Privacy Policy

Information you give us

When you create an account, register for an event, make a donation, join our mailing list or contact us, we may ask for:

• Your first and last name
• Your email address and phone number
• Your mailing address (city, state and ZIP code)
• Details you choose to share, such as the pujas or events you are registering for

Payment information

Donations and event payments are handled by Stripe, our payment processor. Your card or bank details go directly to Stripe; we never receive or store your full card number.

Information collected automatically

Like most websites, our servers record basic technical information when you visit, such as your IP address, browser type, the pages you view and when you visited. We use it to keep the site running securely and to fix problems.

When you use the Tattvamasi app, we may also collect your device type, operating system, app version and a unique device identifier, for the same reasons.

We use your information to:

• Create and manage your account on the website and in the Tattvamasi app
• Process event registrations and donations, and send receipts
• Send event updates and Samaaj news, if you signed up for them
• Send notifications in the Tattvamasi app, if you turn them on
• Answer your questions and requests
• Keep the website and app secure and prevent misuse
• Understand how the website and app are used so we can improve them
• Meet our legal and tax obligations as a nonprofit

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We share it only in these situations:

• Service providers who help us run the Samaaj: our website host, payment processor (Stripe), email service (Constant Contact), site search (Algolia) and Google (for “Sign in with Google” and reCAPTCHA spam protection on our forms). They may use your information only to provide their service to us.
• Volunteers and board members who need it to organize the events you register for.
• When the law requires it, such as a valid court order, or to protect the safety of devotees, volunteers or the public.
• With your permission, for any other purpose you agree to.

We use a small number of essential cookies, mainly to keep you signed in and to protect our forms from misuse. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.

Our Cookie Policy lists each cookie and explains how to control them.

If you join our mailing list, we will send you news about pujas, bhajans and festivals. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of every email, or by writing to us.

Even after you unsubscribe, we may still send messages tied to something you did, such as a donation receipt or an update about an event you registered for.

If you allow notifications in the Tattvamasi app, we may send reminders about pujas and events. You can turn them off at any time in your device settings.

We keep your information only as long as we need it. Donation records are kept as long as tax law requires; technical logs are kept for a shorter time unless we need them to investigate a security problem.

We protect your information with encrypted (HTTPS) connections and by limiting access to those who need it. No website can be completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Our website, the Tattvamasi app and our service providers are based in the United States. If you visit from another country, your information will be stored in the United States.

We do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13. Children taking part in events such as Kids Mala Dharana are registered by a parent or guardian.

If you believe a child under 13 has given us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

Wherever you live, you can ask us to:

• Tell you what personal information we hold about you
• Correct information that is wrong or out of date
• Delete your account and information, unless we must keep it (for example, donation records needed for tax purposes)
• Stop sending you mailing-list emails

Email ayyappasamaaj@gmail.com to make a request. We may need to confirm your identity first.

Do Not Track

We do not track visitors across other websites, so the site works the same whether or not your browser sends a "Do Not Track" signal.

California "Shine the Light"

California residents may ask whether we share personal information with third parties for their own direct marketing. We do not.

Our website links to sites we do not run, such as temple websites, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and our mailing-list signup page. Their own privacy policies apply when you visit them, and we are not responsible for their practices.

When we update this policy, we will post the new version here and change the "Last updated" date. For significant changes, we will also tell registered users by email or with a notice on the website before they take effect.