Privacy Policy - Red Star Foundation

Red Star Foundation

Effective Date: October 13, 2026
Last Updated: October 13, 2026

Red Star Foundation ("Red Star Foundation," "the Foundation," "we," "our," or "us") respects the privacy of individuals who visit our website, support our mission, participate in our programs, make donations, or communicate with our organization.

We recognize the particularly sensitive nature of information shared by military members, veterans, first responders, suicide-loss survivors, and their families.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect personal information through our website, https://redstarfoundation.org, and related online services under our control.

By using our website, you acknowledge that you have been provided access to this Privacy Policy. Where required by applicable law, we obtain your consent separately.

1. About Red Star Foundation

Red Star Foundation is a Florida-based, IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing suicide among military members, veterans, and first responders while honoring and supporting families affected by suicide loss.

Our mission includes suicide prevention, awareness, education, peer-to-peer connections, family recognition, outreach, and community engagement.

Organization: Red Star Foundation
Website: https://redstarfoundation.org
Mailing Address: 600 Cleveland Street, Suite 383-C, Clearwater, FL 33755
Telephone: (727) 977-6161
Federal Tax Identification Number (EIN): 99-4402310

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal information, depending on how you interact with us.

A. Information You Voluntarily Provide

Name, email address, telephone number, and mailing address.
Information submitted through contact forms, inquiries, and registrations.
Newsletter subscriptions and communication preferences.
Volunteer applications and areas of interest.
Event registrations and participation information.
Donation and sponsorship information.
Membership and account registration details.
Information submitted when requesting Red Star recognition materials or participating in Foundation programs.

B. Sensitive Personal and Family Information

Individuals participating in Foundation programs may voluntarily share information concerning:

Military or first responder service history.
The death of a family member or loved one.
Experiences involving suicide, grief, depression, or mental health.
Family relationships and survivor experiences.
Personal photographs, testimonials, or memorial information.
Requests for assistance, support, or peer connections.

We recognize the sensitive nature of this information and seek to limit its collection, access, use, and disclosure to legitimate organizational purposes.

Submission of sensitive personal information does not constitute permission for Red Star Foundation to publish or publicly distribute that information.

When appropriate, separate authorization will be requested before identifiable personal stories, photographs, testimonials, or memorial information are made public.

C. Information Collected Automatically

When you access our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically, including:

Internet Protocol (IP) address.
Browser type and device information.
Operating system.
Pages visited and referring websites.
Approximate geographic location derived from IP addresses.
Website performance and diagnostic information.
Cookies and similar technologies.

Some information is necessary for website operation, security, and functionality. Optional analytics and advertising technologies are subject to applicable consent requirements and user preferences.

3. How We Use Personal Information

Red Star Foundation may use information for legitimate nonprofit operational purposes, including:

Responding to questions, requests, and inquiries.
Processing donations and providing acknowledgments or tax receipts.
Administering Foundation programs, services, and recognition initiatives.
Coordinating volunteers, events, sponsors, and partnerships.
Providing access to membership and other restricted website features.
Sending newsletters, announcements, educational information, and fundraising communications in accordance with applicable law and communication preferences.
Facilitating requested peer-to-peer connections and family support.
Evaluating and improving the effectiveness of our programs and website.
Maintaining appropriate financial, administrative, and organizational records.
Protecting the security and integrity of our systems.
Complying with applicable legal and regulatory obligations.

We may use aggregated or appropriately de-identified information for organizational reporting, grant applications, program evaluation, research, and public education, provided that its use is consistent with applicable law and does not improperly identify individuals.

4. Donations and Financial Information

Red Star Foundation may use independent third-party donation and payment processing providers, including Zeffy, to facilitate charitable contributions.

When you make a donation through an external payment platform, payment information is collected and processed according to that provider's security practices, terms, and privacy policy.

Depending on the donation method and provider, the Foundation may receive information such as your name, contact details, donation amount, donation date, transaction reference, and donation preferences.

The Foundation does not need donors' complete payment card information for routine donation acknowledgment or donor relationship management.

We do not sell donor personal information.

Donor information may be used for acknowledgments, receipts, required reporting, communications, fundraising administration, and other legitimate charitable purposes.

Donors may request that their names not be publicly recognized. Such requests will be honored to the extent reasonably practicable and consistent with legal obligations and any recognition already authorized or published.

We do not represent that charitable donations are refundable. Donation-related questions and refund requests are evaluated according to applicable law, donation circumstances, and payment provider policies.

5. Confidentiality of Families, Survivors, and Program Participants

Protecting the dignity and privacy of suicide-loss survivors and participating families is a priority of Red Star Foundation.

Information shared in connection with family recognition, bereavement support, peer connections, or suicide-prevention programming will be used for legitimate program-related purposes and handled with appropriate confidentiality safeguards.

We do not treat participation in Foundation programs as blanket consent to publish a participant's name, photograph, story, or identifying information.

Where identifiable information is intended for public use, we seek appropriate authorization, subject to applicable legal exceptions.

Access to nonpublic participant information is limited according to operational need and applicable confidentiality requirements.

Limits to confidentiality: Information may be disclosed when required or permitted by applicable law, pursuant to valid legal process, or when reasonably necessary to respond to a credible and serious threat to health or safety. Such disclosures will be evaluated based on the circumstances and applicable legal requirements.

Red Star Foundation is not a substitute for emergency services, clinical treatment, or licensed mental health care. Unless expressly stated for a particular program, communications through the Foundation's website do not establish a patient-provider relationship.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911. For suicide or mental health crisis support in the United States, call or text 988. Veterans and service members may call 988 and press 1 or text 838255.

6. Sharing and Disclosure of Information

We may disclose information to the following categories of recipients when reasonably necessary:

Website hosting, technology, security, and maintenance providers.
Donation and payment processing providers.
Email communications and newsletter service providers.
Event registration and administrative service providers.
Authorized staff, volunteers, contractors, and program partners who have a legitimate need for information.
Professional advisers, auditors, and legal representatives.
Government agencies, regulators, courts, or law enforcement when disclosure is legally required or otherwise permitted.

We may also disclose information with your authorization or when reasonably necessary to protect individuals, enforce our legal rights, investigate misuse, or maintain website security.

We do not sell personal information to data brokers.

We do not provide identifiable personal stories or sensitive family information to unrelated third parties for their independent commercial marketing without appropriate authorization.

Certain advertising or analytics arrangements may constitute "sharing" or "sale" under some privacy laws, even when no money is exchanged. Where applicable, we will provide legally required disclosures and choices.

7. Cookies, Analytics, and Tracking Technologies

Our website may use cookies and related technologies to:

Maintain essential website functionality.
Support account authentication and security.
Remember user preferences.
Measure website performance.
Understand visitor engagement.
Evaluate outreach and communications, where permitted.

Essential technologies may operate without optional tracking consent where legally permitted.

Optional analytics or advertising technologies are intended to operate according to the website's implemented consent controls and applicable law.

Where a cookie preference or consent mechanism is available, visitors may use it to manage optional tracking.

Visitors may also manage cookies through their browser settings, although disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

Third-party websites and services may maintain separate tracking and privacy practices.

8. Email Communications and Fundraising

Red Star Foundation may communicate with individuals who subscribe to updates, donate, volunteer, register for events, request information, or otherwise engage with our organization.

Communications may include:

Newsletters and Foundation updates.
Program announcements.
Event invitations.
Educational and awareness materials.
Fundraising campaigns and charitable appeals.
Donation acknowledgments and administrative notices.

Recipients of optional marketing or fundraising emails may unsubscribe through the instructions included in applicable messages or by contacting the Foundation.

Unsubscribing from promotional communications may not prevent necessary transactional, security, account-related, or administrative communications.

We will respect applicable communication consent and opt-out requirements.

9. Photographs, Videos, Testimonials, and Personal Stories

Red Star Foundation may feature photographs, videos, interviews, testimonials, or personal stories to educate the public and advance its mission.

When identifiable participant information is collected specifically for public publication, the Foundation seeks appropriate authorization before publication, subject to applicable law.

Permission to participate in a Foundation event or program does not automatically constitute permission for unrelated promotional use of an individual's personal story.

Individuals may contact the Foundation to request review or removal of published material involving them. Requests will be considered in accordance with applicable law, existing permissions, legitimate organizational interests, and technical limitations.

The Foundation cannot guarantee removal of information already independently copied, distributed, archived, or published by third parties.

10. Data Security

Red Star Foundation seeks to maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards appropriate to the nature and sensitivity of the personal information it handles.

These safeguards are intended to reduce risks such as unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, misuse, and loss.

No website, electronic communication, or information storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Accordingly, while we take information security seriously, we cannot guarantee absolute protection against every possible cybersecurity threat.

In the event of a security incident involving personal information, the Foundation will assess its notification and other obligations under applicable law and take appropriate responsive measures.

Users should avoid submitting Social Security numbers, financial account credentials, detailed medical records, or other highly sensitive information through ordinary website forms unless specifically requested through an appropriately protected channel.

11. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including providing services, maintaining records, administering programs, complying with legal obligations, resolving disputes, and protecting legitimate organizational interests.

Retention periods vary according to the type of record, its purpose, and applicable requirements.

Website records may be subject to automated retention and deletion schedules. Certain records may be retained longer when required for financial reporting, charitable recordkeeping, legal compliance, security, or the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims.

Requests for deletion will be evaluated against applicable retention obligations and available technical capabilities.

Information that has been appropriately de-identified may be retained for legitimate statistical, operational, or research purposes.

12. Your Privacy Choices and Requests

Depending on applicable law and the information involved, you may request to:

Access personal information maintained about you.
Correct inaccurate information.
Request deletion of eligible information.
Request a copy of information you provided.
Unsubscribe from optional communications.
Modify available tracking preferences.
Withdraw consent for certain future uses where processing depends on consent.

Requests may be submitted through our website's contact page:

https://redstarfoundation.org/contact

We may take reasonable steps to verify the identity and authority of the person making a request before disclosing or modifying personal information.

Certain requests may be restricted by applicable law, privacy rights of other individuals, legitimate security concerns, or legally required record retention.

We will respond within the time required by applicable law.

13. Children's Privacy

Our website is intended primarily for a general audience and is not directed specifically toward children under 13.

We do not knowingly solicit personal information directly from children under 13 through general website services without appropriate parental or guardian involvement where required.

Some Foundation programs, recognition activities, and family-support initiatives may involve minors through their parents, guardians, or authorized representatives.

Where appropriate, the Foundation will seek parental or guardian authorization before collecting, publishing, or disclosing identifiable information about minors.

Parents or guardians who believe that a child has submitted personal information without appropriate authorization may contact us to request review and appropriate action.

14. Third-Party Websites, Platforms, and Embedded Content

Our website may contain links to external websites, charitable contribution platforms, social media services, videos, embedded content, and other independently operated services.

Examples may include donation processing providers, video hosting platforms, and social media networks.

When you interact with an external website or embedded service, that provider may collect or process information according to its own privacy policy and practices.

Red Star Foundation does not control the privacy or security practices of independently operated third-party websites.

We encourage users to review the privacy policies of external services before providing personal or financial information.

15. Social Media and Public Submissions

Red Star Foundation may maintain official social media accounts and publish public educational, awareness, and fundraising content.

Information voluntarily posted in public comments, public discussion areas, or third-party social media platforms may be visible to others and may be collected or redistributed by third parties.

Please avoid publicly posting sensitive medical information, financial details, personal contact information, or private family circumstances.

The Foundation may moderate or remove content from channels under its control according to applicable platform rules, organizational policies, and law.

16. Interstate and International Visitors

Red Star Foundation is based in the United States and may receive inquiries, donations, and website visits from other states and countries.

Information collected through our website may be processed or stored in the United States or in other jurisdictions where our authorized service providers operate.

Privacy rights, security requirements, and legal protections may differ between jurisdictions.

Where privacy laws outside Florida apply to the Foundation's particular activities, we will address the requirements applicable to those activities.

This Privacy Policy does not waive any non-waivable rights that individuals may have under applicable law.

17. Legal Compliance and Disclosure

Red Star Foundation may preserve, access, use, or disclose personal information when reasonably necessary to:

Comply with applicable laws, regulations, or legal obligations.
Respond to lawful subpoenas, court orders, or government requests.
Investigate fraud, abuse, cybersecurity incidents, or suspected unlawful activity.
Protect the rights, property, and safety of the Foundation, its participants, and others.
Establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

Nothing in this Privacy Policy is intended to limit rights or obligations that cannot lawfully be limited.

18. Changes to This Privacy Policy

Red Star Foundation may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in website functionality, organizational practices, technology, services, or applicable law.

When updates are made, the revised policy will be posted at:

https://redstarfoundation.org/privacy

The effective or last updated date will be revised accordingly.

If changes require additional notice or consent under applicable law, we will provide that notice or seek consent as required.

Material changes will apply prospectively to the extent required by law.

19. Contact Information

Questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or the handling of personal information may be directed to:

Red Star Foundation
600 Cleveland Street, Suite 383-C
Clearwater, FL 33755

Phone: (727) 977-6161
Website: https://redstarfoundation.org
Contact Form: https://redstarfoundation.org/contact

We encourage individuals to contact us regarding privacy concerns so they can be appropriately reviewed and addressed.

Effective Date: October 13, 2026
Last Updated: October 13, 2026