USABFA Privacy Policy

The United States of America Blended Family Association, also known as USABFA and the Blended Family Nation, respects the privacy of members, visitors, invited family members, partners and other people who interact with us. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use and disclose it, the choices available to you and how to contact us about your information.

This Policy applies to USABFA.com, USABFA membership and family-profile services, USABFA emails and invitations, events and online programs and other services that link to this Policy. It does not govern a third party’s website, service or privacy practices.

1. Information We Collect

Membership and transaction information

When you purchase, receive, renew or manage a membership, we may collect your name, email address, telephone number, city, state, ZIP Code, membership plan, membership status, join and renewal dates, referral or affiliate source, gift information and limited transaction information. Payments are processed by Stripe or another disclosed payment provider. USABFA does not receive or store your full payment-card number. We may receive transaction status, customer or subscription identifiers, limited billing details and other information needed to administer your membership.

Family Welcome Profile information

If you complete the Family Welcome Profile, we may collect information you choose to provide about your household, including:

• your household name, family structure, city, state and ZIP Code;
• the number of children connected with your household and broad age ranges;
• whether grandparents are involved and whether you are interested in family invitations;
• support topics, resource formats, community interests, event interests, savings interests and communication preferences;
• Military, Public Safety and Medical or Healthcare household affiliations, and Foster, Adoptive or Kinship-Care family connections; and
• optional comments about a challenge, hope or family need.

Questions identified as optional may be skipped. Please do not submit Social Security numbers, financial-account information, medical records, detailed legal documents, information protected by attorney-client privilege or direct identifying information about a child.

Military, Public Safety and Medical or Healthcare affiliations

USABFA may allow a household to select one or more affiliations, including Military, Public Safety and Medical or Healthcare. We may also collect an optional specialty or role, sponsor or program name, referral or eligibility code, whether a membership was sponsor-funded, verification status and the dates of a sponsored benefit. These fields help us provide relevant resources, administer sponsor-funded memberships, measure program participation and prepare aggregate reports.

Family invitation information

A primary member may ask USABFA to invite a spouse, partner, grandparent or other adult family member. For that purpose, we may collect the invited adult’s name, email address, relationship to the household, invitation status and related dates. We use this information to send the requested invitation and a limited number of related reminders. An invited adult chooses whether to accept, create a person record and receive ongoing communications.

Communications and event information

When you contact us, register for an event, participate in a live question-and-answer session, complete a survey or otherwise communicate with USABFA, we may collect your contact information and the content of your communication. If a session is recorded, we will provide notice when reasonably practicable.

Website and device information

When you use our website, we and our service providers may automatically receive limited technical information such as your Internet Protocol address, browser type, device type, pages requested, referring page, dates and times and security or diagnostic logs. We may use essential cookies or similar technologies needed to operate, secure and remember preferences on the website.

2. How We Use Information

We may use personal information to:

• create and administer household memberships and member records;
• process, confirm, renew and support purchases and sponsored memberships;
• personalize resources, community opportunities, events, savings and communications based on choices you make;
• send transactional messages, welcome messages, invitations, membership notices and requested resources;
• send marketing or educational emails where permitted and honor unsubscribe choices;
• operate, protect, troubleshoot and improve our website, programs and services;
• understand participation and prepare aggregate or de-identified reports;
• prevent fraud, abuse, security incidents and violations of our terms;
• comply with law and protect the rights, safety and property of USABFA, our members and others; and
• carry out another purpose disclosed when the information is collected or with your consent.

3. Sponsored Memberships, Partners and Affiliates

USABFA may work with employers, public-safety vendors, healthcare vendors, military-support organizations, sponsors, benefit providers, influencers, affiliates and community partners. A sponsor may fund or distribute memberships and may provide USABFA with a participant’s name, work email address, eligibility code or similar information needed to activate the benefit. If you use a sponsor or affiliate link, we may record that source so the membership can be credited to the correct program.

USABFA may confirm activation, eligibility or aggregate program participation to a sponsoring organization when reasonably necessary to administer the sponsored benefit. Unless we provide a separate notice and obtain permission, we will not give sponsors, affiliates or partners access to a member’s family challenges, optional comments, children’s information, selected support topics or resource interests.

USABFA may share aggregate or de-identified information, such as the number of participating Military, Public Safety or Medical or Healthcare households, geographic distribution, program usage or general resource interest. We do not attempt to use de-identified information to identify a person or household.

4. How We Disclose Information

• Service providers. We may use providers that support payment processing, hosting, databases, security, email delivery, customer support, event delivery, video services and website operations. They may process information only for services they provide to us and subject to applicable agreements.
• Payment providers. Stripe independently processes payment information under its own privacy policy, available at stripe.com/privacy.
• At your direction. We may disclose information when you ask us to connect you with a provider, claim a benefit, register with a partner or otherwise direct the disclosure.
• Legal and safety reasons. We may disclose information when we reasonably believe disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights, safety, security or property; investigate fraud or abuse; or respond to lawful government requests.
• Business changes. If USABFA participates in a merger, reorganization, financing, transfer or similar organizational change, information may be disclosed as part of that process, subject to appropriate safeguards.
• With consent. We may disclose information for another purpose after giving notice and receiving consent where required.

5. No Sale of Personal Information

USABFA does not currently sell personal information for money. USABFA also does not currently disclose personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. Sponsor recognition, partner offers, referral tracking and aggregate sponsor reporting do not give a sponsor or affiliate access to a member’s private family-profile information. If our practices change, we will update this Policy and provide any choices required by applicable law before the change takes effect.

6. Children and Teen Privacy

USABFA serves families, but the website, checkout, Family Welcome Profile, membership administration and family-invitation features are intended for adults. A person under 18 should not purchase a membership, create an adult member account or submit the Family Welcome Profile without a parent or legal guardian.

The Profile asks adults only for the number of children connected with the household and broad age ranges. USABFA does not intentionally request a child’s name, birthdate, email address, telephone number, school, precise location, photograph or other direct identifier through the Family Welcome Profile. Our services are not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information online directly from a child under 13. If we learn that we received such information without appropriate authorization, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

7. Sensitive Family Information

Family challenges, relationship concerns, parental-alienation concerns, addiction or recovery topics and optional comments can be sensitive. Sharing this information is voluntary. USABFA uses it to help identify relevant categories of resources and support. The website and Family Welcome Profile are not a medical-record system, legal-case system, counseling record or emergency service. Please provide only the information necessary for your membership experience.

8. Your Choices and Privacy Rights

You may ask to access, correct or delete personal information associated with you or your household. You may also ask for a portable copy where required by applicable law, withdraw consent where processing depends on consent or appeal a decision about a privacy request where applicable. Certain information may be retained when required for legal, accounting, fraud-prevention, security, contractual or operational purposes.

Depending on where you live and whether a law applies to USABFA, you may have additional rights concerning the collection, use, disclosure, sale, sharing, targeted advertising or profiling of personal information. USABFA does not discriminate against a person for exercising an applicable privacy right.

To submit a request, email Privacy@USABFA.com or call 402-367-3841. We may need to verify your identity and relationship to the household before completing a request. An authorized agent may submit a request where permitted by law, but we may request proof of authorization and verify the member’s identity.

9. Email and Text Messages

You may unsubscribe from marketing or promotional emails by using the unsubscribe link in the message or contacting us. Members may still receive transactional or service messages concerning purchases, membership status, security, requested invitations or important changes. USABFA will send marketing text messages only after obtaining any consent required by law, and text-message consent is not a condition of purchasing a membership. Message and data rates may apply.

10. Cookies, Analytics and Advertising

USABFA may use essential cookies and similar technologies for website operation, security, preferences and fraud prevention. If USABFA later adds analytics, advertising pixels, targeted advertising or new cookie categories, we will update our notice and provide choices when required. Browser settings may allow you to block or delete cookies, but doing so may affect website functions.

11. Data Retention

USABFA retains personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including maintaining membership and transaction records, delivering benefits, honoring communication preferences, resolving disputes, preventing fraud, complying with law and enforcing agreements. Retention periods vary based on the type of information and legal or operational requirements. We may retain a limited suppression record after an unsubscribe or deletion request so that we can continue to honor the request.

12. Data Security

USABFA uses reasonable administrative, technical and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information. No website, database, transmission method or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You should use caution when sending sensitive information by email and should not send payment-card numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers, medical records or legal documents through ordinary email.

13. Third-Party Websites, Services and Benefits

USABFA may link to videos, payment pages, event providers, experts, counselors, coaches, attorneys, sponsors, savings providers and other third-party services. When you leave a USABFA service or provide information directly to a third party, that party’s privacy policy and terms apply. USABFA is not responsible for a third party’s privacy practices. We encourage you to review its privacy policy before providing information.

14. United States Operations

USABFA is a United States-focused association. Personal information may be processed and stored in the United States by USABFA and its service providers. If you access our services from another country, your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States, subject to applicable law.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our services, partners, technology or legal obligations. We will post the revised Policy on USABFA.com and update the effective or last-updated date. If a change materially affects how we use information already collected, we will provide additional notice or obtain consent when required.