Privacy Policy


Last Updated May 25, 2018


The Human Rights Campaign and Human Rights Campaign Foundation (jointly, "HRC") strongly believe in protecting the integrity and privacy of personal information gathered from all our donors and members regardless of source as well as visitors to our web sites ("End Users"). Since the protection of your privacy is of the greatest importance to us, we have created this privacy policy to communicate our practices regarding the collection and dissemination of personal information that can be linked to a specific individual, such as a name, address, phone number, email address, or any other information, (“personal information”) provided to us by our members and by visitors to our web sites, mobile applications or social media pages (collectively, the “Sites”).


Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By visiting and using the Sites, you agree that your use of our Sites is governed by this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Service.  We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes to our information and privacy practices, and will post a notice on this web site to alert you of the update prior to the change becoming effective. We will also update the "Last Updated" date to reflect the date of the changes. By continuing to use our Sites after we post any such changes, you accept the Privacy Policy as modified. We encourage you to periodically review this page for any changes.

You do not have to share personal information to use the HRC Sites. HRC does not collect personal information about people on our Sites without their permission. However, please be aware that our Sites link to a limited number of other web sites and HRC cannot control and is not responsible for the content or the privacy policies of third parties.


1. Our privacy policy explains the information practices we use at hrc.org related to:

  • How we collect and use personal information, including information gathered when you become a member of HRC or use one of our Sites
  • Cookies and Other Tracking Information
  • Children’s Privacy
  • International Audiences
  • How you receive emails, newsletters and other communications from HRC
  • How we share personal information
  • Your California privacy rights
  • How we protect your personal information
  • How to unsubscribe from mailing lists
  • How to contact us about privacy

2. How we collect and use the information gathered when you become a member of HRC or use one of our online services or mobile applications:

We gather personal information, including names, contact information and other information you may voluntarily provide when you become a member of HRC, contribute to HRC online or via mail, join at pride or another event, when you purchase HRC merchandise online or in-store, when you sign up on one of our listservs such as Family Project, Workplace Project or in our press room, when you download one of our mobile applications, or when you otherwise provide personal information on our Sites.  We may also collect information about our members from public sources, third party companies, or other organizations, including allied and like-minded organizations, which we may combine with information from other sources. We use this information to contact you and send you legislative updates, action alerts, press releases, information about HRC programs, events and activities, local volunteer opportunities and membership and renewal appeals.


We also may collect or generate aggregate non-identifiable information, such as zip code, city and state, and technical information about how you use our site. In addition, when you visit our Sites, we may collect certain information by automated means, including information sent by your browser that our servers automatically record. This log data may include information such as your computer's Internet Protocol ("IP") address, pages of our Site that you visit, the time spent on those pages, information you search for on our Site, access times and dates, and other statistics.


HRC also uses information gathered via the HRC Sites to improve our web-based services, member outreach, fundraising, marketing and promotional purposes. Additionally, HRC uses the information gathered to help you take action in support of LGBTQ civil liberties, such as contacting decision makers (e.g. a representative in Congress) and their staff, signing a petition or sharing a message on social media. HRC periodically performs statistical analyses of aggregate user behavior and characteristics in order to measure interest in and use of various areas on our Sites and to use such information to improve on our Sites’ ability to serve you better.


3. Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies:

  • Cookies: HRC uses "cookies" on some web pages. Internet cookies are small amounts of data that contain a unique identifier that many websites frequently send to your web browser to be stored on your computer’s hard drive in order to save data about you, such as your name, password, user-name, screen preferences, and the pages of a website you have viewed. When you revisit the Sites, HRC may recognize you by your Internet cookies and customize your experience accordingly. An End User can configure his or her browser to be alerted when a site is attempting to send a cookie and refuse the cookie. Cookies can also be removed from your hard drive. Depending on what type of web browser and what browser version you are using, you may be able to change the properties on your cookie file so that cookies are not used or saved. Please check with your browser provider for more information on removing cookies.
  • HRC also tracks End User activity and click-through behavior to provide an End User with a more personalized experience while visiting our Sites and for more personalized email alerts. HRC also uses IP addresses to analyze trends, administer the web site, track End User movement and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use
  • Tracking:  Online tracking is the process of collecting personal information about users over time as they move across different websites. HRC may track user information as they move from site to site. HRC may also permit third parties to track End Users activity on the site, and is not responsible for the privacy practices of any third parties linked to or tracking on its site.  Your choices with respect to cookies and other tracking technologies remain as described in this Privacy Policy. HRC’s Sites do not respond to browser Do-Not-Track settings.  Please note that if you disable cookies, certain Site functionality may be limited.
  • Geolocation data: If you choose to provide location data pursuant to a Location-Based Service feature on our Sites, or to enable Location Services for an HRC mobile application such as the "Buy4Equality App," we may collect and use location data as you provide, or as sent from your device, to provide and improve location-based products and services. For mobile applications, you can turn off this functionality at any time by disabling Location Services in the settings for the application on your device; however, some parts of the application may not work if Location Services are disabled.


4. Children’s Privacy:

HRC’s Sites are not directed to children, and HRC does not knowingly collect personal information about individuals under the age of 13. 


5. International Audience

While HRC's Sites may be accessible internationally, the Sites and all contents are intended for use by individuals in the United States. Nothing contained on HRC Sites should be construed as a promotion or solicitation for any personal information outside the United States. If you are a non-U.S. resident, you acknowledge that HRC's collection and processing of personal information is subject to United States law, and that any personal information you provide to us shall be transferred to the United States, where the laws and regulations may not provide the same level of data protection rights as in the jurisdiction in which you are located. 


6. How HRC may contact you:

You may receive communications from us if you have a) expressly signed up to receive emails or other communications from HRC through the HRC web site, b) taken action on behalf of HRC either online or in person; c) signed up to receive HRC communications at pride events, HRC stores, public outreach or canvassing, and at many other hosted HRC events; (d) become an HRC member; or (e) we receive your contact information from an allied, like-minded or partner organization. Individually identifying information and contact information, such as names, postal and email addresses, phone numbers, social media usernames and other personal information which users voluntarily provide to HRC may be added to HRC’s databases and used for future outreach (including physical mailings) regarding member outreach, fundraising, marketing, or promotional purposes. We shall only send you text messages when you provide your express consent to receive text messages, and you can opt out at any time. All emails sent contain a link to unsubscribe or to modify your profile. You may subscribe or unsubscribe to any newsletter or email communication from HRC at any time.  In order to provide you with better and more relevant information, we compile information about email response and website usage. This information helps us to better understand our members' web site usage patterns and also what types of content and information may help improve your user experience on the HRC web site.


7. How we share information:

HRC works closely with allied and like-minded organizations, including a broad array of progressive entities, and may occasionally share and receive contact information gathered from subscribers with such organizations or parties. HRC may also share information with trusted third-party vendors who contact you on behalf of HRC.

HRC follows the Association of Fundraising Professional's (AFP) Ethical Guidelines to the Code of Ethical Principles and Standards of Professional Practice. Occasionally, HRC does exchange or rent mail lists to like-minded organizations through bonded third-party vendors. From time to time, HRC may partner with for-profit companies to provide you with special offers available to members, such as an HRC affinity credit card or special offers on insurance.  These organizations are never given direct access to HRC’s membership database. HRC itself screens each mailing before we allow it to be sent to our membership. Information pertaining to current HRC board members, major donors, Federal Club members, Equality Circle, Partners, and/or $250+ donors is never — under any circumstance — released to external entities for the purpose of list rentals or exchanges.

Should you not wish your information to be shared with or sold to other organizations, or to receive offers for member benefits, you may opt out at any time by contacting us at our Member Services Department mailing address below, or by emailing us at membership@hrc.org.

We also may be required to release information if required to do so by law or if, in our sole discretion, such disclosure is reasonably necessary to comply with legal process or to protect the rights, property, or personal safety of our web site, HRC, our officers, directors, employees, members, other users, and/or the public.  We may also share personal information in the event of an organizational restructuring.


8. Your California Privacy Rights:

California Civil Code Section 1798.83, also known as the "Shine The Light" law, permits California residents to annually request, free of charge, information about personal information (if any) disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes in the preceding calendar year.  If applicable, this information would include a list of the categories of personal information that was shared and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared information in the immediately preceding calendar year. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request in writing to:


                        Legal Department

Attn: Shine the Light Disclosure
Human Rights Campaign
1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036-3278


9. How we protect your information:

HRC is extremely protective of the information gathered through its membership and Sites. Our Sites have security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of the information under our control. All databases containing personal information are securely stored using third party cloud services and only accessed by authorized HRC personnel and the personnel of third party cloud providers who store or transmit HRC data. By using HRC sites, you consent to the collection, transfer, processing, and storage of your personal data by third party cloud providers as set out in this policy.

When you contribute to HRC online, we use a secure server and encryption to protect your financial and other personal information during transmission.  However, no security defenses can be guaranteed, including the security of your personal information in any network or through online transmissions, and we urge you to use caution when providing any information over the Internet.


10. How to unsubscribe from outreach lists:

All HRC communication, whether via text, email or US mail, provides information on how to unsubscribe quickly and easily. Those wishing to opt out of receiving all communications from HRC ("do not contact"), or from being included in list exchanges with like-minded organizations ("do not exchange") or from receiving special offers for HRC members from third party companies (“do not offer”) can simply contact our Members Services Department at membership@hrc.org or via phone 1-800-727-4723, or via US mail at 1640 Rhode Island Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.


11. How to correct information you have provided:

You may correct and/or change any information regarding your membership by contacting our Member Services Department at membership@hrc.org or by calling 1-800-727-4723.


12. How to contact us about privacy:

If you have any questions about our privacy policy, the information we have collected from you online, the practices of this site or your interaction with this web site, send email to: membership@hrc.org.


You can also reach us via U.S. mail or telephone at:

Member Services
Human Rights Campaign
1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036-3278
Phone: 202.628.4160
TTY: 202.216.1572
Fax: 202.347.5323