Privacy Policy

Mass Audubon is committed to protecting the privacy of our members, donors, website visitors, and others who interact with us.

In 2010, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts instituted “Standards for the Protection of Personal Information of Residents of the Commonwealth” (201 CMR 17.00), which sets standards that all who own, license, store, or maintain personal information about a Massachusetts resident must follow. Mass Audubon has a rigorous program in place to ensure compliance with this regulation. A copy of our Written Information Security Plan is available upon request - contact us to request a copy.

Collection of Information Online

Personal Information

If during your visit to our site you only browse, read pages, or download material, we cannot collect any information that will identify you personally or determine your e-mail address. Other areas of our site may request that you provide personal information such as your name, address, or e-mail address. Mass Audubon may use this information to provide information you have requested, or to extend special offers or other invitations. E-mail sent out by Mass Audubon, other than donation and program registration confirmations, includes a link that enables the recipient to unsubscribe from future  Mass Audubon e-mailings  if they so choose.

Other Information

Mass Audubon's website uses "cookies" and pixel tags to help us understand how people are using our media platforms. A cookie is a small text file that is temporarily stored on your hard drive. When you return to our site, your web browser passes the cookie from your computer back to our website, so we can recognize you as you move through our site. At no time will the cookie reveal to others any personal information about you, including your name, address, or e-mail address, even if you have submitted this information to other areas of the site. Pixel tags are a piece of JavaScript code on our website that may be used to track the actions of users moving back and forth from our website to other media platforms such as Facebook.

Our website automatically logs information such as IP address and browser type of all visitors in order to measure the usage of our website. We also use some Google Analytics Advertising Features, such as Demographics and Interest Reporting, which collect data via Google advertising cookies and anonymous identifiers. We use this information to analyze how visitors use our site, which helps us improve our visitors' experiences. You can opt-out of Google Analytics Advertising Features by downloading and installing the add-on for your web browser.

E-mail Addresses

Mass Audubon does not sell, rent, exchange, or otherwise share e-mail addresses. However, within Mass Audubon, we do use e-mail addresses to send occasional updates about our work and special offers or other invitations which we believe may be of interest to you.

Member and Donor Information

Member and donor information is not sold or rented. However, Mass Audubon does periodically exchange the names and mailing addresses of a limited number of members and donors with other nonprofits (primarily conservation organizations) in order to obtain mailing lists for member acquisition. Additionally, Mass Audubon occasionally partners with other organizations on product offers or promotions that we believe may be of interest to our members and donors (e.g. home energy audits, green electricity, or automobile insurance).

Members and donors who wish to opt out of these exchanges and offers may contact Member Services.

You can help Mass Audubon maintain the accuracy of your information and facilitate the timely receipt of your membership benefits by contacting Member Services with any changes to your name, mailing address, phone number, or e-mail address. To help us update your record, please include your mailing address and membership number, which appears on your Mass Audubon membership card.

Mass Audubon eBird

Mass Audubon eBird is administered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It is designed to gather and disseminate information about bird distribution and abundance across Massachusetts, the United States, and Canada. Mass Audubon eBirders are able to view their own bird observations and the observations of other eBirders.

Information supplied by you when you register and submit data to Mass Audubon eBird enables you to track your observations (e.g., life lists and backyard lists) and share them with other registered eBirders. Although details of an observation, its associated location and the name of the reporter (species, numbers, etc.) are available to other eBirders, no other registration information is ever shared.

Security

Mass Audubon has appropriate, industry-standard security measures in place in our physical facilities to protect against the loss or misuse of information that you have provided or that we have collected from you on our website. The information is only distributed to relevant staff members (e.g. membership staff, program registrars) based on the nature of the inquiry.

When you use a credit card to order services through our website, the credit card information is transmitted over the internet using industry-standard SSL encryption. We use outside credit card processing companies to process online credit card transactions for dues payments, donations, goods, and services. These companies are compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS), and do not use personally identifiable information for any secondary purposes.

Mass Audubon uses outside vendors for mailings, updating address information, and other purposes. In each case, we verify that member information is handled securely and treated confidentially.

Other Information

Our website contains links to other sites. Our Privacy Policy does not apply to other sites and we are not responsible for their privacy policies.

From time to time, we may use information from website visitors for new, unanticipated uses not previously disclosed in our Privacy Policy. If our information practices change in the future, we will post the policy changes to our website to notify users of these changes and provide you with the ability to opt out of these new uses. Please contact us if you have any comments and questions regarding our Privacy Policy.  

Mass Audubon does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13.  On-line visitors under 13 years of age should not submit personal information to us without permission from a parent or legal guardian.  If you believe that we may have collected information from a child under 13 without the permission of a parent or legal guardian, please contact us.

Last Update: January 2016