Effective date: March 8, 2026

Introduction

The Ovilla Texas Historical Society (“we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting personal information collected from members, donors, volunteers, event attendees, website visitors, program participants, and other contacts. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and share it, how we protect it, and your choices.

Information we collect

Contact information: name, mailing address, email address, phone number.

Membership and donor information: membership level, donation history, payment method details (see Payment and Financial Data).

Event, program, and volunteer information: event registrations, attendance records, volunteer applications, availability and skills, and information for participants in educational programs (including students and guardians).

Communications: correspondence and records of inquiries, surveys, and feedback.

Technical and website data: IP address, browser and device type, pages visited, referral source, cookies and similar technologies.

Photographs and recordings: images or audio/video captured at events or programs (may be used for promotional purposes unless you request otherwise).

Sensitive categories: we generally do not collect special categories of sensitive personal data. If such data is collected (e.g., medical information for accessibility or program safety), it will be processed only with explicit consent and for limited purposes.

How we collect information

• Directly from you when you register, join, donate, enroll in programs, volunteer, request information, sign up for newsletters, or contact us.

• From parents/guardians when children are enrolled in educational programs or activities we run.

• Automatically via our website and online tools (cookies, analytics).

• From third parties when you make a donation, register through a third-party platform, or if you authorize us to access information from other services.

Purposes for which we use information

• Provide and manage membership, donations, event registration, educational programs, volunteer coordination, and other services.

• Process payments, issue receipts, and comply with tax or accounting requirements.

• Communicate with participants, parents/guardians, members, and supporters about programs, events, volunteer opportunities, fundraising, and organizational updates.

• Maintain records and fulfill legal, regulatory, or audit obligations.

• Improve our programs, website, and outreach through analytics and feedback.

• Create and distribute promotional materials; use photographs/recordings for publicity unless you opt out.

• Protect the security and integrity of our systems and premises.

• Legal bases for processing (where applicable)

• Performance of a contract (e.g., program enrollment, membership, or event registration).

• Legitimate interests (e.g., managing operations, fundraising, safety), balanced against rights and expectations.

• Consent, where required (e.g., for marketing communications beyond transactional messages or for processing sensitive data).

• Legal compliance (e.g., child safety regulations, tax reporting).

• Sharing and disclosure of personal information

We do not sell personal data. We may share information with:

• Service providers and processors who perform services on our behalf (payment processors, email platforms, website hosts, cloud providers, program management platforms). They are contractually required to protect your information.

• Professional advisors (accountants, auditors, legal counsel) when necessary for compliance or operations.

• Staff, volunteers, and program instructors who need information to perform their roles.

• Third-party event or program platforms and co-sponsors when you register for joint programs (we will disclose this at or before registration).

• Law enforcement or other authorities if required by law or to protect rights, safety, or property.

• International transfers

  (If any data is transferred or stored outside your country, we will take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate protections in accordance with applicable law.)

Data retention

We retain personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes described, to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and for archival purposes. Typical retention periods: membership and donation records — as required for accounting/tax purposes (commonly 7 years); program, event, and volunteer records — several years for administrative and historical purposes; marketing consents — until you withdraw consent.

Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. No system is completely secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your rights and choices

Opt-out: You may unsubscribe from marketing or non-essential communications at any time via links in emails or by contacting us. Transactional messages related to membership, donations, programs, or events are required and cannot be unsubscribed from.

Access and correction: You may request access to or correction of your personal information.

Deletion: Subject to legal and operational limits (e.g., tax recordkeeping, program safety requirements), you may request deletion of your data.

Photographs/recordings: To opt out of photography or promotional use, notify us before a program/event or contact us afterward to request removal where feasible.

To exercise any rights, contact us at the address below. We will respond in accordance with applicable law.

Minors and educational programs

We offer educational programs for children and participants of all ages. When enrolling minors, we collect necessary information from parents or legal guardians, including emergency contact and any health or allergy information required to ensure participant safety. We obtain parental/guardian consent for participation, and for uses of images or recordings of minors beyond internal program administration (e.g., promotional materials). We handle such information with heightened care and process it only for program-related purposes and safety compliance. It is your duty to notify us of any special needs or requests for your child. We do not take any responsbility for information that was not given to us in writing and signed by a parent or legal guardian.

Third-party links and services

Our website may include links to third-party sites and services. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those sites. We encourage you to review their privacy notices.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this policy occasionally. We will post the revised policy on our website with the effective date. Substantive changes may be communicated to members, participants, and supporters.

Contact information

Ovilla Texas Historical Society

Email: info@ovillahistoricalsociety.org

Phone: 214-931-7223

To exercise rights, opt out, request corrections, or ask questions about this policy, contact the address above.