Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 10, 2026
Rural Heart (“Rural Heart,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you provide to us.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect personal information when you visit www.ruralheart.ca, contact us, subscribe to communications, make a donation, or otherwise interact with us.
By using this website, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
1. Information We Collect
We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us, including:
Your name
Email address
Telephone number
Mailing address
Information submitted through website contact forms
Communications or messages you send to us
Newsletter or email subscription preferences
Donation information provided to us by our donation processing provider
Any other information you choose to provide
We only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.
2. Donations Through CanadaHelps
Online donations made through our website are processed through CanadaHelps, a third-party charitable donation platform.
When you make a donation using a CanadaHelps donation form embedded on our website, your donation and payment information are processed by CanadaHelps and its authorized payment processing providers.
Rural Heart does not directly collect or store your complete credit card information through the CanadaHelps donation form.
Depending on the privacy preferences you select when donating, CanadaHelps may provide Rural Heart with certain donor information, such as your:
Name
Contact information
Donation amount
Donation date
Communication preferences
Other information you have consented to share
We may use information received from CanadaHelps to administer donations, maintain donor records, acknowledge your support, provide information about our organization, and communicate with you where permitted by law.
CanadaHelps maintains its own privacy practices and policies. We encourage donors to review the CanadaHelps Privacy Policy before submitting a donation.
3. Payment Information
Payment information entered into a CanadaHelps donation form is collected and processed by CanadaHelps or its authorized payment processing provider rather than directly by Rural Heart.
CanadaHelps states that it does not store credit card details on its own servers and uses authorized payment processing services to securely process payment information.
Rural Heart does not have access to your complete credit card number, expiry date, or security code through the CanadaHelps donation process.
4. Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, certain information may be collected automatically through Squarespace, Google Analytics, cookies, and similar technologies.
This information may include:
Your browser type
Device type
Operating system
Approximate geographic location
Internet Protocol (IP) address or information derived from it
Referring website or traffic source
Pages you visit
Links you click
Date and time of your visit
Time spent on pages
General interactions with our website
This information helps us understand how visitors use our website, evaluate website performance, identify technical issues, and improve our content and user experience.
5. Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors interact with our website.
Google Analytics may collect information relating to your browser or device, first-party cookies, website activity and other information used to measure website usage and visitor interactions. Google states that Google Analytics does not log or store individual IP addresses collected during measurement.
We use this information primarily in an aggregated form to understand information such as:
How many people visit our website
Which pages are most frequently visited
How visitors arrive at our website
How visitors navigate through the site
General geographic and device information
The effectiveness of campaigns or links directing visitors to our website
Google provides privacy controls for Google Analytics, including an Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
For additional information about Google's handling of information, please refer to Google's Privacy Policy and Google Analytics privacy information.
6. Squarespace
Our website is hosted using Squarespace.
Squarespace may process certain information required to provide, secure, operate, and analyze the website. Squarespace may also use cookies and similar technologies for website functionality, security, analytics, and performance.
Squarespace states that its analytics and performance cookies can collect information about how visitors interact with Squarespace websites.
For additional information, please refer to the Squarespace Privacy Policy.
7. Cookies
Cookies are small data files stored on your device when you visit a website.
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies for purposes including:
Operating essential website functionality
Remembering preferences
Maintaining website security
Measuring website traffic
Understanding visitor behaviour
Improving website performance
Supporting Google Analytics
Supporting embedded third-party services
Some cookies are necessary for the website to operate correctly. Other cookies, such as certain analytics or performance cookies, may not be essential.
Where available, you may manage cookie preferences through the cookie settings or banner displayed on our website.
You can also control or delete cookies through your web browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect how some areas of the website function.
8. Contact Forms
When you submit a contact form through our website, we may collect the information you provide, such as your name, email address, phone number, and message.
We use this information to:
Respond to your inquiry
Provide requested information
Communicate with you about our programs or services
Follow up regarding your request
Maintain appropriate records of our communications
Please do not submit sensitive personal information through a general website contact form unless it is specifically requested and necessary.
9. Email Communications
If you choose to subscribe to newsletters, updates, fundraising communications, or other electronic communications from Rural Heart, we may use your email address and related information for those purposes.
Where required, we will obtain appropriate consent before sending commercial electronic communications.
You can unsubscribe from marketing or promotional emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in the communication or by contacting us directly.
You may still receive administrative, donation-related, transactional, or other necessary communications that are not promotional in nature.
10. How We Use Personal Information
We may use personal information for purposes including:
Responding to inquiries and requests
Processing and administering donations
Maintaining donor and supporter records
Providing charitable tax and donation-related information
Sending acknowledgements or thank-you communications
Communicating about programs, initiatives, campaigns, or events
Managing email subscriptions
Operating and improving our website
Understanding website usage
Maintaining website security
Preventing fraud or misuse
Meeting legal, regulatory, accounting, and reporting requirements
Carrying out the charitable purposes and operations of Rural Heart
We will not use personal information for a materially different purpose without appropriate consent unless otherwise permitted or required by law.
11. Sharing Personal Information
Rural Heart does not sell or rent personal information.
We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to service providers that assist us in operating our organization and website, such as:
CanadaHelps
Squarespace
Google Analytics
Website hosting or technology providers
Email communication providers
Professional advisers
Accounting or administrative service providers
Service providers may process information on our behalf in accordance with their own contractual, privacy, and security obligations.
We may also disclose information where required or permitted by law, including in response to valid legal processes, regulatory requirements, investigations, fraud prevention, or circumstances involving the protection of individuals, property, or our legal rights.
12. Information Processed Outside Canada
Some of the service providers or technology platforms used by Rural Heart may process or store information outside Canada.
When personal information is processed in another jurisdiction, it may be subject to the laws of that jurisdiction and may be accessible to courts, law enforcement agencies, or government authorities in accordance with applicable law.
CanadaHelps also explains in its Privacy Policy that it and certain service providers may process personal information outside Canada in some circumstances.
13. Data Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected and to meet applicable legal, accounting, reporting, operational, or charitable record-keeping requirements.
Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the information and the reason it was collected.
When personal information is no longer reasonably required, we may securely delete, destroy, or anonymize it, subject to any applicable legal requirements.
14. Security
We take reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.
However, no website, electronic communication, database, or online transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
Third-party providers used by Rural Heart, including Squarespace and CanadaHelps, maintain their own security measures for information processed through their respective services. Squarespace describes administrative, technical, and physical safeguards for information in its possession, while CanadaHelps describes security and payment-processing measures for its donation platform.
15. Your Privacy Choices
Depending on the circumstances and applicable privacy law, you may have the right to:
Ask what personal information we hold about you
Request access to your personal information
Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
Withdraw consent for certain uses of your information
Unsubscribe from promotional communications
Ask questions about how your personal information is handled
Some information may need to be retained where required by law or for legitimate administrative, donation, tax, financial, or record-keeping purposes.
Alberta privacy law provides access and correction rights in circumstances where the Personal Information Protection Act applies.
16. Third-Party Websites and Services
Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services, including CanadaHelps and other organizations or resources.
Rural Heart is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, content, or operation of websites or services that we do not control.
We encourage you to review the privacy policies of third-party websites before providing personal information.
17. Embedded Content
Our website may include embedded content or services provided by third parties.
Embedded content may behave in a similar way to visiting the third-party provider's website directly and may allow that provider to collect information or use cookies in accordance with its own privacy policy.
This includes embedded CanadaHelps donation forms and may include other services added to the website from time to time.
18. Privacy Laws
Rural Heart aims to handle personal information responsibly and in accordance with applicable Canadian and Alberta privacy requirements.
The application of specific privacy legislation to a charitable or non-profit organization can depend on the organization's structure and the nature of its activities. Alberta notes that the Personal Information Protection Act may apply differently to certain non-profit organizations depending on their incorporation and whether personal information is connected with commercial activities.
Regardless of the specific legal requirements that apply in a particular situation, Rural Heart is committed to reasonable and responsible privacy practices.
19. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our website, services, technology, third-party providers, legal requirements, or privacy practices.
When changes are made, the updated version will be posted on this page and the Last updated date will be revised.
We encourage visitors to review this Privacy Policy periodically.
20. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the way Rural Heart handles personal information, please contact us:
Please include sufficient information for us to understand and respond to your request.