Privacy Policy

Your privacy matters to us. Learn how we collect, use, and protect your information

Effective Date: 11/03/2025

Last Updated: 11/03/2025

1. Introduction

Young Professionals Networking Group ("YPNG," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you use our website (ypngslo.org), mobile applications, and services (collectively, the "Services").

By using our Services, you consent to the data practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Services.

YPNG is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization based in San Luis Obispo, California.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

We collect information that you provide when you:

Account Registration:

  • Name (first and last)
  • Email address
  • Password (encrypted)
  • Phone number
  • Date of birth
  • ZIP code

Professional Information:

  • Job title
  • Company name
  • Industry
  • Employment status
  • Professional bio
  • Career interests

Social and Networking Information:

  • LinkedIn profile URL
  • Instagram profile URL
  • Facebook profile URL
  • Twitter/X profile URL
  • Personal website URL
  • Profile picture/avatar

Membership Information:

  • Membership type selected
  • Billing preferences (monthly or annual)
  • Payment method (processed through Stripe - see Section 2.4)
  • Renewal preferences

Communication Preferences:

  • Newsletter subscription preference
  • Event notification preferences
  • SMS notification opt-in/opt-out
  • Renewal reminder preferences
  • Directory visibility preferences

Event and Activity Information:

  • Event registrations and attendance
  • Softball league registrations and team assignments
  • Committee participation
  • Volunteer activity records
  • Community board posts and interactions

Job Board Information:

  • Resume and candidate profile (if you create one)
  • Job applications submitted
  • Job postings (if you're an employer)

Other Information:

  • Why you want to join YPNG
  • Interests and hobbies
  • Favorite color (for fun member profiles)
  • Any other information you choose to provide

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use our Services, we automatically collect:

Device and Usage Information:

  • IP address
  • Browser type and version
  • Device type and operating system
  • Pages viewed and time spent
  • Referring website
  • Clickstream data
  • Access times and dates

Cookies and Similar Technologies:

  • Session cookies (essential for site functionality)
  • Persistent cookies (for remembering preferences)
  • Analytics cookies (for understanding usage patterns)
  • Authentication tokens

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from:

Social Media Platforms:

  • Profile information if you connect your social media accounts
  • Publicly available profile data

Partner Organizations:

  • Employment verification (if you're a partner member)
  • Company information

Data Enrichment Services:

  • Professional information verification
  • Industry classification

2.4 Payment Information

Stripe's handling of your payment information is governed by Stripe's Privacy Policy and PCI-DSS security standards.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

3.1 Service Delivery

  • Create and manage your membership account
  • Process your membership payments
  • Provide access to member benefits and resources
  • Register you for events and programs
  • Facilitate networking connections through our member directory
  • Manage softball league registrations and schedules
  • Enable job board functionality

3.2 Communications

  • Send transactional emails (account confirmations, password resets, receipts)
  • Send event registration confirmations and reminders
  • Deliver SMS notifications (if you've opted in)
  • Send membership renewal reminders
  • Provide customer support
  • Send newsletters and updates (if you've opted in)

3.3 Service Improvement

  • Analyze usage patterns to improve our Services
  • Identify and fix technical issues
  • Develop new features and programs
  • Understand member needs and preferences
  • Conduct surveys and gather feedback

3.4 Safety and Security

  • Verify identity and prevent fraud
  • Protect against unauthorized access
  • Enforce our Terms and Conditions
  • Comply with legal obligations
  • Investigate violations of our policies

3.5 Marketing and Outreach

  • Promote YPNG events and programs to members
  • Share opportunities with partner organizations
  • Recruit new members and partners
  • Create anonymized demographic reports for sponsors

4. How We Share Your Information

4.1 Member Directory

If you've opted to be visible in the member directory:

  • Your name, photo, company, title, and bio may be visible to other members
  • Your contact information visibility is controlled by your "share contact info" preference
  • You can update your directory preferences at any time

4.2 Event Attendee Lists

When you register for events:

  • Your name may be shared with event hosts and venues
  • Networking events may include printed or digital attendee lists
  • You can request to be excluded from attendee lists by contacting us

4.3 Partner Organizations

If you're a partner member:

  • Your partner organization can see your membership status and engagement
  • We may share aggregate participation data with partners
  • We do not share individual activity details without consent

4.4 Service Providers

We share information with trusted third-party service providers who help us operate:

Payment Processing:

Stripe (payment processing and subscription management)

Email and Communications:

Email service providers (for sending transactional and marketing emails)
SMS gateway providers (for text message notifications)

Website and Infrastructure:

Web hosting providers
Content delivery networks
Analytics platforms
Customer support tools

Data Storage:

Cloud storage providers (AWS S3 for media files)
Database hosting services

All service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the specific services they provide to us.

4.5 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information when required by law or to:

  • Comply with legal process (subpoenas, court orders)
  • Enforce our Terms and Conditions
  • Protect our rights, property, or safety
  • Protect the rights, property, or safety of our members
  • Investigate fraud or security issues

4.6 Business Transfers

If YPNG is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets:

  • Your information may be transferred to the new entity
  • You will be notified of any such change
  • The new entity must continue to honor this Privacy Policy

4.7 Aggregate and De-identified Data

We may share aggregate or de-identified data that cannot reasonably be used to identify you:

  • Membership demographics and trends
  • Event attendance statistics
  • Program participation rates
  • Industry insights

4.8 SMS Opt-In Data Protection

We do not sell, rent, or share your SMS opt-in data or mobile phone number with third parties for marketing purposes. Your SMS subscription information is used solely for the purpose of delivering the text message services you've subscribed to and is not shared with any third-party affiliates for promotional use.

5. Your Privacy Choices and Rights

5.1 Account Information

You can:

  • Update your profile information at any time through your account settings
  • Change your communication preferences
  • Update your directory visibility settings
  • Request to download your data
  • Request account deletion

5.2 Email Communications

You can:

  • Unsubscribe from marketing emails via the link in any email
  • Update email preferences in your account settings
  • Note: You cannot opt out of essential transactional emails (receipts, security alerts)

5.3 SMS Communications

You can:

  • Reply STOP to any SMS to unsubscribe immediately
  • Reply HELP for assistance
  • Update SMS preferences in your account settings
  • Re-subscribe by replying START or updating your preferences

5.4 Cookies

You can:

  • Adjust cookie settings in your browser
  • Block or delete cookies (note: some site features may not work without cookies)
  • Use browser privacy modes

5.5 California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you're a California resident, you have the right to:

Right to Know:

  • Request what personal information we've collected about you
  • Request the categories of sources and purposes for collection
  • Request what information we've shared with third parties

Right to Delete:

  • Request deletion of your personal information (with certain exceptions)

Right to Opt-Out:

  • Opt out of the "sale" of personal information (note: we do not sell personal information)

Right to Non-Discrimination:

  • Exercise your rights without discriminatory treatment

To exercise these rights, contact us at info@ypngslo.org or (805) 710-63**.

We will respond to verifiable requests within 45 days.

6. Data Security

6.1 Security Measures

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information:

Technical Safeguards:

  • Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
  • Encryption of sensitive data at rest
  • Secure password hashing (bcrypt)
  • Regular security updates and patches
  • Firewall protection
  • Intrusion detection systems

Organizational Safeguards:

  • Limited access to personal data (need-to-know basis)
  • Employee training on data protection
  • Background checks for staff with data access
  • Incident response procedures
  • Regular security audits

Payment Security:

  • PCI-DSS compliant payment processing through Stripe
  • No storage of credit card numbers on our servers
  • Tokenized payment references only

6.2 Your Responsibility

To keep your account secure:

  • Use a strong, unique password
  • Don't share your password with anyone
  • Log out of shared devices
  • Keep your contact information current
  • Report suspicious activity immediately

6.3 Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information:

  • We will notify you as required by applicable law
  • We will take immediate steps to secure systems
  • We will investigate the breach and take corrective action
  • We will cooperate with law enforcement if necessary

7. Data Retention

7.1 Active Accounts

We retain your information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide Services.

7.2 Inactive Accounts

If your membership lapses:

  • We retain basic information for 2 years for potential reactivation
  • After 2 years, we may delete or anonymize your data
  • You can request immediate deletion at any time

7.3 Legal and Financial Records

We retain certain information longer when required:

  • Financial records: 7 years (IRS requirements)
  • Legal disputes: Duration of dispute + 1 year
  • Consent records: Duration of consent + proof of consent

7.4 Deleted Information

When you request deletion:

  • We remove your information from active systems within 30 days
  • Backup copies may persist for up to 90 days
  • Anonymized data may be retained for analytics
  • We cannot delete information required for legal compliance

8. Children's Privacy

YPNG Services are intended for adults ages 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 18.

If we learn that we've collected information from a child under 18:

  • We will delete that information as quickly as possible
  • We will terminate the account
  • We will notify the parent or guardian if contact information is available

If you believe a child under 18 has provided information to us, contact us immediately at info@ypngslo.org.

9. Third-Party Websites and Services

9.1 External Links

Our Services may contain links to third-party websites, such as:

  • Partner organization websites
  • Event venue websites
  • Social media platforms
  • Job board external applications

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any information.

9.2 Social Media Integration

If you connect your social media accounts:

  • We may access your public profile information
  • Your YPNG activity may be shared on social platforms (based on your settings)
  • Social platforms' privacy policies govern their handling of your data

9.3 Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

Stripe (Payment Processing)

AWS S3 (File Storage)

10. International Data Transfers

YPNG is based in California, USA. If you access our Services from outside the United States:

  • Your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States
  • The US may not have the same data protection laws as your country
  • By using our Services, you consent to this transfer
  • We take steps to ensure adequate protection of your information

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

11.1 Right to Modify

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect:

  • Changes in our practices
  • Changes in technology
  • Changes in legal requirements
  • New features or services

11.2 Notice of Changes

We will notify you of material changes by:

  • Posting a prominent notice on our website
  • Sending an email to your registered address
  • Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy

11.3 Your Continued Use

Your continued use of the Services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Young Professionals Networking Group

PO Box 13643

San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

Email: info@ypngslo.org

Phone: (805) 710-63**

Website: ypngslo.org

For Privacy-Specific Inquiries:

Please include "Privacy Request" in the subject line

For California Privacy Rights Requests:

Please include "CCPA Request" in the subject line

We will respond to all requests within 45 days as required by law.

Acknowledgment: By using YPNG Services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information as described herein.

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