Haiti Health Initiative Logo

Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 24, 2026

1. Introduction

Haiti Health Initiative ("HHI," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website at haitihealthinitiative.org, make a donation, or interact with us in any way.

This policy applies to all visitors worldwide and includes specific provisions for residents of the European Union/European Economic Area (under GDPR), California (under CCPA/CPRA), and other jurisdictions with applicable privacy laws.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of information:

2.1 Information You Provide

  • Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number, mailing address when you contact us, volunteer, or make a donation.
  • Donation Information: Payment details processed by our third-party payment processor (CheddarUp). We do not store your full payment card information on our servers.
  • Communications: Information you provide when filling out contact forms or signing up for volunteer opportunities.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

  • IP Address: We collect your IP address for security purposes and to determine your approximate geographic location to display appropriate privacy notices (e.g., GDPR consent for EU visitors, CCPA notices for California residents).
  • Device & Browser Information: Browser type, operating system, device type, screen resolution, and language preferences.
  • Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URLs, and navigation patterns.

2.3 Cookies & Similar Technologies

We use the following types of cookies:

  • Essential Cookies: Required for basic site functionality, authentication, and security. These cannot be disabled.
  • Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our site (e.g., page views, traffic sources). Only set with your consent where required by law.
  • Marketing Cookies: Used for social media sharing and content personalization. Only set with your consent where required by law.

You can manage your cookie preferences at any time using the cookie settings button (shield icon) in the bottom-left corner of our website, or through your browser settings.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • Process and acknowledge donations and send tax receipts
  • Respond to your inquiries and contact form submissions
  • Send updates about our programs and mission (with your consent)
  • Improve our website functionality and user experience
  • Detect and prevent security threats and fraudulent activity
  • Determine your geographic location for privacy regulation compliance
  • Comply with legal obligations

3.1 Legal Bases for Processing (GDPR)

For visitors in the EU/EEA, we process your personal data under the following legal bases:

  • Consent: For analytics and marketing cookies, email communications, and non-essential data processing.
  • Legitimate Interest: For website security, fraud prevention, and improving our services.
  • Contractual Necessity: For processing donations you initiate.
  • Legal Obligation: For tax reporting and compliance requirements.

4. Sharing of Information

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

  • Payment Processors: Donation information is processed by CheddarUp under their own privacy policy.
  • Service Providers: We use trusted third-party services for website hosting, email delivery, and analytics. These providers are contractually bound to protect your data.
  • Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or governmental request.
  • Safety: To protect the rights, property, or safety of HHI, our visitors, or the public.

5. Data Security & Retention

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures including encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS), secure authentication, rate limiting, and access controls. We retain personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law.

  • Contact form submissions: Retained for the duration needed to respond and follow up.
  • Donation records: Retained as required by IRS regulations for 501(c)(3) organizations (typically 7 years).
  • Analytics data: Aggregated and anonymized within 26 months.
  • Cookie consent records: Retained for 1 year from the date of consent.

6. Your Rights

6.1 Rights for All Visitors

  • Access and receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you
  • Request correction of inaccurate information
  • Request deletion of your personal information
  • Opt out of marketing communications at any time
  • Withdraw cookie consent at any time via the cookie preferences button

6.2 Additional Rights for EU/EEA Residents (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Union or European Economic Area, you additionally have the right to:

  • Data Portability: Receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
  • Restrict Processing: Request that we limit the processing of your personal data.
  • Object to Processing: Object to processing based on our legitimate interests.
  • Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
  • Lodge a Complaint: File a complaint with your local data protection authority.

Non-essential cookies will not be set without your explicit opt-in consent.

6.3 Rights for California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) provide you with additional rights:

  • Right to Know: You can request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
  • Right to Delete: You can request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
  • Right to Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing: You have the right to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of your personal information. Haiti Health Initiative does not sell your personal information. However, we provide a "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" option in our cookie consent banner for transparency and compliance.
  • Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights.
  • Right to Correct: You can request correction of inaccurate personal information.
  • Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information: You can limit our use of sensitive personal information to only what is necessary.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us or use the "Do Not Sell My Info" option in the cookie consent banner. We will respond to verifiable consumer requests within 45 days.

6.4 Categories of Personal Information (CCPA Disclosure)

In the preceding 12 months, we may have collected the following categories of personal information as defined by the CCPA:

  • Identifiers: Name, email address, IP address, phone number
  • Internet Activity: Browsing history on our site, interaction with our website
  • Geolocation Data: Approximate location derived from IP address

We have not sold personal information in the preceding 12 months.

7. International Data Transfers

Haiti Health Initiative is based in the United States. If you access our website from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States. We take appropriate safeguards to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.

8. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including our donation platform (CheddarUp). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies.

9. Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed at children under the age of 16 (or 13 in jurisdictions where that is the applicable age). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it promptly.

10. Do Not Track Signals

Our website respects "Do Not Track" (DNT) browser signals. When we detect a DNT signal, we will not set non-essential cookies or tracking technologies. California law requires us to disclose how we respond to DNT signals — we honor them.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. If we make material changes, we will reset cookie consent preferences so you can review and re-consent. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your privacy rights, or have concerns about our data practices, please contact us:

For CCPA requests, we will verify your identity before processing. We will respond within 45 days of receiving a verifiable request. For GDPR requests, we will respond within 30 days.