Introduction
Fred Hutch respects the privacy of its donors and prospective donors and believes that it is of paramount importance to maintain the trust and confidence of the Hutch community, including donors, prospective donors, sponsors, partners and volunteers. The Philanthropy Department at Fred Hutch developed this Donor Privacy and Confidentiality Policy (“Policy”) to provide transparency as to Fred Hutch’s practices, policies and procedures for the collection, use and protection of information that is provided to Fred Hutch by donors and prospective donors (“Donor-Related Information”).
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Confidentiality of Donor Records
Protecting the confidentiality of Donor-Related Information is an essential part of the work done within Philanthropy at Fred Hutch. All Donor-Related Information that is obtained by Fred Hutch is handled by Philanthropic Staff on a confidential basis except as otherwise disclosed in this Policy or except as disclosed when the information is provided to Fred Hutch. All Philanthropic Staff sign a confidentiality pledge and are expected to demonstrate professionalism, good judgment and care to avoid unauthorized or inadvertent disclosures of Donor-Related Information. Philanthropic Staff may share with donors, fund beneficiaries, and grantees information pertaining to their own gifts, funds and grants.
How We Protect Donor Information
Except as described in this Policy or at the time the information is provided, we do not otherwise disclose Donor-Related Information to any third parties, and we never sell, rent, lease or exchange personal information with other organizations. The identity of all who connect with us through our website, postal mail and email is kept confidential. The use of Donor-Related Information is limited to internal purposes, by authorized individuals, and to advance resource development efforts that require donor information, as noted above.
We have established and implemented reasonable and appropriate physical, technical and administrative safeguards to help prevent unauthorized access, maintain data security and ensure the proper use of Donor-Related Information. In particular, Fred Hutch secures the personally identifiable information provided on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. When payment information (such as a credit card number) is transmitted to other Web sites, it is protected through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol. Moreover, credit card numbers are not retained by Fred Hutch once processed.
Although we have implemented reasonable and appropriate measures to safeguard against unauthorized disclosures of Donor-Related Information, our security measures may not prevent all losses and we cannot ensure that Donor-Related Information will never be disclosed in a manner that is inconsistent with this Policy. In the event security failures or disclosures contravene federal or state laws, Fred Hutch will follow all applicable federal and state notification requirements to make you aware of what happened. Fred Hutch is not responsible for any damages or liabilities.
Adult Oncology Giving
Fred Hutch now serves as the cancer program for UW Medicine. Fred Hutch is also leading a combined philanthropic program in adult oncology for both Fred Hutch and UW Medicine. Philanthropic funding accelerates our research, education, and patient care.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is responsible for fundraising that supports all programs and activities for adult cancer research, clinical care, cancer education, and training at the clinically integrated parts of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and UW Medicine. As a result of this relationship, when giving a gift to adult oncology, your information may be shared with UW Medicine to facilitate coordinated efforts.
Fred Hutch creates opportunities for adult oncology supporters to receive additional donor recognition, stewardship, and applicable benefits from UW Medicine for your support. Transaction information about gifts made to Fred Hutch specifically for adult oncology after April 1, 2022 — as well as those made to support adult oncology programs in the future — will be shared with the University of Washington. Protecting your information is our priority. The securely shared information will include donors’ name, contact information, gift amount, designated fund, and tribute information for gifts made to support cancer research and care.
Publication of Donor Names
Unless otherwise requested by the donor, the names of all individual donors may be printed in Fred Hutch reports and other internal and external communications. Fred Hutch will not publish the exact amounts of a donor’s gift without the permission of the donor.
Memorial/Tribute Gifts
The names of donors of memorial or tribute gifts may be released to the honoree, next of kin, appropriate member of the immediate family or executor of estate unless otherwise specified by the donor. Gift amounts are not released without the consent of the donor.
Anonymous Gifts
When a donor requests that a gift or fund be treated as anonymous, the donor’s wishes will be honored.
Types of Information Collected
Fred Hutch collects and maintains the following types of donor information when it is voluntarily provided to Fred Hutch:
- Contact information, including name, organization/company affiliation, title, addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, email addresses, date of birth, family members and emergency contact.
- Donation information, including amounts donated, date(s) of donation(s), method and premium.
- Payment information, including credit card or debit card number, expiration date, security code, billing address and other information necessary to process a donation or event registration.
- Health information, including health status and disease affliction.
- Information on events and workshops attended, publications received and special requests for program information.
- Information concerning events and hours volunteered.
- Donor requests, comments and suggestions.
How We Use This Information
Fred Hutch complies with all federal and state laws in the use of Donor-Related Information.
We use information obtained from donors and prospective donors to maintain records of donations, to respond to donor inquiries, to comply with the law or with any legal process served on Fred Hutch, for IRS purposes, to analyze overall giving patterns in order to make more accurate budget projections, to develop strategies and present gift proposals, to issue donation acknowledgements, to understand donors’ interests in our mission and to update them on the organization’s plans and activities, to inform planning about who receives future fundraising appeals, to organize and promote fundraising events, to analyze our website usage, and to inform donors of relevant programs, solicitations, and services through a variety of communication mechanisms, including mail, email, and text messaging.
Certain third party contractors and service providers have limited access to Donor-Related Information in the course of providing products or services related to gift processing and acknowledgements. Such access is subject to confidentiality obligations covering this information. Moreover, access to Donor-Related Information by these contractors and service providers is limited to the information reasonably necessary for the contractor or service provider to perform its limited function for us. For example, donations may be processed through a third-party service provider, and our donors’ information will be shared with such service providers to the extent necessary to process the donation.
Fred Hutch may also use Donor-Related Information to protect against potential fraud. We may verify with third parties the information collected in the course of processing a gift, event registration or other donation. If donors use a credit or debit card on a Fred Hutch website, we may use card authorization and fraud screening services to verify that the card information and address matches the information supplied to us and that the card being used has not been reported lost or stolen.
Removing Your Name from Our Contact List
Donors, prospective donors and Fred Hutch patients may ask to be removed from our email, mailing, text messaging, or phone lists at any time by emailing optout@fredhutch.org or calling 206.667.4399. If you determine that information in our database is inaccurate or it has changed, you can modify your personal information by emailing us at annualgiving@fredhutch.org or by calling us at 1.800.279.1618.
State Fundraising Notice
As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Fred Hutch relies on private support, applying the majority of each dollar contributed to our world-renowned research efforts. In connection with the Hutch's fundraising activities, certain states require us to advise that a copy of our financial report is available from them. Fred Hutch's principal place of business is located at 1100 Fairview Avenue North, J5-200, Seattle WA 98109-1024. Financial disclosures may be obtained by contacting the Washington Secretary of State at 1-800-332-GIVE, or at the Washington Secretary of State's website. Additional financial information may be obtained by writing to the Office of the Secretary of State, Charitable Solicitations Program, P.O. Box 40234, Olympia, WA 98504-0234. Registration with a state agency does not constitute or imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by that state.
This Policy applies to all Fred Hutch Philanthropy staff, including employees, contractors, and office volunteers (“Philanthropic Staff”). The policy supplements but does not replace Fred Hutch’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The Philanthropy Department reserves the right to amend and modify this Policy from time to time with or without notice to donors or prospective donors.