Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 26, 2026

1. About This Policy

Open Farms respects the privacy of our visitors, donors, volunteers, participants, families, partners, supporters, and community members.

Open Farms is a DBA of Let’s Goat Rescue, Inc., a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In this Privacy Policy, “Open Farms,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Open Farms and Let’s Goat Rescue, Inc.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose, and protect information obtained through:

  • The Open Farms website at openfarmswny.org

  • Online forms, registrations, reservations, and inquiries

  • Donations and purchases

  • Newsletter and communication signups

  • Volunteer and program-interest forms

  • Email, telephone, and other direct communications

  • Related online services that link to this Privacy Policy

This policy applies to information collected through our public-facing services. Internal organizational information is governed separately by the Open Farms Data Use and Access Policy and related procedures.

2. Information We Collect

Information You Provide to Us

We may collect information that you voluntarily provide, including:

  • Name

  • Email address

  • Telephone number

  • Mailing, billing, or shipping address

  • Donation amount and transaction information

  • Purchase and order information

  • Registration, reservation, or event-participation information

  • Volunteer interests, availability, skills, and experience

  • School, employer, treatment program, or organization affiliation

  • Newsletter and communication preferences

  • Questions, messages, and other information submitted through contact forms

  • Information needed to evaluate requested accommodations or support needs

  • Emergency-contact information when reasonably necessary for a program or activity

  • Photographs, testimonials, stories, or other material that you voluntarily submit or authorize us to use

Please provide only information that is reasonably necessary for your inquiry, registration, or participation.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, our website platform and connected services may automatically collect information such as:

  • Internet Protocol address

  • Browser, device, and network information

  • Approximate geographic location derived from an Internet Protocol address

  • Pages visited

  • Links and buttons selected

  • Referring website

  • Dates and times of visits

  • Search activity

  • Scrolling and interaction information

  • Shopping-cart and checkout activity

  • Cookie identifiers and similar technical information

We use this information to operate the website, understand how visitors use it, improve its performance, protect it from misuse, and evaluate the effectiveness of our communications.

3. How We Use Information

Open Farms may use information for legitimate organizational purposes, including to:

  • Respond to questions and requests

  • Process donations and issue contribution acknowledgments

  • Process purchases and provide order-related communications

  • Register visitors for co-farming hours, programs, events, or group activities

  • Coordinate volunteers and community partners

  • Evaluate program interest, availability, suitability, support needs, and safety considerations

  • Communicate with participants, parents, caregivers, schools, employers, treatment programs, and referring organizations

  • Send newsletters, announcements, fundraising communications, and program updates

  • Maintain donor, volunteer, participant, event, and constituent records

  • Improve our website, programs, services, and communications

  • Measure website traffic and engagement

  • Prevent fraud, misuse, security threats, and unauthorized access

  • Maintain financial, tax, governance, and organizational records

  • Comply with legal obligations

  • Protect the rights, safety, property, and welfare of Open Farms, our animals, participants, volunteers, and community members

  • Carry out other purposes explained when the information is collected

Open Farms does not use constituent information for personal purposes, unrelated commercial solicitation, or political campaign activity.

4. Donations and Payment Information

Online donations and purchases are processed through Squarespace and payment-processing providers made available through that platform.

Payment processors may collect information such as your name, billing address, payment-card details, transaction amount, and fraud-prevention information. Their handling of that information is governed by their own privacy policies and terms.

Open Farms may receive transaction details needed to document and acknowledge a donation or purchase. We do not intend to receive or store complete payment-card numbers within our own organizational systems.

Donation records may be retained as necessary for acknowledgments, financial administration, tax reporting, audits, fraud prevention, and legal compliance.

5. Reservations, Programs, and Volunteer Information

When you register for an activity, request a group visit, volunteer, or express interest in a program, we may collect information needed to:

  • Coordinate participation

  • Communicate schedule or weather changes

  • Understand interests and support needs

  • Determine whether a program or activity is an appropriate fit

  • Plan staffing, supervision, and accommodations

  • Maintain attendance and volunteer records

  • Support safety and emergency planning

Information voluntarily provided about accessibility, disability, support needs, or accommodations will be used only for legitimate participation, safety, communication, and program-administration purposes. Access will be limited to individuals who reasonably need the information to perform their Open Farms responsibilities.

Open Farms is a supportive, nonclinical organization and does not use this information to diagnose or provide medical or behavioral-health treatment.

6. Cookies and Analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies.

Necessary Cookies

Squarespace, our website-hosting platform, uses necessary cookies to securely deliver the website and operate features such as forms, shopping carts, checkout, and navigation. These cookies may be used without additional consent because the website cannot function properly without them.

Analytics and Performance Cookies

We may use Squarespace Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, or similar services to understand website traffic and visitor activity.

These tools may collect information about:

  • Pages viewed

  • Traffic sources

  • Links and buttons selected

  • Session duration

  • Device and browser characteristics

  • General geographic information

  • Form and checkout activity

Where a cookie-consent banner is displayed, visitors may use it to manage nonessential cookie choices. Visitors may also control or delete cookies through their browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect certain website features.

7. How Information May Be Shared

Open Farms does not sell or rent donor, volunteer, participant, or website-user information.

We may disclose information in the following circumstances:

Service Providers

We may provide information to vendors that help us operate our website and organization, including providers of:

  • Website hosting and commerce

  • Payment processing

  • Online scheduling and registrations

  • Email and newsletter delivery

  • Constituent and donor relationship management

  • Cloud storage and organizational email

  • Website analytics

  • Security, authentication, and fraud prevention

  • Accounting, legal, and professional services

These providers may use information only as permitted by their agreements, their own privacy terms, and applicable law.

Open Farms currently uses or may use services provided by Squarespace, Google Workspace, CiviCRM, Cloudflare, and payment-processing providers.

Organizational Representatives

Information may be shared with authorized board members, officers, employees, volunteers, contractors, or program representatives who need it for an approved Open Farms responsibility.

Access is intended to be limited according to role and legitimate organizational need.

Legal, Safety, and Compliance Purposes

We may disclose information when reasonably necessary to:

  • Comply with a law, regulation, subpoena, court order, or lawful government request

  • Investigate suspected fraud, misuse, or security incidents

  • Protect the safety or rights of a person, animal, or organization

  • Enforce applicable agreements or policies

  • Obtain legal, accounting, insurance, or professional advice

  • Respond to an emergency

With Your Direction or Consent

We may disclose information when you request, authorize, or consent to the disclosure.

8. Donor Privacy

Open Farms treats donor names, contact information, donation history, and related records as confidential unless:

  • The donor authorizes public recognition

  • Disclosure is required by law

  • Disclosure is necessary for payment processing, accounting, auditing, or tax administration

  • The information is shared with an authorized service provider performing work for Open Farms

Donors may request that a contribution remain anonymous in public recognition materials.

We do not provide donor lists to unrelated organizations for their independent marketing or fundraising purposes.

9. Email and Communication Choices

You may unsubscribe from nonessential email communications by:

  • Using the unsubscribe link included in an email

  • Contacting help@openfarmswny.org

Even after unsubscribing from promotional or fundraising communications, you may still receive necessary transactional messages concerning a donation, registration, purchase, volunteer assignment, safety notice, or existing relationship with Open Farms.

10. Information Concerning Children

Our website is intended for a general audience and is not designed to collect personal information directly from children under 13.

Children under 13 should not submit forms, create registrations, make purchases, or provide personal information through the website without the involvement and authorization of a parent or legal guardian.

A parent, guardian, or supervising adult should complete registrations and communications on behalf of a child. If we learn that personal information was submitted directly by a child under 13 without appropriate authorization, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

Children may participate in certain Open Farms activities under the supervision and requirements stated for that activity. Website privacy practices do not replace any separate parental consent, participant agreement, media release, or farm-safety documentation.

11. Data Retention

Open Farms retains information only for as long as reasonably necessary to:

  • Fulfill the purpose for which it was collected

  • Maintain organizational, donor, volunteer, program, and transaction records

  • Meet accounting, tax, insurance, audit, grant, and legal requirements

  • Resolve disputes

  • Prevent fraud and misuse

  • Protect the organization and its community

Different types of information may be retained for different periods. Information may also remain temporarily within secure backups until those backups are replaced or deleted through normal administrative processes.

When information is no longer reasonably needed, Open Farms may delete, anonymize, or securely dispose of it.

12. Data Security

Open Farms uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards appropriate to the organization’s size, resources, systems, and the nature of the information involved.

These measures may include:

  • Role-based access

  • Minimum-necessary access

  • Named user accounts

  • Multi-factor authentication

  • Protected organizational systems

  • Security and access reviews

  • Confidentiality expectations

  • Secure website connections

  • Backup and recovery controls

No website, database, email system, or online transmission can be guaranteed completely secure. Visitors should use care when transmitting sensitive information electronically.

If Open Farms becomes aware of a security incident involving personal information, we will investigate and provide any notification required by applicable law.

13. Your Information Choices

You may contact Open Farms to request that we:

  • Confirm whether we maintain information about you

  • Correct inaccurate contact information

  • Update communication preferences

  • Remove you from nonessential mailing lists

  • Delete information that is no longer reasonably necessary

Some information may need to be retained for legal, tax, financial, insurance, safety, fraud-prevention, recordkeeping, or other legitimate organizational purposes.

Requests may be sent to help@openfarmswny.org. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

14. Third-Party Websites and Embedded Services

Our website may contain links to or embedded content from third parties, such as:

  • Payment processors

  • Mapping services

  • Social-media platforms

  • Scheduling tools

  • Video or media providers

  • Shopping or fulfillment services

  • Partner organizations

Third-party services operate under their own privacy policies and terms. Open Farms is not responsible for the privacy or security practices of an unaffiliated third party.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our website, programs, technology, vendors, organizational practices, or legal obligations.

The effective date at the top of the policy will be revised when material changes are made. Continued use of the website after an updated policy becomes effective means that the revised policy applies to information collected after that date, subject to applicable law.

16. Contact Us

Questions, concerns, or requests concerning this Privacy Policy may be directed to:

Open Farms
A DBA of Let’s Goat Rescue, Inc.
7512 Genesee Road
Springville, NY 14141
Telephone: 716-803-7484
Email: help@openfarmswny.org
Federal EIN: 87-3777961

Please use the subject line “Privacy Request” when contacting us by email about personal information.