LAST UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 17, 2026

Our Privacy Commitment

The Gary Literacy Coalition is dedicated to transparent data stewardship, rigorous student privacy safeguards, and international security standards across all our community literacy initiatives.

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POLICY SPECIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES

Transparent Practices

This policy governs how the Gary Literacy Coalition collects, handles, stores, and protects personal data across all educational initiatives, donor portals, and community programs.

Table of Contents

1.0 Information Collection & Scope

The Coalition gathers minimal personal information strictly required to coordinate literacy tutoring, issue tax receipts for charitable contributions, and deliver community newsletters. Information collected directly from users includes full names, email addresses, phone contacts, mailing addresses, and specific student grade level preferences when volunteering.

Legalese Translator
Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Plain English: Details that explicitly point to who you are (e.g. your name, email, or phone number). We treat this data with rigorous privacy controls and never monetize or sell it.

2.0 Purpose & Legal Basis for Processing

Processing of your information relies on legitimate organizational interests and explicit user consent. Specifically, data is utilized to:

  • Match qualified volunteer tutors with participating regional school libraries and reading workshops
  • Deliver digital educational guides, curriculum updates, and program impact reports
  • Facilitate secure financial processing for donations and issue legal 501(c)(3) tax receipts
  • Ensure regulatory compliance with nonprofit reporting mandates and child safety standards

3.0 Individual Privacy Rights

Regardless of geography, we provide every constituent full agency over their personal information. You retain statutory rights to inspect, update, restrict, or completely delete any stored records held by the coalition.

Legalese Translator
Right to Erasure ('Right to be Forgotten')
Plain English: You can contact our team anytime to permanently erase your profile, email history, and volunteer records from our database with no questions asked.
  • Right of Access: Request a full export of all personal details maintained on our servers
  • Right to Rectification: Correct incomplete, outdated, or inaccurate volunteer profiles
  • Right to Object: Opt out of non-transactional announcements, mailings, and event invitations at any point
  • Data Portability: Receive your personal contribution and participation history in a machine-readable format

4.0 Global Compliance (GDPR & CCPA Frameworks)

Although operating primarily in Northwest Indiana, our digital infrastructure aligns with international benchmarks including the General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). We enforce equal protection standards across all jurisdictions, ensuring cross-border data transfer safeguards and transparent third-party vendor audits.

Legalese Translator
Data Minimization & Storage Limitation
Plain English: We only ask for information we genuinely require to run educational programs, and we delete historical records as soon as their legal and operational purpose concludes.

5.0 Retention & Storage Schedules

Donor transaction records are maintained for seven (7) years in compliance with United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations for charitable organizations. Volunteer screening logs and contact records are reviewed every twelve months, with inactive profiles purged upon request or after twenty-four months of continuous inactivity.

6.0 Security Protocols & Third-Party Disclosure

All communications between your browser and our platform utilize Transport Layer Security (TLS 1.3) encryption. Donor payment processing is handled exclusively by PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant financial gateways; our internal staff never store or access raw payment card credentials. We do not sell, rent, or lease personal identifiers to third-party commercial marketing entities.

GET IN TOUCH

Privacy Inquiries

Our dedicated Data Protection Officer is available to assist you with data access requests, consent adjustments, or any questions regarding our safeguarding practices for student and donor records.

  • Guaranteed formal response within 2 business days
  • Direct liaison with Gary Literacy Coalition DPO
  • Assistance with data inspection and rectification rights

Prefer traditional mail? Reach our legal oversight team at:
Gary Literacy Coalition, Attn: Privacy Office, Gary, Indiana

Thank you. Your inquiry has been forwarded to the Data Protection Officer. We will respond within 2 business days.
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Gary Literacy Coalition

Dedicated to community literacy advancement, educational equity, and open governance. We uphold the highest standards of student data privacy and organizational transparency.

Community & Inquiries

Have questions regarding policy enforcement or student record protections? Connect directly with our compliance committee.

© 2026 Gary Literacy Coalition. All rights reserved. Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to public education and literacy access.