FOCUS Ministries Privacy & Social Media Policies

Commitment to Privacy
FOCUS Ministries values your privacy. To better protect your privacy, we provide this notice explaining our information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used.

Personal Information We Collect
On some areas of our site, you are prompted to provide us with personal information when you, for example, make a donation, order products, register to receive newsletters, or apply to be a volunteer. Also, some areas of our site require a password before access is granted. The types of personal information collected at these pages vary, but may include the following:

  • Name

  • Address

  • Email address

  • Phone number

  • Church Home

  • Credit/Debit Card Information ​


We may from time to time give users the opportunity to participate in online surveys to provide feedback on aspects of our ministry. These surveys are always optional, and data collected in them will only be used to provide more personalized content, as well as to better understand how people respond to our ministry efforts and how those efforts might be improved.

The Way We Use Personal Information

  • We use the information you provide about yourself when placing an order to complete that order.

  • We use email addresses to fulfill your requests for newsletter subscriptions and to answer the email we receive.

  • We also use email addresses and mailing addresses to send updates about various ministry activities. To exclude yourself from any of these mailings, electronic or postal, please contact us. (You may also opt out of electronic mailings by clicking the unsubscribe link included in each mailing.)


Cookies and Other Automatic Information
We use non-identifying and aggregate information to better design our website. For example, we analyze how many people visit each area of the site, how long they stay, the type of browsers that are being used, certain demographic and affinity information, how many people click on various web promotions. This information is collected primarily through Google Analytics. If you do not wish for this information to be captured, please sign out of all Google accounts prior to visiting the website. You can also opt-out of all Google Analytics features, for all sites, via their opt-out tool.

Our email newsletter software tracks people subscribing or unsubscribing from each email newsletter, who opens email messages we send (if your computer supports such capabilities), and who clicks on which links in the email. In general, we use this information only in aggregate to analyze the success of email campaigns. However, we may at times target email newsletters based on this activity.
Like many sites, we use “cookies” to help analyze our Web site traffic. Cookies are small identifying tags that we transfer to your computer through your Web browser. They do not provide us with any personal information about you. We use them to track how many times people visit our sites – whether most people come once / week, once / month, or are first-time visitors. We analyze this data in aggregate, not at an individual level. If you choose not to accept cookies, it will not affect your experience at our site.

Agents
We contract with companies and individuals to perform functions on our behalf. Examples include sending email newsletters, shipping products, maintaining databases, and sending mail. These third parties use your information only to fulfill the task we have hired them to perform.
 
Sharing Information with Third Parties
FOCUS Ministries will never sell, trade, or share personal information provided by donors with third party organizations. This applies to both online and offline donations, as well as all donation types and methods.

Data Appends
From time to time we acquire details about people who are in our database from third parties, such as NCOA (National Change of Address), to enhance the data we already have.

Commitment to Data Security
To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online. FOCUS Ministries employs Internet Encryption Software, Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Protocol when collecting or transferring sensitive data such as credit card information. Any information you enter is encrypted at your browser, sent over the public Internet in encrypted form, and then de-encrypted through proper channels. Once we receive your credit card information, it is accessible only to trusted FOCUS Ministries staff that have been specially trained in processing this information.

Commitment to Student, Inmate & Children’s Privacy
Protecting the privacy of FOCUS Ministries Students, Participant Inmates and Returning Hearts/Angel Children is extremely important. It is a policy that FOCUS Ministries will never share information about students, inmates, or children without the appropriate permission from said person or parent/guardian.  

How You Can Access or Correct Your Information
You can access your personally identifiable information, make corrections, or request that this information be removed from our system by calling us at (865) 694-3837, ext. 0.

Social Media Usage & Management Policy 
FOCUS Ministries used various media outlets to communicate with service participants and promote ongoing ministry, volunteer, and investment opportunities. Click to read the FOCUS Ministries Social Media Policy (PDF).

Further Questions
Should you have other questions or concerns about these policies, please contact us.