1. About Us

The Hope Initiative for CMV (we, us, our) is an Australian registered charity (ABN 96 693 827 664) dedicated to raising awareness of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV). We are committed to protecting the privacy of all individuals whose personal information we collect and handle, in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

2. What Personal Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

• Name and email address — when you subscribe to our newsletter or mailing list
• Donation amounts and payment details — when you make a financial contribution through our donation platform (Donorbox), processed securely by Stripe
• Technical information — such as your IP address, browser type, and pages visited, collected automatically through website analytics (see Section 6)

We do not collect sensitive information (such as health information, government identifiers, or financial account details beyond what is needed to process your donation).

3. How We Collect Personal Information

We collect personal information in the following ways:

• Directly from you – when you subscribe to our newsletter, make a donation, or contact us
• Automatically – through cookies and analytics tools when you visit our website (hopeinitiativeforcmv.com)

4. Why We Collect Personal Information

We collect and use your personal information to:

• Process and receipt your donations
• Send you updates about our work, campaigns, and how your support is making a difference
• Respond to enquiries
• Improve our website and communications
• Meet our legal and financial reporting obligations as a registered charity

5. How We Use and Disclose Your Information

We will not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Donorbox and Stripe – our donation platform and payment processor, who handle your payment securely. They have their own privacy policies governing how they handle your data.
• Email service providers – who send our newsletter on our behalf, under strict confidentiality obligations
• Where required by law – such as by a court order or regulatory authority

6. Analytics and Cookies

Our website uses Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors use our site. This tool collects anonymised data including pages visited, time on site, and general location. This data is used only to improve our website and is not linked to your personal identity.

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, available at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

Our website may also use essential cookies to function correctly. By using our website, you consent to the use of these cookies.

7. Data Storage and Security

Your personal information is stored securely. We take reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Our donation processing is handled by Stripe, which is PCI-DSS compliant and uses industry-standard encryption.

8. How Long We Retain Your Information

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Donation records may be retained for up to 7 years to meet our financial and charity reporting obligations.

9. Your Rights

Under the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or out-of-date information
• Unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time (every email we send includes an unsubscribe link)
• Make a complaint about how we have handled your personal information

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the details below.

10. Complaints

If you believe we have not handled your personal information appropriately, please contact us first. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at http://www.oaic.gov.au.

11. Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions or requests, please contact:

The Hope Initiative for CMV

Email: stephanie@hopeinitiativeforcmv.com

Website: hopeinitiativeforcmv.com

Instagram: @hopeinitiativecmv

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The most current version will always be available on our website. We encourage you to review it periodically.