Privacy Policy
Effective September 1, 2026
General Principles
My Friend (“My Friend,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization organized under the laws of the State of New York. This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) governs the collection, use, and disclosure of information in connection with your access to and use of myfriendfoundation.org (the “Site”), any donation you make to us (a “Donation”), and any merchandise you purchase through the Site (collectively, our “Services”).
This Policy is incorporated by reference into, and should be read together with, our Terms of Use. By accessing the Site, making a Donation, or purchasing merchandise, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Policy and consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of information as described here. If you do not agree with the terms of this Policy, please do not use the Site or Services.
This Policy is subject to change at our discretion. We will post any revisions on this page and update the effective date below. Where applicable, this Policy is intended to satisfy the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) for residents of the European Union and applicable comprehensive U.S. state privacy laws, including those that may apply to nonprofit organizations.
What information do we collect?
We collect personal information when you voluntarily provide it to us. For example:
If you make a donation, you may provide your name, address, email address, phone number, and payment information, processed through Squarespace.
If you purchase merchandise through our store, you may provide similar information, along with a shipping address and order details, in order for us to fulfill your order.
If you contact us by email, a contact form, or our newsletter signup, you may provide your name and email address.
Providing this information is necessary for us to process your donation or order, respond to your inquiry, or send the communications you've requested.
In addition to information you provide directly, we may collect information automatically using the following technologies:
Web server logs. Our servers may log information such as your IP address, the pages you visit, the time of your visit, and the site that referred you to us.
Cookies. Cookies are small text files stored by your browser that help us recognize repeat visitors and understand how our website is used. We use cookies provided by Squarespace for website functionality and analytics, and Google Analytics 4 (“GA4”) for analytics and website usage measurement. You may manage your cookie preferences through our cookie consent tool or your browser settings.
Where is information stored?
My Friend is based in the United States, and any information you provide to us may be stored, accessed, and processed here. If you are located outside the United States, including in the European Union, please be aware that U.S. law may not offer the same protections as the law of your home country. We are nonetheless committed to honoring the protections required by the GDPR for EU residents.
How do we use information?
We use the information we collect primarily to process donations and merchandise orders, carry out our programs, and keep you informed about our work. We also use information for internal analysis, to improve our website and outreach, and to respond to inquiries. If we intend to use information you provide for a purpose beyond what's described here, we'll let you know at the time we collect it.
Mental health information & crisis resources
This website provides information about mental health and our programs for general and educational purposes only. Please avoid submitting sensitive health information, clinical details, or crisis-related content through contact forms or newsletter signups. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room — this website and its contact channels are not monitored on an emergency basis.
Sensitive personal information
Some state privacy laws define certain categories of information — including health, mental or behavioral health condition, and precise geolocation — as “sensitive personal information” subject to additional protection. If you disclose sensitive personal information to us, such as in a contact form or email, we do not use it for advertising, profiling, or any purpose other than responding to you, and we do not knowingly sell or share it with third parties. We encourage you not to include sensitive health details in any public-facing or non-secure part of the Site.
With whom do we share information?
We do not sell, trade, or share the information you provide with other organizations for their own marketing purposes. We do share information with trusted service providers who help us operate — such as Squarespace, Mailchimp, and Google Analytics –– solely to help us process your donation or order, fulfill merchandise, or understand website usage. We may also disclose personal information to third parties where we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to: (i) comply with a law, regulation, subpoena, or other legal process; (ii) protect the rights, property, or safety of My Friend our supporters, or others; (iii) enforce our Terms of Use or this Policy; or (iv) address fraud, security, or technical issues, or in connection with a merger, sale, or reorganization of My Friend.
Donor recognition
We may identify you as a donor by name in our annual report or other public materials unless you ask us not to. You may request that your gift be listed as anonymous by contacting us at hello@myfriendfoundation.com or by indicating so at the time of your Donation.
Donor list sharing
We do not share, trade, or exchange donor names, addresses, or contact information with other organizations.
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
We do not sell personal information for money, and we do not “share” personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising as those terms are defined under applicable state law. Where required, we honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal as a valid opt-out request from browsers that support it.
How long do we keep information?
Unless otherwise stated in this Privacy Notice, we retain your personal information (i) for as long as you maintain an account with us, (ii) until we receive a valid request to delete the information, in which case we will delete or anonymize the information, (iii) until we no longer need the information to fulfill the purposes for which we collected it, or (iv) until the information is no longer needed for a service provider or contractor’s operational purpose(s). Subscription, billing, tax, audit, and transaction-related records may also be retained for longer where reasonably necessary for accounting, dispute resolution, chargeback management, tax, audit, and legal compliance purposes.
We use the following criteria to determine whether it remains reasonably necessary to retain your personal information for such purposes or a service provider or contractor’s operational purpose(s):
(i) whether there is a retention period required by statute or regulations;
(ii) the existence of actual or threatened litigation for which we are required to preserve the information;
iii) the statutes of limitations for potential legal claims; and
(iv) generally accepted best practices in our industry, including in relation to the safety and security of our properties and assets. When we determine that it is no longer reasonably necessary to retain your personal information for one or more disclosed operational purposes based on the above criteria, we will delete or anonymize your personal information.
Our commitment to data security
We've put in place reasonable physical, electronic, and administrative safeguards designed to protect the accuracy and security of the information we collect and to prevent unauthorized access. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Your access to data, and your choices
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:
Confirm whether we are processing your personal information
Access the personal information we hold about you
Correct inaccurate personal information
Request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions (e.g., records we must keep for tax purposes)
Obtain a portable copy of your personal information
Opt out of the sale of your personal information, the sharing of it for targeted advertising, or certain profiling
Appeal a decision we make in response to your request, where required by law
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@myfriendfoundation.com.We will verify your request and respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.
Authorized agents
You may designate an authorized agent, such as a family member or a person with power of attorney, to submit a privacy rights request on your behalf. We may require the agent to provide proof of authorization and may still ask you to verify your own identity directly before completing the request.
Non-discrimination
We will not deny you goods or services, charge you a different price, or provide a different level of service because you exercised a privacy right described in this Policy.
Some browsers and devices let you signal a preference not to be tracked online through a “Do Not Track” (DNT) signal. California law requires that we disclose how we respond to these signals: at this time, we do not alter our data collection practices in response to DNT signals, though we do honor Global Privacy Control signals as described above.
International transfers
My Friend is based in and operates the Site from the United States. If you access the Site or make a Donation from outside the United States, any information you provide will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those of your home country. By using the Site or Services, you consent to this transfer.
Additional information
Links to other sites
Our website may link to other websites. When you click one of these links, you're leaving our site and are subject to that site's own privacy policy, which we encourage you to review.
Children's privacy
Our website is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them.
Interpretation
In this Policy, the terms “including” and “such as” are used to introduce examples and are not exhaustive; the term “or” should be read to mean “and/or” unless the context requires otherwise.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, and any changes will be reflected on this page. If we make a material change affecting how we use information you've already provided, we'll attempt to notify you and, where required, obtain your consent.
Contact us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this policy or your personal information, you can reach us at:
My Friend
Email: hello@myfriendfoundation.com
Effective: 09/01/2026