SolarWAVE Action ("we, us, or our") is a California nonprofit social welfare organization recognized under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. We are committed to protecting the privacy of visitors, supporters, donors, volunteers, partners, and members of the public (collectively, "you" or "your") who interact with our website at https://solarwaveaction.org/ (the "Site"), our blog and educational materials, our email lists, and our project inquiry and donation channels (collectively, the "Services").
This Privacy Policy describes the types of information we collect, how we use and share it, the choices and rights available to you, and how we safeguard your information. It is designed to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act ("CCPA/CPRA"), and—where applicable to visitors located in the European Economic Area ("EEA"), United Kingdom, or Switzerland—the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR").
Because we are a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, certain U.S. privacy laws (including the CCPA/CPRA) may not legally apply to us in all circumstances. Nonetheless, we have voluntarily adopted the consumer-friendly disclosures, rights, and practices described in this Policy as a matter of good governance and respect for your privacy.
By accessing or using the Services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with this Policy, please do not use the Services.
This Policy applies to information collected through:
This Policy does not apply to third-party websites, applications, or services that we link to or that integrate with our Site. Those third parties are governed by their own privacy policies, which we encourage you to review.
We collect information from and about you in three general ways: (a) information you provide directly, (b) information collected automatically, and (c) information from third-party sources.
3.1 Information You Provide Directly. We collect the following types of information when you interact with us:
3.2 Information Collected Automatically. When you visit the Site, we and our service providers may automatically collect certain information about your device and your interaction with the Site, including:
3.3 Information From Third Parties. We may receive information about you from third parties, including:
We use the information we collect for the following purposes, consistent with our charitable and social-welfare mission:
We will not use your sensitive personal information (as defined under California law) for purposes other than those permitted by Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.121, and we will not retaliate against you for exercising your privacy rights.
If you are located in the EEA, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we rely on the following legal bases under the GDPR/UK GDPR to process your personal data:
Where we process special categories of personal data (e.g., information that may reveal political opinions disclosed when you tell us why you support our advocacy work), we rely on your explicit consent or another lawful condition under Article 9 GDPR, such as your manifest public disclosure or our processing in connection with a not-for-profit body with a political, philosophical, religious, or trade-union aim.
We and our service providers use cookies, pixels, web beacons, tags, and similar technologies (collectively, "Cookies") to operate the Site, remember your preferences, measure traffic, and (where permitted) personalize and measure communications.
6.1 Categories of Cookies We Use. We deploy cookies in the following categories:
6.2 Google Analytics. We use Google Analytics, a web-analytics service provided by Google LLC ("Google"), to understand how visitors use the Site. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar identifiers to collect information about your use of the Site, which is then aggregated with data from other users. You can learn more about Google's practices at policies.google.com/privacy. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
6.3 Email Platform (Mailchimp). We use Mailchimp (operated by Intuit Inc.) or a comparable email service provider to deliver our newsletters, action alerts, and event communications. Mailchimp uses tracking pixels and links to measure opens, clicks, deliverability, and engagement. You can unsubscribe from these emails at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email you receive from us, by emailing communications@solarwaveaction.org, or by managing your preferences in our preference center.
6.4 Social Media Pixels. Our Site uses pixels and SDKs from social media platforms, including Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and X (formerly Twitter), to measure the reach of our advocacy and educational content and to enable us to communicate with our audience on those platforms. These technologies may permit the platforms to recognize you across services and devices, including when you are logged into their services. We do not control these platforms' practices; please review their privacy policies for more information.
6.5 Your Choices About Tracking. You have several options for limiting or opting out of tracking:
We share personal information only as described below. We do not sell your personal information for monetary consideration. To the extent that the use of cross-context advertising or analytics cookies constitutes "sharing" or a "sale" under California law, we provide an opt-out mechanism (see Section 9).
7.1 Service Providers. We share personal information with vendors that perform services on our behalf, including:
Service providers are contractually limited to using personal information only for the purposes for which it was disclosed and consistent with this Policy and applicable law.
7.2 Coalition and Mission Partners. Consistent with our 501(c)(4) social-welfare mission, we may from time to time share information about supporters and donors with carefully selected coalition partners, allied advocacy organizations, or fiscal sponsors when doing so advances a shared advocacy or educational program. Where required by law, we will obtain your consent or provide a meaningful opportunity to opt out before such sharing.
7.3 Legal and Safety Disclosures. We may disclose information when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to: (a) comply with a subpoena, court order, or other legal process; (b) respond to a lawful request from a government authority; (c) enforce our terms or policies; (d) protect the rights, property, or safety of SolarWAVE Action, our staff, supporters, or others; or (e) detect or prevent fraud, security incidents, or illegal activity.
7.4 Business Transfers. If SolarWAVE Action is involved in a merger, asset transfer, restructuring, dissolution, or similar transaction, personal information may be transferred to a successor entity, subject to commitments at least as protective as this Policy.
7.5 With Your Direction or Consent. We may share information with other parties at your direction or with your consent, such as when you ask us to introduce you to a partner organization or post a public comment.
7.6 Aggregated and De-Identified Information. We may share aggregated, anonymized, or de-identified information that cannot reasonably be used to identify you for research, advocacy, education, fundraising, and reporting purposes.
Donations are processed by Stripe, Inc., a PCI-DSS Level 1 certified payment processor. When you donate:
Recurring donors may manage or cancel their recurring gifts at any time by contacting us at communications@solarwaveaction.org.
We rely on your sign-up to add you to our email list. Each email contains a one-click unsubscribe link. You may also email us at communications@solarwaveaction.org or write to the address in Section 19 to update your preferences or stop receiving messages from us. We will continue to send transactional and operational messages (e.g., donation receipts, responses to your inquiry, event confirmations) as needed even if you opt out of marketing.
We comply with the federal CAN-SPAM Act, California Business & Professions Code §§ 17529 et seq., the Telephone Consumer Protection Act ("TCPA") to the extent applicable, and—where applicable to EEA/UK recipients—the GDPR and the EU/UK ePrivacy rules.
Our Site includes a blog and library of educational materials concerning clean energy, climate change, and social-justice issues. If you post a comment, submit a question, or otherwise interact with these resources, please remember that any information you make publicly available may be read, collected, and used by others. We are not responsible for the personal information you choose to disclose publicly.
We may moderate comments to remove spam, harassment, or off-topic content. We may retain moderated comments and associated metadata for security and abuse-prevention purposes.
Where we offer downloadable resources (white papers, toolkits, fact sheets), we may ask for your name and email so we can follow up with related advocacy and educational content. You may unsubscribe at any time.
We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These include encryption in transit (TLS) for the Site and donation pages, restricted access on a need-to-know basis, multi-factor authentication for sensitive systems, vendor due diligence, and incident-response procedures.
No method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information, and you provide it at your own risk. If we learn of a security incident affecting your personal information, we will notify you and applicable authorities as required by law.
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, comply with our legal, regulatory, tax, audit, and reporting obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Specifically:
When we no longer need personal information, we will delete, destroy, or de-identify it in a secure manner.
The Site is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 in violation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA"). If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at communications@solarwaveaction.org and we will promptly delete it.
We also do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of consumers we know to be under 16 years of age without affirmative authorization, as required by the CCPA/CPRA.
This Section provides additional disclosures required by the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act ("CCPA/CPRA"), and Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.83 ("Shine the Light"). It applies to California residents.
14.1 Categories of Personal Information We Collect. The table below describes the categories of personal information defined by California law that we have collected during the preceding 12 months and examples of the information collected in each category.
| CCPA Category | Examples Collected by Us | Collected? |
|---|---|---|
| A. Identifiers | Name, email address, postal address, phone number, IP address, online identifiers, account login. | Yes |
| B. Customer Records (Cal. Civ. Code 1798.80(e)) | Name, contact information, donation history, billing information processed by Stripe. | Yes |
| C. Protected Classifications | If voluntarily provided in a project inquiry or survey (e.g., demographic data for grant or community-impact programs). | Sometimes |
| D. Commercial Information | Records of donations made and merchandise or event registrations, if any. | Yes |
| E. Biometric Information | Not collected. | No |
| F. Internet/Network Activity | Browsing, page views, referring URLs, interaction with advertisements and content, device/browser info. | Yes |
| G. Geolocation Data | Approximate location derived from IP address (city/region level). | Yes (general) |
| H. Sensory Data | Not collected absent express opt-in (e.g., uploaded photos in an inquiry). | Rarely |
| I. Professional/Employment | Title, employer, or affiliation if voluntarily provided in an inquiry, partnership form, or job application. | Sometimes |
| J. Education Information | Generally not collected unless voluntarily shared. | Rarely |
| K. Inferences | Issue interests inferred from blog/educational content engagement and email-list activity. | Yes |
| L. Sensitive Personal Information | We do not intentionally collect sensitive PI (e.g., precise geolocation, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, genetic data, health information). If voluntarily provided in an inquiry, we use it solely to respond to that inquiry. | Limited |
We obtain the categories of personal information listed above from the sources described in Section 3, including directly from you, automatically through your interaction with the Site, and from third-party platforms and partners.
14.2 Business and Commercial Purposes. We use the categories of personal information listed above for the business and commercial purposes described in Section 4 of this Policy, including operating the Site, processing donations, communicating with you, supporting our advocacy and educational mission, and complying with law.
14.3 Categories Disclosed and Categories "Sold" or "Shared". In the preceding 12 months, we have disclosed the categories of personal information described in Section 14.1 to the categories of recipients described in Section 7 (service providers, coalition partners, professional advisors, and government authorities, as applicable).
We do not sell personal information for monetary consideration. However, our use of certain advertising and social-media cookies/pixels (such as the Meta Pixel and X Pixel) may constitute "sharing" of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising or, in some interpretations, a "sale" under the CCPA/CPRA. The categories of personal information that may be shared in this manner are Identifiers and Internet/Network Activity. Recipients are the relevant advertising platforms.
We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of consumers under 16 years of age.
14.4 Sensitive Personal Information. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for purposes that would require us to offer a "Right to Limit" under Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.121.
14.5 Your California Privacy Rights. Subject to certain exceptions, California residents have the following rights:
14.6 How to Exercise Your Rights. You may submit a request to know, delete, correct, opt out of sale/sharing, or limit use of sensitive PI by:
We will verify your request using reasonable methods, which may require you to confirm two or more pieces of personal information that we already maintain about you. We will respond within 45 days, with one 45-day extension where reasonably necessary, as permitted by law.
Authorized Agents. You may designate an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf. We will require written, signed authorization (or a valid power of attorney), and we may verify your identity directly. Agents must follow the same submission methods listed above.
Shine the Light. California Civil Code § 1798.83 entitles California residents who provide personal information to a business to request, once per calendar year, information about the categories of personal information shared with third parties for those third parties' direct-marketing purposes. We do not currently share personal information with third parties for their own direct-marketing purposes. To make a Shine the Light request, contact us at communications@solarwaveaction.org.
Notice of Financial Incentive. We do not currently offer financial incentives or price/service differences in exchange for personal information.
If you are located in the EEA, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data, subject to applicable exemptions:
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 19. We will respond within one month and may extend that period where permitted by law.
15.1 International Transfers. We are based in the United States. When we receive personal data from the EEA, the UK, or Switzerland, that data is transferred to and processed in the United States. Where required, we rely on the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses, the UK Addendum, the Swiss Addendum, or other valid transfer mechanisms with our service providers, and we apply supplementary measures (such as encryption and access controls) where appropriate.
15.2 Automated Decision-Making. We do not use solely automated decision-making, including profiling, that produces legal or similarly significant effects about you.
15.3 Identity of the Controller. The data controller for your personal data is SolarWAVE Action, 2222 East Cliff Drive, Suite 220 Santa Cruz, CA 95062.
Residents of certain other U.S. states (including Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Montana, and others as their laws come into effect) may have rights similar to those described above for California residents, including the rights to access, correct, delete, port, and opt out of certain processing of their personal information. To exercise any such rights, please contact us using the information in Section 19. We will treat your request consistently with applicable law.
The Site may contain links to third-party websites, plug-ins, social-media features, and integrations not operated or controlled by us. This Policy does not apply to those third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site or service you visit.
We may update this Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or our mission. When we make material changes, we will post the updated Policy on the Site and update the "Effective Date" above. Where required by law, we will provide additional notice (such as by email). We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.
If you have questions, concerns, or requests about this Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at: