Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Turtle Island (“Turtle Island,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of our donors, supporters, volunteers, program participants, partners, website visitors, and other individuals who interact with us.

Turtle Island operates through affiliated nonprofit organizations in the United States and Austria and works with supporters and partners throughout the world. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect personal information and outlines the rights individuals may have regarding their personal information.

Turtle Island Austria (Turtle Island Verein, 310147063, Am Katzelbach 98, Austria) and Turtle Island USA (Turtle Island Corporation, EIN#: 83-1706767, 2041 Starfire Dr., Atlanta, GA 30345, United States of America) are legally separate organizations that cooperate on certain projects and fundraising activities.

By accessing our website, making a donation, participating in our programs, subscribing to communications, or otherwise interacting with Turtle Island, you agree that your information may be collected, used, and disclosed as described in this Privacy Policy, subject to applicable law.

For purposes of this Privacy Policy, “personal information” means information that identifies, relates to, describes, or can reasonably be associated with an individual, either directly or indirectly.

This Privacy Policy applies to Turtle Island, its affiliated nonprofit organizations operating in the United States and Austria, and all websites, fundraising platforms, events, programs, and services operated by or on behalf of Turtle Island unless otherwise indicated.

Data Controllers
Turtle Island Austria and Turtle Island USA jointly determine the purposes and means of processing personal information; they act as joint controllers and have entered into appropriate arrangements governing their respective responsibilities.

Depending on your relationship with Turtle Island and the activities involved, Turtle Island USA and/or Turtle Island Austria may act as independent or joint data controllers for personal information collected and processed under this Privacy Policy.

For questions regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact:

Turtle Island
Email: office@turtle-island.org

USA Mailing Address:
2041 Starfire Dr., Atlanta, GA 30345, USA

Austria Office:
Am Katzelbach 98, 8054 Graz, Austria

2. Information We Collect

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide, including:

Name
Mailing address
Email address
Telephone number
Organization or affiliation
Donation amounts and donation history
Volunteer information
Program participation information
Communication preferences
Correspondence and inquiries

Date of birth (when required for tax reporting purposes, i.e. for Austrian donors)

Any other information you choose to provide

We may also collect personal information when you contact us by telephone, email, postal mail, in person, at fundraising events, conferences, educational programs, or when you otherwise communicate with us.

Payment Information
If you make a donation, purchase merchandise, or complete another financial transaction, payment information may be processed through trusted third-party fundraising and payment processing providers, including platforms such as Givebutter, Stripe, and their payment processing partners. Turtle Island does not store complete credit card numbers on its own systems.

Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, we may automatically collect information such as:

Internet Protocol (IP) address
Browser type and version
Device information
Operating system
Language settings
Referring websites
Pages viewed
Dates and times of access
Website activity and interactions
Cookie and analytics information

3. How We Collect Information

We collect information directly from you when you:

Make a donation;
Subscribe to newsletters or updates;
Volunteer;
Submit forms;
Participate in campaigns or advocacy efforts;
Contact us;
Apply for opportunities;
Interact with our website or social media channels.

We may also receive information from publicly available sources, nonprofit partners, fundraising service providers, event organizers, social media platforms, and other lawful sources.

4. Legal Bases for Processing Personal Information

For individuals located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, Switzerland, and other jurisdictions with similar requirements, Turtle Island processes personal information under one or more of the following legal bases:

Your consent;
Performance of a contract or transaction;
Compliance with legal obligations;
Protection of vital interests;
Legitimate interests pursued by Turtle Island.

Our legitimate interests may include:

Advancing our charitable mission;
Processing donations;
Managing donor relationships;
Communicating with supporters;
Improving programs and services;
Conducting fundraising activities;
Maintaining website security;
Preventing fraud;
Managing organizational operations.

5. How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information to:

Process donations and transactions;
Issue donation acknowledgments and tax receipts;
Administer programs and services;
Respond to inquiries;
Send newsletters and updates;
Conduct fundraising and donor stewardship activities;
Evaluate and improve our communications;
Analyze website usage;
Protect against fraud and abuse;
Comply with legal obligations;
Enforce our policies and agreements;
Support our charitable and educational mission.

6. Donor Information and Fundraising Activities

Turtle Island is committed to maintaining transparency and fostering trust with our donors and supporters.

When you make a donation or otherwise support Turtle Island, we may collect information including your name, mailing address, email address, telephone number, donation amount, donation date, payment information, communication preferences, and records of interactions with Turtle Island.

We use donor information to:

Process and acknowledge donations;
Provide tax receipts;
Maintain donor and financial records;
Communicate with donors and supporters;
Conduct fundraising and stewardship activities;
Improve donor engagement and outreach efforts;
Comply with legal and regulatory obligations.

We may use donor information to better understand supporter interests, improve communications, evaluate fundraising effectiveness, and support long-term organizational sustainability.

We may share donor information with trusted service providers who assist with:

Payment processing;
Donor database management;
Email and postal communications;
Data analysis;
Information technology services;
Fundraising administration;
Accounting and auditing services.

Third-Party Fundraising Platforms and Payment Processing
We may use trusted third-party service providers to process donations, manage fundraising activities, communicate with supporters, and maintain donor records. For example, online donations may be processed through fundraising platforms such as Givebutter or Stripe and payment processors engaged by those platforms. Information submitted through these services may be subject to the privacy policies of those providers in addition to this Privacy Policy.

We encourage donors to review the privacy practices of any third-party platform through which they choose to make a donation.

To support our fundraising efforts, Turtle Island and its authorized fundraising service providers may engage in donor analytics, prospect research, cooperative database participation, list exchange programs, list rental programs, and related fundraising activities. These activities may involve sharing donor contact information and limited giving history with trusted fundraising vendors and partners for purposes such as identifying potential supporters, improving fundraising effectiveness, maintaining accurate records, and enhancing donor stewardship.

Donors may request that their personal information not be shared through cooperative databases, list exchanges, list rentals, prospect research, donor modeling, or similar fundraising activities by contacting us at office@turtle-island.org. We will honor such requests in accordance with applicable law and organizational policy.

7. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We may share personal information with:

Service Providers
These service providers may include fundraising platforms such as Givebutter, Stripe, email communication providers such as Mailchimp, website hosting providers, analytics providers, payment processors, and information technology vendors.

Service providers may include fundraising consultants and advisors who assist Turtle Island with donor stewardship, fundraising strategy, prospect research, and related development activities.

Third party vendors perform services on our behalf, including:

Payment processing;
Website hosting;
Data storage;
Analytics;
Email delivery;
Fundraising support;
Prospect research;
Cooperative database services;
List exchange and list rental administration;
Information technology services.

These providers are contractually required to safeguard personal information and may only use it for authorized purposes.

External Hosting
This website is hosted by a third-party service provider, DEONT GmbH (Brandenburgische Str. 38, 10707 Berlin, Germany, hello[at]deont.de). Personal data collected on this website is stored on the servers of this hosting provider. This may include IP addresses, contact form submissions, metadata, communications, and other data generated through website use.

We use external hosting to provide a secure, fast, and reliable website experience. The processing of personal data by our hosting provider is based on our legitimate interest in the efficient and secure operation of our website (where applicable under data protection laws such as the GDPR and other applicable privacy regulations).

Our hosting provider processes personal data only to the extent necessary to provide hosting services and in accordance with our instructions. We have entered into a data processing agreement (or equivalent contractual safeguards) with our hosting provider to ensure that personal data is processed securely and in compliance with applicable data protection laws.

Legal Requirements
We may disclose information when necessary to:

Comply with legal obligations;
Respond to lawful requests;
Protect the rights, property, or safety of Turtle Island or others;
Investigate fraud or security incidents;
Enforce agreements or policies.

International Transfers
Because Turtle Island operates internationally, personal information may be processed, stored, or transferred between the United States, Austria, other countries within the European Union, and countries where our service providers operate.

When transferring personal information, we take appropriate measures to safeguard personal information and comply with applicable legal requirements.

8. Social Media Platforms and Advertising Technologies

Turtle Island maintains organizational profiles and pages on third-party social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Through these platforms, individuals may interact with Turtle Island by following our pages, viewing content, commenting on posts, sending messages, participating in campaigns, registering for events, or otherwise engaging with our activities.

When you interact with Turtle Island through social media platforms, we may receive information about your interactions, including public profile information, communications, engagement metrics, and other information made available through the relevant platform settings. The collection and processing of personal information by these platforms are governed by the privacy policies of the respective platform providers.

Facebook and Instagram
Turtle Island maintains organizational pages and advertising accounts on Facebook and Instagram, which are operated by Meta Platforms, Inc. and its affiliated companies.

Our website may use the Meta Pixel, a tool that helps us measure the effectiveness of our communications, fundraising campaigns, advertising activities, and website content. The Meta Pixel may collect information regarding website visits, page views, actions taken on our website, device information, browser information, IP addresses, and referral information. Where required by applicable law, the Meta Pixel is activated only after a user provides consent through our cookie consent management system. Information collected through the Meta Pixel may be transmitted to Meta and may be used by Meta in accordance with its own privacy policies to provide measurement, analytics, audience insights, and advertising services.

LinkedIn
Turtle Island maintains an organizational presence on LinkedIn and may use the LinkedIn Insight Tag on its website. The LinkedIn Insight Tag helps us understand how visitors interact with our website after engaging with LinkedIn content, communications, or advertisements. Information collected may include device information, browser information, IP addresses, pages visited, referral URLs, and interactions with website content. Where required by applicable law, the LinkedIn Insight Tag is activated only after a user provides consent through our cookie consent management system. LinkedIn may process information collected through the Insight Tag in accordance with its own privacy policies and may provide aggregated analytics and advertising services to Turtle Island.

YouTube
Turtle Island may maintain a channel on YouTube and may embed YouTube videos on its website. When a user views embedded YouTube content or visits our YouTube channel, Google and YouTube may collect information about the interaction in accordance with their privacy policies and cookie practices.

Joint Controller Information
For certain processing activities involving Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn page analytics, applicable data protection laws may regard Turtle Island and the platform provider as joint controllers. Additional information regarding these arrangements and the processing of personal information by the respective platform providers can be found in their privacy notices.

Users who wish to avoid tracking through advertising technologies may manage cookie preferences through our consent management tools, adjust browser settings, or use the privacy controls provided by the respective social media platforms.

9. Cookies, Analytics, and Advertising Technologies

Turtle Island uses cookies, pixels, tags, and similar technologies to operate our website, understand visitor interactions, improve website performance, measure the effectiveness of communications and fundraising campaigns, and support outreach efforts.

We may use third-party tools and service providers, including:

Google Analytics
Google Tag Manager
Microsoft Clarity
Google advertising and measurement services
Google Ads Remarketing
Mailchimp
Givebutter
Stripe

These providers may collect information such as IP addresses, browser type, device information, pages visited, referral sources, time spent on pages, interactions with website content, and engagement with communications.

Where required by applicable law, Turtle Island obtains consent before placing non-essential cookies or similar technologies on a user’s device.

Users may manage cookie preferences through their browser settings and consent tools.

Where required by applicable law, Turtle Island obtains consent before placing non-essential cookies or similar technologies on a user’s device.

Turtle Island enters into data processing agreements with service providers where required by applicable law. Where applicable, these technologies may be used to measure campaign effectiveness and deliver interest-based advertising.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms/sccs/

You can prevent the recording and processing of your data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plugin available under the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en. For more information about the handling of user data by Google Analytics, please consult Google’s Data Privacy Declaration at: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en.

Google Advertising and Measurement Technologies
Turtle Island uses Google advertising and analytics services, including Google Ads, Google Ads Remarketing, and Google Conversion Tracking.

These tools help us:

measure fundraising and outreach performance
understand website usage
improve communications and programs
and, where permitted, deliver interest-based advertising

These technologies may collect information such as IP address, device information, browser type, pages visited, and interactions with advertisements and our website.

Where required by law, these tools are only activated after obtaining user consent.

Google may process this information under its own privacy policies. Data may be transferred internationally, including to the United States, subject to safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses and applicable Data Privacy Framework participation.

Users may manage or withdraw consent through cookie settings or adjust advertising preferences through Google’s tools.

For further information and the pertinent data protection regulations, please consult the Data Privacy Policies of Google at: https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads?hl=en.

Consent with Borlabs Cookie
Our website uses Borlabs consent technology to obtain your consent to the storage of certain cookies in your browser or for the use of certain technologies and for their data privacy protection compliant documentation. The provider of this technology is Borlabs GmbH, Rübenkamp 32, 22305 Hamburg, Germany (hereinafter referred to as Borlabs).

Whenever you visit our website, a Borlabs cookie will be stored in your browser, which archives any declarations or revocations of consent you have entered. These data are not shared with the provider of Borlabs technology.

The recorded data shall remain archived until you ask us to eradicate them, you delete the Borlabs cookie on your own, or if the purpose of storing the data no longer exists. This shall be without prejudice to any retention obligations mandated by law. To review the details of Borlabs’ data processing policies, please visit https://de.borlabs.io/kb/welche-daten-speichert-borlabs-cookie/

We use the Borlabs cookie consent technology to obtain the declarations of consent mandated by law for the use of cookies. Non-essential cookies and advertising technologies are only activated after obtaining consent where required by applicable law. The European legal basis for the use of such cookies is Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR.

10. Data Retention

Turtle Island retains personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, tax, operational, and reporting requirements.

Retention periods may include:

Donation and financial records: for the period required by applicable tax, accounting, audit, and regulatory laws;
Donor and supporter records: for as long as reasonably necessary to maintain donor relationships and organizational records, unless a deletion request is received and retention is no longer required by law;
Newsletter subscription information: until an individual unsubscribes or withdraws consent;
Volunteer, internship, and application records: generally for up to two (2) years after the conclusion of the relevant process or relationship, unless a longer retention period is required by law;
Event registration records: for as long as reasonably necessary to administer the event and fulfill related legal or reporting obligations;
Website analytics and cookie-related data: in accordance with the retention periods established by the relevant service providers and cookie consent settings.

When personal information is no longer required, Turtle Island will securely delete, anonymize, or otherwise dispose of such information in accordance with applicable law and organizational policies.

We may retain records of correspondence and communications with donors, volunteers, applicants, beneficiaries, and other individuals to respond to inquiries, improve our services, maintain organizational records, and comply with legal obligations.

Turtle Island may retain donor history and related communications for longer periods where reasonably necessary to document charitable contributions, maintain historical donor records, support long-term donor stewardship, or comply with legal obligations.

11. Data Security

Turtle Island maintains administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

These safeguards may include:

Encryption of data in transit;
Secure access controls;
Vendor due diligence;
Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant payment processing;
Security monitoring and risk management procedures.

No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

12. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on applicable law, you may have the right to:

Access personal information we hold about you;
Correct inaccurate information;
Request deletion of personal information;
Restrict certain processing activities;
Object to certain processing activities;
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
Receive personal information in a portable format where legally required;
Opt out of certain communications.

Residents of certain U.S. states may have additional privacy rights under applicable state privacy laws. Turtle Island will honor qualifying requests in accordance with applicable law.

Requests may be submitted to office@turtle-island.org.

We may require verification of identity before fulfilling requests.

Additional Rights for Individuals in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland
Individuals located in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland may have additional rights under applicable data protection laws.

These individuals may also have the right to lodge a complaint with their local supervisory authority if they believe their personal information has been processed unlawfully.

Right to Lodge a Complaint with a Supervisory Authority
If you believe that the processing of your personal data violates applicable data protection laws, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. The competent supervisory authority for us is:

Austrian Data Protection Authority (Datenschutzbehörde – DSB)
Barichgasse 40–42
1030 Vienna
Austria
https://www.dsb.gv.at/

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority in the EU Member State of your habitual residence, your place of work, or the place of the alleged infringement, in accordance with Article 77 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

We encourage individuals to contact us first so that we may attempt to resolve any concerns before contacting a supervisory authority, although you are not required to do so.

Austrian Tax Deductibility Reporting
For donors in Austria, Turtle Island may collect and process additional personal information, including date of birth and other information required by Austrian tax laws, in order to report eligible donations to the Austrian tax authorities and facilitate tax-deductible treatment of donations.

Such processing is carried out to comply with applicable legal obligations and tax regulations. Personal information collected for this purpose will be retained only as long as necessary to fulfill legal, accounting, tax, and regulatory requirements.

Where required, donor information may be disclosed to the competent Austrian tax authorities and other authorized governmental bodies in accordance with applicable law.

13. Marketing Communications

Turtle Island may send newsletters, fundraising appeals, event announcements, program updates, and other communications to individuals who have subscribed to receive them or who have otherwise engaged with our organization where permitted by applicable law.

We may use third-party communication platforms, such as Mailchimp, to distribute these communications and to help us understand how recipients interact with them, including whether messages are opened and links are clicked.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://mailchimp.com/about/eu-us-data-transfer-statement/ and https://mailchimp.com/legal/data-processing-addendum/.

You may unsubscribe from promotional emails at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link included in our communications or by contacting us directly. We may retain your email address on a suppression list after you unsubscribe to ensure that you are not contacted again. This data is used solely for this purpose and is not used for marketing communications.

You may also request that we discontinue fundraising mailings or other postal communications by contacting us.

14. Event Photography and Media

Turtle Island may photograph, film, or otherwise record events, educational programs, fundraising activities, exhibitions, volunteer activities, project visits, and other organizational functions.

Photographs, video recordings, audio recordings, and related media may be used for legitimate organizational purposes, including:
• Website content;
• Social media publications;
• Newsletters and email communications;
• Annual reports and impact reports;
• Educational and promotional materials;
• Fundraising and donor engagement activities;
• Media and public relations purposes.

Where required by applicable law, Turtle Island will obtain appropriate consent before using identifiable images or recordings of individuals. In other circumstances, Turtle Island may rely on its legitimate interests in documenting and promoting its charitable, educational, conservation, and fundraising activities.

Individuals who do not wish to appear in photographs, videos, or recordings are encouraged to notify Turtle Island staff or event organizers at the time of the event. Where reasonably practicable, we will honor such requests. For images or recordings of minors, Turtle Island will obtain consent from a parent, legal guardian, or other authorized representative where required by applicable law.

15. Children's Privacy

Our Services are not directed toward children under 13 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children without appropriate parental consent.

If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child in violation of applicable law, we will take reasonable steps to delete such information.

16. Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services. Turtle Island is not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of those third parties.

We encourage users to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites they visit.

17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

Turtle Island may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page and become effective upon posting unless otherwise indicated. The Effective Date at the top of this Policy reflects the date of the most recent revision.

18. Contact Us

Questions regarding this Privacy Policy or requests relating to personal information may be directed to:

Turtle Island

Email: office@turtle-island.org
Website: www.turtle-island.org

United States Office:
2041 Starfire Dr., Atlanta, GA 30345, USA