Privacy Policy

Updated October 18, 2022

This website is operated by the Pennsylvania/New Jersey chapter of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (PANJAAPOR). This privacy policy (the “Policy”) explains how personal information is collected, used and disclosed by PANJAAPOR with respect to your use of the PANJAAPOR site (the “Site”) so you can make an informed decision about using the Site. This Policy also applies to personal information collected on other web sites on our behalf by third party vendors. We reserve the right to change the provisions of this Policy at any time. We will alert you that changes have been made by indicating on the Policy the date it was last updated. We encourage you to review this Policy from time to time to make sure that you understand how any personal information you provide will be used.

PANJAAPOR is committed to keeping your email address confidential. We do not sell, rent or lease to third parties the emails of members, annual meeting attendees or anyone else with whom we conduct business.

Please read this policy to understand how your personal information will be treated as you make use of our membership services. By visiting the Site or sharing your information with PANJAAPOR, you agree to the terms of this Policy.

Personal Information

As used herein, the term “personal information” means information that specifically identifies an individual (such as a name, personal address, telephone number, mobile number, email address, gender, employer’s name, work address, work phone, work fax) and information about that individual or his or her activities that is directly linked to personally identifiable information. Personal information does not include “aggregate” information, which is data we collect about the use of the Site or about a group or category of services or users, from which individual identities or other personal information has been removed. This Policy in no way restricts or limits our collection and use of aggregate information.

Please note also that if you choose to engage with us via social media, we will have access to any information available via your social media profile. Otherwise, the collection and processing of your personal information via social media is subject to the privacy policies of the applicable social media platforms. We strongly encourage you to review those policies.

Types of Collection

Active Collection: Personal information may be collected in a number of ways when you visit our Site. We collect certain information you voluntarily provide to us, such as when you send us an email or sign up to receive email updates, fill out a registration or order form to attend PANJAAPOR events, connect through a social media feed, sign up to be a volunteer or host an event or request information. Such information may include personal information, such as your name, mailing address, email address, phone number and geographic location. We may also obtain information from other sources and combine that with information we collect on our Site. In certain circumstances, a program accessed through the Site may be jointly sponsored or co-sponsored with other organizations, and registration may or may not be handled by PANJAAPOR. Please note that PANJAAPOR is not responsible for the privacy practices or policies of these other organizations (or their use of your personal or other information) and hereby disclaims any liability or responsibility in connection therewith.

Passive Collection: When you use the Site, some information is also automatically collected, such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address, your operating system, the browser type, the address of a referring web site and your activity on our Site. If you access the Site from a mobile device, we may also collect information about the type of mobile device you use, your device’s unique ID, the type of mobile Internet browsers you use and information about the location of your device (for information about how to opt-out of this data collection, please see “Opting Out” below). We treat this information as personal information if we combine it with or link it to any of the identifying information mentioned above. Otherwise, it is used in the aggregate only.

We may also automatically collect certain information through the use of cookies, log files or web beacons. Cookies are small data files created by a website and stored on your hard drive at the request of a website. Among other things, cookies help us improve our Site and your experience. Information obtained from cookies and linked to personally identifying information is treated as personal information. If you wish to block, erase or be warned of cookies, please refer to your browser manufacturer to learn about these functions. When you view a video on our Site, a third party may also set a “flash cookie” on your computer. Removing and rejecting browser cookies does not necessarily affect third party flash cookies used in connection with our Site.

Collection By Third Parties: Third party vendors, such as Google, may use cookies or other technologies to serve ads or deliver content on this or other websites based on your visits to this site and other sites on the Internet and to provide analytics services. These third parties may automatically collect information about your visits to this and other websites, your IP address, your Internet Service Provider (ISP), the browser you use to visit our Site, pages viewed, time spent on pages, links clicked and conversion information. They do this using cookies, clear gifs or other technologies. Information collected may be used by PANJAAPOR and third parties, among other things, to analyze and track data, to deliver advertising or content on this or other websites based on your prior activities on this or other sites or targeted to your interests and to better understand the usage and visitation of our Site and the other sites tracked by these third parties. This Policy does not apply to, and we are not responsible for, cookies or clear gifs used by the third parties. We encourage you to check the privacy policies of advertisers and/or ad services to learn about their use of cookies and other technology. In some cases, third party vendors may collect personal information from you, such as your name and email address, on other web sites and provide this information to us or PANJAAPOR may collect personal information that you enter directly within an advertising unit. This Policy does apply to such personal information collected online in this manner and we will treat such information in the same manner as information collected on our Site.

You can find more information about cookies, browser settings and cookie deletion on http://www.allaboutcookies.org/.

Use of Collected Information

We use personal information collected through our Site for the purposes described in this Policy or elsewhere on the Site. For example, we may use personal information we collect:

  • to provide the services or information you request and to process and complete such requests;
  • to send you confirmations, updates, alerts and support and administrative messages and otherwise facilitate your use of and our administration and operation of the Site;
  • to notify you about important changes to the Site;
  • to send you newsletters and otherwise provide you with information or services you request or that we think will be of interest to you, such as sending you information to keep you informed about various issues, events and resources;
  • to connect you with other supporters and to solicit volunteers and support for PANJAAPOR and organizations that we support;
  • to request feedback and to otherwise contact you about your use of the Site;
  • to respond to your emails, submissions, questions, comments and requests;
  • to monitor and analyze site usage and trends and to personalize and improve the Site and our users’ experiences on the Site, such as providing content or features that match your profiles or interests and to increase the Site’ functionality and user friendliness; and
  • for any other purpose for which the information was collected.

We may store and process personal information in the United States and other countries.

Sharing Information with Third Parties

AAPOR and PANJAAPOR agree to share data with each other for the purpose of advancing shared goals. These data include, but are not limited to, membership lists, financial reports, and reports on chapter activities. Monthly, AAPOR will provide PANJAAPOR with a list of members who have joined PANJAAPOR or renewed their PANJAAPOR membership through the AAPOR membership process. Annually, PANJAAPOR will provide AAPOR with a complete list of chapter members. Upon request, PANJAAPOR will provide AAPOR with reports of chapter financial status, events, and activities. AAPOR maintains a Data-Sharing Policy (DSP) which sets forth data-sharing obligations, responsibilities, and expectations with respect to AAPOR and the Chapters. A copy of the DSP is attached hereto and incorporated herewith. The DSP may be updated from time to time by AAPOR in its reasonable discretion.

CVENT, and any other platforms that are used to register members for events, or to purchase and renew membership, will have access to personal information as described above and will not have permission to share this information.

It is our policy not to share the personal information we collect from you through our Site with third parties, except as described above in this Policy or as otherwise disclosed on the Site. For example, we may share personal information as follows:

  • with vendors, consultants and other service providers or volunteers who are engaged by or working with us and who need access to such information to carry out their work for us;
  • when you give us your consent to do so, including if we notify you on the Site, that the information you provide will be shared in a particular manner and you provide such information;
  • when we believe in good faith that we are lawfully authorized or required to do so or that doing so is reasonably necessary or appropriate to comply with the law or legal processes or respond to lawful requests, claims or legal authorities, including responding to lawful subpoenas, warrants or court orders;
  • when we believe in good faith that doing so is reasonably necessary or appropriate to respond to claims or to protect the rights, property or safety of PANJAAPOR, our members, our volunteers, copyright owners, third parties or the public, including without limitation to protect such parties from fraudulent, abusive, inappropriate or unlawful activity or use of our Site; and
  • to enforce or apply this Policy, our Terms of Service or our other policies or agreements.

We are not responsible for the actions of any service providers or other third parties, nor are we responsible for any additional information you provide directly to any third parties, and we encourage you to become familiar with their privacy practices before disclosing information directly to any such parties. Nothing herein restricts the sharing of aggregated or anonymized information, which may be shared with third parties without your consent.

Links to Other Websites

Our Site may contain links to other websites. Any personal information you provide on the linked pages is provided directly to that third party and is subject to that third party’s privacy policy. This Policy does not apply to such linked sites, and we are not responsible for the content or privacy and security practices and policies of these websites or any other sites that are linked to from our Site. We encourage you to learn about their privacy and security practices and policies before providing them with personal information.

Protecting Your Information

We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information in an effort to prevent loss, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. Please be aware, however, that despite our efforts, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable and no method of data transmission that can be guaranteed against any interception or other type of misuse. If you become aware of any breach of Site security, please contact us immediately at panjaapor@panjaapor.org.

Retaining Your Information

We will retain your information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which we collected it and as permissible by applicable law. To determine the appropriate retention period for information, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the information, the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure of your information, the purposes for which we process your information and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.

Information for Individuals Outside the U.S.

If you are visiting the Site or otherwise using the Services from the European Economic Area (EEA) or other regions with laws governing data collection and use that may differ from U.S. law, including without limitation Canada, please note that you are transferring your personal data to the United States, and by providing your personal data, you consent to that transfer.

If you are a data subject in the EEA, you have the right to access, rectify, or erase any personal data we have collected about you through the Services. You also have the right to data portability and the right to restrict or object to our processing of personal data we have collected about you through the Services. In addition, you have the right to ask us not to process your personal data (or provide it to separate entities to process) for marketing purposes or purposes materially different than for which it was originally collected or subsequently authorized by you. You may withdraw your consent at any time for any data processing we do based on consent you have provided to us.

Individuals in the EEA may exercise their rights by contacting us as provided below. We may request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and process your request. If you would like to submit a complaint about our use of your personal data or response to your requests regarding your personal data, you may contact us or submit a complaint to the data protection regulator in your jurisdiction.

We will not process your personal data unless we have a lawful basis for processing. Our lawful bases include where: (a) you have given your consent to our processing for a specific purpose; (b) processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or to comply with a legal obligation; or (c) processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the PANJAAPOR or a third-party controller, including our clients.

Opting Out

You may “opt out” of receiving email updates and newsletters by following the instructions in those messages and emails. Please note that we may still send you other types of emails, such as emails about your use of our Site or use information as otherwise described in this Policy, even if you opt out of receiving email updates and newsletters. Changes to information in your account do not affect information provided to others as set forth in this Policy. You may also opt out of allowing PANJAAPOR to collect your geographic location by changing the location settings on your mobile device at any time.

APPENDIX

Data Sharing Policy (DSP) between AAPOR and the Chapters

Updated as of June 9, 2022

What AAPOR will collect from the Chapters:

Once a year (generally, in early summer), AAPOR will request from each Chapter a full list of their membership.  The list can be in any format (ideally Excel), and at a minimum should include member name (first and last name in separate columns if possible), company/affiliation, mailing address, and email address.  Other information the Chapters keep track of may be included at each Chapter’s discretion.  If a Chapter keeps a record of individuals’ AAPOR ID number in their database, that ID number should be included.

At the same time, AAPOR will also ask each Chapter to update basic organizational information including, mailing address, membership start dates, conference dates, election dates, officer terms, incorporation status, EIN, tax exemption number, and dues rates.  If dues rates change at another time during the year, the Chapter is responsible for informing AAPOR of the new rates by emailing AAPOR staff.

The Chapter is also obligated to advise AAPOR when officer elections occur, or an officer change occurs for any other reason, and to provide an updated list of officers.

How AAPOR will use this information:

AAPOR will reconcile the list of members from each Chapter with the AAPOR membership list to determine how many Chapter members are not members of AAPOR.  Once a year (generally in early fall at the beginning of the AAPOR membership renewal drive), AAPOR will send an email to these Chapter members informing them of the benefits of AAPOR membership.

AAPOR will not add Chapter members who are non-AAPOR members to the centralized AAPOR database but will maintain a separate spreadsheet of this information in the AAPOR Dropbox (to be accessed by the MCR committee and AAPOR staff only).

The other information collected (officer terms, conference dates, dues rates, etc.) will be used to keep AAPOR’s records up to date for due diligence purposes, and to aid in scheduling AAPOR presentations at Chapter conferences, updating Chapter dues rates on AAPOR membership forms, etc.  Updated officer lists will also be used to keep the Chapter representatives’ listserv up-to-date.

What AAPOR shares with the Chapters:

For purposes herein, the AAPOR member information provided to the Chapter is referred herein as “Member Information”. This file only denotes those members who joined the Chapter through AAPOR, meaning they selected Chapter membership as part of the online membership application or renewal process or requested Chapter membership to be added to their AAPOR membership by AAPOR staff and paid the Chapter dues as part of the process. Chapter members who joined directly through the Chapter will not be marked as Chapter members in this file (though they may be listed in the file if they joined AAPOR separately and their AAPOR membership is up to date).

Chapters will receive a monthly report including basic contact information (including name, email address, mailing address, job title, and organization, unless individual members have opted-out of providing this information), AAPOR dues rates, join date, and renewal date. The monthly report will also include raw data of their own membership’s demographic information.  This information will include race, gender, ethnicity, birth year, and highest degree earned.  Chapters may not receive raw demographic details on other AAPOR members or other Chapters’ members.  If requested, Chapters may receive aggregated demographic data on AAPOR or other chapters’ members.

How Chapters may use this information:

Chapters are expected to use this information mainly for updating their own membership records and reconciling dues payments received from AAPOR. Chapters are expected to store and keep this information for their own Chapter members only. Other than for the express purposes set forth herein, the Member Information must be kept strictly confidential and may not be shared with any third party. Under no circumstance, can the Member Information be used for sale or marketing purposes for the financial or other direct benefit of a member or member organization of AAPOR or a Chapter. Chapter agrees that it will maintain reasonable security measures with respect to the handling, transfer and storage of the Member Information and other AAPOR and Chapter confidential information.

Communicating with AAPOR Members outside of the Chapter

From time to time, Chapters may wish to communicate with AAPOR members living in their geographic area who are not currently members of their Chapter, for the purposes of membership drives, event announcements, surveys or other legitimate analytic purposes.  Chapters may request permission to send communications via AAPOR channels with the assumption that such requests will not be made by a given Chapter more than once or twice a year.  Requests should be made to AAPOR staff and should include the email text to be sent and the ideal mailing date. AAPOR should be able to confirm or deny a request within three (3) business days and in some cases may propose an alternate date based on other pre-scheduled communications from AAPOR (to avoid spamming members’ inboxes).  Requests should be sent as far in advance as possible to avoid potential scheduling conflicts.

Chapters are of course welcome and encouraged to post event announcements and other reminders to AAPORnet on a more frequent basis, which is a good way to communicate with the full AAPOR membership outside of the targeted emails described above.  Chapters are also encouraged to contact AAPOR staff to determine a plan for event promotion through the AAPOR website, email newsletters, and/or AAPOR social media channels.

Informing AAPOR members that their data will be shared with Chapters, and vice versa:

Once a year (generally early fall, at the beginning of the membership drive), AAPOR will send an email to all AAPOR members with two purposes: 1) promoting the benefits of Chapter membership and encouraging members to join their local Chapter; and 2) informing members that their basic contact information may be shared with the Chapters, and that Chapters may contact them from time to time (members will also be given the option to opt out of these communications if they desire).  This communication is pursuant to AAPOR’s legal obligation to inform members that their information is being shared, and also provides an opportunity to promote the Chapters to AAPOR members.

Similarly, AAPOR requires that each Chapter have a privacy policy and also put a mechanism in place to inform Chapter members that their data will be shared with AAPOR, and that AAPOR may contact such members periodically.  Chapter members must be given the opportunity to opt -out of receiving emails from the Chapter or AAPOR.  When sharing member data with AAPOR, it will be the obligation of the Chapter to remove those members who elected to opt-out.