Skip to content

Youth Science Institute Privacy Policy

Effective Date: Sept. 2026
Last Updated: Sept. 2026

The Youth Science Institute (“YSI,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects the privacy of our participants, families, members, donors, volunteers, employees, and website visitors.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use and protect it, when it may be shared, and the choices available to you.

This policy applies to information collected through:

  • The YSI website
  • Program, camp, and event registrations
  • Membership enrollment
  • Donations and fundraising campaigns
  • Email subscriptions
  • Applications and inquiry forms
  • Surveys and feedback forms
  • Volunteer and employment applications
  • In-person and telephone communications
  • Other services or platforms used to conduct YSI operations

By providing information to YSI or using our website and services, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

The information YSI collects depends on how you interact with us.

Contact and Identification Information

We may collect:

  • First and last name
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Mailing or billing address
  • Household or family information
  • Emergency contact information
  • Membership ID
  • Donor, participant, or customer account identifiers

Program and Participant Information

When registering for camps, school programs, community programs, events, or other services, we may collect:

  • Participant name
  • Age or date of birth
  • Grade level
  • School or organization
  • Parent or guardian information
  • Authorized pickup information
  • Emergency contacts
  • Attendance and registration history
  • Program preferences
  • Accommodation or accessibility information
  • Health, allergy, medication, behavioral, or safety information necessary to support participation
  • Information voluntarily provided about a participant’s needs or circumstances

We ask families and organizations to provide only the information reasonably necessary for YSI to offer a safe and appropriate program experience.

Membership Information

When someone joins the YSI Nature Network, we may collect:

  • Member name and contact information
  • Selected membership level
  • Monthly or annual payment frequency
  • Membership start and renewal dates
  • Membership status
  • Payment and donation history
  • Benefit eligibility and fulfillment information
  • Discount-code usage
  • Communication preferences
  • Gift mailing or pickup information
  • Notes needed to administer membership benefits

Donation and Payment Information

When you make a donation, membership payment, registration payment, merchandise purchase, or other transaction, we may collect:

  • Donor or purchaser name
  • Contact and billing information
  • Transaction amount
  • Transaction date
  • Payment frequency
  • Campaign or fund designation
  • Tribute or dedication information
  • Transaction status
  • Limited payment details, such as the payment method type and the final digits of a payment card
  • Information necessary to issue donation acknowledgments or tax receipts

Payments may be processed by Donorbox, Amilia, Shopify, Stripe, PayPal, or other payment-processing providers.

YSI does not intend to store complete credit-card or bank-account numbers in its general administrative records or membership tracking systems. Payment processors handle payment credentials according to their own security and privacy practices.

Communication and Inquiry Information

When you contact YSI, we may collect:

  • Your name and contact information
  • The content of your message
  • Your communication preferences
  • Records of our correspondence
  • Questions, requests, feedback, or complaints
  • Information you voluntarily provide to YSI staff

Volunteer and Employment Information

If you apply to volunteer or work with YSI, we may collect information such as:

  • Contact information
  • Employment or volunteer history
  • Education and qualifications
  • References
  • Availability
  • Resume or application information
  • Background-check information when legally permitted and appropriate
  • Other information relevant to the application process

Employment and volunteer records may also be subject to separate internal policies and legal requirements.

Photographs, Video, and Other Media

YSI may collect or use photographs, audio recordings, video recordings, artwork, testimonials, or participant stories when appropriate permission has been obtained.

Participation in a YSI program does not automatically grant unlimited permission to use someone’s image. Photo and media use may be governed by a separate registration selection, consent form, or release.

Parents or guardians may contact YSI with questions about an existing media authorization.

Website and Technical Information

When you visit the YSI website, certain information may be collected automatically, including:

  • Internet Protocol address
  • Browser and device type
  • Operating system
  • Referring website
  • Pages viewed
  • Links selected
  • Approximate location derived from an IP address
  • Date and time of access
  • Cookie and similar technology information
  • Website performance and error information

This information may be collected through website hosting, security, analytics, embedded forms, social-media tools, or other website service providers.

2. How We Collect Information

YSI may collect information:

  • Directly from you
  • From a parent, guardian, teacher, school, group coordinator, or authorized representative
  • Through YSI’s website and online forms
  • Through registration and payment platforms
  • Through membership and donation platforms
  • Through email and newsletter platforms
  • During programs, camps, events, or other in-person interactions
  • Through cookies and similar website technologies
  • From service providers acting on YSI’s behalf
  • From publicly available sources when appropriate
  • From partner organizations when you have requested or authorized an interaction involving YSI

If you submit information about another person, you represent that you are authorized to provide that information.

3. How We Use Information

YSI may use collected information to:

  • Process program, camp, and event registrations
  • Provide educational programs and participant services
  • Communicate with families, teachers, schools, and group coordinators
  • Support participant health, safety, accessibility, and emergency needs
  • Process payments, donations, refunds, and financial records
  • Administer YSI Nature Network memberships
  • Generate and manage membership IDs
  • Track membership status and benefit eligibility
  • Distribute membership gifts and benefits
  • Send payment, renewal, and cancellation notices
  • Issue donation acknowledgments and tax receipts
  • Manage donor and supporter relationships
  • Send newsletters, organizational updates, and promotional communications
  • Respond to questions, requests, and complaints
  • Manage volunteers, employees, and applicants
  • Conduct surveys and evaluate programs
  • Improve our website, programs, communications, and services
  • Maintain attendance, registration, operational, and financial records
  • Prevent fraud, misuse, security incidents, and unauthorized transactions
  • Enforce YSI policies and agreements
  • Meet insurance, accounting, tax, regulatory, and legal obligations
  • Protect the safety, rights, and property of participants, families, staff, volunteers, animals, visitors, and YSI

YSI will not use sensitive participant information for unrelated marketing purposes.

4. Email and Other Communications

YSI may send two general types of communication.

Administrative Communications

Administrative communications are necessary to provide a requested service or manage an existing relationship. These may include:

  • Registration confirmations
  • Program instructions
  • Schedule or location changes
  • Emergency or safety communications
  • Payment receipts
  • Membership confirmations
  • Membership benefit information
  • Failed-payment notices
  • Renewal reminders
  • Cancellation confirmations
  • Donation acknowledgments
  • Responses to inquiries

You may continue to receive necessary administrative messages even if you unsubscribe from general marketing communications.

Optional Newsletters and Promotional Communications

With your consent or where otherwise permitted, YSI may send:

  • Newsletters
  • Program announcements
  • Event invitations
  • Fundraising appeals
  • Animal Ambassador updates
  • Member updates
  • Surveys
  • Community news

You may unsubscribe from optional promotional emails by selecting the unsubscribe link included in the message or contacting YSI.

Unsubscribing from promotional communications does not automatically cancel registrations, memberships, donations, or other services.

5. How We Share Information

YSI does not sell or rent personal information.

We may share information only when reasonably necessary for YSI operations, including the circumstances described below.

Service Providers

YSI may use trusted companies and platforms to perform services such as:

  • Program registration
  • Donation and membership processing
  • Payment processing
  • Email distribution
  • Website hosting
  • Form collection
  • Calendar management
  • Internal workflow automation
  • Customer or donor record management
  • Merchandise sales
  • File storage
  • Data analysis
  • Accounting
  • Technology support

These providers may access information only as needed to perform services for YSI and are subject to their own contracts, privacy policies, and security practices.

Platforms used by YSI may include Donorbox, Amilia, Brevo, Jotform, Google Workspace, Shopify, Stripe, PayPal, WordPress, n8n, and other operational service providers.

Schools, Organizations, and Program Partners

When a school, group, or community organization coordinates participation, YSI may share necessary registration, scheduling, attendance, safety, or program information with the authorized coordinator.

YSI does not share sensitive participant information with a partner unless it is necessary, authorized, or legally permitted.

Legal, Safety, and Regulatory Purposes

YSI may disclose information when reasonably necessary to:

  • Comply with a law, subpoena, court order, or government request
  • Report suspected child abuse, neglect, or another legally reportable concern
  • Respond to an emergency
  • Protect the health or safety of a participant or another person
  • Prevent fraud or investigate suspected misuse
  • Protect YSI’s rights, property, staff, volunteers, visitors, or animals
  • Support an insurance claim, legal proceeding, or regulatory obligation

Organizational Transactions

If YSI participates in a merger, transfer, restructuring, or similar organizational transaction, relevant records may be transferred as part of that process, subject to applicable law and appropriate safeguards.

6. Donor Privacy

YSI respects the privacy of its donors and members.

YSI does not sell, rent, or trade donor names, mailing addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, or donation histories to outside organizations for those organizations’ independent marketing purposes.

Donor and member information may be shared with service providers that help YSI process donations, maintain records, issue receipts, distribute communications, or fulfill benefits.

Donor recognition will occur only as described during the donation or membership process. Donors and members may request to:

  • Remain anonymous in public recognition
  • Change how their name appears
  • Be removed from a public donor or member recognition list

Anonymous recognition does not prevent YSI from maintaining information required for accounting, tax, fraud-prevention, or legal purposes.

7. Children’s Privacy

YSI provides educational programs for children, but registrations and online transactions should be completed by a parent, legal guardian, teacher, school representative, or other authorized adult.

YSI does not knowingly request that a child under 13 independently submit personal information through the website without appropriate adult involvement or consent.

YSI may receive information about children from parents, guardians, schools, and authorized group coordinators when necessary to:

  • Register a child for a program
  • Confirm age or grade eligibility
  • Maintain attendance records
  • Support accessibility or accommodation needs
  • Protect participant health and safety
  • Respond to an emergency
  • Fulfill legal or insurance requirements

Parents and legal guardians may contact YSI to request access to, correction of, or deletion of a child’s information, subject to legal, safety, operational, and record-retention requirements.

The Federal Trade Commission explains that COPPA establishes requirements for certain websites and online services that collect personal information from children under 13. FTC children’s privacy guidance

8. Health, Accessibility, and Emergency Information

YSI may collect health, allergy, medication, disability, behavioral, accommodation, or emergency information when reasonably necessary to support safe participation.

Access to this information should be limited to employees, instructors, volunteers, service providers, or emergency personnel who reasonably need it.

YSI may disclose necessary information during a medical, behavioral, or safety emergency when YSI reasonably believes disclosure is needed to protect the participant or others.

YSI will not use participant health or accommodation information for unrelated advertising or fundraising.

9. Cookies and Website Technologies

YSI’s website and its service providers may use cookies, pixels, embedded content, and similar technologies to:

  • Keep the website functioning
  • Remember user preferences
  • Understand website traffic
  • Measure the effectiveness of outreach
  • Identify technical errors
  • Prevent fraud and improve security
  • Support embedded forms, videos, maps, donation tools, or social-media features

Some cookies are necessary for website operation. Others may be used for analytics or outreach.

You may be able to limit cookies through your browser settings. Blocking certain cookies may affect website functionality.

YSI should confirm whether the website uses Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, Google Ads, or another advertising tracker. If it does, those tools should be specifically disclosed and the website may need an appropriate cookie-consent mechanism.

10. Third-Party Websites and Services

The YSI website may contain links to websites or services operated by other organizations, including registration, donation, payment, social-media, mapping, and video platforms.

YSI does not control the privacy or security practices of independent third parties. Information submitted directly to another service is governed by that service’s privacy policy in addition to any protections provided by YSI.

We encourage users to review the privacy policy of any external service before submitting personal or payment information.

11. Data Retention

YSI retains personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to:

  • Provide programs and services
  • Maintain registration and attendance records
  • Administer memberships and donations
  • Fulfill benefits
  • Process transactions and refunds
  • Maintain accounting and tax documentation
  • Meet insurance requirements
  • Resolve disputes
  • Enforce agreements
  • Satisfy legal, regulatory, safety, or operational requirements
  • Preserve appropriate organizational records

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of record.

For example:

  • Financial and donation records may be retained for the period required by accounting, tax, audit, or legal obligations.
  • Participant health and emergency information may be retained for the applicable program period and any additional period required for safety, insurance, or legal purposes.
  • Email subscription information may be retained until the individual unsubscribes or YSI no longer needs the record.
  • Suppression records may be retained to ensure that an unsubscribe request continues to be honored.
  • Membership records may be retained after a membership ends for financial, historical, administrative, and renewal purposes.

When information is no longer reasonably necessary, YSI may securely delete, anonymize, or archive it.

12. Information Security

YSI uses reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards intended to protect personal information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure.

These measures may include:

  • Limiting access based on job responsibility
  • Using password-protected accounts
  • Using reputable payment and registration providers
  • Maintaining access controls
  • Training staff on appropriate information handling
  • Avoiding the storage of complete payment-card information
  • Reviewing account access when staff responsibilities change
  • Using secure deletion or disposal practices where appropriate

No website, electronic transmission, or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. YSI therefore cannot guarantee absolute security.

If YSI becomes aware of a data-security incident, it will investigate and provide notification when required by law.

13. Your Privacy Choices

You may contact YSI to request that we:

  • Confirm whether we maintain personal information about you
  • Provide access to certain information
  • Correct inaccurate information
  • Update contact or communication preferences
  • Remove you from optional marketing communications
  • Delete information when reasonably possible
  • Explain how particular information is being used
  • Update public donor or member recognition preferences

Some requests may be limited when YSI must retain information for:

  • Financial or tax records
  • Program administration
  • Child safety
  • Insurance requirements
  • Legal compliance
  • Fraud prevention
  • Dispute resolution
  • The protection of YSI or another person

YSI may need to verify your identity or authority before completing a request. A parent or guardian requesting information about a child may be asked to verify their relationship to that child.

YSI will not discriminate against an individual for making a good-faith privacy request.

14. California Privacy Information

California residents may have privacy rights under applicable state law. The exact rights available may depend on YSI’s legal status, activities, and whether a particular law applies to YSI.

Even when a specific consumer privacy law does not legally apply, YSI will make reasonable efforts to honor requests to access, correct, or delete personal information, subject to the exceptions described in this policy.

YSI does not sell personal information and does not share donor information with outside organizations for their independent marketing purposes.

California residents may submit a privacy request using the contact information below.

15. International Users

YSI primarily operates in California and directs its programs and services toward individuals, schools, and organizations in the United States.

If you provide information to YSI from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States, where privacy laws may differ from those in your location.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

YSI may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in:

  • Our programs and services
  • Our membership or donation practices
  • Technology and service providers
  • Legal or regulatory requirements
  • Our information-handling practices

The updated policy will be posted on the YSI website with a revised “Last Updated” date.

If a change materially affects how YSI uses previously collected personal information, YSI will provide additional notice when reasonably appropriate or legally required.

17. Contact YSI

Questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or YSI’s handling of personal information may be directed to:

Youth Science Institute
Email: info@ysi-ca.org
Phone: 408-356-4945
Website: https://ysi-ca.org/
Mailing Address: 296 Garden Hill Dr. Los Gatos CA 95032

Please do not send complete credit-card numbers, bank information, Social Security numbers, medical records, or other highly sensitive information through ordinary email.