Privacy Policy

Generations of Threads – G.O.T. Orchards of Rhode Island
Effective Date: July 17, 2026
Last Updated: September 1, 2026

1. Our Commitment to Privacy

Generations of Threads – G.O.T. Orchards of Rhode Island, also referred to as “G.O.T. Orchards,” “we,” “our,” or “us,” respects the privacy of our website visitors, donors, volunteers, participants, families, community partners, and supporters.

Our mission is centered on intergenerational mentorship, education, inclusion, environmental stewardship, accessibility, sustainability, nutrition, and community empowerment. Protecting the personal information entrusted to us is an important part of that mission.

This Privacy Policy explains:

What information we may collect;
Why we collect it;
How we use and protect it;
When it may be shared;
The choices and rights available to you; and
How to contact us with privacy questions or requests.

This policy applies to information collected through the official G.O.T. Orchards website, online forms, donation pages, email communications, program inquiries, event registration pages, and other digital services that link to this policy.

2. Information We May Collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with G.O.T. Orchards.

A. Information You Provide Directly

You may voluntarily provide information such as:

Full name;
Email address;
Telephone number;
Mailing address;
Preferred method of communication;
Donation amount and donation-related information;
Volunteer interests, skills, and availability;
Program or event registration information;
Partnership or sponsorship inquiries;
Newsletter subscription information;
Messages submitted through a contact form;
Accessibility accommodations or support requests;
Emergency contact information when needed for program participation;
Parent or legal guardian information for participants under age 18; and
Any other information you choose to include in a message, application, registration form, or supporting document.

Please do not submit Social Security numbers, complete medical records, financial account passwords, or other highly sensitive information through a general website contact form.

B. Donation and Payment Information

We use GiveWP to present and administer online donation forms and Stripe to process electronic payments. When you make a donation, request a refund, or manage a recurring contribution, these services may collect information such as:

Your name;
Billing address;
Email address and telephone number;
Payment-card or other payment-method information;
Transaction amount, frequency, and date;
Information needed to process, confirm, cancel, or refund a transaction.

G.O.T. Orchards does not directly receive or store complete credit-card or debit-card numbers on its own website systems. Stripe processes electronic payment information under the Stripe Privacy Policy and its applicable terms. GiveWP and our website systems may retain limited transaction and donor information needed for receipts, recurring-gift administration, refunds, accounting, fraud prevention, and legal recordkeeping.

C. Youth Program Information

Because G.O.T. Orchards may offer programs for teenagers, we may collect limited information needed to:

Determine program eligibility;
Communicate with a participant and their parent or legal guardian;
Provide requested accessibility accommodations;
Plan safe program activities;
Maintain emergency contact information;
Obtain required permissions and releases; and
Comply with applicable safety and legal requirements.

Information about a participant under age 18 should generally be provided or approved by the participant’s parent or legal guardian.

Health, disability, medication, allergy, mobility, or emergency information will only be requested when reasonably necessary for safety, accessibility, accommodation, or participation. Access to this information will be limited to individuals who need it for an authorized purpose.

D. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically by our website platform, hosting provider, analytics provider, or security services. This may include:

Internet Protocol address;
Browser type;
Device type;
Operating system;
Approximate geographic area;
Referring website;
Pages viewed;
Links selected;
Date and time of access;
Time spent on pages;
Website errors; and
Cookie or similar technology identifiers.

We may use this information to understand how the website is used, improve accessibility and performance, prevent fraud, and protect the website from misuse or security threats.

3. How We Use Information

G.O.T. Orchards may use collected information to:

Respond to questions and requests;
Process and acknowledge donations;
Provide donation receipts;
Administer recurring contributions and donor-requested cancellations;
Register individuals for programs, meetings, workshops, or events;
Communicate with participants, parents, guardians, volunteers, donors, and partners;
Review volunteer, partnership, sponsorship, or program inquiries;
Provide accessibility accommodations;
Maintain participant and program safety;
Send newsletters or organizational updates when requested;
Manage community outreach and educational activities;
Improve our website, programs, and services;
Maintain organizational and financial records;
Prevent fraud, abuse, unauthorized access, or security incidents;
Comply with legal, tax, accounting, insurance, grant, or reporting responsibilities;
Protect the rights, safety, and property of participants, visitors, staff, volunteers, and the organization; and
Carry out another purpose that is clearly explained when the information is collected.

We will not use personal information for an unrelated purpose without providing appropriate notice or obtaining consent when required.

4. Email, Newsletter, and Other Communications

You may choose to receive newsletters, program announcements, volunteer opportunities, fundraising information, and organizational updates.

You may unsubscribe from nonessential promotional emails by using the unsubscribe option included in the message or by contacting us.

Even after unsubscribing from promotional communications, we may still send necessary communications concerning:

A donation;
A registration;
A volunteer activity;
A program or event;
A safety matter;
A requested service;
A legal notice; or
A direct inquiry you submitted.

5. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website and service providers may use cookies or similar technologies to:

Keep the website operating properly;
Remember website preferences;
Understand website traffic;
Measure website performance;
Identify technical problems;
Improve accessibility;
Prevent fraudulent activity; and
Protect the website from security threats.

Services that may place or use cookies or similar technologies include our WordPress website and hosting environment, Elementor, GiveWP, Stripe, security tools, and cookie-consent tools. The services in use may change as the website develops. We do not authorize these providers to use G.O.T. Orchards information for purposes unrelated to the services they provide to us.

You may be able to limit or block cookies through your browser settings. Blocking certain essential cookies may cause parts of the website, including donation or payment functions, to operate incorrectly.

Where required, visitors will be given an opportunity to manage nonessential cookie preferences.

6. How Information May Be Shared

G.O.T. Orchards does not sell personal information for money.

We may share limited information only when reasonably necessary with:

A. Service Providers

Vendors that help us operate may receive information needed to perform services, including:

Website hosting;
Website design and maintenance;
Email and newsletter delivery;
Donation and payment processing;
Cloud storage;
Data security;
Event registration;
Accounting;
Professional consulting; and
Website analytics.

These providers are expected to use the information only for authorized services and to protect it appropriately.

B. Organizational Personnel

Authorized board members, staff members, program leaders, volunteers, contractors, or professional advisors may receive information when access is reasonably necessary to perform their responsibilities.

Sensitive participant information will not be made generally available to all volunteers or organizational personnel.

C. Legal and Safety Reasons

Information may be disclosed when we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to:

Comply with a law, regulation, court order, subpoena, audit, grant requirement, or lawful government request;
Protect the safety of a child, participant, volunteer, visitor, or another person;
Report suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, fraud, or unlawful conduct;
Respond to an emergency;
Enforce organizational policies or agreements;
Protect G.O.T. Orchards’ legal rights or property; or
Investigate a security incident.

D. Organizational Changes

If G.O.T. Orchards undergoes a merger, restructuring, transfer of programs, dissolution, or similar organizational change, information may be transferred as legally permitted and subject to appropriate protections.

7. Photographs, Videos, and Participant Stories

G.O.T. Orchards may photograph or record certain public events, programs, workshops, orchard activities, and community gatherings.

We will seek an appropriate written media release before intentionally using an identifiable minor’s photograph, video, voice, personal story, or testimonial for promotional or fundraising purposes.

Signing a general program registration form does not automatically mean that a participant or family has agreed to every use of photographs or recordings unless that consent is clearly stated.

Individuals may communicate photography or accessibility concerns to an event or program representative.

8. Children’s Privacy

Our general website is not intended to knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 without appropriate involvement and consent from a parent or legal guardian.

A child under 13 should not independently submit a contact form, register for a program, subscribe to communications, create an account, or provide personal information through the website.

When participation by a child under 13 is permitted as part of a specific family or community activity, required information must be submitted or authorized by a parent or legal guardian.

When we learn that personal information was collected from a child under 13 without appropriate authorization, we will take reasonable steps to review and delete it.

Parents or legal guardians may contact us to:

Ask whether we hold information about their child;
Request access to the child’s information;
Correct inaccurate information;
Withdraw permission for continued collection or use; or
Request deletion, subject to legal and safety requirements.

9. Participants Ages 13 Through 17

Teenagers between 13 and 17 may be able to view the website and submit limited general inquiries. However, parent or legal guardian involvement may be required before a minor can:

Enroll in a program;
Attend certain activities;
Participate without an accompanying adult;
Provide health or emergency information;
Sign a liability or media release;
Volunteer in certain positions; or
Take part in activities requiring formal consent.

We encourage teenagers to speak with a parent or trusted adult before submitting personal information online.

10. Sensitive Information

We may occasionally need limited sensitive information to provide safe, accessible, and inclusive programming.

Examples may include:

Disability accommodation needs;
Mobility limitations;
Allergies;
Relevant medical or emergency information;
Dietary requirements;
Communication needs; and
Emergency contact details.

We will request only information reasonably connected to participation, accommodation, or safety. We will not use such information to unlawfully discriminate against an individual.

Medical or accommodation information submitted to G.O.T. Orchards does not establish a nurse-patient, physician-patient, or other healthcare-provider relationship.

11. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to:

Complete the purpose for which it was collected;
Administer a program or event;
Maintain donation, accounting, grant, or tax records;
Satisfy insurance or legal requirements;
Resolve disputes;
Protect participants and the organization; or
Fulfill another legitimate organizational need.

Information that is no longer needed will be deleted, destroyed, anonymized, or securely archived when reasonably practical.

Some records may need to be retained for longer periods because of tax, grant, insurance, safeguarding, financial, or legal obligations.

12. Data Security

G.O.T. Orchards uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures intended to protect personal information against:

Unauthorized access;
Loss;
Theft;
Misuse;
Alteration; and
Improper disclosure.

These measures may include access restrictions, password protection, secure service providers, software updates, record-management procedures, and limited access to sensitive information.

No website, email system, storage system, or internet transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Visitors should avoid sending highly sensitive information through ordinary email or an unsecured contact form.

If we identify a data-security incident, we will investigate and provide legally required notices when applicable.

13. Your Privacy Choices and Requests

Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, you may request that G.O.T. Orchards:

Confirm whether we maintain your personal information;
Provide access to certain personal information;
Correct inaccurate information;
Delete information that is no longer required;
Stop sending promotional communications;
Withdraw consent for certain optional uses;
Explain the general categories of information we collect;
Explain the general categories of parties with whom information is shared; or
Review a concern about how your information was handled.

We may need to verify your identity before completing a request.

Certain information may not be deleted when it must be retained for legal, tax, accounting, grant, safety, fraud-prevention, insurance, or recordkeeping purposes.

We will not discriminate against an individual for making a good-faith privacy request.

14. Third-Party Websites and Social Media

Our website may contain links to social-media platforms, partner organizations, government agencies, payment processors, grant resources, educational websites, or other third-party services.

G.O.T. Orchards does not control the privacy, security, accessibility, or content practices of independent third parties. Visiting an external website is subject to that organization’s own policies and terms.

Visitors should review the privacy policy of any third-party website before providing personal information.

15. Fundraising and Donor Privacy

We respect the privacy of our donors.

Donor information may be used to:

Process contributions;
Issue receipts and acknowledgments;
Maintain financial records;
Communicate about the impact of donations;
Meet tax, grant, audit, or reporting requirements; and
Invite continued involvement.

We will not publish a donor’s name or donation amount without permission, except when disclosure is legally required.

Donors may request that a gift be treated as anonymous in public acknowledgments. Anonymous public recognition does not necessarily eliminate internal financial recordkeeping requirements.

G.O.T. Orchards does not sell, rent, or trade donor contact lists for commercial marketing.

16. Accessibility

We want privacy information and privacy-request procedures to be accessible to people of different ages, abilities, languages, and communication needs.

A person who needs this policy or a privacy-request process in an alternative format may contact us to request reasonable assistance.

17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as our website, programs, technology, service providers, or legal responsibilities change.

The revised policy will be posted on the website with an updated “Last Updated” date. When a change materially affects how personal information is used, we may provide additional notice when reasonably appropriate.

Continued use of the website after an updated policy is posted means the website will operate under the revised policy from its effective date. Any consent required by law will be obtained separately.

18. Contact G.O.T. Orchards

Questions, concerns, parental requests, or privacy requests may be directed to:

Generations of Threads – G.O.T. Orchards of Rhode Island
Attention: Privacy Coordinator
Email: Generations_of_Threads@outlook.com
Mailing Address: 52 Butler Ave Central Falls RI 02863
Telephone: 401-345-6969
Website: gotorchards.org

Please write “Privacy Request” in the email subject line or on the mailing envelope.

For requests concerning a minor, include the name of the parent or legal guardian, the minor’s name, and enough information for us to identify the relevant registration or communication. Please do not send copies of identification documents until specifically requested through a secure process.