ACGA Website Member Information Privacy Policy

Overview

The Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California (ACGA) is committed to protecting your personal information and ensuring transparency about how we handle data collected through our website (https://acga.net).

As online security threats evolve, we follow current data protection practices to safeguard your information and provide you with control over what you share. Some personal information—such as Social Security numbers or credit card data—should never be shared publicly. You are encouraged not to post or upload any data you would not want visible online.

If you have shared information and wish to have it removed, we provide clear procedures for requesting its deletion.

Who We Are

Our website address is https://acga.net . For any privacy-related concerns, please contact the ACGA Board President HERE .

What Information We Collect and Why

Purchases and Membership Renewals

All online financial transactions for ACGA, including purchases and membership renewals, are processed securely through our payment provider, PayPal. ACGA does not store or have access to your full payment information (such as credit card or bank account details).

Transaction data related to your purchase (such as payment confirmation, amount, and date) is retained by ACGA only for recordkeeping and customer service purposes. These records are governed by PayPal’s Privacy Policy, which you can review HERE .

You may request deletion of your transaction history from ACGA’s internal records by contacting the ACGA Membership Coordinator HERE . Please note that doing so may affect our ability to process future refunds or renewals.

Membership Profiles

You may provide optional information such as address, phone number, biography, or images in your Member Profile.

You can edit or delete most fields directly in your account. If you prefer complete removal of your profile, contact the ACGA Membership Coordinator HERE .

Media

Avoid uploading images containing embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors can potentially extract this data from downloaded images.

How to Contact Us

Please select the ACGA Board member on the “Contact Us” page best suited to assist you and email them directly.

Newsletter signups are stored in our newsletter provider, Mailchimp, and can be removed upon request or by clicking the unsubscribe link in each email.

Cookies

Cookies are small files used to improve your browsing experience. Examples:

  • Comment cookies remember your information for one year.
  • Login cookies save access credentials for convenience.
  • Session cookies help maintain website functionality and are automatically deleted when you log out or close your browser.

When entering our website, you can choose to disable cookies. You may also disable cookies through your browser settings at any time, with the exception of cookies that are “strictly necessary” for the functioning of our website.

Embedded and Third-Party Content

Articles may include content from other websites (e.g., YouTube videos, social media feeds). These third-party sites may collect data or track your activity per their own privacy policies.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics to collect general website performance data such as IP addresses and page views. This data is aggregated and not personally identifiable.

Important: Do not include sensitive information such as Social Security numbers or credit card details in posts, comments, or emails.

Data Sharing and Access

  • Profile information you choose to make public will be visible to others.
  • User login data is stored in the secure WordPress database.
  • We do not sell or rent personal data to third parties.
  • Visitor comments may be checked by automated spam detection services.

Data Retention

  • Comments and related metadata are retained until the member requests deletion, or until the purpose for collection is no longer necessary, or as required by law.
  • Transaction records are retained for a period of seven (7) years as required for tax and accounting purposes.
  • Member profiles are retained for as long as the user’s membership is active, and for a period of 2 years thereafter for account recovery and administrative purposes.
  • Registered users can view, edit, or delete their personal data at any time (except usernames).
  • Website administrators may also access and edit member information as needed for administrative purposes.

Your Rights

You have the right to request the specific categories of personal information collected, the sources, the purposes, and the third parties with whom it is shared. You have the right to correct inaccurate personal information. Although we do not sell your data to third-party sources, you have the right to opt-out of any sharing of your data.

You may request to:

  • Receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Request correction or deletion of your data.
  • Restrict processing or sharing of your data.

Requests can be made by contacting the Membership Coordinator HERE. Verification may be required before fulfilling your request.

How We Protect Your Data

  • Non-public data is accessible only by logged-in members or administrators.
  • Accounts are password-protected and hosted on secure GoDaddy servers with monitoring and regular backups.
  • We encourage members to avoid posting unnecessary personal information online.

If you believe your information has been compromised or wish to remove data from backups, contact the ACGA Board President HERE.

Data Breach and Backup Policy

GoDaddy’s automated systems monitor the ACGA website for suspicious activity. Backups are stored on a rolling 7-day basis, with occasional long-term snapshots.

In rare cases, deleted information may persist in backups temporarily. If removal from all backups is essential, please note that in your request.

When a request for deletion of personal data is verified, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that data is deleted from active systems and all routine backups.

Third-Party Data and Automation

We do not import or reproduce personal data from other sources without consent.

Google Analytics collects non-identifiable usage data to help improve the website’s performance.

We use MailChimp to manage our newsletter and GoDaddy to securely host our site and data.

Industry and Regulatory Disclosure

ACGA is a 501c4 nonprofit artist association and does not engage in commercial manufacturing or regulated industry activities. No additional regulatory disclosures are required.

Final Statement

ACGA values your privacy and is committed to using your data responsibly—to support your membership and improve our services.

We do not commercialize or share your personal information without consent.

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding your data, please contact the ACGA Board President HERE or any Board Member listed under the “ Contact Us ” section of our website.