Updated Privacy Policy:
In July of 2023, we updated our Privacy Policy to reference the additional terms and conditions applicable when you opt in to USO’s direct response appeal mobile messaging program. For more information, please review the updated Privacy Policy.

The United Service Organizations, Inc. (“USO”) is committed to protecting the privacy of our donors, users of our websites and mobile applications, and other individuals who communicate with us. We want to ensure that you understand the types of information that we collect, the ways in which we use and protect it, whether we disclose it to anyone, your choices regarding our use of it, and your rights to access and correct it.

In this Privacy Policy, the terms “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to the USO. The terms “you,” and “your” refer to both visitors and registered users of the USO Websites (as defined below).

To assist you in reviewing our Privacy Policy, we have divided it into the following topics:

Application of the Privacy Policy:

This Privacy Policy applies when you:

  • Make a donation to the USO (either online or otherwise);
  • Use the USO website http://www.uso.org (or a sub-domain associated with this URL), USO mobile applications, or other websites operated by or for the USO (collectively, the “USO Websites”); and
  • Otherwise share information with the USO, as discussed below.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to https://volunteers.uso.org/, which has its own privacy policy, available on that website.

If you opt in to participate in USO’s direct response appeal mobile messaging program, then the Mobile Messaging Terms & Conditions and Mobile Messaging Privacy Policy apply, in addition to this Privacy Policy.

Changes to the Privacy Policy:

Occasionally, the USO may make changes to this Privacy Policy in order to accurately reflect our data collection and disclosure practices. Consequently, this Privacy Policy is subject to change, and the USO reserves the right to update it at any time and without notice. Changes to this Privacy Policy will be posted here, so we encourage you to review this website periodically. All changes to this Privacy Policy will be effective immediately upon posting.

Acceptance of the Privacy Policy:

By using the USO Websites, you consent to the use and disclosure of information as outlined in this Privacy Policy. In addition, by submitting any of your personally identifying information to us, you are agreeing that the USO may use such Personal Information (as defined below) in accordance with this Privacy Policy. Your continued use of the USO Websites after the effective date of any changes to this Privacy Policy shall be deemed to be your consent to the modified terms.

Types of Information that the USO Collects and Uses:

When you visit the USO Websites, we may collect two types of information about you:

  1. Personal Information
  2. Aggregate Information.

Personal Information:
“Personal Information” is information that you provide to the USO that personally identifies you, such as your name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, billing information, or other data that can be reasonably linked to a specific individual by the USO. Personal Information is only collected online when you voluntarily submit non-public, personally identifiable information to the USO Websites, such as when you request information from the USO, donate to or purchase products from the USO, apply to work or volunteer at the USO, or other similar communications and activities. Personal Information does not include any information that is posted or sent by or to you in any public forum (such as a message board, blog, or social networking service like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter). Participation in these public forums requires the public release and dissemination of personally identifiable information, and therefore, the USO cannot commit to treating such information confidentially in the same manner that it treats other Personal Information under this Privacy Policy. Participation in these public forums is voluntary, your consent to certain terms is often required before use is allowed, and you control what personally identifiable information may be disclosed to others in such settings.

Aggregate Information:
“Aggregate Information” is non-personally identifiable information that is recorded about you so that it no longer reflects or references an individually identifiable user. Aggregate Information is used in a collective manner, and this compiled data does not allow us to personally identify any specific user. When you visit the USO Websites, we automatically collect Aggregate Information about your visit. Gathering this data helps us evaluate how the USO Websites are being used. Aggregate Information allows us to adjust the content of the USO Websites to make it more relevant to our users. The collection of Aggregate Information may be done by the use of cookies by the USO and its third-party service providers. In particular, the USO gathers an Internet Protocol (“IP”) Address from each user of the USO Websites, which is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer or electronic device when you use the Internet. Except with respect to your e-commerce activities on the USO Websites (for example, making an online donation or purchasing products from the USO), IP Addresses are not linked to Personal Information.

Use of Personal Information by the USO:

We do not use the USO Websites to collect any Personal Information about you, other than the information that you elect to provide voluntarily. You do not need to give us any Personal Information about yourself to access most of the USO Websites. You can visit the USO Websites, read our publications, and learn about our Mission and activities on an anonymous basis. In order to utilize certain features of the USO Websites (e.g., apply to work or volunteer at the USO, sign up for particular USO programs or services, donate to the USO, make a purchase from the USO, or request information from the USO), you may choose to provide Personal Information. If you submit Personal Information to us, we will use that Personal Information for the purposes for which it was submitted. We may also use such information to improve our understanding of your interests, expand our services, or contact you for future support, either by email, postal mail, telephone, social media, or short message service (“SMS”). We may collect demographic information from other sources to help us learn more about your characteristics and interests. We may also use your Personal Information in other ways, such as to contact you about other USO activities and/or fundraising campaigns, or as otherwise disclosed to you at the point of collection. We may also use your name, postal delivery information, and telephone number to contact you offline. If you do not wish for the USO to use your Personal Information to contact you offline, or if you do not wish to receive marketing communications from the USO, you can opt out at any time. Please send a request by email to: [email protected], or by postal mail to: USO, Attention: Donor Services, P.O. Box 96860, Washington, DC 20090-6322. Please include your full name, mailing address, and telephone number in your opt-out request.

The USO treats the Personal Information that you submit to the USO offline (e.g., via telephone, regular mail, or in person) in the same manner that the USO treats Personal Information submitted online via the USO Websites, as outlined above.

Sharing of Personal Information by the USO:

The USO does not sell or rent any Personal Information to telemarketers or mailing list brokers. Periodically, we may share Personal Information, such as your name and mailing or email address, with specifically selected nonprofit organizations in “list exchanges” conducted by the USO and these organizations for the purpose of enlisting potential new donors. We may also share your name, mailing address and email address with certain companies so that they may contact you about products, services, or offers that we think might be of interest to you. If you do not wish for the USO to share or exchange your Personal Information with any third party for fundraising or marketing purposes, you may opt out at any time. Please send a request by email to: [email protected], or by postal mail to: USO, Attention: Donor Services, P.O. Box 96860, Washington, DC 20090-6322. Please include your full name and mailing address in your opt-out request.

The USO may need to share Personal Information with third parties in limited circumstances. For example, the USO uses third-party vendors to provide certain administrative services on the USO Websites and in offline business operations. The Personal Information that you submit on the USO Websites may be provided to those approved vendors on a confidential basis so that they can provide services on our behalf. We will require any approved vendor to whom we release your Personal Information to hold such information in strict confidence. While we believe these companies will treat your Personal information responsibly, we do not own or control them and cannot guarantee your privacy.

Occasionally, we may be required to release Personal Information in response to a court order, subpoena, government investigation, or as otherwise required by law, or to enforce the Terms of Use applicable to the USO Websites, or if we reasonably believe that you have or will commit unlawful acts or acts that may endanger others. We also reserve the right to report to law enforcement agencies any activities that we, in good faith, believe to be unlawful. We may release certain Personal Information when we believe that such release is reasonably necessary to protect the rights, property, and safety of others and/or our organization. Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent will not be shared with any third parties unless required by law.

We also reserve the right to share, assign, or transfer your Personal Information to any of our affiliates or any successor in interest to our organization by merger, reorganization, or operation of law.

Use of Financial Information by the USO:

If you choose to make an online purchase or donate to USO via credit card, then you will have to provide your credit card billing information. This information is collected and transferred over the Internet using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption technology to a secure server. If you are making a donation or purchase from the USO, the credit card information that you provide at the time of donation or purchase is used only to process your donation or purchase, and will not be used or stored by USO for any other purposes. To process recurring sustainer donations, credit card information or other digital payment processing information will be used and stored.

Use of Email Address by the USO:

The USO does not collect your email address unless you voluntarily submit it to us (e.g., in response to a USO mailing or via a form on the USO Websites). When you donate to the USO online, you will be asked to supply your email address. Your email address is only available to the USO employees who manage this information for purposes of contacting you or responding to your requests, and to contracted vendors for purposes of providing services relating to our communications with you.

We may use your email address to send you information about the USO (such as news, events, and fundraising campaigns). From time to time, we may also send out email messages that might include information about like-minded organizations and companies, but we do not provide these entities with access to any Personal Information that you have submitted to us. The USO complies with the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act of 2003. All marketing email messages from the USO tell you how to stop receiving them, and contain a link to unsubscribe from USO email. You may subscribe or unsubscribe to USO email at any time. Click here to unsubscribe from USO email online, or send postal mail to: USO, Attention: Donor Services/Unsubscribe, P.O. Box 96860, Washington, DC 20090-6322. Please include your name and email address in your unsubscribe request.

California Privacy Rights:

If you are a resident of California, you are entitled to request the following information, which we will provide to you free of charge: (1) a list of the types of Personal Information that we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes in the preceding calendar year; and (2) the names and addresses of all third parties that received Personal Information in these categories from us in the preceding calendar year, and examples of the products and/or services marketed by these businesses. Please direct your request for these types of information by email to [email protected].

Collection of Information from Children:

The USO Websites are not designed specifically for children, and the USO does not intentionally collect Personal Information from or knowingly market to children under the age of 13. If we discover that we have inadvertently collected Personal Information from a person under the age of 13, we will delete such information as quickly as reasonably practicable. In the event that you become aware of a child under the age of 13 posting Personal Information to USO Websites without verifiable consent from a parent or guardian, please contact USO by email to: [email protected], or by postal mail to: USO, Attention: Donor Services, P.O. Box 96860, Washington, DC 20090-6322.

Submitting Messages and Stories to the USO:

For information about our policies regarding the use of messages of support, stories, photographs, and other submissions that you make to the USO, please refer to our USO Content Submission Release Agreement.

Use of “Cookies”:

The USO Websites may use “cookies” and similar means to collect Aggregate Information to enhance your experience while using the USO Websites. As discussed above, Aggregate Information does not identify any individual person.

A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your electronic device by a webpage server. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and are designed to be read only by a webpage server in the domain that issued the cookie to you. Cookies make web-surfing easier by performing certain functions, such as recognizing personal preferences, saving passwords, and temporarily storing session information and past activity to provide easier access when you return to a website. Cookies do not allow us to identify you by name, email address, or other personally identifiable information. We primarily use cookies to identify returning users, understand user demographics, and make your USO Websites experience more relevant and convenient.

We use third-party advertisers to create and distribute information about the USO on our behalf, including, but not limited to, remarketing with Google Analytics, Google Display Network Impression reporting, Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting and other integrated services that allow Google Analytics to collect data via advertising cookies and anonymous unique identifiers. These advertisers may also employ cookies and action tags (also known as pixels or web beacons) to measure advertising effectiveness. An action tag is an image file contained in an advertisement or other content that indicates when the ad or the content has loaded onto a user’s screen. Any information these third parties collect via cookies and action tags is anonymous, unless there is a premium award associated with the donation or the USO is otherwise required to confirm donation activity to the referring third party.

If you would prefer not to allow cookies to be placed on your device, you can change the settings on your Internet browser so that it will not accept cookies, or so that it will notify you whenever a website is trying to use cookies. If you choose not to allow cookies, however, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the USO Websites, and it is possible that some aspects of the USO Websites may not function properly when you access them.

How the USO Secures Personal Information You Submit Online:

The USO Websites have security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under our control. The USO uses commercially reasonable safeguards to ensure the security and privacy of the Personal Information that you provide to us, and tailors these protections to the sensitivity of the type of Personal Information gathered. The USO uses commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that any third parties to whom we may transfer any Personal Information have knowledge of this Privacy Policy and provide sufficient protection of such Personal Information. The USO requires that a secure session be established using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) when you submit Personal Information to us through your use of the USO Websites to enter credit card information for payment or a donation, and visit particular pages on the USO Websites. The USO uses Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliant practices when handling credit card information on the USO Websites. The USO only uses accredited digital certificate signers on the USO Websites. The USO takes the following steps to secure the Personal Information that we collect online:

  • We use technical access control procedures, including, but not limited to: industry standard Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology, encryption, network firewalls, and password protections. We adhere to PCI DSS compliant practices.
  • We only provide Personal Information to authorized employees and agents who require it to perform their professional assignments.
  • We regularly back up the information that we collect online to insure against loss.
  • We routinely assess our security procedures to assure personnel and technical compliance. Personal Information stored on the USO Websites will be collected, stored, and processed in the United States of America.

While we follow generally accepted industry standards to protect the Personal Information submitted to us, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100 percent secure. Therefore, while we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

How the USO Secures Personal Information You Provide by Telephone, Regular Mail, or In Person

The USO utilizes the same policies and procedures outlined above to protect the privacy of any Personal Information voluntarily submitted by you to the USO via telephone, regular mail, or in person.

The USO Websites contain links to other websites that are operated by third parties. This Privacy Policy does not apply to third-party websites that may be accessible through the USO Websites, and the USO is not responsible for the privacy practices of such websites. If you visit the websites of any third parties via links on the USO Websites, please consult their respective privacy policies to learn how they collect and use information about you. We do not disclose personally identifiable information to those operating websites that are accessible through the USO Websites. Links to other websites that are included on the USO Websites do not imply an endorsement of such websites’ content, owners, or operators, nor does the existence of a link to a third-party website imply that those associated with that website endorse the USO or the content on the USO Websites. The USO is not responsible for materials contained at any third-party website linked to on the USO Websites.

Opt-Out Policy:

If you would like to opt-out of receiving communications from the USO, or if you do not wish for the USO to share or exchange your Personal Information with any third party for fundraising or marketing purposes, please send a request via email to: [email protected], or by postal mail to: USO, Attention: Donor Services, P.O. Box 96860, Washington, DC 20090-6322. Please include your full name along with a description of the nature of your request.

How to Update, Change, or Review Your Personal Information:

The USO wants your Personal Information to be accurate and complete. To update or change your Personal Information, send your previous and updated Personal Information by email to: [email protected], or call: 888-484-3876. To review your Personal Information that USO has collected, send an email to: [email protected], or call: 888-484-3876.

Your Rights:

The USO has designated a Privacy Manager who is responsible for ensuring USO’s compliance with this Privacy Policy. If you have a claim regarding our compliance with this Privacy Policy or the handling of your Personal Information, you can contact our Privacy Manager by email at: [email protected]. Please provide a detailed description of your claim to allow us to investigate any issue that you have.

Questions:

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, the privacy practices of the USO, or the use of your Personal Information, please contact us by:

Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 888-484-3876

LAST UPDATED: July 27, 2023

USO Supplemental Privacy Policy For European Union Volunteer and Volunteer Applicant Data Subjects

USO Supplemental Privacy Policy For European Union Employee and Employment Applicant Data Subjects