Privacy Policy

FIRST RESPONDERS SURVIVORS FUND

PRIVACY POLICY

Effective Date: February 24, 2026 — May change without notice

1. Introduction

First Responders Survivors Fund (“FRSF,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) is a Wisconsin nonprofit organization dedicated to providing rapid financial support to the surviving families of fallen first responders. We are committed to protecting the privacy of our donors, website visitors, event participants, volunteers, and beneficiary families.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website at firstresponderssurvivorsfund.com (the “Site”), make a donation, participate in our fundraising events, or otherwise interact with our organization. By using our Site or providing personal information to us, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

We may collect the following categories of personal information when you voluntarily provide it to us:

• Donor Information: Name, mailing address, email address, phone number, donation amount, and payment information (credit card number, billing address) when you make a contribution.
• Event Participant Information: Name, contact details, dietary restrictions, emergency contact information, and team or group affiliation when you register for events such as our annual golf outing, concert fundraisers, or community events.
• Volunteer Information: Name, contact details, availability, skills, and any background check information you consent to provide.
• Beneficiary Family Information: Name, contact details, relationship to the fallen first responder, and financial information necessary to provide timely support, collected with the express consent of the family.
• Communication Information: Name, email address, and any content you include when you contact us with questions, comments, or requests through our website, email, phone, or social media channels.
• Business Sponsor Information: Business name, contact person, address, phone, email, and sponsorship level details when businesses partner with FRSF.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our Site, certain information may be collected automatically through cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies:

• IP address and approximate geographic location
• Browser type and version, operating system, and device information
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, links clicked, and referring URLs
• Date and time of visits

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third-party services such as payment processors (e.g., Stripe, PayPal), event registration platforms, social media platforms, and analytics providers.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

• Processing and acknowledging donations and issuing tax receipts
• Providing rapid financial assistance to beneficiary families within 48 hours of an on-duty death
• Registering participants for fundraising events, including our annual golf outing and concert fundraisers
• Communicating with you about our mission, upcoming events, campaigns, and organizational news
• Responding to your inquiries and providing support
• Coordinating volunteer activities
• Managing business sponsorships and partnerships
• Improving our Site, services, and fundraising efforts through analytics
• Complying with legal obligations, including Wisconsin nonprofit reporting requirements and IRS regulations
• Maintaining internal records and financial reporting

4. Donor Privacy

We respect and protect the privacy of our donors. We are committed to the following principles:

• Confidentiality: All donor information, including names, addresses, donation amounts, and payment details, is treated as strictly confidential.
• No Sale or Trade of Donor Information: We will never sell, trade, or rent your personal or financial information to any third party.
• Limited Sharing: Donor information is shared only with trusted service providers who assist us in processing donations and are contractually obligated to protect your information.
• Recognition Preferences: We respect your preferences regarding public acknowledgment of your generosity. If you wish to remain anonymous, please let us know and we will honor that request.
• Opt-Out: You may opt out of receiving communications from us at any time by contacting us directly or using the unsubscribe mechanism in our emails.

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service Providers: We share information with trusted third-party vendors who perform services on our behalf, such as payment processing, email distribution, website hosting, and event management. These providers are contractually required to protect your data and use it solely for the services they provide to us.
• Legal Compliance: We may disclose your information when required by law, regulation, subpoena, court order, or other legal process, or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, the safety of others, or to investigate fraud.
• Organizational Transfers: In the event of a merger, reorganization, dissolution, or similar corporate event involving FRSF, your information may be transferred as part of that process. We will notify you of any such change.
• With Your Consent: We may share your information with your explicit consent for purposes not described in this policy.

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Site uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience and gather usage data. The types of cookies we may use include:

• Essential Cookies: Necessary for the Site to function properly, such as enabling secure areas and processing donations.
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our Site. We may use Google Analytics or similar tools, which collect anonymized data about your browsing behavior.
• Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences and settings to improve your experience.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may limit the functionality of our Site. We do not currently respond to “Do Not Track” browser signals, as there is no industry-wide standard for this technology.

7. Data Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect it from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and destruction. Our security measures include:

• Encryption of sensitive data during transmission using SSL/TLS technology
• Secure storage of financial and personal data with access restricted to authorized personnel
• Regular review and updating of our security practices
• Use of PCI-compliant payment processors for all donation transactions

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Data Breach Notification

In accordance with Wisconsin Statute § 134.98, if we become aware of an unauthorized acquisition of your personal information, we will notify affected individuals as required by law. Notification will be made in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay, consistent with the legitimate needs of law enforcement and any measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach.

9. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Specifically:

• Donation records are retained for a minimum of seven (7) years to comply with IRS record-keeping requirements for tax-exempt organizations.
• Event registration information is retained for a reasonable period following the event for follow-up communications and internal reporting.
• Communication records are retained as needed to address ongoing inquiries or for our records.
• Beneficiary family information is retained as needed to fulfill our mission and comply with legal obligations.

When personal information is no longer needed, we will securely dispose of it in accordance with applicable law, including Wisconsin Statute § 134.97, which requires proper disposal of records containing personal information.

10. Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access and Correction: You may request access to the personal information we hold about you and ask us to correct any inaccuracies.
• Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to any legal obligations requiring us to retain certain records.
• Opt-Out of Communications: You may opt out of receiving marketing or fundraising communications at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in our emails, contacting us directly, or writing to us at the address below.
• Cookie Preferences: You may adjust your browser settings to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 15 of this Policy. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe.

11. Third-Party Links

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, including social media platforms, payment processors, event registration sites, and partner organizations. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external sites you visit.

12. Children’s Privacy

Our Site is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information as promptly as possible. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information to us, please contact us immediately.

This provision is consistent with the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

13. Wisconsin-Specific Provisions

As a Wisconsin nonprofit organization, FRSF operates in compliance with all applicable Wisconsin laws, including:

• Wisconsin Statute § 134.98 (Data Breach Notification): We will notify affected individuals in the event of unauthorized acquisition of personal information, as described in Section 8.
• Wisconsin Statute § 134.97 (Disposal of Records): We dispose of records containing personal information in a secure manner designed to prevent unauthorized access.
• Wisconsin Statute § 995.50 (Right of Privacy): We respect your right of privacy as recognized under Wisconsin law.
• Wisconsin Charitable Organization Registration: We comply with all registration and reporting requirements of the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions for charitable organizations soliciting contributions.

Please note that while comprehensive consumer data privacy legislation has been introduced in Wisconsin (Assembly Bills 466 and 172), as of the effective date of this Policy, these bills have not been enacted into law. FRSF will update this Privacy Policy as needed to reflect any new legislative requirements. In addition, because FRSF is a nonprofit organization, many comprehensive state consumer privacy laws explicitly exempt nonprofits from their scope. Nevertheless, we voluntarily commit to the privacy principles outlined in this Policy.

14. Compliance with Federal Laws

In addition to Wisconsin state laws, FRSF complies with the following applicable federal privacy and data protection laws:

• CAN-SPAM Act: All email communications from FRSF include a clear mechanism to unsubscribe, and we honor all opt-out requests promptly.
• Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA): We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13, as described in Section 12.
• IRS Regulations for Tax-Exempt Organizations: We maintain donor records in compliance with IRS requirements for 501(c)(3) organizations while protecting the confidentiality of donor information.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

First Responders Survivors Fund

Website: firstresponderssurvivorsfund.com

Email: info@firstresponderssurvivorsfund.com

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or applicable laws. When we make changes, we will revise the “Effective Date” at the top of this Policy and post the updated version on our Site. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

For material changes that significantly affect how we handle your personal information, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you, such as by posting a prominent notice on our Site or sending an email to affected individuals.

DISCLAIMER: This Privacy Policy is provided as a general informational document and does not constitute legal advice. First Responders Survivors Fund strongly recommends having this policy reviewed by a licensed attorney familiar with Wisconsin nonprofit law and data privacy regulations before publication or reliance upon it. Laws and regulations may change, and this policy should be reviewed and updated periodically.