change materially affects how we use your information, we will make that clear. Continued use of the site after an update means you accept the revised policy.
13. Contact Us
Unitive Spirituality, Inc.
5419 Hollywood Blvd, STE C 708, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Contact form: unitivespirituality.org/contact/
Phone: 323-482-1808
EIN: 84-3443988