Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Washington National Cathedral (WNC) values its supporters and respects their privacy. This Privacy Policy describes the information that is collected and how it is used.

Information is collected through direct mail and on the WNC website to improve the online experience and to provide communications about Cathedral events, programs and services.

As outlined in this policy, WNC may share this information with its partners, and under certain circumstances, with third parties that provide services on its behalf or with whom WNC has partnered for specific services. Use of WNC’s website indicates acceptance and agreement of WNC privacy practices, as outlined in this Privacy Policy and any other applicable terms.

Information is collected when a person registers on the website, makes a donation, places an order for tickets or merchandise, subscribes to a newsletter, responds to a survey or fills out a form.

Data collected may include name, email address, mailing address, phone number and credit card information (for financial transactions).

Information may be used in the following ways:

  • To share news and updates about events, programs and services
  • To improve customer service
  • To tailor the Cathedral experience
  • To analyze trends and statistics
  • To protect the security and integrity of the website and the Cathedral organization
  • To contact an individual for follow-up

Information may be shared with third-parties for the following reasons:

  • With service providers who help manage user information and perform services on the Cathedral’s behalf such as gift acknowledgement, communications, etc. These service providers are not authorized to make any other use of this information.
  • With partner companies who may provide products, services or promotions
  • To comply with laws or regulations or in response to a valid subpoena, order or government request
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Compliance

WNC is in compliance with the requirements of COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act), and does not knowingly collect any information from anyone under 13 years of age. The website, products and services are all directed to people who are at least 13 years old or older.

Information Sharing

WNC uses outside vendors to provide certain services, such as companies that process credit card transactions for WNC. These third-party vendors will have access to the information needed to perform their functions, but may not use your information for any other purpose. On occasion, WNC may exchange select member name and address information with other charitable or cultural non-profit organizations.

WNC does not sell or share donor lists. We share aggregated demographic information with select partners, however this is not linked to any personal information that can identify any individual person. Donors who supply WNC with their postal address or email address may be contacted periodically for solicitation purposes and/or with information related to the Cathedral’s activities.

Donors may indicate the type and frequency of the communication they receive by requesting to be removed from select communications. Donors may request to be permanently removed from the mailing list by contacting [email protected] via email or by contacting the Development Department at the Cathedral by calling 202-537-2200. All requests to be removed from WNC’s mailing list shall be honored.

Donor Confidentiality

WNC will make every effort to maintain the wishes of any donor indicting that they prefer to make their gift anonymously. In such an instance, the donor’s preference will be updated in the database to indicate such and the individual will be listed in any communication made available to the public as ‘Anonymous’.

Disclaimer

Notwithstanding other provisions of this policy, WNC may disclose personal information in special cases when we find it necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be violating this agreement or may be causing injury to or interference with WNC, its constituents, or anyone else that could be harmed by such activities. WNC reserves the right to disclose any information to law enforcement or other parties that the Cathedral, in its sole discretion, believes is required or appropriate in order to comply with the law.

Cookies

Our website uses “cookies”, which are small data files that are stored on your computer when you visit a website. Cookies enable you to use our websites and may be used in a variety of ways to enhance or personalize your online experience.

You can set your browser not to accept cookies or to notify you when you are sent a cookie, giving you the opportunity to decide whether or not to accept it. If you do not accept cookies, however, you will not be able to access your account information or make purchases on our websites.

We use “pixel tags” (also called “web beacons” or “clear gifs”), which are tiny graphic images, on our website and in our emails. Pixel tags help us analyze our users’ online behavior and measure the effectiveness of our websites and our advertising. We work with service providers that help us track, collect, and analyze this information.

Pixel tags on our sites may be used to collect information about your visit, including the pages you view, the features you use, the links you click, and other actions you take in connection with the sites. This information may include your computer’s Internet protocol (IP) address, your browser type, your operating system, date and time information, and other technical information about your computer. We may also track certain information about the identity of the website you visited immediately before coming to our site. We do not otherwise track any information about your use of other websites.

Pixel tags and cookies in our emails may be used to track your interactions with those messages, such as when you receive, open, or click a link in an email message from us.

We may combine the information we collect through cookies and pixel tags with other information we have collected from you. This information may be used to improve our websites, to personalize your online experience, to tailor our communications with you, to determine the effectiveness of our advertising, and for other internal business purposes.

External Links

WNC’s website may contain links to, or advertisements about, other websites. Other sites may also reference, advertise, or link to this site. WNC does not endorse or sponsor other websites, is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of these other websites, and expressly disclaims any statements or assertions made on such websites, and deny all liability associated with the use of, and the content on, such other websites and advertisements. Please be advised that the practices described in this Privacy Policy do not apply to information gathered through other websites. We encourage you to be aware of when you leave WNC’s website and to read the privacy policies of each and every website that you visit.

Policy Changes

This Privacy Policy replaces all previous disclosures WNC may have provided about information practices. WNC reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy, and to apply any changes to information previously collected, as permitted by law. If there are material changes to this Privacy Policy or to WNC’s information practices in the future, the policy changes will be posted on the website.

Adopted January 19, 2017,  Modified August 22, 2024