How we handle your information.

Last updated: April 2026

What we collect

When you interact with Loudoun Robotics' website or programs, we may collect:

• Contact information you give us via forms — name, email, phone, school affiliation, role (parent, coach, etc.).
• Donation information processed by Givebutter and its payment providers (Stripe, PayPal). We do not store credit card numbers on our servers.
• Newsletter subscription data — email address, via Mailchimp.
• Automatic information — standard web server logs (IP address, browser type, pages visited). We do not use tracking cookies or third-party advertising trackers.

Why we collect it

• To respond to your inquiries about volunteering, partnering, or bringing robotics to your school.
• To process and acknowledge tax-deductible donations.
• To send program updates and newsletters to subscribers who have opted in.
• To match volunteers and mentors with teams that need support.
• To understand, in aggregate, how people find and use our site.

Who has access

Your information is handled by:

• Loudoun Robotics staff and approved volunteers with a legitimate need to respond to your inquiry.
• Third-party service providers that power our website and operations: Formspree (form submissions), Mailchimp (newsletter), Givebutter and its payment processors (donations), Vercel (web hosting), GoDaddy (domain and email).

We do not sell, rent, or share your contact information with anyone outside these operational necessities. We do not share donor lists with other organizations.

Email communications

If you submit a form, we may reply directly to your inquiry. We will not add you to our newsletter mailing list unless you explicitly subscribe. Every newsletter email includes a one-click unsubscribe link; unsubscribes are processed immediately.

Information about minors

We take the privacy of students seriously. We do not publish last names, contact information, or other identifying information about students under 18 without explicit written consent from a parent or guardian. Student work shared publicly (project presentations, competition outcomes) is shared in the spirit of celebrating achievement; parents may opt out at any time.

Photo & media policy

From time to time we take photos and short videos at our camps, community events, and team sessions. These may appear on this website, on our Instagram (@loudounrobotics), in grant applications, and in printed materials used to fundraise for the programs kids participate in.

Our rules:

• We never pair a student's face with their full name publicly. First name + grade + school is the most we'll share, and only with parent consent.
• At registration for any camp or event, parents are asked to opt in to photo use. If a parent does not opt in, we make reasonable efforts to keep that student out of photos, or blur/crop them if they appear incidentally.
• We do not share raw photo or video files with third parties (press, sponsors, other nonprofits) without separate parent consent.
• If you are a parent and would like a photo or any reference to your child removed, contact us and we will take it down promptly — typically within 2 business days.

Data retention

We retain form submissions and donor records as long as reasonably necessary for our operations and any legal or tax obligations (typically seven years for financial records). Newsletter subscribers are retained until they unsubscribe. You may request deletion of your information at any time by contacting us.

Security

We rely on reputable third-party services (listed above) that implement industry-standard security practices. Payment processing is handled exclusively by Givebutter, Stripe, and PayPal — we never see or store your full payment details.

Your rights

You can at any time:

• Request a copy of the information we hold about you.
• Request corrections to any inaccurate information.
• Request deletion of your information (with exceptions for legal or tax retention requirements).
• Unsubscribe from our newsletter directly from any email we send.

To exercise any of these rights, email contact@loudounrobotics.org.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Substantive changes will be communicated by email to newsletter subscribers.

Contact

Questions or requests regarding your information: contact@loudounrobotics.org.

Loudoun Robotics is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 33-4000099.