Last Updated June 16, 2025
This website is owned and operated by Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 10008 Dupont Circle Drive East, Fort Wayne, IN 46825 ("GSNI-M or "we"). Our online properties include, but are not limited to, all pages found on our main Site (https://www.girlscoutsnorthernindiana-michiana.org/ This Privacy Notice applies to any websites and mobile apps that link to this Privacy Notice (collectively referred to below as the "Sites").
GSNI-M recognizes the importance of data privacy and is committed to respecting and protecting it. This Privacy Notice describes the types of Personal Data we collect when you use our Sites and discloses how we collect, process, and use it, the purposes for which we use it, the third parties we share it with, and any rights you may have with respect to it. For purposes of this Privacy Notice, "Personal Data" means information that, alone or in conjunction with other information, identifies or can be associated with an individual and is subject to one or more data protection laws. This Privacy Notice applies to Personal Data we receive when we act as a "data controller," which means we determine the purpose and means of processing the Personal Data. By using the pages on our Sites, you consent to our use of your Personal Data in the manner disclosed in this Privacy Notice and accept the practices described here to protect it. Our practices regarding the collection and processing of Personal Data are updated when necessary to comply with changes in the law, our internal policies, and other requirements. In such cases, a link to a revised Privacy Notice will be added to the applicable Sites.
DATA WE COLLECT
We collect information to improve your
online experience and better assist you in using our Sites. For
example, if you order merchandise at girlscoutshop.com or cookies at a
"Digital Cookie" Site, we will collect your name, mailing
address, phone number, and credit card information along with the
details of the items you selected so we can place and fulfill your
order. If you visit https://www.girlscoutsnorthernindiana-michiana.org/
we will identify and collect the geographic location of the device you
are using so we can communicate location-specific notices, and we may
collect information about the device you are using so we can display
the webpages formatted for viewing by your device. For this Privacy
Notice, "collection" refers to the gathering of data for
processing or usage and may not indicate long-term storage. The
Personal Data we collect will be stored only to the extent necessary
for the purpose we collected it. For example, we will retain your
geolocation data only while you interact with our Site; if you sign up
to receive a newsletter or other periodic communication, we will
maintain your email address until you advise us that you no longer
wish to receive that communication.
Data We Automatically Collect
You may visit our Site
without having to provide any information to us personally. However,
our Sites use technological means to collect certain information
automatically, which may include Personal Data. For example, when you
access a Site, our servers automatically collect data that identifies
your geographic location, IP address, and information about the device
you are using, such as the operating system and type of browser. We
also collect data from tracking technologies at our Sites to enhance
visitors' user experiences. If we place a "cookie" in the
browser or on a user's mobile device that accesses a Site, information
stored in the cookie will be communicated to our servers with the
unique identifier for the cookie. We collect data from the cookie to
recognize repeat users, track user browsing behavior, and help us
identify content that is likely to be useful to you based on your
prior interactions with the Site. If you do not want us to use cookies
to record your interactions with our Sites, you can update your
browser settings to stop your browser from accepting cookies. However,
since many of our applications rely upon the use of cookie technology,
a change to these permissions in your browser settings may reduce the
functionality you experience at the Site. If you accept our cookies,
they will be stored on your computer, and the data we collect will be
used to help us improve your experience at our Site. We use pixels
embedded in webpages at our Sites to record page URLs, the amount of
time you spent on the page, and your interactions with specific pages.
As explained below, these pixels are also used to enable third parties
to show you Girl Scouts-related content when you visit their websites.
We also use screen recording technologies to record user mouse
movements, which enables us to analyze user interactions with our
Sites better.
Data You Give Us
You can visit most of our Sites without
having to create an account or enter information. However, certain
Sites (e.g., where you register for events) require you to provide
your name, birth date, email address, phone number, and mailing address.
The Girl Scouts respects and welcomes people from all backgrounds and abilities. We collect information about the race and ethnicity of our users to help us ensure support and funding for girls across communities. We de-identify, aggregate, and analyze this information to help us continue to offer events that appeal to girls in their local communities.
HOW WE USE AND SHARE PERSONAL DATA
We do not sell
Personal Data to third parties for monetary or other valuable
consideration. Because we do not undertake such activities, we do not
provide opt-out request processes for the sale of personal information.
Regardless of the type of data collected, it will be used or shared only to enable us to highlight events and activities across the Girl Scouts movement that might be of interest to you, to let our third-party partners know you might be interested in our products and services, to process, fulfill, and deliver orders you place for products and merchandise, and to process donations.
We require you to create an account to purchase a membership with the organization, attend events, and purchase merchandise. You will typically be required to provide us with Personal Data such as your name, email address, phone number, and mailing address to create an account with a password to access the system.
When you provide your name, date of birth, and the names and ages of any guests you identify to join you for online and/or in-person events and activities, we will associate that information with the event, and we may use it to invite you to other events, such as age-appropriate activities in your community.
We will also use your name, email address, phone number, and mailing address to process job applications and send you newsletters, marketing materials, emails, and other communications. The credit card data and billing address you provide will be submitted into the system run by the payment processor and used with your other Personal Data to process donations and payments for products and services and have the products and merchandise you ordered delivered.
Data We Share With Third Parties
We use website cookies
to direct third parties to display Girl Scout ads and information to
you when you visit their websites. For example, a cookie stored on
your computer when you visit our page can be used to tell Facebook to
display Girl Scout ads when you are logged into your Facebook account.
Before this Personal Data is transmitted, it is encrypted to enable
the advertiser to identify the users to whom our ads should be
displayed but does not enable them to restore the Personal Data to its
original form. Regardless of whether the encrypted Personal Data is
useful for identifying those who may be receptive to viewing Girl
Scout ads, the advertiser promptly deletes it at the completion of
this process.
We also share your Personal Data with third-parties in the following categories: (i) service providers (e.g., email service providers, shipping services, delivery services, data storage providers, payment processors, and data security vendors) in furtherance of our operations or the operation of the Site, or to engage in Girl Scouts fundraising, marketing communications and promotions; (ii) advisors, law enforcement, government agencies, and other entities as necessary to comply with legal processes such as a subpoena or court order or to otherwise protect your or our legal rights; (iii) third-party bakers and other vendors we use to fulfill orders for and deliver cookies and other merchandise you requested; (iv) advertising vendors (which may receive names, email addresses, information about transactions and online activities, and demographic information that does not include race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation); or (v) other third parties at your direction or for other purposes for which you provided the information.
Your Personal Data is collected, stored, and processed by us or our vendors in the United States of America or other countries that may not be your home country and that might not be deemed to provide protections equivalent to your home country.
HOW WE PROTECT YOUR DATA (SECURITY SAFEGUARDS)
The
safety and security of your experience is of the utmost concern to us.
We take measures to implement reasonable physical, electronic, and
managerial procedures to safeguard and help prevent unauthorized
access, maintain data security, and correctly use the information we collect.
We retain your Personal Data for only as long as necessary to achieve the purposes described in this Privacy Notice or any other information provided at the time of collection, taking into account the applicable statute of limitations and records retention requirements under applicable law. We may retain your Personal Data for a longer period in the event of a complaint, in reasonable anticipation of litigation, and for other legal or accounting requirements.
We use Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption technology to secure certain communications with our Sites. For example, we use TLS to secure the credit card information you enter at our Site when you make donations to the organization, order merchandise, or register for events. You can verify that your communication to our server is secure by confirming that the URL for our Site begins with "https."
Some browsers also display a padlock icon in the address bar to indicate that your connection to a website is secure and encrypted using TLS. When you order merchandise, we also encrypt your credit card number when we store your order and whenever we transfer that information to our partners, who fulfill and deliver your orders.
Steps We Take to Protect the PRIVACY of CHILDREN
As the
safety of children is of paramount importance to us, We are committed
to complying with the Children's Online Privacy Act of 1998 (COPPA),
which requires us to obtain the consent of the parent or guardian to
collect Personal Data from children under the age of 13 and requires
us to inform parents and legal guardians about our practices for the
collection and use of that Personal Data, other than contact
information required to obtain parental consent. We do not knowingly
collect Personal Data from children under 13 without first obtaining
consent from a parent or legal guardian. With parental consent, we may
collect the name, address, email address, birthdate, account
information, and user-generated content from children under the age of
13. We encourage children to use an alias (e.g., "Bookworm,"
"Skater," etc.), first name, nickname, initials, or another
alternative to full names or screen names that correspond with an
email address for any activities that will involve public posting.
Once a parent authorizes collection, we will use the child's Personal
Data to fulfill a requested transaction, facilitate participation in
programs, keep records, undertake certain marketing activities (in
accordance with applicable law and any required consents), and
otherwise customize or enhance the website experience for children.
Sites that offer parents the opportunity to allow their children to
submit Personal Data include processes for obtaining verification from
parents or guardians.
Parents can revoke their consent anytime and ask us to delete any information we collected from their children. If we learn that we collected Personal Data from a child under 13 without proper consent, we will delete that data ourselves. If you believe we collected Personal Data from a minor under the age of 13 without having proper consent, please notify us by contacting our offices through our customer service form or by phone at 800-283-4812. In such cases, we will stop collecting, using, processing, or disclosing information from that child and delete the information we have already collected. To do this or to review Personal Data collected from children, we must verify the identity of the requesting parent. To respect the privacy of parents, information collected and used for the sole purpose of obtaining verifiable parental consent or providing notice is not maintained in retrievable form by our Sites if parental consent is not obtained after a reasonable time.
LINKS TO OTHER WEB SITES AND SERVICES
Our Sites may link
to other websites and services that GSNI-M does not maintain. Notably,
we allow websites that belong to Girl Scout councils to link to our
Sites, and our Sites provide links to scholarship opportunities that
may be available to our members. These linked websites have their own
privacy policies, which you should review before visiting them. GSNI-M
is not responsible for linked websites. We provide these links solely
for the convenience and information of our users.
OUR SECURITY SAFEGUARDS
We retain your Personal Data for
only as long as necessary to achieve the purposes described in this
Privacy Notice or any other notice provided at the time of collection,
taking into account the applicable statute of limitations and records
retention requirements under applicable law. We may retain your
Personal Data for longer in case of a complaint or in reasonable
anticipation of litigation.
Credit Card Safety
Protecting the safety of your credit
card information is also important to us. We use Secure Sockets Layer
(SSL) technology to protect the security of your credit card
information as it is transmitted to us. SSL is the industry standard
in Internet encryption technology, which is a highly sophisticated
method of scrambling data as it travels from your computer to our Web
site servers. We also encrypt your credit card number when we store
your order and whenever we transfer that information to participating merchants.
To make sure you are accessing our secure server before you submit personal financial information, look at the lower left-hand corner of your browser. If you see an unbroken key or a closed lock (depending upon your browser), then SSL is active. To double-check for security, look at the URL or Address line of your browser. If you have accessed a secure server, the first characters of the address in that line should change from "http" to "https."
It is important for you to protect against unauthorized access to your password and to your computer. Be sure to sign off when finished using a shared computer.
Children
If you are under 18, you need parent/guardian
permission to use a credit card to make purchases online.
U.S. State-Specific Data Privacy Information (General)
GSNI-M and other nonprofit organizations are exempt from the data
privacy laws of most U.S. states. Residents of Colorado, Delaware, and
New Jersey, currently have the following rights with respect to
Personal Data collected from you when you visit our Sites:
- Confirm whether GSNI-M is processing your Personal Data and, if so, access that Personal Data.
- Rectify/correct any inaccuracies in your Personal Data.
- Ask us to delete any of your Personal Data that is stored in our systems.
- Obtain a copy of the Personal Data we have for you in a format that allows you to transmit it to another data controller (also known as the "Right to Data Portability").
- Opt out of having your Personal Data processed for purposes of targeted advertising.
You have the right to be free from unlawful discrimination for exercising your rights under applicable state law.
In addition to the rights described above, Delaware residents have the Right to Obtain a list of the categories of third parties to which we have disclosed your Personal Data.
While we are not currently subject to the data protection laws that provide rights to residents of other U.S. states, we continue to monitor the privacy law landscape and, when necessary, will update our practices and this Notice to remain in compliance with applicable laws.
Exercising Your Rights
To exercise the rights described
above, please contact us via our Girl Scouts Privacy
Portal or by email to GSNI-M at frontdesk@gsnim.org.
Only you or an adult you designate to act on your behalf (where permitted by law) may make a request related to your Personal Data. A request to exercise any of these rights must identify the right you want to exercise and describe the information to which your request relates in sufficient detail to allow us to understand, evaluate, and respond to your request.
Verification
If you make any request related to your
Personal Data, we must verify your identity (and, where applicable,
the identity of your designated agent) before we can address your
request. In particular, before granting a request to correct, delete,
or obtain a copy of your Personal Data, we require you to verify your
request and identity by providing your full name, email address,
postal address, and phone number. We will send you an email with a
link directing you to a web page to provide your information.
If you choose to use a designated agent, they must provide (i) their full name, email address, and phone number, (ii) proof of their identity and address (e.g., a copy of their driver's license, passport, or other government identification), and (iii) proof of authorization to act on your behalf (e.g., power of attorney, or a notarized letter authorizing them to submit a request on your behalf, signed by you and including your name and address and the name, address, and phone number of your designated agent) when they submit a request on your behalf. If your designated agent cannot provide proof of authorization, please contact us as described below. You will receive an email notifying you that a request was submitted on your behalf. The email will indicate the type of request (correction, deletion, or digital copy) and the email address of the person submitting on your behalf.
We will verify your identity (and the identity of your designated agent) by comparing the information you provide with information we have in our records, where applicable. In certain cases, we may need to ask for more information. Any Personal Data we collect from you in connection with your request to verify your identity (or establish the authority of your designated agent) will be used solely to verify your identity (or authorization). We may not be able to respond to your request or provide you with the information you requested if we cannot verify your identity (or establish the authority of your designated agent). This verification process is solely for your protection and is not intended to delay or avoid responding to your request.
Appeal
You may also have the right to appeal a decision
we make regarding requests to exercise these rights. To appeal a
decision, please follow the instructions provided in our communication
regarding the status of your request.
Opt Out of Communications
If you no longer wish to
receive email communications you have received from GSNI-M, you may
select the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the email to
have us remove your email address from the email in question. Please
note that if you have signed up for more than one email list or used
more than one email address, you must submit a separate opt-out
request for each one. Please also visit our SMS
Messaging Privacy Policy and SMS
Terms and Conditions for more information, including how to opt out.
Additional Information for Those Outside of the United States
Girl Scout programs are delivered to girls who live outside of the
United States, and our Sites may be available to users in many
countries. When you visit a Site from outside the United States, your
Personal Data may be transferred to us or our service providers in the
United States or other countries with data protection laws that differ
from those in your country. The types of Personal Data we collect are
the same as those collected from those in the United States, and when
your Personal Data is transferred to us, we will protect it as
described in this Privacy Notice, including, to the extent required by
applicable law, by using a legally valid transfer mechanism or other
data transfer safeguards.
We honor many of the principles afforded by data protection laws that are applicable outside of the U.S., including transparency, purpose limitation, storage limitation, data minimization, and accuracy.
Residents of the European Union and Countries with Similar Data
Protection Laws
Users that have rights under foreign laws
such as, for example, the EU General Data Protection Regulation
(GDPR), the UK Data Protection Act 2018, and the Swiss Federal Act on
Data Protection (FADP), which have the following rights regarding your
Personal Data:
- Right to Access: You can ask us whether we process your Personal Data, and if so, you can ask us to access it.
- Right to Rectification: You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete Personal Data.
- Right to Erasure: You can ask us to delete your Personal Data, subject to legal obligations.
- Right to Restrict Processing: You can limit how we process your Personal Data.
- Right to Data Portability: You can request a copy of your Personal Data in a structured, commonly used format.
- Right to Object: You can object to the processing of your Personal Data for certain or all purposes.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: You can withdraw your consent to process your Personal Data anytime.
We generally attempt to honor requests from residents of other jurisdictions that seek to exercise these rights.
HOW TO CONTACT GSNI-M
If you have any questions about
our Privacy Notice, you can contact us via this
customer service form. Send us your question, and we will reply
as soon as possible. You can also contact us at:
Email: frontdesk@gsnim.org
Phone: (800) 283-4812
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00
p.m. Eastern Time.
Thank you for visiting our Site.
