PRIVACY POLICY

Impacted Survivors of Murder-Suicide (“ISMS,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a survivor-led nonprofit organization. We know that reaching out after a murder-suicide loss takes courage, and we take seriously our responsibility to protect the information you share with us. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit impactedsurvivors.org (the “Site”) or take part in our programs, how we use it, and the choices you have.

If you are in crisis, please call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line) for free, 24/7 support. Our Site and contact form are not monitored for emergencies.

Information We Collect

Information You Share With Us

When you contact us, sign up for a peer support call, or register for a program, we collect the information you choose to give us. This may include:

  • Your name
  • Email address
  • Phone number, if you provide one
  • Anything you include in your message, which may include details about your loss, your experience, or your loved ones

We understand that what you share may be deeply personal. Please share only what you feel comfortable sharing. You never need to provide details about your loss to contact us or to participate in our programs.

Peer Support Calls and Programs

Our peer support calls, comfort calls, and grief course are held virtually through a third-party video meeting platform. To participate, we collect the information needed to register you, such as your name and email address, and we ask all participants to agree to our community guidelines.

We do not record peer support calls. We ask everyone to honor the confidentiality of what is shared in our groups. However, because other participants are not under our control, we cannot guarantee that everything shared in a group setting will be kept confidential. Please share at a level that feels right for you.

ISMS peer support is not therapy, medical care, or a crisis service, and our facilitators are not acting as licensed mental health providers. Because of this, the information you share with us is not protected by the confidentiality laws that apply to doctors, therapists, or other licensed professionals. We handle it with care and discretion all the same.

Donations

Donations to ISMS are processed by Givebutter, a third-party fundraising platform. When you donate, Givebutter collects your name, contact information, and payment details. We do not receive or store your full payment card information. We receive your name, contact information, and donation amount so we can thank you and provide receipts for tax purposes. Givebutter’s handling of your information is governed by the Givebutter Privacy Policy.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the Site, we and our service providers may automatically collect certain information about your device and how you use the Site. This may include:

  • IP address and approximate location (such as city or state)
  • Browser type, device type, and operating system
  • Pages you view and time spent on the Site
  • The website that referred you to the Site

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Respond to your messages and connect you with support
  • Register you for and communicate with you about peer support calls and programs
  • Process donations and send donation receipts and thank-you messages
  • Understand how visitors use the Site so we can make our resources easier to find
  • Protect the Site and our community against spam, fraud, and misuse
  • Comply with legal obligations

We will never share your personal story, name, or the name of your loved one publicly, including on our Site, social media, podcast, or in advocacy materials, without your explicit permission.

How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information, and we do not share donor information with other organizations.

We may disclose information only in these limited circumstances:

  • Service providers: organizations that help us operate the Site and our programs, such as our website hosting provider, email service, video meeting platform, Givebutter, and Google (for website analytics). These providers may only use your information to provide services to us.
  • Safety: if we believe in good faith that someone is at imminent risk of serious harm, we may contact emergency services.
  • Legal requirements: when required by law, court order, or government request, or to protect the rights and safety of ISMS, our participants, or others.

Cookies and Analytics

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. We use necessary cookies that allow the Site to function, and analytics cookies through Google Analytics to understand how visitors find and use our resources. Google Analytics data is reported to us in aggregate and is not used to identify you personally.

You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings, or install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. To learn more, visit How Google uses information from sites that use its services.

Embedded Content and Other Websites

Some pages may include embedded content, such as podcast players or videos, from other websites. Embedded content behaves the same way as if you visited the other website directly, and those providers may collect data about you and use cookies.

Our Site also links to other websites, including Givebutter, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, the Crisis Text Line, other support resources, and our Facebook and Instagram pages. These sites have their own privacy practices, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies.

How Long We Keep Your Information

We keep your information only as long as needed to provide support, run our programs, and meet legal, tax, and recordkeeping requirements. Donation records are kept as required by tax law. If you would like us to delete your information sooner, please contact us.

Your Choices and Rights

You may contact us at any time to:

  • Ask what personal information we hold about you
  • Correct inaccurate information
  • Ask us to delete your information
  • Unsubscribe from our emails, which you can also do by using the unsubscribe link in any email we send

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under applicable privacy laws. We will respond to your request within the time required by law and will never treat you differently for making a request.

Data Security

We use reasonable safeguards to protect your information, including encrypted (HTTPS) connections to the Site and limiting access to personal information to those within ISMS who need it to provide support. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children’s Privacy

Our Site and programs are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the effective date at the top of this page.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or would like to make a request about your information, please contact us:

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