Privacy Policy
Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship Corporation
Privacy Policy
Date of Last Revision: January 5, 2024
1. About this document
The Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship’s (“WCEC”) Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and share the personal information you decide to share and will help you make informed decisions when accessing or using the WCEC website, located at www.wcecnj.org or any successor websites, including any and all mobile versions thereof (collectively, the “Website”).
By registering with WCEC, using or accessing the Website, you are agreeing to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. Your use of the Website is also subject to the WCEC Terms of Use (https://www.wcecnj.org/terms-of-use/). If you do not agree with these policies, do not access or use our Services or interact with any other aspect of our business.
If you have questions or concerns regarding this statement, you should contact our staff at info@wcecnj.org.
2. WCEC’s Privacy Principles
WCEC operates as a non-profit, social impact organization. We are powered by volunteer mentors who care deeply, a community based on mutual trust, and the belief that a better world is possible.
- • We will never sell or rent your data to third parties.
- • Other information that you provide to WCEC is confidential.
- • Your conversations with others in the WCEC community are confidential. It is also your responsibility to help us keep it that way.
- • General information about your activity on the site helps us to do our job.
- • We only share data with trusted funders in order to improve our service and to measure our impact.
- • If you engage with WCEC through your employer or other organization, some information about your activity may be shared with them.
- • You can control how we communicate with you.
- • If you have participated in any programming with WCEC through your employer or other organization, you may be subject to their respective policies and procedures regarding privacy and acceptable use of this website. Please contact your program administrator for more details. WCEC is not responsible for monitoring your compliance with such third party policies.
You have rights to the information that we request or have collected about you.
- • You can ask to be removed from the community.
- • We are based in the United States, and data is transferred and held securely within US-based data centers. When our global operations require us to transfer information to other countries we utilize appropriate safeguards.
- • You can contact us at any time at the contact information below:
Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship
227 Main Street, 2nd Floor,
Chatham, NJ 07928
Phone: 973-507-9700
3. Information we collect about you
Information you provide to us
Registration Information. When you register with WCEC and create a user profile to participate in WCEC’s programs, you provide us with certain personal and business information, such as your name, your email address, your telephone number, your postal code, your group or company affiliations, and your password.
WCEC also collects other contact, demographic and business information, including the type of business, financial information of the business, formation date and other information as required by the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) in order for the SBA and other funders to evaluate the impact of our programs and as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy.
WCEC does not collect any other personally identifiable information (“PII”) such as EIN numbers, Social Security Numbers and dates of birth.
Information we receive from other sources
Other users – Messages, endorsements and feedback
WCEC may collect or request information about you from other users you have interacted with. This may include messages they exchanged with you, feedback on your conversations, ratings, or endorsements. We also collect negative feedback such as when there may be evidence of spam, solicitation, or fraud.
Information we collect automatically when you use our service
When you access the Website, we collect your IP address, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, platform and device type, date/time stamp, and number of clicks. This information is gathered for all Website users. We use your IP address and/or country preference in order to approximate your location to provide you with a better Service experience.
4. How we use information we collect
To provide services and personalize your experience
Once you enroll in a class or Business Counseling session, or you connect with a potential grantor or loan provider, your name and associated content will be supplied to the WCEC personnel that is teaching, counseling or otherwise assisting you with your business needs, as well as other users that you may interact with during a class or other interactive session.
For research and development
To (i) evaluate and improve the WCEC services and the Website, (ii) offer personalized features, and (iii) measure Impact, we will use non-identifiable, aggregate information to guide our program efforts and report to funders, stakeholders and external partners.
Communicating with you about the service
To communicate with you regarding our services, classes, counseling process, grant opportunities and upcoming WCEC events or initiatives. WCEC may send you service-related announcements from time to time through the general operation of the service. For instance, if you receive a mentoring request or an offer for mentoring advice, you may receive an email or other message alerting you to that fact.
To market and promote the service
With your explicit permission, which will be communicated to and obtained from you in advance via email we may use your personal details to promote WCEC. You will be contacted before any release of such information for WCEC’s promotional purposes, and you may withdraw any permission that you may grant at any time.
For customer support
We communicate with users to provide requested services and in regards to issues relating to their accounts. We may reply via email, regular mail or phone, depending on the nature of the communication.
For safety and security
We use information about you and your Service use to verify accounts and activity, to monitor suspicious or fraudulent activity and to identify violations of Service policies.
With your consent
We use information about you where you have given us consent to do so for a specific purpose not listed above. For example, we may publish testimonials or featured customer stories to promote WCEC, or display photographs of you from a WCEC event, with your permission. In such instances, terms and conditions for the collection and use of information will be stated separately and made available to respondents in advance of data collection.
If you have consented to our use of information about you for a specific purpose, you have the right to change your mind at any time, but this will not affect any processing that has already taken place. Where we are using your information because we or a third party (e.g. your employer) have a legitimate interest to do so, you have the right to object to that use.
5. How we share information we collect
Sharing with other WCEC users
If you choose to create an entrepreneur profile on WCEC, certain profile information will be collected. This may include your name, city of residence, membership with a group or company, a photograph you provide, business name, industry, business website, start date of business, general business description, and additional information you provide when you register with WCEC.
Sharing with third parties
To provide services WCEC may provide information to certain third party companies which we may contract to perform services to you on our behalf. These services may include postal and e-mail delivery, customer relationship management, customer service, development and research, data analysis, fraud protection, and payment processing (e.g., through PayPal or a similar service which collects and processes donations on our behalf). The third parties we contract with for the provision of these services will be permitted to obtain only such personal information as they require to deliver the services and only use such information for their provision of the applicable services to us.
WCEC may provide information in your profile without identifying you as an individual to third parties. We may do this for purposes such as personalizing advertisements and promotions.
Sharing with affiliated companies
We share your data as part of an aggregate report to granters in the state of New Jersey or to private foundation owners, mostly which consists demographic information. Similarly, we are required to share client level information securely to the SBA, and clients have the option to opt out of being contacted by the SBA for survey purposes.
6. How we store and secure information we collect
Information storage and security
This Website takes technical and other precautions to protect our users’ information. If you have questions about the security of the Website, please contact our support staff at info@wcecnj.org. Unless otherwise stated in this Privacy Policy, only employees and independent contractors operating on WCEC’s behalf who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, a customer service representative, instructor or business coach) are granted access to personally identifiable information. You agree to maintain the security of your password and identification.
You post User Content (as defined in the WCEC Terms of Use (https://www.wcecnj.org/terms-of-use/) on the Site at your own risk. Please be aware that no security measures are perfect or impenetrable. We cannot control the actions of other users. We are not responsible for unauthorized circumvention of any security measures contained on the Website. You understand and acknowledge that, even after removal, copies of User Content may remain viewable in cached and archived pages or if other users have copied or stored your User Content.
How long we keep information
How long we keep information we collect about you depends on the type of information, as described in further detail below. After such time, we will either delete or anonymize your information or, if this is not possible (for example, because the information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your information and isolate it from any further use until deletion is possible.
7. How to access and control your information
Your choices
You have the right to request a copy of your information, to object to our use of your information (including for marketing purposes), to request the deletion or restriction of your information, or to request your information in a structured, electronic format. Below, we describe the tools and processes for making these requests. You can exercise some of the choices by logging into the Services and using settings available within the Services or your account. Where the Services are administered for you by an administrator (see “Notice to End Users” below), you may need to contact your administrator to assist with your requests first. For all other requests, you may contact us as provided in the Contact Us section below to request assistance.
Your request and choices may be limited in certain cases: for example, if fulfilling your request would reveal information about another person, or if you ask to delete information which we or your administrator are permitted by law or have compelling legitimate interests to keep. Where you have asked us to share data with third parties, for example, by installing third-party apps, you will need to contact those third-party service providers directly to have your information deleted or otherwise restricted. If you have unresolved concerns, you may have the right to complain to a data protection authority in the country where you live, where you work or where you feel your rights were infringed.
Access and update your information
Our Services and related documentation give you the ability to access and update certain information about you from within the Service. You can update your profile information within your profile settings and modify content that contains information about you using the editing tools associated with that content.
Deactivate your account
To deactivate your account on the Website, send an email to info@wcecnj.org with “Deactivate” in the subject line.
Delete your information
Our Services and related documentation give you the ability to delete certain information about you from within the Service. For example you can remove certain profile information within your profile settings. Please note, however, that we may need to retain certain information for record keeping purposes, to complete transactions or to comply with our legal obligations.
Request that we stop using your information
In some cases, you may ask us to stop accessing, storing, using and otherwise processing your information. For example, if you believe a Services account was created for you without your permission or you are no longer an active user, you can request that we delete your account as provided in this policy. Where you gave us consent to use your information for a limited purpose, you can contact us to withdraw that consent, but this will not affect any processing that has already taken place at the time. You can also opt-out of our use of your information for marketing purposes by contacting us, as provided below. When you make such requests, we may need time to investigate and facilitate your request. If there is delay or dispute as to whether we have the right to continue using your information, we will restrict any further use of your information until the request is honored or the dispute is resolved, provided your administrator does not object (where applicable).
Opt out of communications
Users will occasionally receive information on WCEC services, messages regarding participation in WCEC, and newsletters. Users cannot opt out of certain communications that are necessary for them to receive in order to participate in WCEC. Users who have deactivated their accounts can opt-out of these mailings.
By registering or otherwise agreeing, users agree to receiving communications from WCEC. Users may ‘opt-out’ of receiving further marketing communications by clicking the “Unsubscribe” button located at the bottom of each email communication. There may be up to a seven-day delay in manually processed requests.
Opt out of cookies and related technologies
To opt-out of our use of cookies, you can instruct your browser, by changing its options, to stop accepting cookies or to prompt you before accepting a cookie from websites you visit. If you do not accept cookies, however, you may not be able to use all aspects of our services. WCEC and our third party partners also collect information using web beacons (also known as “tracking pixels”).
Data portability
If you require data from your account in a machine-readable format, you may send your request to info@wcecnj.org. When you make such requests, we may need time to investigate and facilitate your request.
8. Other important privacy information
Notice to end users
Where the Services are made available to you through an organization (e.g., your employer), that organization is the administrator of the Services and is responsible for the accounts and/or sites over which it has control. If this is the case, please direct your data privacy questions to your administrator, as your use of the Services is subject to that organization’s policies. We are not responsible for the privacy or security practices of an administrator’s organization, which may be different than this policy.
Administrators are able to:
- • require you to reset your account password;
- • restrict, suspend or terminate your access to the Services;
- • access information in and about your account;
- • access or retain information stored as part of your account;
In some cases, administrators can also:
- • restrict, suspend or terminate your account access;
- • change the email address associated with your account;
- • change your information, including profile information;
- • restrict your ability to edit, restrict, modify or delete information
Even if the Services are not currently administered to you by an organization, if you use an email address provided by an organization (such as your work email address) to access the Services, then the owner of the domain associated with your email address (e.g., your employer) may assert administrative control over your account and use of the Services at a later date.
If you do not want an administrator to be able to assert control over your account or use of the Services, use your personal email address to register for or access the Services. If an administrator has not already asserted control over your account or access to the Services, you can update the email address associated with your account through your account settings in your profile. Once an administrator asserts control over your account or use of the Services, you will no longer be able to change the email address associated with your account without administrator approval.
Please contact your organization or refer to your administrator’s organizational policies for more information.
Your privacy and confidentiality obligations
In accordance with WCEC’s Terms of Use (https://www.wcecnj.org/terms-of-use/), you have obligations to the WCEC community regarding collecting and sharing information that is available on the site or with you directly through a mentoring relationship. Users in violation of these terms may have their profiles deactivated and/or be reported to relevant authorities.
Links to third party sites
This Website contains links to other sites, which does not constitute WCEC’s endorsement or such third party sites. Please be aware that WCEC is not responsible for the privacy or other practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our Website and to read the privacy statements of each and every website that collects PII. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Website.
Social media
We maintain a social media presence, including a Facebook page, an Instagram page, a Twitter feed, a LinkedIn account, and a YouTube channel. When you interact with us using social media, we may receive information such as your user ID, your profile picture, photos you post, and similar information, which is often determined by your privacy settings at social media sites. We may use the information for the same types of purposes we describe in this Privacy Policy. Your use of social media sites is primarily governed by the site operators’ privacy policies and terms of service, and the information you share with us and with others is largely controlled by the privacy settings you have established at those sites.
Our policy towards children
The services are not directed to individuals under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we become aware that a child under 16 has provided us with personal information, we will take steps to delete such information. If you become aware that a child has provided us with personal information, please contact info@wcecnj.org.
Changes to our Privacy Policy
If we decide to change our Privacy Policy, we will post those changes to this Privacy Policy, and other places we deem appropriate so our users are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. Changes we deem to be material will be communicated via an email alert to the email address you provided when registering your account.
If, however, we are going to use users’ personally identifiable information (i.e., name) in a manner different from that stated at the time of collection, we will notify users via email. Users will have a choice as to whether or not we use their personal information in this different manner. However, if users have opted out of all communications, or deleted/deactivated their account, then they will not be contacted, nor will their personal information be used in this new manner.
Contact us
Our contact information is as follows:
Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship of New Jersey
227 Main Street, 2nd Floor,
Chatham, NJ 07928
Phone: 973-507-9700
