The website www.houstonarboretum.org is owned and operated by the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center (Houston Arboretum). The Houston Arboretum places a high priority on protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy is designed to keep you informed regarding the information we collect and how the information is used. It is our priority to combine excellent customer service with the highest level of integrity when dealing with users of our website.

The primary purpose of our website is to provide information about the Houston Arboretum, not to gather personal information. We do however, gather some information that is described below. The information collected is used to improve the content of our Web pages and track the use of the website. We collect two types of information, personal information that you knowingly choose to provide, and information collected on an aggregate basis that does not link to any one individual.

Information you knowingly choose to provide

Throughout this website you may choose to provide information such as your name, postal address, email address, telephone number and credit card information. The Houston Arboretum may use your information to complete event or class registrations, respond to your inquiries, process contributions, or send information such as newsletters. None of the personal information is shared outside our organization at any point and we employ the highest standards to ensure that your information is protected. Personal information is not shared with third-parties except to fulfill requested transactions.

Information collected on an aggregate basis

Much like other websites, our www.houstonarboretum.org may utilize a standard technology called “cookies” (see the below “Cookie Definition”) and Web server logs to collect information. The information cookies provide may include the time spent on our site, pages viewed, the date and the time of visits, and sometimes the websites that referred you to our site. All of this information is on an aggregate bases and is not associated with the user as an individual. We use this information only to see how our website is being used and to measure how users interact with the website content.

Cookie definition

A cookie is a small text file that is created on the computer’s hard drive. The cookie gives that user a unique, random ID that enables the Web site to readily recognize each visitor on subsequent visits to the site. Cookies may indicate the preferences selected by a visitor on a prior visit and facilitate more efficient browsing on future visits. Cookies can be deleted from the computer anytime through the computer’s control panel.

Newsletters and mailings

If you supply us with your postal address and/or email address on our website, you may receive periodic paper and/or email mailings from us with information on classes, programs, news, and upcoming events. If you do not wish to receive such email mailings you can unsubscribe at any time using the “Unsubscribe” option at the bottom of each email from us. You can unsubscribe from paper mailings by calling us at 713-681-8433.

Changes to our Privacy Policy

The Houston Arboretum does not anticipate making changes to our Privacy Policy, however, if changes are made they will be posted here.

Security

During the transfer of any sensitive information such as credit card numbers during transactions, we redirect visitors to a secure server for the transfer of data. Our servers are protected by reasonable physical and electronic securities. The servers encrypt all of your personal information, including credit card number, name, and address, so that it cannot be read over the internet. We have appropriate security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of information that we have collected from you at our site.

Child protection

The website www.houstonarboretum.org is not designed or directed towards children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from any person we know is under the age of 13. If you are under 13 please do not submit any personal information.

Restriction of use

The right to download, store, and output materials and information on this website is granted for personal use only. No materials may be reproduced in an edited form. Any reproduction, alteration, or editing of the materials on this site without the express written permission from the Houston Arboretum is strictly prohibited. If users wish to reproduce any of the content on this site, or use it for commercial use they must contact us directly.

Access, review or change your personal information

If at any time you would like to review or make changes to the personal information you provided the Houston Arboretum, please use the contact information below.

Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
4501 Woodway Drive
Houston, TX 77024
[email protected]
713-681-843

The Donor Bill of Rights

Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To ensure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the nonprofit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:

I. To be informed of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.

II. To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization’s governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.

III. To have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.

IV. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.

V. To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.

VI. To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.

VII. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.

VIII. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.

IX. To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.

X. To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.