Privacy policy
Effective October 24, 2026 · Updated October 25, 2026
The short version
- Your data files never leave your computer. Our free tools run entirely in your browser. The tool pages are built to block all network connections, so a file you open in them can't be sent anywhere, including to us.
- We collect what you type into our forms (like your name, email and organization) so we can reply and follow up.
- We use Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity to understand how people use this site, so we can improve it. They are not used on the tool pages.
- We never sell or rent your information, and we don't use it for advertising profiles.
Who we are
This website, philanthrodata.org, is run by PhilanthroData, Inc., a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation that helps nonprofits build and keep their own data and analytics capability. In this policy, "we" and "us" mean PhilanthroData, Inc. Questions about this policy go to chad.priest@philanthrodata.org.
Our free data tools
Our tools (the Donor Data Health Check, Contact Duplicate Check, and Marketo + Salesforce Duplicate Check) read the file you choose and analyze it inside your own web browser. Your file, and anything the tools find in it, is never uploaded to us or anyone else.
We back that up technically, not just as a promise. Each tool page carries a security policy that tells your browser to refuse every outgoing connection from that page. There are no analytics or session-recording scripts on the tool pages either. You can also download each tool and run it offline.
Before you use a tool for the first time, we ask for your name, email address and organization. That form is on our tools page, not on the tool itself, and only those details are sent to us. We then email you a link to the tools. Opening that link tells your browser to remember that you have access (see "Cookies and browser storage" below), so you won't be asked again on that device.
Information you give us
We collect information when you fill in one of our forms:
| Form | What it collects |
|---|---|
| Contact form (contact page) | Whether you're a nonprofit, volunteer or other; your name, email, organization (optional) and your message. |
| Free tool access | Your first and last name, email and organization. We use your email address to send you the link to the tools. |
| Free review request (tools page) | Your name, work email, organization, website (optional), role, and what you'd like help with. |
When you submit a form, we also receive how you first reached our site: the campaign tags on the link you followed (if any), the website that referred you, and the page you landed on.
We use this information to reply to you, to follow up about the tools or services you asked about, and occasionally to share related updates from PhilanthroData. You can ask us to stop contacting you at any time.
If you email us directly, we keep that correspondence so we can respond and keep a record of our work with you.
Information collected automatically
On every page of this site except the tool pages themselves, we use two analytics services:
Google Analytics
Google Analytics tells us how visitors find and use the site: pages viewed, how you arrived (for example, a search engine or a link), approximate location based on your IP address, device and browser type, and actions such as clicking a button or submitting a form. It does not receive what you type into our forms. You can opt out with Google's browser add-on. See how Google uses information from sites that use its services.
Microsoft Clarity
Clarity shows us how people interact with our pages (where they click, how far they scroll, and anonymized replays of page visits) so we can find confusing layouts and fix them. Clarity hides the text you type into form fields, so your name, email and messages are not captured. Clarity is not used on the tool pages. See the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
Cookies and browser storage
| Name | Set by | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
_ga, _ga_* | Google Analytics | Tell visits apart and count returning visitors. |
_clck, _clsk | Microsoft Clarity | Group page views from the same visit and visitor. |
pd_attrib | PhilanthroData (stored in your browser only) | Remembers how you first reached our site (for example, a link in one of our emails or a search ad), for up to 90 days. It is sent to us only if you submit one of our forms, so we know which outreach is useful. |
pd_tools_access | PhilanthroData (stored in your browser only) | Set when you open the link we email you, so you aren't asked for your details again. It contains no personal information and is never sent to us. |
You can clear or block cookies and browser storage in your browser settings. The site still works without them, though you may be asked for tool access details again.
Who processes your information
We use a small number of service providers to run this site. They process information on our behalf:
- HubSpot receives free tool access requests, stores them in our contact database, and sends you the email with your link. See the HubSpot privacy policy.
- Formspree receives our contact and review request forms and forwards them to us by email. See the Formspree privacy policy.
- Google (Google Analytics) and Microsoft (Clarity), as described above.
- GitHub hosts the website. Like any web host, it may log basic technical information such as IP addresses to keep the service secure.
- Google Fonts provides the site's typefaces, which means your browser contacts Google to load them.
We don't sell, rent or trade your information. We share it only with the providers above, or if the law requires it.
How long we keep it
We keep contact details and correspondence for as long as we need them to respond to you, to support any work we do together, and to keep reasonable records as a nonprofit. You can ask us to delete your information at any time, and we will unless we're required to keep it.
Your choices
- Ask what information we hold about you, or ask us to correct or delete it.
- Ask us to stop sending you updates.
- Opt out of Google Analytics or block cookies in your browser, as described above.
Email chad.priest@philanthrodata.org for any of these. We'll respond within 30 days.
Client data in our engagements
This policy covers this website. When we work directly with a nonprofit, access to its systems and data is set out in our agreement with that organization. We never share client donor data with AI tools, and we ask for the minimum access the work needs.
Children
This site is for nonprofit staff and volunteers. It isn't directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their information.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we'll update it here and change the effective date at the top.