The Friends of the Hennepin County Library values each of our donors and takes their privacy very seriously. To that end, we maintain the highest level of confidentiality concerning our donors' contact and financial information.
Donor information collected and recorded:
The Friends collects the following personal information from our donors: donor name, acknowledgment name, amount donated, giving history, address, telephone number, email address, and in some cases, other non-financial information such as the library used by the donor or the donor’s employer. No donor checks, credit card numbers, or other financial information are retained in our organization’s electronic or hard files after a donation has been processed.
How we use donor information:
Donor information is used for internal purposes only, with the occasional exception of pre-approved list trades with other non-profit organizations (see below). Only authorized Friends staff has on-going access to donor information and records. On occasion, Friends Board members or volunteers may have limited access to donor records, for instance during short fundraising campaigns. All individuals having access to donor records are required to abide by this policy.
All online donor transactions with the Friends are covered by this policy and are conducted over secure, encrypted portals. Every reasonable effort is made to secure the privacy of donor information on-line. Access to on-line data is password-protected and limited to authorized Friends employees.
The Friends does not sell donor information. Occasionally we may share donor transactional history with reputable third party organizations for analytic purposes. Through these processes, no FHCL donors will be added to any external lists.
Donor information is used by the Friends’ staff to:
- Process their gift
- Thank donors for their contribution
- Inform donors about current and upcoming activities of the Friends, including additional opportunities to support the Friends
- Engage donors in shaping our organization’s activities and improve communications
- Track and analyze donor data
- Comply with current rules and regulations governing 501(c)(3) financial reporting
- Comply with any reporting requirements related to specific grants or contributions
- Publicly recognize all donor gifts at the $1,000 level and higher in the Friends’ annual report and other relevant print material (donor name only), unless donor requests anonymity
Friends of the Hennepin County Library uses Plaid Technologies, Inc. (“Plaid”) to gather End User’s data from financial institutions. By using our service, you grant Friends of the Hennepin County Library and Plaid the right, power, and authority to act on your behalf to access and transmit your personal and financial information from the relevant financial institution. You agree to your personal and financial information being transferred, stored, and processed by Plaid in accordance with the Plaid Privacy Policy.
The Donor Bill of Rights:
- To be informed of the Friends of the Hennepin County Library's mission, of the way the Friends intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
- To be informed of the identity of those serving on the Library Friends’ Board of Directors and to expect the Board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
- To have access to the Library Friends’ most recent financial statements.
- To be assured their gifts will be used by the Friends for the purposes for which they were given.
- To receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition of all contributions to the Friends.
- To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
- To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
- To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.
Adapted from "The Donor Bill of Rights" created by the American Association of Fund Raising Counsel (AAFRC), Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
Contact us:
If you have additional questions about the Friends of the Hennepin County Library, its Donor Privacy Policy or would like to be removed from third party sources, please send an email to friends@hclib.org.