Policy Effective Date: September 1, 2026
STEM Gift Drive respects the privacy of the people, businesses, organizations, volunteers, donors, and community partners who make our work possible. This Privacy Policy explains the types of personal information we may collect, how we use and protect that information, when it may be shared, and the choices you have regarding your information.
This policy applies to information collected through STEMGiftDrive.org, STEM Gift Drive forms and communications, official STEM Gift Drive events and activities, and other services we use to coordinate our campaigns.
About STEM Gift Drive
STEM Gift Drive is a volunteer-led community initiative that works with approved charitable beneficiaries to collect and distribute STEM-themed toys, games, and books. STEM Gift Drive does not directly receive or process monetary charitable contributions. When monetary giving opportunities are provided, donors are directed to the charitable beneficiary or another authorized third-party platform.
Information We May Collect
We collect information primarily when you choose to provide it to us.
Depending on how you participate, this may include your name, email address, telephone number, mailing address, organization or business name, job title or role, community or location, and other contact information.
If you volunteer, host a collection, participate in an event, inquire about starting a STEM Gift Drive community, join our mailing list, complete a survey, contact us, or otherwise participate in the campaign, we may also collect information relevant to that activity. This might include volunteer interests or availability, collection location information, organization information, event registration information, communication preferences, or information you provide in a message or form.
If you request an accessibility accommodation, we may receive information you choose to provide about your access needs. We use that information only as reasonably necessary to respond to your request and support your participation.
Collection hosts may provide business or organization information, logos, website links, public collection locations, operating hours, and similar information intended for publication. Hosts may also choose to participate privately rather than being publicly listed or recognized.
If you voluntarily submit photographs, videos, testimonials, stories, or other content to STEM Gift Drive, we may retain the information and content you provide in accordance with our Photos & Media policy.
Donor and Gift Information
Individuals may donate physical gifts to STEM Gift Drive anonymously. You generally do not need to provide personal information simply to donate a gift.
When a donor requests a charitable acknowledgment or receipt, the donor may provide contact information through a Donation Record or similar process so that the charitable beneficiary receiving the gift can provide the appropriate acknowledgment. STEM Gift Drive may receive, temporarily maintain, match, or transmit this information as necessary to connect the donor and gift with the charitable beneficiary.
When gifts are purchased through an online retailer or wish list, the retailer may provide limited information about the sender or order in accordance with that retailer’s own policies.
STEM Gift Drive does not directly process credit cards, bank accounts, or other payment information for monetary charitable contributions. Monetary donation platforms are operated by the charitable beneficiary or another third party. Information submitted through those platforms is governed by the privacy policies and practices of those organizations. STEM Gift Drive may receive limited information about a contribution if the donor or charitable beneficiary separately provides it for campaign acknowledgment, coordination, or reporting.
How We Use Information
We use personal information only for purposes reasonably related to operating, improving, and communicating about the STEM Gift Drive.
This may include responding to inquiries; coordinating volunteers, collection hosts, events, sponsors, community partners, and charitable beneficiaries; providing campaign materials and updates; maintaining participant and campaign records; sending newsletters or other requested communications; acknowledging participation and support; processing requests for charitable acknowledgments through our beneficiaries; administering surveys; developing new STEM Gift Drive communities; documenting campaign impact; improving our website and programs; protecting the integrity and security of our activities; and complying with applicable legal or administrative requirements.
We may also use information in an aggregated or de-identified form for campaign reporting, planning, and evaluation.
Public Recognition and Collection Host Information
Part of the STEM Gift Drive involves recognizing businesses, organizations, volunteers, sponsors, community partners, and other supporters.
When you provide information for public recognition, we may publish information such as an organization name, logo, website, public collection location, photographs, or description of your participation on STEMGiftDrive.org, social media, newsletters, campaign materials, or other STEM Gift Drive communications.
Collection hosts may choose to be designated as private. When a host selects that option, we will not publicly identify the organization or collection location as a STEM Gift Drive host unless the host later gives permission to do so.
We do not intentionally publish personal contact information such as an individual’s private email address, telephone number, or home address simply because that person participates in the campaign.
Email and Other Communications
If you subscribe to STEM Gift Drive updates, volunteer, register as a collection host, participate in an event, or otherwise ask to stay connected with us, we may contact you about relevant campaign activities, opportunities, events, and updates.
You may ask us to stop sending nonessential communications at any time. Where an email service provides an unsubscribe link, you may use that link, or you may contact us directly at STEMGiftDrive@gmail.com.
Transactional or individual communications necessary to complete an activity you requested may still be sent when appropriate.
Information Collected Through Our Website
Like most websites, STEMGiftDrive.org and the services that support it may automatically receive limited technical information when you visit the site. This can include information such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser or device type, referring website, pages visited, and general website usage information.
Cookies or similar technologies may also be used by our website, hosting provider, analytics services, embedded content, or other third-party services to operate the website and understand how visitors use it.
This information is generally used to maintain and improve the website, understand traffic and usage patterns, troubleshoot technical problems, and help protect the site from misuse.
Your browser may allow you to block or delete cookies. Doing so may affect the functionality of some website features or embedded services.
Third-Party Services and Websites
STEM Gift Drive uses and links to third-party services to help operate the campaign. These may include website hosting and analytics providers, online forms, email services, event-registration platforms, social media platforms, retailers and wish lists, charitable-beneficiary giving platforms, and other online services.
When you provide information directly to one of these services, that service may collect and process information according to its own privacy policy and terms. STEM Gift Drive does not control the privacy or security practices of independent third parties.
We encourage you to review the privacy practices of any external service before providing sensitive or personal information.
When We Share Information
STEM Gift Drive does not sell or rent personal information, and we do not provide personal information to other organizations for their independent marketing purposes.
We may share information when reasonably necessary to operate the campaign. This can include sharing information with authorized STEM Gift Drive volunteers or community leaders who need it to coordinate an activity; with a charitable beneficiary when necessary to document or acknowledge a gift; with service providers that operate forms, email systems, event registrations, websites, or other services on our behalf; or with a participating organization when you have asked us to facilitate a connection.
We may also disclose information when required by law or when reasonably necessary to protect the safety, rights, property, or integrity of STEM Gift Drive, our participants, or others.
We try to limit any information shared to what is reasonably necessary for the particular purpose.
Photos, Video, and Media
STEM Gift Drive may photograph or record official events to document our work, celebrate participants, communicate campaign impact, and promote future STEM Gift Drive activities.
Attendees who prefer not to appear in photographs or video may notify an event organizer or volunteer, and we will make reasonable efforts to honor that request.
We do not intentionally photograph or publish identifiable images of youth without appropriate permission. Additional information about event photography, youth images, submitted content, and requests for removal is available in our Legal and Use Information – Photos & Media policy.
If an identifiable photograph of you appears in media under STEM Gift Drive’s control and you would like it removed, please contact us.
Children’s Privacy
Our website and online forms are intended primarily for adults, organizations, community partners, and individuals coordinating participation in the STEM Gift Drive.
We do not knowingly solicit personal information online directly from children under 18 without appropriate parent or guardian involvement or consent. Youth participation in STEM Gift Drive activities is generally coordinated through a parent, guardian, school, club, charitable beneficiary, or other responsible organization.
If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal information directly from a child under 18 without appropriate authorization, we will take reasonable steps to remove it.
Protecting Your Information
We take reasonable steps to safeguard the personal information entrusted to us. These measures may include limiting access to information to volunteers and leaders who reasonably need it, using established third-party service providers, maintaining password-protected accounts, and avoiding unnecessary collection of sensitive information.
No website, email system, electronic database, or method of transmitting information over the Internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security.
Please do not send Social Security numbers, financial-account credentials, passwords, or other highly sensitive personal information to STEM Gift Drive.
How Long We Keep Information
We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to operate the STEM Gift Drive, maintain appropriate campaign and participation records, respond to inquiries, maintain relationships with recurring volunteers and partners, comply with applicable obligations, or fulfill the purposes for which the information was collected.
Different types of information may be retained for different periods.
When information is no longer reasonably needed, we may delete it, securely dispose of it, or retain it in an aggregated or de-identified form that does not reasonably identify an individual.
Your Choices and Requests
You may contact us to ask what personal information we maintain about you, correct or update your contact information, change your communication preferences, request removal from our mailing list, request that a public listing or recognition be changed or removed, or ask us to delete personal information that we no longer need to maintain.
We will make reasonable efforts to honor these requests, subject to information we may need to retain for legitimate administrative, legal, security, recordkeeping, or campaign purposes.
Requests involving information maintained directly by a third-party service, retailer, social media platform, or charitable beneficiary may need to be directed to that organization.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as our campaign, website, technology, or information practices change.
When we make material changes, we will post the updated policy on STEMGiftDrive.org and revise the effective date at the top of this page.
Contact Us
Questions, requests, or concerns about this Privacy Policy or the way STEM Gift Drive handles personal information may be directed to:
STEM Gift Drive
Email: STEMGiftDrive@gmail.com
Phone/Text: 407-608-9242
Mail: PO Box 677693, Orlando, FL 32867
We welcome questions about how information is collected, used, and protected.