Your privacy is important to the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago (“UWMC,” “us” or “we”). We recognize that donors to UWMC and visitors to our website want to know about the personal information they provide to us and how we treat that information.
UWMC has created this privacy statement to explain its practices on the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, including information from donors. Please read this privacy statement carefully as it will help you make informed decisions about sharing your personal information with us. The information in this privacy statement applies to all personal information collected about you, regardless of whether it was collected via your use of our website or through your offline interactions with us. You should also consult UWMC’s Terms of Use and Legal Restrictions for United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Websites (“Terms of Use”) before using this website or our services. Our Terms of Use can be found at https://liveunitedchicago.org/terms-of-use/.
UWMC collects information that enables us to identify and contact you, as well as to carry out certain business purposes described below and to provide our services. For example, we may collect personal information about you when you register through our website, make a donation, participate in our programs, or complete a transaction through our website.
Information You Provide
The types of information we collect directly from you may include:
In addition to the information you provide to us or that we collect from our interactions with you, UWMC may also supplement our information about you from other sources, such as your offline interactions with us. UWMC also utilizes fundraising tools from service providers, and may supplement our information about you with information from these tools. We use this information to create a profile about you, which helps us provide you with information about our programming that you may find relevant.
Automatic Data Collection
When you use our website or services, we automatically collect information about you and the device you use to access our website or services. This may include information about your IP address, web browser type and version, geolocation of your IP and of the device you use to access our website, and information about your usage of our website or services such as the searches you run or the pages you view and when.
Cookies
A cookie is a small text file that a website can send to your internet browser and may be stored in your browser or elsewhere on your computer. UWMC’s website uses cookies to allow us to recognize and remember you.
Our Use of Cookies
We use both our own and third-party cookies on our website:
Managing Cookies
You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, this may impact your experience using our website.
You can use the methods described at the links below to manage cookies. You must take these steps on each browser or device that you use. If you replace, change or upgrade your browser or device, or delete your cookies, you may need to use these opt-out tools again.
If the browser you use is not listed above, please refer to your browser’s help menu for information on how to manage cookies.
We collect information about you for a variety of business reasons, including in connection with the provision of our services and in completing the transactions initiated by you. UWMC collects and uses the information described above in order to:
In addition to the uses identified above, UWMC may use personal information collected from donors and visitors to our website for the following purposes:
Contests and sweepstakes. From time-to-time, UWMC hosts contests and sweepstakes. Information collected in connection with such contests and sweepstakes is generally used to notify winners and send prizes.
Legal requests and obligations. We may use your personal information to comply with our legal obligations. For example, if we receive a subpoena or other legal request, we may need to inspect the information we hold to determine how to respond.
User inquiries and support. We may use your personal information to respond to your inquiries and solve any potential issues you might have with the use of our website, our services or an order you placed.
Donations. UWMC allows individuals to make electronic donations through our website and through other means such as submission of a paper pledge form. Information collected from you is used to complete any transactions you initiate on the website or through other means, which includes providing your information to the relevant third parties (as described below) so that they can complete your transaction.
UWMC may share your personal information with third parties under certain circumstances, including:
The safety and security of your transactions and your personal information is important to us. UWMC takes reasonable security measures to protect against the loss or misuse of information under its control. Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, transmission of information to and from UWMC is at your own risk.
When you register on our website, you have the ability to opt out of receiving email or other communications from UWMC. Alternatively, if you would like to remove your name from our mailing lists any time after the registration process, you can do so by contacting us at the email or mailing address listed below in the “Contact Us” section or by using the links contained at the bottom of the marketing communications you receive from us.
If you believe that UWMC may have incomplete or inaccurate information about you, you can reach us at the e-mail or mailing address listed below and request that we update our records.
Notice to Residents of California
Please be aware that UWMC does not share your personal information with any third party for direct marketing purposes. At present, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) does not apply to UWMC. If either of these facts were to change in the future, we will update this privacy statement.
Notice to Residents of Nevada
We do not presently sell any personal information we collect to any third parties. If we were to do so in the future, we will update this privacy statement.
Where We Store Your Personal Information
UWMC’s website and services are intended for residents of the United States. However, if you are located outside of the United States, please be aware that information we collect through our website and services will be transferred to and processed in the United States. By using the website and services or by voluntarily providing your personal information to us, you consent to the transfer, processing, and storage of your personal information in the United States.
UWMC does not currently have any programs or operations in the European Union (“EU”). Should we obtain actual knowledge that any information we collect has been provided by a resident of the EU, we will promptly delete that information.
Personal Information of Minors
The UWMC website is not intended for use by minors, and we do not knowingly collect, maintain, or process personal information submitted online by minors. If we obtain actual knowledge that we have collected information from someone under the age of 16, we will delete that information.
Do-Not Track Signals
Web browsers and other technologies you may use to access the UWMC site or services may include a Do-Not-Track (“DNT”) feature or setting you can activate to signal your privacy preference not to have information about your online browsing activities monitored and collected. At this stage no uniform technology standard for recognizing and implementing DNT signals has been finalized. As such, we do not currently respond to DNT browser signals or any other mechanism that automatically communicates your choice not to be tracked online.
UWMC’s website and services may contain links to other websites (“Third-Party Websites”), as well as articles, photographs, text, graphics, pictures, designs, music, sound, video, information, applications, software, and other content or items belonging to or originating from third parties (“Third-Party Content”). This includes links to Third-Party Websites for the purpose of completing a transaction.
Such Third-Party Websites and Third-Party Content are not monitored, or checked for accuracy, appropriateness, or completeness by us, and UWMC is not responsible for any such websites or content. Inclusion of, linking to, or permitting the use or installation of any Third-Party Websites or any Third-Party Content does not imply approval or endorsement thereof by us. If you decide to leave the UWMC’s website or services and access Third-Party Websites or use or install any Third-Party Content, you do so at your own risk. You should review the applicable terms and policies, including privacy and data gathering practices, of any website to which you navigate from our website.
UWMC may change this privacy statement from time to time. If we make material changes to this privacy statement, we will attempt to notify you and/or obtain your consent, as required by law. UWMC encourages donors and visitors to our website to periodically review this privacy statement. Any changes to this privacy statement will become effective when we post the revised privacy statement to our website.
If you would like to be removed from our mailing lists or update your personal information, or if you have questions about this privacy statement or would like to contact us about it, you can contact us via the following avenues:
Email: donorhelp@liveunitedchicago.org
Mail:
Attn: United Way Help Desk
222 Merchandise Mart Plaza
Suite 633
Chicago, IL 60654
Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To ensure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the nonprofit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:
The Donor Bill of Rights was created by the American Association of Fundraising Counsel (AAFRC), Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). It has been endorsed by numerous organizations in the United States. Privacy Policy Last Updated 2/25/25.