Privacy Policy

THE CORNERSTONE PROJECT

Effective Date: April 8, 2026

The Cornerstone Project ("we," "us," or "our") is a volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Nambale Magnet School in Western Kenya. We are committed to protecting the privacy of everyone who visits our website. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and what rights you have in relation to it.

By using our website, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

1. Information We Collect

A. Information You Provide Directly

We collect personal information that you voluntarily submit through our website, including:

Contact form submissions: your name and email address, along with any message you choose to send us.
Newsletter signups: your name and email address when you subscribe to our mailing list.
Donation transactions: when you make a donation, payment information (such as credit card details) is processed through a secure third-party payment provider. We do not store your full payment card information on our servers.

B. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically through cookies and similar technologies, including:

Your IP address and general geographic location
Browser type and device information
Pages visited, time spent on pages, and navigation patterns
Referring URLs (the site that brought you to ours)

This data is collected through analytics tools (see Section 4) and is used to understand how visitors use our site so we can improve it.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To respond to your inquiries and contact form submissions
To send you our newsletter and updates about the Cornerstone Project and Nambale Magnet School, if you have subscribed
To process donations securely
To analyze website traffic and improve site performance and content
To comply with legal obligations

We will never sell your personal information or use it for purposes unrelated to the Cornerstone Project’s mission.

3. Legal Basis for Processing (for EEA/UK Visitors)

If you are located in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, our legal basis for processing your personal data includes: your consent (for newsletters and analytics cookies), the performance of a contract (for donation processing), and our legitimate interests in operating and improving our nonprofit website.

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services, each with its own privacy practices:

Analytics

We use a website analytics tool (such as Google Analytics or Wix Analytics) to collect anonymized data about site traffic and visitor behavior. This tool may use cookies. You can opt out of analytics tracking by adjusting your browser’s cookie settings or using your browser’s Do Not Track feature. For Google Analytics specifically, you may also use the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On.

Donation Processing

Donations are processed through Wix Donations and a secure third-party payment provider (such as PayPal or Stripe). When you donate, you will be subject to that provider’s privacy policy in addition to ours. We encourage you to review their policies before submitting payment information.

Email Marketing

Our newsletter is managed through a third-party email platform (such as Mailchimp). When you subscribe, your name and email address are transferred to and stored by that platform. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of any newsletter email.

Social Media

Our website may include social media buttons or embedded content from platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. These third parties may collect data about your interactions with their content even if you do not have an account with them. Please refer to each platform’s privacy policy for details.

5. Cookies

Our website uses cookies—small text files stored on your device—to support site functionality and analytics. You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect some features of the site. By continuing to use our website, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this policy.

6. Content Involving Minors

Our website may include photographs, stories, and other content featuring students at Nambale Magnet School in Kenya. We are deeply committed to the safety, dignity, and privacy of the children whose stories we share.

We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from minors (children under 13).
Student photographs and stories are shared with the knowledge and consent of school administration and, where applicable, families, in accordance with our partnership agreements with Nambale Magnet School.
We do not publish the full names, home addresses, or other identifying information of individual students without appropriate authorization.
If you have concerns about any content on our site involving a child, please contact us immediately at the address below.

7. Data Retention

We retain contact form submissions and email records for as long as necessary to respond to your inquiry and for a reasonable period thereafter. Newsletter subscriber information is retained until you unsubscribe. Donation records are retained as required for nonprofit financial and legal compliance. Analytics data is retained according to the settings of the applicable third-party analytics platform.

8. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Access: request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Correction: request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Deletion: request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain legal obligations.
Opt-out: unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time using the link in any email, or by contacting us directly.
Do Not Track: we honor browser Do Not Track signals to the extent supported by our analytics tools.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 10.

9. Data Security

We take reasonable precautions to protect the personal information we collect, including the use of secure (HTTPS) connections on our website and reliance on reputable third-party processors for donations and email. However, no method of transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

The Cornerstone Project

1190 River Road, Mystic CT

Email: Martine@cornerstoneproject.org

Website: www.cornerstoneproject.org

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the Effective Date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.

Supporting Nambale Magnet School • Western Kenya