The short version: this website sets no cookies, runs no trackers, and asks you for nothing. Donations happen on Clover's secure page, and the only information we hold is what you choose to send us. The details are below.
Who we are
HERO Foundation (Help Everyone Remain Operational®) is a Nevada nonprofit corporation recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity. This policy explains what information we collect through herofound.org and our email address, how we use it, and the choices you have. It applies to this website only. Our programs in the water are covered by the enrollment paperwork you sign when you take part.
What this website does not collect
This is a simple informational website. It does not:
- Offer user accounts or logins.
- Ask you to fill in forms on this site.
- Set its own cookies or store anything in your browser.
- Run analytics, advertising pixels, or social-media tracking scripts.
- Sell, rent, or trade personal information to anyone, ever.
Information collected automatically
Like almost every website, some technical information is recorded when your browser requests a page:
- Hosting logs. Our website is hosted by Netlify. Its servers record standard request data such as your IP address, browser type, the pages you request, and the time of the request. We use this only to keep the site running and secure. Netlify's handling of this data is described in the Netlify Privacy Policy.
- Web fonts. The site loads its typefaces from Google Fonts. When your browser fetches a font, Google receives your IP address and standard request headers. Google describes this in its Google Fonts privacy notes and Privacy Policy.
We do not combine this information with anything else or use it to identify you.
Information you send us
If you email info@herofound.org, we receive your email address, your name if you include it, and whatever you write. We use it to reply to you and to follow up on what you asked about. If you ask to be kept informed, we will use your address for that purpose until you tell us to stop.
Donations
Donations are processed by Clover, a payment service operated by Fiserv, on Clover's own secure checkout page. Card numbers and bank details are entered on Clover's page and never pass through our website or our systems. Clover's collection and use of your payment information is governed by its own privacy policy.
After a donation, Clover provides us with the donor's name, email address, the amount, and the date. We use this to send a receipt and acknowledgment, to keep the records a charity is required to keep, and to thank you. If you ask to give anonymously, we honor that in any public recognition.
Program participants and volunteers
If you apply to take part in a program, volunteer, or partner with us, you will share information with us by email or on enrollment paperwork. This may include your name, contact details, your service background (for example military branch, agency, or profession), emergency contacts, and information relevant to dive safety such as a diver medical questionnaire or certification cards.
We use this information only to run the program safely, to meet the requirements of our dive instructors, insurers, and certification agencies, and to stay in touch with you about your participation. Health and medical information is treated as confidential, is shared only with the people who need it to keep you safe in the water, and is never used for marketing.
How we use information
- To operate, secure, and improve this website.
- To respond to your messages and requests.
- To process and acknowledge donations and keep required financial records.
- To run our programs and keep participants safe.
- To meet legal, tax, and regulatory obligations.
How we share information
We share personal information only in these situations:
- Service providers that help us operate, such as our web host, email provider, payment processor, and dive instruction partners, and only for the work they do for us.
- Legal requirements, when we believe in good faith that disclosure is required by law, subpoena, or court order, or to protect the safety of a participant or the public.
- With your consent, for example if you agree to be named as a donor or to appear in a story or photograph.
We do not sell personal information and we do not share it with third parties for their own marketing.
Links to other sites
This site links to Instagram, LinkedIn, Clover, and other sites we do not control. Their privacy practices are their own. Please review their policies before sharing information with them.
Security
The site is served over HTTPS so that traffic between your browser and our host is encrypted. We limit access to the information we hold to the people who need it. No website or email system can be guaranteed completely secure, so please do not send us highly sensitive information such as full card numbers or government identification numbers by email.
How long we keep information
We keep email correspondence for as long as it is useful for the purpose you wrote to us about. Donation records are kept for the period required for a charity's financial and tax records. Program paperwork is kept for as long as our insurers and certification agencies require. When information is no longer needed, we delete it or make it anonymous.
Your choices and rights
You can ask us at any time to tell you what personal information we hold about you, to correct it, or to delete it, and we will do so unless the law requires us to keep it (for example, donation records). You can ask us to stop contacting you at any time. Email info@herofound.org and we will respond promptly.
Nevada residents: we do not sell covered information as defined in Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 603A, and we have no plans to. If that ever changes, we will provide a way to opt out before doing so.
Children
This website is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through this site. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, email us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as our website or programs change. The date at the top shows the latest revision. If a change is significant, we will note it here. Continued use of the site after a change means you accept the updated policy.
Contact
Questions about privacy or this policy: info@herofound.org. HERO Foundation is a Nevada nonprofit corporation and a 501(c)(3) public charity.