University of Massachusetts Amherst Alumni Association  

Privacy Policy

 Last updated: 01/28/2025

The University of Massachusetts Amherst Alumni Association (“UMass Amherst Alumni Association,” “we,” “us,” or “our’) web sites and related online services are provided by the UMass Amherst Alumni Association to encourage communication among alumni for personal and professional networking and university-related activities, and we are committed to respecting your privacy. 

This Privacy Policy explains our practices regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of information that you (“you” or “user”) may provide to us in a variety of contexts, including through your use of our website located at https://umaaa.org, our social media pages, related online services, our community platform, and any other websites, platforms, or services that we link to this Privacy Policy (collectively, our “Website”).  

By accessing the Website, you agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy.  If you do not agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Website.  Each time you use the Website, the current version of this Privacy Policy will apply. Accordingly, when you use the Website, you should check the date of this Privacy Policy (which appears at the top) and review any changes since you last reviewed the Privacy Policy.

Information We Collect

We collect two types of information: “Personal Information,” which is information that you provide that can be used to identify you (such as your name or your email address), and “Aggregate Information,” which is information that cannot be used to identify you (such as frequency of visits to the Website and your browser type).

We collect Personal Information such as your email address, first and last name, phone number, and mailing address.  We also collect additional information about your relationship with us or our affiliated entities and organizations, including the University of Massachusetts, the University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation, and the University of Massachusetts Foundation, such as school affiliation, alumni class year (if applicable) and student ID number (if applicable). You may also provide information related to your areas of philanthropic or volunteer interest. If you donate to us, you may also optionally provide us with your spouse’s or partner’s name, as well as any special gift instructions or comments.  If you dedicate your gift in honor or memoriam of another, we collect information about such dedication. We also collect your payment details to process your gifts.  Depending on your interactions with us, we may also collect your GPA, background information, date of birth, clothing size, your photo, dietary restrictions, accessibility, special needs, or other information.

Here are some examples of the contexts in which we collect Personal Information:

  • Emailing us, using our online forms, or other methods (such as contacting us through the Contact Us feature on our Website).  
  • Gifting or donating to us (online or in person).
  • Creating an account or interacting with our community.
  • Communicating with others through our platforms, forums, or any other digital properties that we make available, including ConnectUmass/PeopleGrove (collectively, the “Alumni Portal”).
  • Joining our Student Alumni Association.
  • Volunteering with us (or express an interest in volunteering with us)
  • Participating in our surveys or contests.
  • Signing up for our newsletters or email lists.
  • Interacting with us on social media or in person.

Our Sources for Personal Information:

  • You directly when you provide Personal Information to us.
  • Our affiliated entities and organizations (as described herein).
  • The Alumni Portal.

INFORMATION WE AUTOMATICALLY COLLECT 

When you use our Website, we automatically receive and collect information from your device.  This information includes the following:

  • Information about your device, such as the operating system, hardware, system version, Internet Protocol (IP) address, device ID, and device language.
  • The specific actions that you take when you use our Website, including but not limited to the pages and screens that you view or visit, search terms that you enter, and how you interact with our Website.
  • The time, frequency, connection type, and duration of your use of our Website.
  • Information regarding your interaction with email messages, for example, whether you opened, clicked on, or forwarded the email message.
  • Identifiers associated with cookies or other technologies that may uniquely identify your device or browser (as further described below).
  • Your general geographic location (based on your IP address).
  • Pages you visited before or after navigating to our Website.

PAYMENTS

We use third-party payment processors to process your credit and debit card transactions.  At no point in the transaction do we have access to your full payment card details, however, we may receive information about your transaction, including tokens relating to your transaction.  We may also collect information from you about your transaction, including your purchase(s) and your contact information.

AGGREGATE INFORMATION COLLECTED

Aggregate Information is information that does not identify you.  Aggregate Information may be collected when you use our Website, independent of any information you voluntarily enter. Additionally, we may use one or more processes to de-identify information that contains Personal Information, such that only Aggregate Information remains.  We may collect, use, store, and transfer Aggregate Information without restriction.

COOKIES AND ANALYTICS

Like most websites, our Website may use “cookies.”  Cookies are alphanumeric identifiers that we transfer to your computer’s hard drive through your web browser to help us identify you when you come to our Website. 

Our Website collects cookies and may use cookies for reasons including, but not limited to:

  • Analyze our web traffic using an analytics package.
  • Test content on the Website.
  • Store information about your preferences.
  • Recognize when you return to the Website.

Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website experience by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not.  A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or device, or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.

You can choose to accept or decline cookies.  Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer.  This setting may prevent you from taking full advantage of the Website.

We may use third parties, such as Google Analytics or other analytics providers, to analyze traffic to our Website. Google Analytics does not create individual profiles for visitors and only collects aggregate data. To disable Google Analytics, please download the browser add-on for the deactivation of Google Analytics provided by Google at http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en. To learn more about privacy and Google Analytics, please consult the Google Analytics overview provided by Google at http://www.google.com/intl/en/analytics/privacyoverview.html.

Although we do our best to honor the privacy preferences of our visitors, we are not able to respond to Do Not Track signals from your browser.

Interest-Based Advertising and Meta Pixel

We may also participate in interest-based advertising using similar technology.  This means that you may see advertising on our Website tailored to how you browse, or you may see advertising for UMAAA on other websites based on your browsing behavior across websites.  Some websites where we may advertise belong to ad networks that use your web browsing history to choose which ads to display on their network websites; these ads include advertising for UMAAA.  Other websites where you see our ads may use interest preferences that you have chosen on those sites, as well as registration and other information about you, to choose which ads to display to you. Some internet browsers, websites and mobile devices offer opt-outs for interest-based advertising. Please refer to the website that you are visiting, your browser and/or your device settings for additional information.

You can opt-out of receiving interest-based ads from third parties who are members of the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) or who follow the Digital Advertising Alliance’s Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising by visiting the opt-out pages on the NAI website (http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/) and DAA website (http://www.aboutads.info/choices/).

We use Meta Pixel to customize our advertising and to serve you ads on your social media based on your browsing behavior. This allows your behavior to be tracked after you have been redirected to our Website by clicking on the Facebook ad. The Meta Pixel stores a cookie on your device to enable us to measure the effectiveness of Facebook ads for statistical and market research purposes. We do not have access to the information collected through the Meta Pixel. However, the information collected via the Meta Pixel is also stored and processed by Facebook. Facebook may link this information to your Facebook account and also use it for its own promotional purposes in accordance with Facebook’s Data Usage Policy. The Meta Pixel also allows Facebook and its partners to show you advertisements on and outside of Facebook. You can opt-out of displaying Facebook ads by visiting your Facebook Ad Settings, and you can clear and control the information third parties share with Facebook in your Off-Facebook Activity page. If you do not have a Facebook account, you can opt-out of Facebook ads through the Digital Advertising Alliance as describe above.

How We Use Your Information

In general, we collect information and Personal Information from you so that we can provide our Website, operate our organization, programs, and services, facilitate your gifting and donations, and provide information that you request from us.  This includes but is not limited to the following:

  • Support UMass Amherst Alumni Association and our affiliates’ programs, services, and operations.
  • Provide, operate, improve, maintain, and protect our Website.
  • Provide our community platform and related services.
  • Facilitate your gifting and donations.
  • Facilitate your volunteer opportunities with us.
  • Evaluate your application, and if accepted, your participation, in our Student Alumni Association.
  • Provide you with technical and other support.
  • Send you updates, marketing communications, and other information about the UMass Amherst Alumni Association, our services, our Website, and our affiliate organizations.
  • Send you notices and alerts.
  • Conduct research, analytics, and monitor and analyze trends and usage.
  • Contact you and respond to your inquiries.
  • Enhance or improve user experience, our organization, and our Website, including the safety and security thereof.
  • Personalize our Website to you.
  • As necessary to comply with any applicable law, regulation, subpoena, legal process, or governmental request.
  • Enforce contracts, including investigation of potential violations thereof.
  • Detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues.
  • Protect against harm to the rights, property or safety of the UMass Amherst Alumni Association, our users, or the public as required or permitted by law.

How We Share Your Information

Like most organizations, we share information, including Personal Information, in certain circumstances with third parties through operation of our Website and our organization.  Below we explain when that happens.

SERVICE PROVIDERS

We may transfer Personal Information to third parties for the purpose of providing the Website or operating our organization.  For example, we may transfer your Personal Information to third-party service providers to assist with providing the Website, and to communicate with you about current or future products and services.

DONATIONS

We share Personal Information with third-parties and our affiliates in furtherance of our philanthropic activities.

PLATFORMS AND FORUMS:

When you communicate with others through the  Alumni Portal and our other platforms, forums, or any other digital properties that we make available, you may provide content and information. Keep in mind that users that you communicate with may, in some cases, be able to save that content or copy it, so do not send messages or share content that you wouldn’t want others to save or share.  Additionally, your profile photo and profile information is publicly visible to all users and it may be displayed to other users to facilitate user interaction.

Your account privacy settings may allow you to limit the other users who can see certain information in your profile and/or what information in your profile is visible to others.

AFFILIATES

We share Personal Information with our affiliated entities and organizations, including the University of Massachusetts, the University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation, and the University of Massachusetts Foundation.  For details about how they use your Personal Information, please visit their privacy policies:   

Please note that if you subscribe to any newsletter or email list, you may also receive email communications from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and its affiliates.

REQUIRED TRANSFERS

We may also transfer your Personal Information to third parties under the following circumstances: (i) to comply with a legal requirement, law, subpoena, judicial proceeding, court order, governmental request, or legal process; (ii) to investigate a possible crime, such as fraud or identity theft; (iii) in connection with the sale, purchase, merger, asset sale, financing, reorganization, liquidation or dissolution of the UMass Amherst Alumni Association, including the evaluation thereof; (iv) when we believe it is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of the UMass Amherst Alumni Association  or other persons, or (v) as otherwise required or permitted by law, including any contractual obligations of the UMass Amherst Alumni Association.

AS DIRECTED BY YOU AND WITH YOUR CONSENT

Except as otherwise provided in this Privacy Policy, we share Personal Information with companies, organizations or individuals outside of the UMass Amherst Alumni Association only at your direction or when we have your consent to do so. 


International Transfer

Our Website is hosted in and operated from the United States.  If you use our Website from other countries with laws governing data collection and use that may differ from United States law, then please note that by sending an email or other communication containing Personal Information or by providing Personal Information through our Website, you are voluntarily transferring your Personal Information outside of those regions to the United States.

Residents of the European Economic Area, Switzerland or the United Kingdom

Residents of the EEA, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom have additional privacy rights.  Information on these rights is provided in our supplemental European Economic Area, Switzerland and United Kingdom Resident Privacy Notice below.

This European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom (UK) and Switzerland Resident Privacy Notice supplements the information contained in our Privacy Policy and applies to residents of the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom (UK) and Switzerland.  It contains additional information required by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and the UK and Swiss equivalents. These provisions, which should be read together with the statements in the main Privacy Policy, explain our practices with regard to data privacy in the EEA, UK and Switzerland. 

Name of data controller and contact details

The University of Massachusetts Amherst Alumni Association
Memorial Hall
134 Hicks Way,
Amherst, MA 01003-9270
United States

Phone: [413-545-5541]

We have appointed the following entity as our legal representative for purposes of the GDPR:

EDPO (European Data Protection Office)
Avenue Huart Hamoir, 71 • 1030 Brussels • Belgium

Purposes of the processing

The purposes of the processing are described in the section of the main Privacy Policy entitled Information We Collect.

Lawful basis for the processing

Our legal basis for processing personal data is described in the main Privacy Policy and will depend on the personal data concerned and the specific context in which we collect it.  Generally, we process personal data on the basis that the processing is necessary for purposes of our legitimate interest in conducting our organization in a manner typical to not for profit alumni associations in the US, having taken into account any risks to your fundamental rights and freedoms (including your right to privacy).

We also may process personal data on other bases permitted by the GDPR, the UK Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable laws, such as to fulfill a contract with you, or when the processing is necessary for us to comply with our legal obligations.

The legitimate interests of the controller or third party, where applicable

Our specific legitimate interests, such as responding to your inquiries, requests, comments and questions, providing you updates about our organization and our services, providing our community platform, facilitating your donations, facilitating your volunteer work, connecting you with other alumni, and providing you with the Website, are described in the section of the main Privacy Policy entitled Information We Collect .

The categories of personal data concerned

The categories of personal data that we process are described in the section of the main Privacy Policy entitled Information We Collect .

The recipients or categories of recipients of the personal data

The potential recipients of the personal data that we collect via the Website are described in the section of the main Privacy Policy entitled How We Share your Information.

Information regarding the transfers of personal data outside of the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland and the United Kingdom (UK)

The University of Massachusetts Amherst Alumni Association is headquartered in the U.S. and the Website is hosted in the U.S.  The laws of the U.S. have not been deemed by the European Commission, the United Kingdom or Switzerland to provide an adequate level of protection to personal data.

When you provide your personal data to us, including via the Website or when you contact us by email, you are providing your personal data directly to the U.S.

Before you provide your personal data to us, including via the Website, we request your explicit consent to the transfer of your personal data to the U.S.

When you email us, the fact that you have chosen to email us knowing that we are located in the U.S. will be understood to constitute your explicit consent to the transfer of the personal data in your email (including your email address) to the U.S.

Regardless of the differences in U.S. and European privacy laws, we safeguard your personal data as described in our main Privacy Policy and this section.  If we transfer your personal data to a third party, we require the third party to commit contractually to process your personal data only in ways that are consistent with our main Privacy Policy and this supplemental notice.

The period for which the personal data will be stored, or the criteria for determining the retention period

How long we retain personal data varies according to the type of data in question, the purpose for which it is used, and applicable data retention and record-keeping requirements.  We delete personal data within a reasonable period after we no longer need to use it for the purpose for which it was collected or for any subsequent purpose that is compatible with the original purpose.  This does not affect your right to request that we delete your personal data before the end of its retention period.  We may archive personal data (which means storing it in inactive files) for a certain period prior to its final deletion, as part of our ordinary business continuity procedures.

Your rights to access, correct, restrict or delete your personal data and object to processing

You have the right to request access to your personal data, to have your personal data corrected, restricted or deleted, the right to data portability, and to object to our processing of your personal data.  Your rights may be subject to various limitations under the GDPR.  If you wish to exercise any of these rights, or if you have any concerns about our processing of your personal data, please contact us by emailing us at privacy@umaaa.org.

The right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

You have the right to file a complaint concerning our processing of your personal data with your national (or in some countries, regional) data protection authority.   The EU Commission has a list here:  https://ec.europa.eu/justice/article-29/structure/data-protection-authorities/index_en.htm

 

See www.ico.org.uk for information about contacting the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.

 

See www.edoeb.admin.ch/edoeb/en/home.html for information about contacting the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner. 

 

Controlling Cookies

If you are visiting our Website from the EEA. UK, or Switzerland, then we do not set non-essential cookies unless you accept all cookies on the “cookie banner” via our cookie management tool that launches when you land on our Website. 

You can learn about how you can adjust your browser’s settings to limit or disable non-essential cookies and other tracking technologies by visiting the section above.  Strictly necessary cookies cannot be disabled.

Children's Privacy

Our Website is not intended for use by children under the age of 13 and we do not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under the age of 13 in connection with the Website.

Opting Out

If you no longer wish to receive our marketing and promotional communications, you may opt-out by following the instructions included in each communication.

How We Protect Your Information

The security of your Personal Information is important to us.  We use reasonable administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to secure the Personal Information you share with us.  Despite these safeguards and our additional efforts to secure your information, we cannot promise or guarantee that hackers, cybercriminals, or other unauthorized third parties will not be able to defeat our security and improperly collect, access, steal, or modify your Personal Information.

Third-Party Websites

The Website may contain hyperlinks to websites operated by third parties, including our affiliates, which may include social media features, such as social media buttons or links.  We provide such hyperlinks for your reference and convenience only.  We do not control such websites and are not responsible for their content or the privacy or other practices of such websites.  It is up to you to read and fully understand their privacy policies.  Our inclusion of hyperlinks to such websites does not imply any endorsement of the material on such websites or any association with their operators.  If you are submitting information to any such third-party through our Website, you should review and understand that party’s applicable policies, including their privacy policies, before providing your information to the third-party.

Changes to our Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to amend this policy at any time without any prior notice to you.  Each time you use our Website the current version of this Privacy Policy will apply.  When you use our Website, you should check the date of this Privacy Policy (which appears at the top of the Privacy Policy) and review any changes since the last version. 

Questions

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at:

privacy@umaaa.org