Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and its affiliates (LSS) takes your privacy seriously. If you choose to provide us with personal information while visiting our website, you can be assured that it will only be used to support your relationship with LSS. LSS does not sell, exchange or release your personal information to outside parties without your consent.

This privacy policy explains what information we collect, how it is used and how it is protected.

 

What We Collect

Certain forms on our website ask visitors to provide contact information that may include your name, email address or other personal information.

Please be aware that LSS has no control over the security of information contained in emails sent to us, and that this information can be intercepted by third parties on the Internet.

 

What We Do with the Information We Gather

We use information we collect on our website for:

  • Responding to your inquiry.
  • Internal record keeping.
  • Improving our products and services.
  • Sending periodic promotional emails about new products, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting to the email address you provided, if you have expressed interest in marketing communications.
  • Contacting you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email, phone, fax or mail. We may use the information we gather to customize the website according to your interests.
  • Sharing information with third parties that provide us with services to support our operations, including information technology, secure payment processing, fundraising, marketing and advertising. We require these third parties to protect your information.

We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties for their marketing use unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which we think may be of interest to you.

You may request details of personal information which we hold about you. A small fee may be payable. If you would like a copy of the information held on you, please contact us.

If you believe that any information about you in our possession is incorrect or incomplete, please contact us. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.

 

Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorized access or disclosure, we have put in place physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online. However, there is no guarantee that any electronic transmission of information is completely secure. Despite the security measures undertaken by LSS, we cannot and do not promise or warrant that your information or data will remain secure.

 

Google Analytics

We utilize Google Analytics to gather broad demographic information about visits to our site so that we can analyze trends and improve our site for visitors.

 

Use of "Cookies"

Our website may use cookies to enhance your experience. Cookies are pieces of information that websites transfer to the computer that is browsing their site. Use of cookies makes visiting websites easier by performing certain functions, such as saving passwords or avoiding the prospect of filling out forms more than once. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences. Many consider the use of cookies to be an industry standard.

We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyze data about web page traffic and improve our website to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.

Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us. You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.

 

Internet Protocol Address

We collect an IP address from all visitors to our website. An IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer when you use the Internet. We use IP addresses to help us diagnose problems with our server, administer our website, analyze trends, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use to improve our site and deliver customized, personalized content. IP addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information.

 

Privacy of Health Information

LSS may obtain health information about you when it provides services to you. This website Privacy Policy does not discuss our practices relating to that health information. For more information, please read our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices which explains how LSS may use and disclose health information about you, certain rights you have relating to that health information and other information concerning how we protect the privacy of your health information.

 

Other Web Sites

Our website contains links to other websites. Please note that when you click on one of these links, you are entering another website for which LSS has no responsibility. We encourage you to read the privacy statements on all such sites as their policies may be different than ours.

 

Special Notice to California Residents

We will not share any personal information about you with other companies if prohibited by applicable California law or to the extent your prior consent to share is required by applicable California law. California residents may request information about the disclosures of certain categories of personal information to third parties for direct marketing purposes. To be valid, requests must be submitted through the Contact Us form on the Site. We will provide a list of the categories of personal information disclosed for direct marketing purposes during the immediately preceding calendar year, along with the names and addresses of the third parties, within thirty (30) days following receipt of your request.

 

Limitations

LSS is a charitable organization and is not a financial institution or other entity required by law to adopt or publish this Privacy Policy or any other policy. The adoption or publication of this Privacy Policy does not subject LSS to any stricter duty in its collection, handling, storage, and disclosure of nonpublic information than otherwise applies to it under applicable law. No person or entity will have any right or recourse against LSS, its affiliates, agents, sponsors, or other related parties based on any alleged violation or noncompliance with this Privacy Policy.

 

Updates

LSS may update or modify this Privacy Policy from time to time, without notice. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy often. When changes are made, we will update the date shown at the top of this Privacy Policy. Your continued use of the Site after we have posted any Privacy Policy changes indicates your agreement to the changes. If you wish to retain a copy of this Privacy Policy, you should print a copy for your records.

 

Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed under the laws of the State of Minnesota, without regard to its conflicts of law provisions.

Last Updated Date: May 1, 2022