Last Updated: March 11, 2026
This website is owned by GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in CINCINNATI, OHIO (“Girl Scouts of Western Ohio,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). Our online properties comprise of, but are not limited to, all pages found under gswo.org (girlscoutsofwesternohio.org). This privacy policy (this “Privacy Policy” or “Policy”) applies to gswo.org and other sites, mobile apps, or other online services we operate that link to this Policy (collectively, referred to below as the “Site”).]
GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO is committed to respecting and protecting the privacy of our visitors. This Policy discloses how we collect, protect, and use information you provide or we collect through the Site, as well as how we protect children's privacy. If our policy practices change in the future, we will let you know by posting our revised Privacy Policy on our Site. By using the Site, you are accepting the practices described in the Privacy Policy. If you are under the age of eighteen (18), then you must review this Policy with your parent or guardian before visiting or using the Site to make sure that you and your parent or guardian understand this Policy and accept the practices described in this Policy.
Terms and Conditions
This Policy is incorporated by reference into and should be read in conjunction with our Terms and Conditions.
Information Collection
Personal Information. At our Site, we will store, use, and disclose personal information about you in accordance with this Policy. “Personal Information” is information that identifies, relates to, describes, references, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular user, household or device. Note, we do not require you to register or provide information to us in order to view our Site. GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO generally only gathers Personal Information on our Site, such as names, addresses, ZIP/postal codes, email addresses, etc., when voluntarily submitted by a visitor. Once collected, we may combine this information with other information collected from external sources.
Information of Other Individuals. You may have the opportunity to provide information of other individuals. When providing such information, you are solely responsible for obtaining the necessary consents and authorizations from any individuals in accordance with applicable data security laws and regulations, and GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO shall not be responsible or held liable for your failure to obtain the necessary consents.
Credit Card Information. Please note that for any credit card information provided on the Site, such as when you make a donation, we collect this information in accordance with the section on “Credit Card Safety” below.
Aggregated and De-Identified Data. We may also collect, use and disclose aggregated and de-identified data such as statistical or demographic data for any purpose. Aggregated and de-identified data could be derived from your Personal Information but is not considered Personal Information under applicable law as this data will not directly or indirectly reveal your identity. However, if we combine or connect aggregated or de-identified data with your Personal Information so that it can directly or indirectly identify you, we treat the combined data as Personal Information which will be used in accordance with this Policy.
Automatically Collected Information. GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO may automatically collect certain technical information from your computer such as your Internet service provider, your Internet Protocol address, your browser type, your operating system, the pages viewed, the pages viewed immediately before and after accessing the website, and the search terms entered to get to our Site. This information allows us to improve and customize our services. We and our service providers may collect this information using “cookies,” which are small text files that many websites save on your computer, or similar technologies. See the section on “Use of Cookies and Similar Technologies” below for more information.
(a) Information We May Collect on the Website
As indicated above, you may have the opportunity to provide Personal Information on our Site, including but not limited to:
Category |
Examples |
Collected |
Identifiers. |
A first and last name, date of birth, postal address, email address, telephone number, Internet Protocol address. |
YES |
Protected classification characteristics.
|
Age (40 years or older), race, color, national origin, medical condition, physical or mental disability, sex (including gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy or childbirth and related medical conditions), veteran or military status. |
YES |
Sensitive Personal Information |
Precise geolocation, financial account, debit card, credit card number with security, or access code or password, racial or ethnic origin, health information. |
YES |
Internet or other similar network activity. |
Browsing history, search history, information on a consumer's interaction with a website, application, or advertisement. |
YES |
Geolocation data. |
Physical location or movements. |
YES |
We may obtain the Personal Information listed above from the following categories of sources:
- Directly from you. For example, when you:
- register yourself with the Site;
- donate through the Site;
- subscribe to one of our e-newsletters;
- register for local events through the Site;
- submit other interactive forms available on the Site;
- otherwise communicate with us, such as contacting us for more information.
- Directly and indirectly from activity on our Site. For example, from Site usage details that are collected automatically. For more information on automatic information collection, please review the “Use of Cookies and Similar Technologies” section below.
- Third Party Sources. We may collect information about you from third party sources, such as our affiliates.
Use and Disclosure of Personal Information
The Personal Information you provide is used by GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO and disclosed to other entities who are involved in the operation of this Site or who provide support for the GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO and Girl Scouts of the USA mission and programs, for general business purposes and for the purposes for which you provided the information.
General business purposes include, for example, GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO and Girl Scouts of the USA membership activities, program participation, marketing, promotions, fundraising activities and communications, security purposes, improving and developing our offerings, contacting you with information we believe will be of interest to you or related to your use of the Site, inviting you to participate in providing feedback to us. The purposes for which you provide information include our use of your Personal Information to process online transactions, purchases, and donations, facilitate participation in Girl Scouts of the USA and GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO programs, promotions and services, or process job applications, or any other purpose identified at the point of data collection, in an applicable privacy notice, in a click-through agreement, or in any other agreement between you and us.
We do not sell information you provide to us online with third parties. We may disclose Personal Information to third parties including: (i) with Girls Scouts of the USA for administrative purposes relating to our operations, operation of the Site, or a child’s activities with Girl Scouts of the USA; (ii) with other Girl Scout Councils, Girl Scout service units, and Girl Scout troops for administrative purposes relating to a child’s activities with another Council, service unit, or their troop; (iii) when the person submitting the information authorizes us to disclose it; (iv) with a service provider in furtherance of our operations or the operation of the Site, for instance, to process a purchase or other transaction you make; (v) to facilitate participation in Girl Scouts of the USA and GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO programs, promotions, and services, or to engage in fundraising, marketing communications, and promotions; (vi) to comply with legal processes such as a subpoena or court order or to otherwise protect your or our legal rights; or (vii) for other purposes for which you provided the information. GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO has no control over or responsibility for the data collection and use practices of third parties that process online transactions. For example, if you make a purchase on our Site using a PayPal account or similar account of a third-party payment provider, certain information is transmitted to the payment provider and is subject to the third party’s own privacy policy.
Please note that Girl Scouts of the USA provides operational support for the Site and may collect and use Personal Information you provide to the Site and other information collected by the Site as described in this Policy. Girl Scouts of the USA will use any information it collects for the purposes described in this Policy. Certain services or platforms accessible through the Site may be operated by Girl Scouts of the USA and governed by its own privacy policy, which is available here and will be presented at the point of collection. GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO and Girl Scouts of the USA are each responsible for their own information-handling practices under their own privacy policies.
Children's Privacy
GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO is committed to providing a safe, secure, and fun online experience for children who visit our Site. We are dedicated to safeguarding any Personal Information collected online and to helping parents and children have positive experiences on the Internet.
We will never knowingly request Personal Information from anyone under the age of 13 without prior verifiable parental consent. With parental consent, we may collect information from children under the age of 13 such as: name, address, email address, account information, and user-generated content. This information allows us to fulfill a requested transaction and facilitate participation in online programs, keep records, undertake certain marketing activities, or to otherwise customize or enhance the website experience for children.
Children under the age of 13 may be able to make certain content, such as user-generated content visible to others or the public. This could include, for example, a webpage or parts of webpages operated by children that have been designed for group or public viewing. However, absent parental consent, children under 13 would be allowed to display only limited information such as a first name or unique user name, or other information that does not allow for online contacting by third parties.
Regardless of what information is displayed, parents can revoke their consent and ask that information about their children be deleted from the Site by contacting our offices by phone at 888.350.5090 or via email at [email protected]. To do this or to review Personal Information collected from children, we must verify the identity of the requesting parent. When a parent revokes consent, we will stop collecting, using, or disclosing information from that child. To respect the privacy of parents, information collected and used for the sole purpose of obtaining verifiable parental consent or providing notice is not maintained in retrievable form by the Site if parental consent is not obtained after a reasonable time.
Submissions
GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO welcomes children to learn more about our organization and, where appropriate, participate in polls and surveys, as well as submit comments, artwork, writings, and other submissions for posting on our Site. For this reason, GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO follows the guidelines for interactive electronic media published by the Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Better Business Bureau for pages targeted to children under 13. However, we encourage participation be done only with their parent's knowledge and supervision. We also encourage children to use an alias (e.g., "Bookworm," "Skater," etc.), first name, nickname, initials, or other alternative to full names or screen names which correspond with an email address for any activities which will involve public posting.
In keeping with CARU's Principle regarding respecting and fostering the parents' role in providing guidance for their children, we encourage parents to check and monitor their children's use of e-mail and other online activities regularly.
Use of Cookies and Similar Technologies
Visitors should be aware that non-personal information and data may be automatically collected by the Site through the use of "cookies" or other similar technologies such as web beacons.
"Cookies" are small text files a website can use to recognize repeat visitors, facilitate the visitor's ongoing access to and use of the site, and allow a site to track usage behavior and compile aggregate data that will allow content improvements. Cookies are not programs that come onto a visitor's system and damage files. Generally, cookies work by assigning a unique number to the visitor that has no meaning outside the assigning site. If a visitor does not want information collected through the use of cookies, there is a simple procedure in most browsers that allows the visitor to deny or accept the cookie feature. Visit the help section of your browser or mobile device for more information. Your browser or mobile device may also offer add-ons, plugins, or extensions to manage cookies, local storage objects, scripts, or similar technologies mentioned in this Policy. However, by disabling cookies on your browser or device, you may be prohibited from full use of the Site’s features or lose access to some functionality.
“Web beacons” are a small snippet of code embedded in webpages typically used to monitor activity on a webpage and transfer or collect information, such as information about your Internet Protocol address, the URL of the page on which the beacon is located, the browser type that is accessing the site, and the ID number of cookies placed on your computer.
GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO uses "cookie" technology only to obtain non-personal information from its online visitors in order to improve visitors' online experience and facilitate their visit within our Site. GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO may use web beacons to improve website services, conduct website analytics, first-party advertising relating to us and our sponsors, and to optimize the browsing experience.
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our Site. These companies may use information collected through cookies and similar technologies, including information about your visits to this Site and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you on this or other websites. Read more information about this practice at http://www.networkadvertising.org and http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies.
Links to Other Websites and Services
This Site may be linked to other sites and services that are not maintained by GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO, including sites belonging to other Girl Scout Councils, Girl Scout service units, and Girl Scouts of the USA. These websites have their own privacy policies, which you should review prior to visiting them. We have no responsibility for linked websites and provide these links solely for the convenience and information of our visitors.
Our Security Safeguard
The safety and security of your online experience is of the utmost concern to us. We take measures to implement reasonable physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and help prevent unauthorized access, maintain data security, and correctly use the information we collect online.
Credit Card Safety
Protecting the safety of your credit card information is also important to us. For card transactions we process, we use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to protect the security of your credit card information as it is transmitted to us. SSL is an Internet encryption technology, and a method of scrambling data as it travels from your computer to our website servers. We also encrypt your credit card number when we store your order and whenever we transfer that information to participating merchants.
To make sure you are accessing our secure server before you submit sensitive information, check the document for your browser for indication of an SSL connection (most browsers utilize an unbroken or closed padlock). Verify that SSL is active before submitting sensitive information to our server. To double-check, verify that the URL or address line of your browser for our Site begins with "https."
It is important for you to protect against unauthorized access to your password and to your computer. Be sure to sign off when finished using a shared computer.
If you are under 18, you need parent/guardian permission to use a credit card to make purchases online.
Your Personal Information Choices
GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO primarily serves customers in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Kentucky. Regardless of your state of residency, GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO honor the following rights with respect to Personal Information collected from you when you visit our Site:
- Confirm whether GIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN OHIO is processing your Personal Information and, if so, access that Personal Information.
- Rectify/correct any inaccuracies in your Personal Information.
- Ask us to delete any of your Personal Information that is stored in our systems.
- Obtain a copy of the Personal Information we have for you in a format that allows you to transmit it to another data controller (also known as the "Right to Data Portability").
- Opt out of having your Personal Information processed for purposes of targeted advertising.
While we are not currently subject to the data protection laws that provide rights to residents of U.S. states, we continue to monitor the privacy law landscape and, when necessary, will update our practices and this Policy to remain in compliance with applicable laws.
Exercising Your Rights
To exercise the rights described above, please contact us via our Girl Scouts Privacy Portal, by email to [email protected], or via phone at 888.350.5090.
Only you or an adult you designate to act on your behalf (where permitted by law) may make a request related to your Personal Information. A request to exercise any of these rights must identify the right you want to exercise and describe the information to which your request relates in sufficient detail to allow us to understand, evaluate, and respond to your request.
We may also provide you the opportunity to appeal a decision we make relating to requests to exercise these rights. To appeal a decision, please follow the instructions we provide in our communication to you regarding the status of your request.
How to Contact Us
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy, you can contact us at:
Girl Scouts of Western Ohio
4930 Cornell Road
Cincinnati, OH 45242-1804
Phone: 888.350.5090
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST
Email: [email protected]
Thank you for visiting our Site.
