Privacy Policy

If you asked us for help

This part covers information collected from members of the public who request disaster-relief assistance through our hotline and online portal. We collect only what is necessary to dispatch help and keep you informed about the status of your request.

1. Information we collect

• From your call to our hotline: your name, the phone number you called from (and any alternate contact number you provide), the address or location where help is needed, a description of the assistance you need, household details relevant to safety (e.g. number of people, pets, mobility considerations), and any notes the call-center volunteer takes during the conversation.
• From the online status portal: the request reference number you provide to look up your request, plus any updates you submit (e.g. revised contact info, new location).
• Technical logs needed to operate and secure the service: IP address, browser type, and request timestamps when you visit the portal.

2. How we use your information

• To dispatch volunteers and supplies to your location.
• To send you transactional updates about your help request, for example when a team is on the way, their estimated arrival time, or when the work is complete. These updates are delivered by phone call, email, or text message (SMS) depending on your preference.
• To coordinate with other relief organizations when your request involves resources we don't directly provide (with your consent, where required).
• To comply with legal obligations and to investigate or prevent misuse of the service.

3. Text messages (SMS)

SMS updates about your request are opt-in. During your hotline call, the volunteer will ask whether you would like to receive text updates. If you say yes, we will send you transactional text messages about your help request, for example dispatch confirmations, arrival estimates, and completion notices. We will not send marketing or solicitation messages, ever.

Message frequency varies by request and is typically a few messages per active request. Message and data rates may apply.

You can opt out at any time by replying STOP to any of our messages. Reply HELP for help. Opting out of SMS does not affect our ability to help you. We will continue to reach you by phone call to coordinate.

We do not share your mobile phone number or SMS opt-in information with any third party or affiliate for marketing or promotional purposes. SMS originator opt-in data and consent records are not shared with any third parties.

See our SMS Terms & Opt-In Disclosure for the program description and the specific opt-in language used during intake.

4. How we share information

Your request details are visible to call-center volunteers and dispatch coordinators within My Organization for the purpose of getting you the help you've requested. Volunteers dispatched to your location see only the information needed to complete their assignment (name, address, scope of work, any safety notes you provided).

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We may share information with other relief organizations or emergency services when doing so is necessary to fulfill your help request, or when required by law.

We use outside companies for a few services. Each gets only what it needs to do its job, under a written agreement that limits how it may use your information. They are:

• email delivery
• text messages and calls
• address lookup and maps
• hosting, where the service and its data are kept

For the names of these companies, ask My Organization.

5. Data retention

The release you sign is deleted 36 months after the work on your home is finished. Your request and the records related to it are deleted 36 months after the relief operation ends, once the work on your home is finished, and the release with them. The record of your call is deleted 36 months after the relief operation ends, or after the call if it was not part of one. Your text messages with us are deleted 36 months after the relief operation ends, or after they were sent if they were not part of one. Totals for reports, with no names, are kept. If there was a response or a claim, the records about it are kept until it is settled. You can request deletion of your record by contacting us. Some records may be retained where required for legal or accountability reasons.

Our safeguards are described under Security.

6. Your choices and rights

• Access and correction: contact us to request a copy of the information we hold about your request, or to correct any inaccuracies.
• Deletion: contact us to request deletion of your record (subject to legal retention requirements).
• SMS opt-out: reply STOP to any text message (see section 3 of this part).

7. Children

Our service is provided to households, not directed at children. Requests made on behalf of minors should be submitted by a parent, guardian, or other responsible adult.

If you volunteer with us

This part covers information we collect when you register as a volunteer.

1. Information we collect

• Account information you provide at registration: name, email address, and password (stored as a one-way hash, so we never see your plaintext password). You can add a mobile phone number later on your account profile page.
• Volunteer profile data you choose to add: skills, certifications, availability dates, organization affiliation, emergency-contact details.
• Activity records generated as you use the platform: response sign-ups, check-in and check-out times, hours worked, and team assignments.
• Your location while deployed, if you agree to share it. Your phone shares its precise location only while you are checked in at a staging site on a trip, until you check out, and only while the app is open. You can pause it at any time. See sections 4 and 5 of this part for who sees it and how long we keep it.
• Technical logs needed to operate and secure the service: IP address, browser type, request timestamps, and audit records of sensitive actions.

2. How we use your information

• To create and operate your volunteer account and coordinate your participation in disaster-response activities.
• To send transactional communications about your account, responses you've signed up for, training events, and schedule changes. These are sent by email and, if you opt in, by text message (SMS).
• To comply with legal obligations and to investigate or prevent misuse of the service.

3. Text messages (SMS)

SMS is opt-in. If you add a phone number and check the SMS opt-in box on your account profile page, you consent to receive transactional text messages from us, for example deployment confirmations, schedule reminders, and urgent response updates. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply.

You can opt out at any time by replying STOP to any of our messages, or by removing your phone number / unchecking SMS delivery in your account settings. Reply HELP to any of our messages for help. Opting out of SMS does not affect your account or your ability to volunteer. We will continue to reach you by email for transactional messages.

We do not share your mobile phone number or SMS opt-in information with any third party or affiliate for marketing or promotional purposes. SMS originator opt-in data and consent records are not shared with any third parties.

See our SMS Terms & Opt-In Disclosure for the program description and the specific opt-in language shown at the point of consent.

4. How we share information

Your volunteer profile is visible to coordinators and administrators within My Organization for the purpose of running responses and assigning teams. We do not sell or rent your personal information.

We use outside companies for a few services. Each gets only what it needs to do its job, under a written agreement that limits how it may use your information. They are:

• email delivery
• text messages and calls
• address lookup and maps
• hosting, where the service and its data are kept

For the names of these companies, ask My Organization.

Your location while deployed is seen by the response's dispatch staff and staging site managers, and by your team leader. They use it to see where teams are, so nobody is stuck or lost.

5. Data retention

We keep records for set periods, then delete them:

• Your account and profile are deleted 36 months after you stop serving: your last sign-in, service, signature or date with us.
• Where you served, your hours and your schedules are deleted 36 months after the response ends. Totals for reports, with no names, are kept.
• A waiver you signed is deleted 36 months after it stops being in force: you sign it again, it changes, it is retired, or you stop serving. A parent's or guardian's consent is deleted 36 months after you turn 18.
• A background check's status and dates are deleted 36 months after it expires.
• A homeowner's signed release is deleted 36 months after their work is finished.

If there was an incident or a claim, the records about it are kept until it is settled. Audit logs are kept 455 days. You can ask us to delete your account at any time (see section 6 of this part).

Location points are deleted 72 hours after your phone records them. They are never written to the audit log.

Each time your number agrees to texts or stops them, we keep a record: when, how, and the words you saw. It is kept for four years after your number's latest change, even if you delete your account, so we can show what consent our texts relied on.

6. Your choices and rights

• Access and correction: sign in and update your profile, or contact us to request a copy of your data.
• Deletion: contact us to request deletion of your account. Some records may be retained where required by law.
• SMS opt-out: reply STOP or remove your phone / uncheck SMS in account settings (see section 3 of this part).
• Email opt-out: transactional emails about your account and responses cannot be turned off while your account is active. You can deactivate the account to stop them.

7. Children

The service is not directed to children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect information from children.

For everyone

Security

We use industry-standard safeguards including encryption in transit (TLS), encryption at rest for sensitive fields, role-based access control, and audit logging. No system is perfectly secure. If we learn of a breach affecting your data we will notify you per applicable law.

Contact

Contact My Organization with questions.

Changes

We may update this policy from time to time. The “last updated” date above reflects the most recent change. Material changes will be posted on this page, and volunteers will also hear of them in the app or by email.