Privacy Policy for Sangha House NOLA

Last updated: 12.03.2025

Sangha House NOLA (“Sangha House,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect information when you visit our website at https://www.sanghahousenola.org (the “Site”).

By using the Site, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

1. Who we are

Sangha House NOLA is a Buddhist temple and meditation center in New Orleans’ 7th Ward, operating as a program of Traveling Nunk, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or would like to exercise your privacy rights, you may contact us at:

Sangha House NOLA c/o Traveling Nunk

2004 Lapeyrouse St.

New Orleans, LA 70116

Email: ab****@*************la.org

2. Information we collect

We collect information in several ways, depending on how you interact with the Site.

1. Information you provide directly

This may include:

• Comments When you leave a comment on the Site, we collect the information shown in the comments form (such as your name, email address, and comment), as well as your IP address and browser user agent string to help with spam detection.

An anonymized string created from your email address (a “hash”) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. After your comment is approved, your profile picture (if any) may be visible to the public alongside your comment.

• Media uploads If you upload images or other media to the Site, we collect the content you upload and related technical information needed to display it. You should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS), as visitors to the Site may be able to download and extract that data.
• Contact forms, registrations, and volunteer forms When you fill out a contact form, event or retreat registration form, volunteer interest form, or similar form on the Site, we collect the information you provide (such as your name, email address, phone number, and any message or preferences). We use this information to respond to your inquiries, manage registrations, coordinate volunteers, and communicate with you as needed.
• Email newsletter or mailing list If you sign up for our email newsletter or mailing list, we collect your email address and any other information you choose to provide (for example, your name). We use this information to send you updates, news, and other communications you have requested. You can unsubscribe at any time by following the instructions in our emails or by contacting us.
• Donations and payments If you make an online donation or payment through the Site, your payment is processed by third party payment providers such as Givebutter, PayPal, or Venmo. These providers collect and process your payment information (such as credit card or bank details) in accordance with their own privacy policies. We receive certain information about your donation or payment (such as your name, contact information, donation amount, and date), but we do not store your full payment card or bank account details on our servers.
• Other communications If you contact us by email or other methods, we may collect and store your messages and contact details so that we can respond and maintain appropriate records.

1. Information collected automatically

When you visit the Site, we and our service providers may automatically collect certain technical information, such as:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Device type and operating system
• The pages you visit, the time and date of your visit, and how long you stay
• The site you visited before coming to ours (referring URL)

We may use tools such as Google Analytics or similar services to collect and analyze this information. These tools help us understand how visitors use the Site, so we can improve it and maintain security. These tools may use cookies and similar technologies; see the “Cookies” section below for more details.

3. Cookies

The Site uses cookies and similar technologies to help it function and to understand how it is used.

• Comment cookies If you leave a comment on the Site, you may choose to save your name, email address, and website in cookies. This is for your convenience so that you do not have to re-enter your details when leaving another comment. These cookies typically last for about one year.
• Login cookies (administrators only) Public visitors cannot create accounts or log in to the Site. A small number of authorized administrators can log in to manage the Site. For these administrators, we may set cookies to save login information and screen display preferences. Login cookies typically last for up to two days, and screen options cookies for up to one year. If “Remember Me” is selected, the login may persist for up to two weeks. When an administrator logs out, the login cookies are removed.
• Post editing cookies (administrators only) If an administrator edits or publishes an article, an additional cookie may be stored in their browser. This cookie contains no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article that was just edited. It usually expires after one day.
• Analytics cookies We may use analytics cookies (for example, through Google Analytics) to understand how visitors use the Site, such as which pages are most popular and how visitors move around the Site. This helps us improve the Site and our offerings.

You can usually set your browser to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If you disable cookies, some features of the Site may not function properly.

4. Embedded content from other websites

Articles or pages on this Site may include embedded content (for example, videos, images, or articles). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the same way as if you visited the other website directly.

These third party websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third party tracking, and monitor your interaction with the embedded content, including if you have an account and are logged in to that website. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third party websites or services you visit.

5. How we use your information

We may use the information we collect for purposes such as:

• Providing, maintaining, and improving the Site and our programs
• Responding to your comments, questions, and requests
• Managing registrations for events, retreats, and volunteer activities
• Processing and acknowledging donations and payments
• Sending newsletters and other communications that you have requested
• Protecting the security and integrity of the Site
• Complying with legal obligations and enforcing our rights

We do not sell your personal information.

6. Who we share your information with

We may share your information with:

• Service providers. We work with service providers who help us operate the Site and carry out our activities, including website hosting, email services, analytics providers (such as Google Analytics), comment and spam detection services, and payment or donation platforms (such as Givebutter, PayPal, and Venmo). These service providers may have access to personal information only as needed to perform their functions on our behalf and are expected to protect it appropriately.
• Legal, safety, and protection. We may disclose information if we believe it is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, respond to lawful requests, protect our rights or property, or protect the safety of our community, visitors, or the public.

If you request a password reset for an administrator account, your IP address may be included in the reset email for security purposes.

We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties.

7. How long we retain your information

We retain information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy or as required by law.

Examples include:

• Comments: If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This helps us recognize and automatically approve follow up comments instead of holding them for moderation.
• Media: Media you upload and that is approved or published may be retained as long as it remains part of the Site’s content.
• Contact forms and communications: Messages and related information submitted through contact forms or email may be retained for a reasonable period to respond to you, maintain records of our communications, and improve our offerings.
• Newsletter information: We keep your email address and related information for as long as you remain subscribed. If you unsubscribe, we may keep a record of your email address on a suppression list to honor your request not to receive further communications.
• Donations and payments: Donation and payment records are generally retained for the period required by tax, accounting, or other legal obligations.

We may retain certain information for longer periods if necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements.

8. Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live and applicable law, you may have some or all of the following rights with respect to your personal information:

• The right to request access to the personal data we hold about you
• The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• The right to request deletion of personal data, subject to legal or legitimate retention requirements
• The right to request a copy of your personal data in a commonly used format

If you have left comments on the Site or provided personal information through forms or other means, you may contact us to request an exported file of the personal data we hold about you or to request that we erase such data, subject to any information we are required to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

To exercise these rights, please contact us at [email address]. We may take steps to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.

If you receive email communications from us, you can opt out at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions in those emails or by contacting us directly.

9. Children’s privacy

Our Site and programs are primarily intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13 years of age. If you are under 13, please do not submit personal information through the Site.

If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information. If you believe we may have collected such information, please contact us at [email address].

10. International visitors

Our Site is operated from the United States. If you access the Site from outside the United States, you understand that your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may be different from those in your home country.

11. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Site after any changes are posted will signify your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.