Privacy Policy
The SOFEI Group respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains the
types of personal information we may collect, how we use and disclose it,
and the choices available to you when you interact with our websites,
programs, events, and online services.
1. Scope of This Policy
This Policy applies to personal information collected through The SOFEI Group's websites and through online forms, event registrations, program applications, donations, newsletters, career resources, and other digital interactions operated by or on behalf of The SOFEI Group.
Third-party websites and platforms that you access through our website may have their own privacy policies and are not governed by this Policy.
2. Information We May Collect
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:
- Contact information, such as your name, email address, telephone number, and mailing address.
- Program, event, grant, mentoring, volunteer, or partnership information you choose to submit.
- Professional information, such as employment interests, career goals, education, skills, or organization affiliation.
- Donation, registration, or transaction information. Payment-card information may be processed directly by third-party payment providers rather than stored by The SOFEI Group.
- Communications you send to us, including inquiries, feedback, and support requests.
- Website and device information, such as browser type, device type, IP address, referring pages, pages viewed, and general website-use information.
3. How We Use Information
We may use personal information to:
- Respond to questions, requests, and inquiries.
- Administer programs, events, grants, mentoring, training, and other services.
- Process donations, registrations, and transactions.
- Provide newsletters, program announcements, career resources, and other communications you request or reasonably expect from us.
- Connect participants with relevant educational, workforce, career, financial, or community resources.
- Improve our websites, programs, communications, and user experience.
- Maintain security, prevent fraud, troubleshoot technical issues, and protect our organization and users.
- Comply with legal, regulatory, accounting, reporting, or nonprofit-governance obligations.
4. How We May Share Information
We do not sell personal information for money. We may disclose information when reasonably necessary to operate our programs and services, including to:
- Service providers that support website hosting, forms, email communications, event registration, payment processing, analytics, or other operational functions.
- Education and training partners when needed to provide a course, enrollment, certificate, or learning service requested by you.
- Program, community, or professional partners when you direct us to make a connection or when disclosure is necessary to provide a requested service.
- Government authorities, regulators, courts, or other parties when required by law or reasonably necessary to protect legal rights, safety, or security.
- A successor organization in connection with a merger, restructuring, transfer of assets, or similar organizational transaction, subject to applicable law.
5. SOFEIOnline and Third-Party Learning Platforms
SOFEIOnline may connect learners to courses, enrollment systems, payment pages, or learning platforms operated by third-party education providers. When you provide information directly to those providers, their privacy policies govern their collection and use of that information.
6. Career Opportunities and External Job Sites
Our Career Opportunities page may link directly to employers, staffing organizations, or other employment websites. If you apply for a position through a third-party website, the information you submit is collected by that third party and is subject to its privacy practices.
7. Cookies and Similar Technologies
Our websites and service providers may use cookies, log files, analytics tools, or similar technologies to operate the website, remember preferences, understand website traffic, improve performance, and help protect against misuse.
You can usually control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling some cookies may affect website functionality.
8. Email and Communications Choices
You may unsubscribe from promotional or newsletter communications by using the unsubscribe option provided in those messages or by contacting us. We may still send administrative or transactional communications that are necessary to provide a service you requested.
9. Data Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information. However, no website, transmission, or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
10. Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, administer our programs, maintain appropriate organizational records, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and comply with applicable legal, tax, accounting, grant, or reporting obligations.
11. Your Privacy Choices and Rights
Depending on where you live and the laws that apply, you may have rights relating to your personal information, such as requesting access, correction, deletion, or information about certain disclosures or uses.
To submit a privacy request, email inquire@sofeigroup.org. We may need to verify your identity before completing certain requests. We will respond in accordance with applicable law.
12. Children's Privacy
We do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13 without appropriate parental or legal-guardian authorization when such authorization is required. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us inappropriately, please contact us so we can review the matter.
13. Sensitive Information
Please do not submit sensitive personal information through a general website contact form unless it is specifically requested for a legitimate program purpose. Where we request sensitive information for a grant, program, or service, we seek to limit its collection and use to what is reasonably necessary for that purpose.
14. Links to Other Websites
Our websites may contain links to third-party websites and services. We are not responsible for the privacy or security practices of those third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing personal information.
15. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as our services, technology, partnerships, or legal obligations change. The updated Policy will be posted on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date.
16. Contact Us
Questions or requests concerning this Privacy Policy may be directed to:
The SOFEI Group
137 National Plaza, Suite 300A
Oxon Hill, MD 20745
Phone: 888-246-2006
Email: inquire@sofeigroup.org