1. INTRODUCTION
Help America Fund ("Help America Fund," "HAF," "we," "our," or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you share with us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard information when you visit our website, enroll in the Certified Arizona Election Observer Training Program (the "Program"), or otherwise interact with us.
Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By accessing or using our website, enrolling in the Program, or providing information to us, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this Privacy Policy, you should not use our website or enroll in the Program.
2. WHO WE ARE
Help America Fund is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. Our mission is to train and certify citizens to serve as election observers, protecting the integrity of American elections through professional, credentialed civic participation.
Our training programs are delivered through Thinkific, a third-party learning management platform. When you enroll in our Program, your data is processed both by us and by Thinkific, subject to this Privacy Policy and Thinkific's own privacy practices.
3. INFORMATION WE COLLECT
3.1 Information You Provide Directly
When you enroll in the Program or interact with us, we may collect the following:
▸ Contact and identity information — your full legal name, email address, and mobile phone number (required for Election Day coordination).
▸ Location information — your county of residence in Arizona (optional, used for county-specific coordination).
▸ Account credentials — the password you create for your account with our training platform.
▸ Communications — any messages, questions, or feedback you send to us.
▸ Certification information — the fact that you have enrolled in and, upon completion, been certified through the Program.
▸ Consent preferences — your opt-in selections regarding communications from HAF partner organizations (see Section 4.2).
3.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you use our website or training platform, certain information is collected automatically, including:
▸ Course activity data — the videos you have watched, your progress through the modules, quiz responses, quiz scores, and completion status.
▸ Technical information — IP address, browser type, device information, operating system, and referring website.
▸ Usage information — pages visited, features used, time spent on the site, and interaction with content.
▸ Cookies and similar technologies — see Section 8 below.
3.3 Information from Third Parties
We may receive information about you from third-party sources, including partner organizations that refer you to the Program, county political party chairs who have appointed you as a poll watcher, and public records related to voter registration status (only where lawfully accessible and relevant to the Program's mission).
4. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
4.1 Purposes
We use the information we collect for the purposes set forth below. By enrolling in the Program, you acknowledge and consent to these uses:
▸ To provide the Program — creating your account, delivering the training content, tracking your progress, administering quizzes and examinations, and issuing your certificate upon successful completion.
▸ To communicate with you — sending you welcome emails, course-related notifications, program updates, deadline reminders, Election Day coordination messages, and post-election follow-ups.
▸ For Election Day coordination — using your phone number and county to coordinate polling place assignments, deployment logistics, and legal support before, during, and after Election Day.
▸ To connect you with county party chairs — where you have expressed interest in serving as a formally appointed poll watcher under A.R.S. § 16-590, we may share your name and contact information with the relevant county party chairperson to facilitate that appointment.
▸ To coordinate with allied civic organizations, election-integrity coalitions, and legal networks whose work supports the mission of the Program, including sharing information necessary to enable observer deployment, credentialing, mutual referral, and coordinated response to election-integrity concerns.
▸ For aggregate and de-identified reporting to funders, partner organizations, the general public, and members of the press, including statistical summaries of enrollment, certification, county-level coverage, and program outcomes.
▸ For future expansions of the Program to additional states, jurisdictions, or election cycles, including migration of your account and communications about expanded offerings.
▸ To improve the Program — analyzing aggregate usage patterns, quiz performance, and course completion data to refine the training curriculum.
▸ For legal and safety purposes — complying with legal obligations, enforcing our Terms and Conditions, protecting the rights and safety of HAF and its users, investigating potential violations, and cooperating with law enforcement as required or permitted by law.
▸ For legitimate business purposes — including analytics, fraud prevention, general administration of the Program, fundraising and donor stewardship, coalition building, and organizational advocacy consistent with the Program's mission.
4.2 Optional Communications from Partner Organizations
Separate from the operational uses described in Section 4.1, HAF partners with a range of allied civic organizations, election-integrity groups, and legal networks. At enrollment and at any time thereafter, you may opt in to receive communications directly from HAF partner organizations by checking the corresponding box on the enrollment form or in your account settings.
If you opt in, HAF may share your name, email address, and county of residence with our current and future partner organizations for the purpose of enabling those partners to communicate with you directly. You may withdraw your opt-in consent at any time by updating your account preferences or contacting us at [email protected]. Withdrawal of consent applies prospectively and does not affect communications already sent.
If you do not opt in, HAF will not share your information with partner organizations for their own communications purposes, though we may still share information as described in Section 5 for the operational purposes of the Program.
5. HOW WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION
HAF does not sell your personal information for monetary consideration. We share information only in the circumstances described below:
5.1 Service Providers
We share information with third-party service providers who help us operate the Program, including our learning management platform (Thinkific), payment processor (if applicable), analytics providers, and technology infrastructure providers. These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and to use it only for the purposes we specify.
5.2 County Party Chairs
For Certified Observers who have expressed interest in serving as formally appointed Poll Watchers under A.R.S. § 16-590, we may share your name, email, phone number, and certification status with the appropriate county political party chairperson to facilitate the appointment. This sharing is limited to the extent necessary to enable your appointment. You may opt out of this sharing by contacting us at the address in Section 13.
5.3 Legal and Coordination Team
For Certified Observers deployed on Election Day, we share your name, contact information, assigned polling location, and role designation with our Election Integrity Lawyers and county coordinators for the purpose of legal support and operational coordination throughout the Election Day period.
5.4 Allied Organizations and Coalitions
Consistent with Section 4.1, we may share information with allied civic organizations, election-integrity coalitions, and legal networks for the operational purposes of the Program, including observer deployment, credentialing, coalition-level coordination, and mutual referral. Recipients are expected to use shared information only for purposes consistent with the mission of the Program.
5.5 Partner Communications (Opt-In Only)
Where you have affirmatively opted in under Section 4.2, we share your name, email address, and county of residence with HAF partner organizations for those partners to communicate with you directly. This sharing occurs only with your express consent, which you may withdraw at any time.
5.6 Legal Requirements
We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, subpoena, court order, or other legal process; if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a governmental request; or in connection with any legal proceeding to which HAF is a party.
5.7 Business Transfers
In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, sale of assets, dissolution, or bankruptcy, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to the same protections described in this Privacy Policy or to a successor privacy policy of substantially equivalent protection.
5.8 With Your Consent
We may share your information for other purposes with your specific consent.
6. DATA RETENTION
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Specifically:
▸ Account and certification records are retained for as long as your certification is valid (typically 24 months) and for a reasonable period thereafter to allow for recertification, historical reference, and audit.
▸ Course progress and assessment data are retained for the duration of your active enrollment and for a period thereafter for program improvement purposes.
▸ Communications records are retained for 5 years after the last interaction.
▸ Election Day documentation and coordination records are retained in accordance with legal requirements applicable to election contest proceedings and post-election legal review.
▸ Aggregate and de-identified data may be retained indefinitely for historical, statistical, and research purposes.
You may request deletion of your personal information at any time as described in Section 9, subject to legal retention requirements and legitimate business needs.
7. DATA SECURITY
We implement reasonable technical, administrative, and physical safeguards designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These include encryption of data in transit (TLS 1.2 or higher), encryption of data at rest (AES-256), access controls limiting employee access to personal information on a need-to-know basis, multi-factor authentication for administrator accounts, and regular security assessments.
Our learning management platform (Thinkific) maintains SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA, and PCI-DSS compliance. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account password and for restricting access to your account.
8. COOKIES AND TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES
We and our service providers use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies to collect information about your interactions with our website and training platform.
8.1 Types of Cookies We Use
▸ Essential cookies — required for the website and training platform to function properly, including authentication and session management.
▸ Analytics cookies — help us understand how users interact with our platform so we can improve the experience.
▸ Preference cookies — remember your settings and preferences.
8.2 Managing Cookies
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through browser settings. You can set your browser to notify you when cookies are being set or to refuse cookies altogether. However, disabling essential cookies may affect the functionality of our platform and your ability to complete the Program.
9. YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS
Depending on where you live, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. These may include:
▸ Right to access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
▸ Right to correction — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
▸ Right to deletion — request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements.
▸ Right to opt out — unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time (course-related and operational communications will continue).
▸ Right to withdraw opt-in consent — withdraw your opt-in consent for partner communications (Section 4.2) at any time.
▸ Right to portability — request a portable copy of your data.
▸ Right to non-discrimination — you will not be denied service or receive different service for exercising your privacy rights.
9.1 California Residents
California residents have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), including the right to know what categories of personal information we collect, sell, or share; the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information (note: HAF does not sell personal information for monetary consideration); and the right to limit the use of sensitive personal information. Contact us at the address in Section 13 to exercise any of these rights.
9.2 How to Exercise Your Rights
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to your request within the timeframes required by applicable law. To protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
10. CHILDREN'S PRIVACY
The Program is intended for adults age 18 or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you are under 18, please do not use our website, enroll in the Program, or provide any personal information. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 18 without verified parental consent, we will delete that information as soon as reasonably possible. Parents or guardians who believe we may have collected information from their child should contact us immediately at the address in Section 13.
11. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES AND SERVICES
Our website and training platform may contain links to third-party websites or services that we do not own or control (including but not limited to county elections office websites, Arizona Secretary of State resources, and partner organizations). This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit.
12. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or the Program itself. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy and, where appropriate, provide notice through email or a prominent notice on our website. Your continued use of our website or the Program after any changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.
13. CONTACT US
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information, please contact us at:
Help America Fund
Email: [email protected]
Website: helpamericafund.org