PART I: TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. Agreement to Terms
By accessing or using the website located at www.thekonnection.org (the "Site"), any associated digital platforms, programs, or services operated by The Konnection ("we," "us," or "our"), you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions ("Terms"). If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you must not use our Site or services.
These Terms apply to all visitors, donors, volunteers, school partners, program participants, guardians, and any other users of our Site and services.
2. About The Konnection
The Konnection is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping youth feel more connected to school and supported in their personal growth. We provide after-school mentoring, attendance incentive programs, essential resource distribution, and travel and enrichment opportunities primarily serving students and families in the Detroit, Michigan area.
3. Use of the Site
You agree to use the Site only for lawful purposes and in a manner consistent with all applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations. Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to:
• Attempting to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the Site, our systems, or networks connected to the Site.
• Uploading, transmitting, or distributing any content that is harmful, offensive, defamatory, obscene, or otherwise objectionable.
• Using the Site to harass, threaten, or harm any individual or group, including youth participants, volunteers, staff, or partners.
• Engaging in any automated data collection, scraping, or harvesting of content or user data without prior written consent.
• Attempting to disrupt, damage, or interfere with the Site's functionality, security, or integrity through viruses, malware, denial-of-service attacks, or any other means—regardless of claimed purpose or intent.
• Impersonating The Konnection, its staff, volunteers, or affiliates in any manner.
• Using the Site or any information obtained from it to contact, solicit, or communicate with minors in any inappropriate manner.
We reserve the right to terminate or restrict access to the Site for any user who violates these Terms, with or without notice.
4. Youth Protection and Minor Participants
The Konnection serves minors. We are committed to maintaining a safe environment for all youth in our programs. Any communication, content submission, or interaction through our Site or services that targets, exploits, or endangers minors is strictly prohibited and will be reported to the appropriate authorities.
Parents and guardians of minor participants may be required to provide separate consent through program registration forms, which may be governed by additional terms.
5. Volunteer and Donor Use
Individuals who register as volunteers, make donations, or enter into school or community partnerships through our Site agree to provide accurate and complete information. Donations made through third-party platforms (such as Zeffy) are subject to the terms and policies of those platforms in addition to these Terms.
6. Intellectual Property
All content on this Site, including but not limited to text, graphics, logos, images, video, and program descriptions, is the property of The Konnection or its content suppliers and is protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from our content without prior written permission.
7. Third-Party Links
Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, including social media platforms, partner organizations, and donation processors. These links are provided for convenience only. We do not endorse or assume responsibility for the content, policies, or practices of any third-party site. We encourage you to review the privacy policies and terms of any third-party sites you visit.
8. Disclaimers
The Site and its content are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. The Konnection does not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful components. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
9. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, The Konnection, its directors, officers, volunteers, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or in connection with your use of the Site or services, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
10. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless The Konnection and its officers, directors, volunteers, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to your use of the Site, violation of these Terms, or violation of any rights of a third party.
11. Governing Law
These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Michigan, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising under these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Wayne County, Michigan.
12. Changes to These Terms
We reserve the right to update or modify these Terms at any time. Changes will be effective upon posting to the Site with an updated effective date. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. We encourage you to review these Terms periodically.
PART II: PRIVACY POLICY
1. Introduction
This Privacy Policy explains how The Konnection collects, uses, stores, and shares personal information when you interact with our website (www.thekonnection.org), programs, and services. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your information with care and transparency.
By using our Site, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
2. Information We Collect
We may collect the following categories of personal information:
• Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number, and mailing address provided when signing up for newsletters, volunteering, registering youth, or submitting school partnership inquiries.
• Minor Participant Information: Name, school, grade level, and emergency contact details provided during youth program registration. This information is collected with parental or guardian consent.
• Donation Information: Name, contact information, and any information required by third-party payment processors when you make a donation. We do not directly store payment card information.
• Usage Data: Information automatically collected when you visit our Site, including IP address, browser type, pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs, typically collected through cookies and analytics tools.
• Communications: Any information you provide when contacting us via email, social media, or through forms on our Site.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
• Operate and improve our programs, events, and services.
• Communicate with volunteers, donors, partners, and program participants about opportunities, updates, and upcoming events.
• Process donations and maintain donor records in compliance with nonprofit reporting requirements.
• Ensure youth participant safety and program eligibility.
• Send newsletters and organizational updates to individuals who have opted in.
• Analyze website usage to improve the functionality and user experience of our Site.
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms and Conditions.
4. Information Sharing and Disclosure
We do not sell your personal information to third parties as a standard practice. However, we reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to share or transfer personal information to third parties in certain circumstances, including but not limited to:
• Service Providers: We may share information with trusted vendors and service providers who assist us in operating our Site or conducting our programs (e.g., email platforms, donation processors, volunteer management tools), subject to confidentiality agreements.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information when required by law, court order, or governmental authority, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, safety, or property of The Konnection, our users, or the public.
• Organizational Transactions: In the event of a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or other organizational change, personal information may be transferred to successor organizations that agree to honor this Privacy Policy.
• Discretionary Sharing: We reserve the right to share personal information with carefully selected partners, sponsors, or affiliates where we determine there is a legitimate organizational interest, subject to applicable law. We will make reasonable efforts to notify affected users where required.
We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information about minor participants under any circumstances.
5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our Site may use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience and gather analytics data. You may configure your browser to refuse cookies, though some features of the Site may not function properly without them. We may use third-party analytics services (such as Google Analytics) that collect usage information on our behalf.
6. Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. When information is no longer needed, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete or anonymize it.
7. Data Security
We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no method of data transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your information.
8. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)
The Konnection serves youth, and we take the privacy of minors seriously. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under the age of 13 through our website without verifiable parental consent. Program registration for minor participants requires consent from a parent or legal guardian. If you believe we have collected information from a minor without proper consent, please contact us immediately using the information below.
9. Your Rights and Choices
Depending on your location, you may have certain rights with respect to your personal information, including the right to:
• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Request deletion of your personal information, subject to applicable legal requirements.
• Opt out of receiving promotional communications from us at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions in our emails or contacting us directly.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the address provided below. We will respond to requests within a reasonable timeframe.
10. Third-Party Platforms
Our Site links to and may embed content from third-party platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, and donation processors such as Zeffy. Your interactions with these platforms are governed by their own privacy policies, which we encourage you to review. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party services.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. Updates will be posted on this page with a revised effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed.
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding these Terms and Conditions or this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
The Konnection
Website: www.thekonnection.org
Email: Sharnese@thekonnection.org