Privacy Policy

We collect information you provide directly to us, information we collect automatically when you use our services, and information from third-party sources.

• Information you provide: Name, email address, phone number, business name, mailing address, and other information you submit through our certification application, contact forms, newsletter sign-up, event registration, or member portal.
• Information collected automatically: When you visit our website, we may automatically collect your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, time spent on pages, and device identifiers. This data is collected through cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 3).
• Information from third parties: We may receive information about you from WBENC (Women's Business Enterprise National Council), partner organisations, and publicly available sources to verify certification eligibility and maintain accurate records.

We use the information we collect to:

• Process and manage WBENC certification applications and renewals
• Communicate with you about your membership, events, and certification status
• Send newsletters, programme updates, and marketing communications (with your consent)
• Improve our website, services, and user experience through analytics
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms of service
• Facilitate connections between certified WBEs and corporate members
• Respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
• Conduct research and compile aggregate statistics about our membership

We will not sell your personal information to third parties. We process your data on the legal bases of contract performance, legitimate interests, legal obligation, and consent where applicable.

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, analyse site traffic, and support our marketing efforts. You can manage your preferences at any time using our Cookie Settings.

We may share your information with:

• WBENC: As our national certifying body, WBENC receives certification application data and maintains a national registry of certified WBEs.
• Corporate Members: Certified WBE business information (company name, contact details, services) is listed in our searchable member directory, visible to corporate members seeking diverse suppliers.
• Service Providers: We use trusted third-party vendors (email delivery, CRM, payment processing, hosting) who are contractually bound to protect your data and use it only to provide services on our behalf.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information when required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of WBEC-West, our members, or the public.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law.

• Certification records: Retained for the duration of your certification and for 7 years after expiry to satisfy audit and legal requirements.
• Newsletter subscribers: Retained until you unsubscribe. You may unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email or by contacting us.
• Analytics data: Aggregated and anonymised after 13 months; raw session data is deleted after 90 days.
• Account data: Retained while your account is active and for 30 days after deletion to allow recovery, then permanently erased.

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: Request that we delete your personal data, subject to legal retention obligations.
• Restriction / Objection: Request that we restrict or stop processing your data in certain circumstances.
• Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

• Right to Know: You may request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources, the business purpose, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.
• Right to Delete: You may request deletion of personal information we have collected, subject to certain exceptions.
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We do not sell personal information. If this changes, we will update this policy and provide an opt-out mechanism.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

To submit a verifiable consumer request, contact us at [email protected] or call (602) 973-6078.

Our website and services are not directed to individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected such information, we will take steps to delete it promptly. If you believe we may have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us at [email protected].

We implement industry-standard technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• TLS/HTTPS encryption for all data in transit
• Encrypted storage for sensitive credentials and passwords (bcrypt hashing)
• Role-based access controls limiting data access to authorised personnel
• Regular security reviews and dependency audits
• Secure session management with signed JWT cookies

While we strive to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security and encourage you to use strong, unique passwords and to notify us immediately of any suspected unauthorised access.

Our website may contain links to third-party websites and integrations with external services including:

• WBENC.org — national certification body
• LinkFusions — email and SMS marketing platform (newsletter delivery)
• Stripe — payment processing (certification fees)
• Google Maps — event location display

These third parties have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you access through our website.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you by email or by displaying a prominent notice on our website.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of our website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact our Privacy Officer:

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe we have not handled your personal information in accordance with applicable law.