Privacy Policy.
Effective Date: [TO BE SET AT LAUNCH] · Last Updated: [TO BE SET AT LAUNCH]
Raising the Barre ("RTB," "we," "us," or "our") is a 501(c)(3) youth-service nonprofit organization (EIN 72-1281893) based in Livermore, California. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard information when you visit our website at raisingthebarredance.org and interact with us through our contact forms and email channels.
This policy applies to information collected through the RTB public website only. Information collected through the Dance Positive research platform (a separate platform operated under University of Pennsylvania IRB Protocol #857840) is governed by the Dance Positive Privacy Policy.
What This Policy Covers
The Raising the Barre website is an informational nonprofit website. We do not operate a user-account system, a mobile application, or a data-collection platform on this website. The information we collect is limited to what visitors voluntarily provide when contacting us.
Information We Collect
- Contact information you submit through our forms (name, email address, message contents)
- Information you send to RTB email addresses (board, donate, scholarships, programs, contact, press, chapters, research at raisingthebarredance.org)
- Standard web server data (IP address, browser type, referring page, pages viewed) collected automatically when you visit the site
- Anonymous, aggregate analytics data (if and as enabled on the site)
How We Use Your Information
- To respond to your inquiry
- To process donation correspondence (note: we are not currently accepting online donations; gifts by check, donor-advised fund, and employer matching are processed offline)
- To send organizational updates, only if you have specifically requested them
- To improve the website and the organization's communications
- To comply with applicable legal obligations
We Do Not Sell or Trade Your Information
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for commercial purposes. We are a youth-service nonprofit; our work is funded by donations, scholarship gifts, and chapter affiliation activity. Selling user data is not part of our business model and will not become part of it.
Enhanced Children's Protections (COPPA)
Raising the Barre's program serves dancers ages 10–19, a range that includes minors under 13 ("children" or "child" for COPPA purposes). We take child privacy seriously and structure our website accordingly.
The RTB public website does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. We do not target our website to children under 13; the site is directed to parents, donors, dance studio owners, and adult chapter leaders.
If a child under 13 contacts RTB directly:
- We will not respond to substantive requests without parental or guardian consent
- We will delete any personal information we received from the child within 30 days unless a parent or guardian has provided verifiable consent
- We will respond to the contact through the parent or guardian email address
Research participation by minors (including children under 13) is governed by RTB's Dance Positive platform and University of Pennsylvania IRB Protocol #857840, which has its own COPPA-compliant consent process and is described in the Dance Positive Children's Privacy Policy.
Parental Rights Under COPPA
If you are a parent or guardian and you believe RTB has collected personal information from your child under 13, you may:
- Request a copy of all information we have collected
- Request that we delete the information
- Withdraw any consent previously given
- Refuse further contact
To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@raisingthebarredance.org. We will respond within 10 business days.
Information Sharing and Disclosure
No data sales. We do not sell your personal information.
Service providers. We use third-party services to operate the website (web hosting, email delivery, contact form handling). These service providers may have incidental access to information you submit, but they are contractually obligated to use it only to provide the service to us and to protect it consistent with their own privacy and security standards. Current service providers include:
- Netlify (web hosting and content delivery)
- Mailchimp (email distribution and mailing list management, only if you have voluntarily subscribed)
- Google Analytics or equivalent (anonymous, aggregate website analytics, if and as enabled)
- Formspree or equivalent (contact form processing)
Legal compliance. We may disclose information when required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of RTB, our users, or others.
Business transfers. In the unlikely event of a merger, acquisition, or dissolution of the organization, user information may be transferred, but the privacy protections in this policy will continue to apply.
Research partners. Information submitted through the RTB public website is not shared with our academic research partners (University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University). Research participation is a separate process governed by the Dance Positive platform and IRB Protocol #857840.
Data Security
We implement industry-standard security measures appropriate to the type and amount of information we handle:
- All web traffic is protected with SSL/TLS encryption
- Contact form data is transmitted over encrypted connections
- Access to RTB email accounts is restricted to authorized organizational administrators
- We periodically review our security practices and update them as needed
No system can be guaranteed completely secure. If you believe your interaction with our website has resulted in a security or privacy concern, please contact us immediately at privacy@raisingthebarredance.org.
Data Retention and Deletion
General retention: Contact form submissions and email correspondence are retained while they are operationally useful, generally not more than three years from last contact, unless legal or fiduciary obligations require longer retention (e.g., donation records under IRS rules).
Children under 13: Information from anyone identified as under 13 is deleted within 30 days unless a parent or guardian has provided verifiable consent.
Donor records: Donation correspondence is retained as required by IRS Form 990 and California nonprofit accounting standards, generally seven years.
Mailing list subscribers: Information from individuals who have voluntarily subscribed to RTB communications is retained for as long as the subscription is active. You may unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email or by contacting us directly.
Your Privacy Rights
All Users
- Access and review the personal information we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
- Request deletion of your personal information
- Receive your information in a portable format
- Opt out of non-essential communications
California Residents
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA), California residents have additional rights, including the right to:
- Know what categories of personal information we have collected about you
- Know whether we have sold or disclosed your personal information (we do not sell; we disclose only as described in this policy)
- Request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions
- Opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
- Non-discrimination for exercising these rights
To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@raisingthebarredance.org. We will respond within 30 days (or sooner where required by applicable law).
Cookies and Analytics
The RTB website uses minimal cookies and tracking technologies:
- Essential session cookies required for the site to function
- Anonymous, aggregate analytics (if and as enabled) to understand site traffic patterns
- No advertising cookies, no behavioral tracking, no third-party advertising networks
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some site functionality.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
Contact Information
Privacy questions or concerns:
Raising the Barre Privacy Team
Email: privacy@raisingthebarredance.org
Mail: Raising the Barre, 4046 East Ave., Livermore, CA 94550
General organizational contact: contact@raisingthebarredance.org
Research ethics questions (Dance Positive research platform):
Email: research@raisingthebarredance.org
IRB Protocol Number: 857840 (University of Pennsylvania)
© Raising the Barre. EIN 72-1281893. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This Privacy Policy is intended to comply with COPPA, CCPA, CalOPPA, and applicable state and federal privacy laws.