Privacy Policy

Last Updated October 2025

Privacy Policy

The Santa Clara County Historical & Genealogical Society (SCCHGS) respects your privacy. We collect only the information you choose to share with us, and we use it solely for Society-related purposes. We never sell or rent our mailing list.

Information We Collect

  • Membership: Your name, email, and mailing address when you join or renew.
  • Membership Records: Join dates and status managed with Joinit.
  • Credit Card Payments: Handled securely by Stripe. We do not store credit card details.
  • Communications: Email addresses for newsletters and announcements (managed through Mailchimp); for sending weblinks and reminders about events for which you register (managed by Zoom and Eventbrite); and for sending communications regarding our Special Interest Groups (using Groups.io).
  • Forms: Research or volunteer requests, including phone numbers, seen only by the volunteers handling them.

Donated & Submitted Information

  • Website Data: Our server uses cookies and logs IP addresses for site use statistics but not tied to personal details.
  • Donations: Materials such as letters, certificates, and genealogies may be kept in SCCHGS or Santa Clara City Library collections.
  • Pioneer Certificate Applications: Voluntary, with consent required. Member names are published on our website.
  • Early Settler Submissions: Voluntary, stored in the public Early Settler File and included in an online index.

Volunteering & Newsletters

  • Volunteer names are listed on our website. The City of Santa Clara may require personal information for volunteer records.
  • Newsletters may include names, photos, and articles about members. They are sent to members, libraries, and posted in the members-only website area.

Website & Social Media

  • Our website and indexes are maintained by volunteers; errors may occur.
  • Website forms are not encrypted—avoid using public Wi-Fi when submitting forms.
  • The Early Settler File contains donated information that may not be verified.
  • SCCHGS Facebook and X pages are volunteer-managed; please report inappropriate posts.
  • We link to other sites but are not responsible for their content.

How We Use Your Information

  • Managing memberships and renewals.
  • Processing payments.
  • Sending newsletters and event updates.
  • Running programs and activities.
  • Responding to research and volunteer requests.
  • Handling Pioneer Certificate and Early Settler submissions.

What We Do Not Do

  • We never sell, rent, or share mailing lists outside the Society.
  • We never use your information for unrelated marketing.

Protecting Your Information

  • Stripe, Mailchimp, Joinit, Zoom, Eventbrite, and Groups.io have their own strong privacy and security practices.
  • We take reasonable steps to protect your information and limit access to authorized volunteers.

Minors

If you are under 13, please get a parent’s or guardian’s permission before sending us personal information.

Your Choices

  • You can unsubscribe from group emails using the sending application’s “unsubscribe” link contained in those emails.
  • You may contact us to update or remove your information.

Contact Us

Questions? Visit us at https://www.scchgs.org.