Auroville International USA – Privacy Policy
Effective Date: July 7, 2026 Last Updated: July 7, 2026
1. Who We Are
Auroville International USA (“AVI USA,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports projects that align with the founding ideals of Auroville. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect personal information when you visit our website, make a donation, sign up for communications, or otherwise interact with us — including through our donation platform at give.aviusa.org.
This policy applies regardless of where you are located, including the United States, the European Union/European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, Canada, and India.
Contact for privacy questions: Matthew Andrews, Executive Director – matthew at aviusa.org
2. Personal Information We Collect
We collect the following categories of information, depending on how you interact with us:
| Category | Examples | Where Collected |
| Identity & contact information | Name, email address, mailing address, phone number | Making a donation, signing up for updates, contacting us |
| Payment information | Card or bank details, transaction amount and date | Processing a donation (handled primarily by our payment processor — see Section 5) |
| Communication preferences | Email subscription status, marketing consent choices | Opting in/out of newsletters or updates |
| Correspondence | Content of emails or messages you send us | Contacting us directly |
| Technical/usage data | IP address, browser type, pages visited, referring links, cookies/similar technologies | Browsing our website and donation pages |
We do not knowingly collect sensitive categories of personal data (e.g., health, religious belief, racial/ethnic origin) through our donation forms. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16; our donation forms are intended for adults.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use personal information for the following purposes:
- To process and record your donation and issue a tax-deductible receipt
- To communicate with you about your donation, including confirmations and receipts
- To send you updates about AVI USA and the projects you’ve supported
- To maintain accurate donor records and comply with financial and tax record-keeping obligations
- To operate, secure, and improve our website and donation pages
- To comply with legal obligations (e.g., tax law, financial reporting, responding to lawful requests from authorities)
A note on how donations are used: Gifts made through our donation forms are made to Auroville International USA. AVI USA retains full discretion and control over the use of donated funds, consistent with our status as a U.S. 501(c)(3) organization, and may direct funds to the project you supported or to other Auroville initiatives at its discretion.
4. Our Legal Bases for Processing (EU/EEA/UK Visitors)
Where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we rely on the following legal bases:
- Contract / pre-contractual steps — to process your donation transaction and provide the services you request (e.g., issuing a receipt).
- Consent — for optional marketing communications (e.g., newsletters). You may withdraw this consent at any time (see Section 8).
- Legitimate interests — for basic website security, fraud prevention, and understanding aggregate site usage, balanced against your rights and interests.
- Legal obligation — for donation and tax record-keeping required under U.S. law.
We do not sell personal information. We share information only in the following circumstances:
- Service providers (data processors): We use third-party vendors to operate our donation forms and process payments, including Fundraiseup, aviusa.org’s platform provider and Stripe, PayPal, and Venmo, and we use a separate donor database/CRM, Bloomerang. These providers process data on our behalf under contractual confidentiality and security obligations, and only for the purposes we direct.
- Auroville International USA Projects: If you do not indicate that your donation is anonymous, AVI USA shares your name and email address with our project partners so they can thank you directly and keep you updated. This means your information will be transferred outside your home country, to countries which may have different data protection laws. We do not share your individual payment details with project teams. Anonymous donations are kept confidential.
- Legal and safety reasons: We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of AVI USA, our donors, or others.
- Business transfers: If AVI USA were to merge, reorganize, or transfer operations, personal information could be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Policy or a successor policy.
6. International Data Transfers
Auroville International USA (AVI USA) is based in the United States, and personal information we collect — including from visitors in the EU/EEA, UK, Canada, and India — is generally stored and processed in the United States. Some information may also be transferred to India in connection with reporting to Auroville International USA projects (in summary/aggregate form as described above).
By using our donation forms, you understand your information may be processed outside your country of residence.
7. Cookies and Similar Technologies
Our website and donation pages may use cookies and similar technologies to:
- Enable core donation-form functionality
- Understand aggregate website usage (analytics)
Where required by law (including under EU/UK ePrivacy rules), we will request your consent before placing non-essential cookies.
8. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Correction — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
- Deletion — request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal record keeping obligations (e.g., financial/tax records)
- Restriction or objection — request that we limit or stop certain processing
- Portability — request your information in a portable format (EU/EEA/UK)
- Withdraw consent — withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal
- Complain to a regulator — EU/EEA/UK residents have the right to lodge a complaint with their local data protection authority; Canadian residents may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or their provincial equivalent (e.g., the CAI in Quebec)
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@aviusa.org. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law (generally within 30 days under GDPR; Canadian and other frameworks may vary).
9. Canada-Specific Information
For donors in Canada, we process personal information consistent with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and, where applicable, provincial laws such as Quebec’s Law 25. This includes:
- Identifying the purpose for collecting your information at or before collection (see Section 3)
- Obtaining meaningful consent, including separate, opt-in consent for marketing communications
- Providing a designated contact for privacy inquiries: Matthew Andrews, Executive Director
10. India-Specific Information
For donors in India, as the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) and its rules come into effect in phases, we intend to align our practices with its requirements, including providing clear notice of what data we collect and why, obtaining valid consent (not bundled with other terms), and offering a mechanism to withdraw consent and raise grievances.
11. Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as we determine it is necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy. In determining the appropriate retention period, we consider factors such as:
- The amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal information involved
- Our legal and tax record keeping obligations as a U.S. 501(c)(3) organization
- Whether retention is necessary to fulfill the purpose for which the information was collected, including issuing tax receipts and maintaining donor records
- Any consent you have given us and whether you have withdrawn it
- Our legitimate interest in maintaining accurate historical donor and financial records
- Applicable statutes of limitation and any pending or reasonably anticipated legal claims or disputes
- Guidance issued by relevant data protection authorities
When personal information is no longer needed for these purposes, we will delete it or render it anonymous, unless we are required to retain it to comply with a legal obligation.
If you would like more information about how long we retain a specific category of your personal information, you may contact us using the details in Section 14.
12. Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information, including relying on PCI-compliant payment processors for handling card data. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last Updated” date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be noted on this page or communicated as required by applicable law.
14. Contact Us
Questions, requests, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or our data practices can be directed to:
Auroville International USA
PO Box 188158 Sacramento,
CA 95818 USA
Email us: info@aviusa.org.