Brown County Genealogical Society
A Kansas 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization
https://www.brcountyksgs.org

Effective Date: PENDING APPROVAL

The Brown County Genealogical Society (BCGS) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization incorporated in the State of Kansas and recognized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. We are headquartered in Hiawatha, Kansas, and exist to preserve, promote, and share genealogical and local historical records for the benefit of the public and our members.

This Privacy Policy describes how BCGS collects, uses, stores, and protects personal information gathered through our website at https://www.brcountyksgs.org and through our membership, event, and donation activities. We are committed to being transparent about our data practices and to treating the personal information of our visitors, members, and donors with care and respect.

This policy is effective as of October 18, 2026. By using our website, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us through forms on our website or in writing. This may include:

● Membership application forms: Name, mailing address, email address, phone number, and membership type (e.g., individual, household, institutional).

● Event registration forms: Name, email address, phone number, and emergency contact information (where applicable).

● Donation forms: Name, mailing address, email address, and payment information. Please note that payment card data is processed entirely by our third-party payment processor — BCGS does not receive or store credit or debit card numbers.

● Contact and inquiry forms: Name, email address, and the content of your message.

● Newsletter and email list sign-ups: Name and email address.

When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically by our hosting platform and analytics tools. This may include:

● IP address, browser type, and device type

● Pages visited, time and date of visit, and time spent on pages

● Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 4)

● Referring URLs — how you arrived at our website

Our website may use the following Google services, each of which may collect certain data as described:

● Google Analytics: Aggregated, anonymized traffic data including page views, session duration, geographic region, and device type. This data is used to understand how visitors use our site and is not tied to personally identifiable information.

● Google Maps embeds (if present on our site): Location and map data is governed by Google's own Privacy Policy.

● Google Fonts: When our website loads fonts hosted by Google, font requests may log your IP address to Google's servers.

● Google reCAPTCHA (if used on forms): Behavioral data is collected to help distinguish human users from automated bots. This data is subject to Google's Privacy Policy.

BCGS uses the personal information we collect only for legitimate purposes related to our nonprofit mission. Specifically, we use your information to:

● Process and manage memberships and annual renewals

● Communicate with members and visitors about events, meetings, publications, and society news

● Process donations and issue tax acknowledgment letters, as required for 501(c)(3) organizations

● Respond to contact form submissions and general inquiries

● Improve website functionality and the overall user experience

● Send our society newsletter and email updates (with opt-out available at any time)

● Maintain accurate and complete organizational records

● Comply with applicable federal and state laws

Important:  BCGS does not  sell, rent, or trade personal information to third parties for marketing or   any other commercial purposes. Period.

Cookies are small text files that a website places on your device to remember information about your visit. BCGS uses cookies in the following limited ways:

● Session cookies: Temporary cookies that expire when you close your browser. They help the site function properly during your visit.

● Persistent cookies: Cookies that remain on your device until they expire or you delete them. These help the site recognize returning visitors.

● Analytics cookies (Google Analytics): Used to track aggregate, anonymized data about how visitors use our site. This information does not personally identify individual visitors.

You may disable cookies at any time through your browser settings. Please be aware that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain features on our website. BCGS does not use advertising cookies or behavioral targeting cookies of any kind.

BCGS works with a small number of trusted third-party service providers to operate our website and fulfill our organizational activities. Each provider operates under its own privacy policy and applicable data protection standards:

● GoDaddy (website hosting and domain registration): GoDaddy's own privacy policy governs data handled through their hosting infrastructure.

● Google Analytics (website traffic analysis): Traffic data is governed by Google's Privacy Policy. We do not enable Google Analytics Advertising Features.

● Payment processor (Hiawatha Community Foundation): All payment card and transaction data is processed through the processor's PCI-DSS compliant system. BCGS does not store credit card numbers or full payment data.

● Email service provider (Yahoo Mail): Used to distribute our newsletter and member email updates. Subscriber data is governed by that provider's privacy policy.

Our website may contain links to external websites not operated by BCGS. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any third-party websites and encourage you to review their policies before submitting personal information.

BCGS takes seriously its responsibility to protect the personal information of its members, donors, and volunteers. While Kansas state law — specifically the Kansas Charitable Privacy Act (K.S.A. 17-1779) — limits public agency access to charitable organization membership and donor lists, BCGS independently honors the same protective spirit with respect to all parties:

● Membership lists, donor records, and volunteer information are treated as confidential and are not disclosed to outside individuals or organizations except as required by law or with the explicit written consent of the individual concerned.

● Member directories, if published, are made available only to current, paid members and only with the prior consent of those members whose information is included.

● Donor names and giving amounts are not publicly disclosed without the explicit consent of the donor.

● As a 501(c)(3) organization, BCGS is required by federal law to make certain financial documents publicly available, including Form 990 filings. These filings may contain organizational information as required by the IRS but do not disclose individual member or donor giving records.

BCGS retains personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Our general retention periods are as follows:

Record Type

Retention Period

Active member records

Duration of membership plus   3 years

Donor records

7 years (per nonprofit   accounting best practices and IRS guidance)

Event registration records

2 years after the event   date

Contact form / inquiry   records

1 year, or until the   inquiry is resolved

Newsletter subscriber list

Retained until the   individual unsubscribes

You may request deletion of your personal data at any time. Please be aware that certain records may be subject to legal retention obligations that limit our ability to delete them immediately upon request.

We respect your right to control your personal information. You may exercise the following choices at any time:

● Opt out of email communications: Contact us directly to be removed from our mailing list.

● Request access to your information: You may ask us to confirm what personal data we hold about you and receive a copy of it.

● Request correction of your information: If information we hold is inaccurate or incomplete, you may ask us to update it.

● Request deletion of your information: Subject to any legal retention obligations, you may request that we delete your personal data from our records.

● Request that we limit sharing: You may request that BCGS not share your information with third parties. In practice, we already do not sell or share member or donor data for external purposes.

To submit any of the above requests, please contact us by email or postal mail using the information provided in Section 11. We will acknowledge and respond to all requests within 30 days.

The BCGS website is intended for a general adult audience and is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has submitted personal information through our website or forms, we will take prompt steps to delete that information from our records. Parents or guardians who believe their child may have submitted personal information to BCGS are encouraged to contact us using the information provided in Section 11 so we can address the matter promptly.

BCGS complies with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) to the extent applicable to our operations.

BCGS takes reasonable administrative and technical measures to protect the personal information we collect and maintain. These measures include:

● Use of HTTPS encryption on our website to protect information in transit between your browser and our server

● Limiting access to member, donor, and financial records to authorized BCGS officers and board members only

● Relying on PCI-DSS compliant third-party processors for all payment transactions

Please be aware that no method of electronic transmission or digital storage is completely secure. While we strive to use commercially reasonable safeguards, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information. You provide personal information to BCGS at your own risk.

In the event of a data security breach that affects your personal information, BCGS will notify affected individuals as required under applicable federal and Kansas state law.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise any of your data rights, or have concerns about how BCGS handles personal information, please contact us:

Organization

Brown County Genealogical    Society

Mailing Address

116 S. 7th  St., Hiawatha, KS. 66434

Email

brcogenealogy@yahoo.com

Privacy Contact

BCGS Officers or designated   Privacy Officer

We will do our best to respond to all privacy-related inquiries and data requests within 30 days of receipt.

BCGS reserves the right to update or revise this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in our practices, applicable law, or website functionality. When we make changes, the updated policy will be posted on this page with a revised effective date at the top of the document.

Your continued use of our website after any changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy. For material changes — those that significantly affect how we handle your personal information — we will provide advance notice through the BCGS society newsletter so that members have an opportunity to review the updated terms.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

This privacy policy was adopted by the Brown County Genealogical Society Board of Directors and is effective PENDING APPROVAL.

Brown County Genealogical Society | Hiawatha, Kansas | 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization