Privacy Policy

1. What Information We Collect

When you visit and interact with the Starting Hearts website, we may collect two fundamental types of information:

• Personal Information You Knowingly Provide: Information collected on an individual basis when you correspond with us, purchase products from our shop, register for CPR/AED classes, or submit inquiries.
• Website Use Information: Technical and navigational information collected automatically on an aggregate basis as you and other visitors browse our web pages.

2. Personal Information You Choose to Provide

You may voluntarily provide us with personal contact information—including your full name, email address, mailing or physical address, and telephone number—when participating in the following activities:

• Direct email or telephone correspondence with our administrative and training staff.
• Inquiring about community partnerships, volunteer roles, or instructor training pathways.
• Requesting AED assessments, placement evaluations, or equipment maintenance guidance.
• Signing up for educational programs, school workshops, or community events.

If you choose to correspond with us via email, telephone, or mail, we may retain the content of your communications along with your contact details and our responses to ensure effective follow-up and service delivery.

3. Ecommerce & Order Processing

When you place an order for automated external defibrillators (AEDs), replacement pads, batteries, or accessories through our online shop, we collect the necessary order fulfillment and billing details, including your name, billing address, shipping address, email address, phone number, and order item details.

Payment Processing: Payment transactions in our online store are processed directly through licensed third-party payment gateways (such as Stripe). Starting Hearts does not collect, process, or store your full credit card numbers, CVV security codes, or banking credentials on our local servers.

Charitable Donations: Online charitable contributions made via our website are handed off directly to the official Starting Hearts secure donation platform (startinghearts.org/get-involved/donate.html ↗). Donation transactions and payment data are governed by the secure processing infrastructure of that portal.

4. Automated Technologies & Cookies

Similar to other modern websites, our site may utilize standard technologies including browser cookies, local storage, and web server logs to facilitate site navigation, maintain shopping cart state, and evaluate website performance.

What Are Cookies? Cookies are small text files placed on your device by your web browser that enable a web server to recognize your device across visits. Cookies assist in keeping track of your selected cart items, preserving user preferences, and streamlining transactions across related pages.

Server Logs: Our web servers automatically log standard network request details, including Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, browser types, operating systems, referring and exit pages, date and time stamps, and requested resource URLs. We use this technical data to monitor system stability, evaluate server capacity, protect against cyber threats, and continually optimize site performance.

5. How We Use Information

Broadly speaking, Starting Hearts uses the information collected for legitimate organizational and educational purposes, including:

• Administering our nonprofit mission and coordinating community lifesaving initiatives.
• Processing, shipping, and servicing AED equipment orders and maintenance supplies.
• Organizing, scheduling, and confirming CPR, AED, and instructor training courses.
• Responding to visitor inquiries, partnership proposals, and support requests.
• Notifying participants about important program updates, safety alerts, or significant website changes.
• Safeguarding our website, users, and infrastructure against fraudulent or unauthorized activity.

6. Interactive Assistant & Video Embeds

Conversational Chat Widget: Our website features an automated conversational assistant provided through Orcube / Concrete Chat (hosted at bot.orcube.com). When you interact with the assistant, your submitted message prompts and session timestamps are transmitted to and processed by the chat service provider to deliver immediate informational responses.

Embedded Video Content: Certain educational and partnership pages embed video players hosted by YouTube. When you view or interact with embedded video players, YouTube (Google LLC) may set cookies and collect device and interaction data according to Google's published privacy policy.

7. Third-Party Services & External Links

Starting Hearts works with select third-party service providers (including ecommerce infrastructure, payment processors, and hosting services) that assist in operating our website and delivering our programs. These service providers are granted access only to the information reasonably necessary to perform their contracted functions.

External Links: Our web pages contain hyperlinks to external publishers (e.g., Vail Daily, Summit Daily), public safety agencies, municipal partners, and community organizations. Starting Hearts is not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or policies of third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy statements of any external site you visit.

8. Notices of Changes & Communications

Periodically, we may use your contact information to notify you about critical organizational developments, course scheduling confirmations, or important changes to our services. You may at any time request to be removed from optional informational mailings by contacting us directly at info@startinghearts.org.

9. Information Security & Email Warning

Starting Hearts takes reasonable technical and organizational measures to safeguard the confidentiality of personal information against unauthorized access, accidental loss, alteration, or disclosure. We utilize Transport Layer Security (TLS / HTTPS) encryption for data transmitted between your browser and our website.

10. Accessing & Correcting Your Information

You may request access to, review, update, or request the deletion of personally identifiable information maintained in our active records by sending a written request to info@startinghearts.org or contacting our administrative office at 1-800-484-2550.

11. Disclosures to Outside Parties

Starting Hearts does not sell, rent, trade, or commercialize your personal information to third parties. We may share non-personally identifiable aggregate traffic metrics and general demographic summaries with grantors, philanthropic partners, or reputable affiliates to illustrate program reach and community impact.

12. Legally Compelled Disclosure

We may disclose personal information when legally compelled to do so by applicable law, court order, subpoena, or governmental regulation, or when we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to protect our legal rights, ensure public safety, or respond to an emergency situation.

13. Website Materials & Contact Information

Permission to Use Website Materials: Content, educational graphics, training materials, and documentation appearing on this website are protected by applicable copyright and trademark laws. Users are granted permission to view and download materials solely for personal, non-commercial educational use. Any unauthorized mechanical or electronic reproduction, transmission, or republication without prior written consent from Starting Hearts is strictly prohibited.