Effective date: November 7, 2025
Last updated: November 7, 2025
Golden Connection provides free technology education to adults (primarily 55+) in smaller communities across the United States, with a focus on rural areas.
Organization Status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit status pending. Federal tax-exempt application has been filed with the IRS and is currently under review.
Service Area: Nationwide (we travel to communities to provide in-person education)
Contact:
Email: hello@goldenconnection.org
Website: www.goldenconnection.org
Mailing address will be added when our 501(c)(3) status is finalized.
When you contact us through our website contact form or email, we may collect:
| Information Type | What We Collect | Why We Need It |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Your first name (or full name if you provide it) | To address you personally in our response |
| Email Address | Your email address | To respond to your inquiry or service request |
| General Location | City/county or general area (e.g., "rural Pennsylvania") | To determine if we can serve your area and for impact reporting |
| Message Content | Whatever you write in the contact form or email | To understand and respond to your questions or needs |
What we DON'T collect: We never ask for or collect Social Security numbers, financial information, health data, precise GPS location, passwords, or other sensitive personal information.
When you visit our website, we automatically collect limited technical information:
| Data Type | What It Is | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Website Analytics | Number of visitors, pages viewed, time on site, general geographic region | To understand how many people use our site and which pages are most helpful |
| Device Type | Whether you're on a phone, tablet, or computer | To ensure our website works well on all devices |
| Browser Information | Type of web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) | To fix technical issues and improve compatibility |
| IP Address | Your device's internet address (anonymized after 24 hours) | For security, fraud prevention, and general regional statistics |
Our website allows you to adjust text size for easier reading. When you change the text size, we save your preference in your browser's local storage (not a cookie). This data stays only on your device and is never sent to us.
How to clear it: Clear your browser's local storage, or use the "Reset" option on the font size controls.
We use the information we collect for these purposes only:
What we NEVER do: We never sell your information, rent your information to third parties, use your data for advertising, track you across other websites, or share your data with marketers. Your information stays with us.
We use Google Analytics (or similar service) to understand how visitors use our website. This helps us improve the site and measure our reach.
What Google Analytics collects:
Your choices:
We use one essential cookie to remember your cookie preferences (whether you accepted or declined analytics). This cookie is necessary for the cookie consent system to work and doesn't require separate consent.
We do not use advertising cookies, social media tracking pixels (like Facebook Pixel), or any third-party marketing technologies. We don't show you ads, and we don't let others track you on our website.
For more details, see our Cookie Policy.
| Data Type | Retention Period | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Contact form submissions | 12 months | To respond to inquiries and maintain service records |
| Service participation records | 3 years | Required for nonprofit reporting and grant compliance |
| Analytics data | 26 months (Google default) | To track long-term website trends |
| IP addresses (full) | 24 hours | Security and fraud prevention only |
| Font size preference | Indefinitely (in your browser only) | Until you clear browser storage or change devices |
After the retention period, we permanently delete your information from our systems. We do not keep "backup" copies after deletion.
We take data security seriously:
Data breach notification: In the unlikely event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you via email within 72 hours of discovering the breach.
We do NOT sell, rent, or trade your personal information. Ever.
We may share limited information only in these specific situations:
We may share data with:
These providers are bound by contract to protect your data and can only use it for the specific service we contracted.
We may share general statistics with funders, partners, or the public (e.g., "We served 150 people in rural Pennsylvania last year"). These statistics never include names, contact information, or anything that could identify you personally.
We may disclose your information if required by law or to:
If Golden Connection merges with another nonprofit or transfers its programs to another organization, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We would notify you before this happens.
You have the following rights regarding your personal information:
| Right | What It Means | How to Exercise |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Request a copy of the personal data we have about you | Email us at hello@goldenconnection.org |
| Correction | Request that we fix inaccurate information | Email us with the correct information |
| Deletion | Request that we delete your information (subject to legal limits) | Email us with your deletion request |
| Opt-out | Decline analytics cookies and tracking | Use the cookie banner or change settings in the footer |
| Data portability | Receive your data in a portable format | Email us requesting your data |
How to contact us: Email hello@goldenconnection.org with "Privacy Request" in the subject line. We will respond within 30 days.
Note: Some information must be retained for legal or operational reasons (like nonprofit reporting requirements). If we cannot delete certain data, we'll explain why.
Golden Connection's services are designed for adults (primarily age 55+). We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18 years old. If we discover we have collected information from someone under 18, we will delete it immediately.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe we have collected information about your child, please contact us at hello@goldenconnection.org.
Our website may contain links to external websites (for example, links to Google Maps for directions, or links to helpful tech resources). When you click these links, you leave our website and are subject to those websites' privacy policies.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any website you visit.
If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):
We do not sell personal information. We have not sold personal information in the past 12 months, and we will not sell personal information in the future.
To exercise your CCPA rights, email hello@goldenconnection.org.
While Golden Connection primarily serves U.S. residents, if you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
We process your personal data based on:
To exercise your GDPR rights, contact us at hello@goldenconnection.org.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we will:
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of our website after changes are posted means you accept the updated policy.
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us:
Golden Connection
Email: hello@goldenconnection.org
Website: www.goldenconnection.org
Mailing address will be added upon completion of 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.
Response time: We will respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 days. For urgent matters, please include "URGENT" in your email subject line.
Golden Connection is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with respect and transparency. We believe technology education should be accessible, safe, and trustworthy for everyone.