Privacy Policy

^{Last updated February 2026}
At South Dakota State University Alumni and Foundation (“SDSU Alumni & Foundation,” “we,” “our,” or “us”), protecting your privacy is of the utmost importance. This privacy policy describes how we collect, use, retain, and disclose personal information about you when providing services to you through our websites, products, and services that link to this privacy policy (our “Services”) and our practices for using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information.

This privacy policy applies to information we collect through the Services and in communications between you and the Services. It also applies to personal information we receive from South Dakota State University, including and its schools, colleges, units, and other internal divisions (collectively, “SDSU”), and from trusted third‑party service providers when such information is shared to support alumni engagement, fundraising, event management, publications, and other mission‑driven activities.

This privacy policy does not apply to information collected by us offline or through any other means, including on any other website operated by SDSU Alumni & Foundation or any third party (including SDSU) that does not link to this privacy policy, and any third party that may link to or be accessible from or through the Services.

By interacting with our Services or providing us with your information, you agree to the collection, use, retention, and disclosure of your information as described in this privacy policy. This privacy policy may change from time to time (see “Changes to Our Privacy Policy” below). Your continued use of the Services after we make changes as described here is deemed to be acceptance of those changes, so please check the privacy policy periodically for updates. 

Information We Collect

Personal information. “Personal information” is information that identifies, relates to, or describes, directly or indirectly, you as an individual. The types and categories of personal information we collect include:

• Contact and identity information you provide to us, including your name, mailing address, email address, phone number, class year, degree, major, employer, job title, career updates, marital status, family information, and life milestones. We may also receive contact and identity information about you from SDSU when you graduate, including contact information, name, class year, degree, major, and other education‑related information;
• Donation and fundraising information, including the amount of your contribution, your donation history, gift designations, campaign participation, and recognition preferences. Payment card information is collected and processed directly by our trusted third‑party service providers. We do not collect or store your full credit or debit card numbers, but we may receive limited transaction details, such as transaction status, to help us confirm and acknowledge your donation; 
• Event‑related information, such as your RSVPs, attendance history, guest names, and any preferences you choose to provide (for example, dietary, accessibility, or program interests);
• Content and media submissions, including stories, life updates, announcements, photographs, quotes, and any other materials you submit for inclusion in our publications, podcasts, alumni communications, social media pages, or websites;
• Location information, including general geographic location such as country, state or province, or city;
• Device information, including your IP address, browser type and settings, and other device information;
• Communications, including the content of emails, forms, or other messages you send to us; and
• Any other information you choose to provide in connection with your use of the Services.

Some of the information identified above may be considered sensitive personal information or data under certain laws. If required by applicable law, we will collect and use sensitive personal information or data only with your consent. If you choose not to provide or allow us to collect some information, we may not be able to provide you with requested Services.

Other Information. We also collect:

• Statistics or aggregated information, which does not directly identify a specific person, but we may derive non-personal statistical or aggregated information from personal information; and
• Technical and usage information about your interactions with the Services, such as pages visited, links clicked, time spent on pages, browsing paths, referring URLs, general location inferred from your IP address, and other usage analytics collected through cookies, analytics tools, and similar technologies.

If we combine or connect non-personal statistical or technical information with personal information so that it directly or indirectly identifies an individual, we treat the combined information as personal information.

How We Collect Your Information

You Provide Information to Us. We collect information about you when you interact with our Services. This includes information you provide when you:

• Complete our online forms, including updating your alumni information, requesting license plate decals or “Future Jackrabbit” bibs, or submit other program specific forms;
• Register for or attend events, including providing guest names or preferences (such as dietary or accessibility needs);
• Make a donation or indicate your gift designations, campaign participation, or recognition preferences;
• Submit stories, updates, photographs, quotes, or other content for our publications, websites, podcasts, social media pages, or other communications;
• Communicate with us by email, text, through our websites, or through other electronic messages; or
• Engage with our programs, activities, or alumni initiatives in any other way.

This information may include your contact and identity information, donation and fundraising information, event related information, content and media submissions, location information you choose to provide, communications, and any other information you choose to provide.

Automatically Through Our Services. As you navigate through and interact with our Services, we may use automatic collection technologies to collect information that may include personal information. Information collected automatically may include usage details, IP addresses, operating system, and browser type, and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies. The technologies we use for this automatic collection may include:

• Cookies. A cookie is a small file placed on your device when you interact with the Services. You may refuse to accept or disable cookies by activating the appropriate setting on your browser or device, though some features of the Services may not function properly as a result;
• Web Beacons. Some parts of the Services may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit us, for example, to count visits or measure engagement; and
• Analytics Tools (such as Google Analytics). These tools collect information such as pages visited, time spent on the site, referring websites, and general geographic location. You may be able to opt out of certain analytics tools by adjusting your browser or device settings or using available opt out mechanisms.

When you interact with the Services, certain third parties that provide services to us may also use their own automatic collection technologies to gather information about you or your device. The information they collect may be associated with your personal information or they may collect information, including personal information, about your online activities over time and across different websites, apps, platforms, and other online services.  We are not responsible for these third parties’ tracking technologies or how they may use the information they collect. If you have any questions about an advertisement or other targeted content, you should contact the responsible third party directly.

From SDSU, Business Partners, and Service Providers. We may receive information, including personal information, about you from other sources and combine that with information we collect directly from you. For example, as a separate nonprofit corporation responsible for maintaining SDSU’s alumni and donor records, we may receive information about you from SDSU, such as alumni names, degree information, or updates needed to support alumni engagement and development efforts. 

We may also obtain information about you from trusted service providers that we engage to perform services on our behalf, such as email and communications platform providers, event registration and management providers, payment processors (who provide limited transaction details), analytics and website performance services, media hosting and content‑delivery platforms, and vendors that assist with printing, mailing, or distributing publications. For example, when you make a donation through our Services using a credit card, the information you submit is collected and used by our trusted third-party service providers, including Give Campus, Stripe, and Blackbaud Merchant Services, to process the transaction, and they may share with us limited information necessary for SDSU Alumni & Foundation to record and acknowledge your donation. 

These trusted third-party service providers retain, use, process, and disclose the information they collect in accordance with their own privacy policies, and SDSU Alumni & Foundation is not responsible for their privacy or security practices.

How We Use Your Information

We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any personal information, to:

• Provide the Services to you, including any contents, features, information, products, or services that we make available;
• Support alumni engagement and relationship management, including maintaining alumni records; sending newsletters, magazines, event invitations, and updates; and recognizing achievements and milestones you choose to provide;
• Support fundraising and development efforts, including soliciting donations and managing giving history, gift designations, and campaign participation;
• Manage and improve events and programs, including processing registrations, managing attendance, coordinating guest information and preferences, planning and enhancing events, and sending follow up communications;
• Publish and share content you submit, including stories, updates, photographs, quotes, and other materials, for our publications, websites, podcasts, and social media pages;
• Operate, maintain, and improve our Services, including analyzing and optimizing how users interact with our websites and communications, monitoring site performance, and enhancing user experience;
• Make inferences and predictions about your potential areas of interest;
• Notify you about updates to our Services and programs;
• Fulfill any other purpose for which you provide it;
• In any other way we may describe when you provide the information; and
• For any other purpose with your consent.

The usage information we collect, whether connected to your personal information or not, helps us improve our Services and deliver a better and more personalized experience by enabling us to estimate our audience sizes and usage patterns, store information about your preferences, allowing us to customize the Services according to your individual needs and interests, speed up your searches, and recognize you when you return to our Services.
 

How We Disclose Your Information

We may disclose aggregated information about our users, and information that does not identify any individual, without restriction. 

We do not sell or rent personal information. We may disclose personal information as follows:

• As a separate nonprofit corporation responsible for maintaining SDSU’s alumni and donor records, we may share certain information with SDSU in accordance with our data‑sharing arrangements and solely for legitimate purposes of supporting alumni engagement, development activities, and our mission of supporting SDSU;
• To trusted contractors, vendors, service providers and other third parties we use to support our organization and who are bound by contractual obligations to keep personal information confidential and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them;
• To a buyer or other successor in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of SDSU Alumni & Foundation’s assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which personal information held by SDSU Alumni & Foundation’s is among the assets transferred;
• To fulfill the purpose for which you provide it;
• To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request;
• If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of our organization, alumni, donors, staff, employees, or others;
• For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information; and
• With your consent.

The categories of personal data we may disclose include:

• Contact and identity information;
• Donation and fundraising information (however, payment card information is collected and processed directly by our third‑party payment vendors);
• Event‑related information;
• Content and media submissions provided by you; and
• General location information provided by you.

Children’s and Minors’ Information

Our Services are not directed to children under the age of eighteen (18), and we do not knowingly solicit or collect information from children under the age of eighteen (18) without the required consent or authorization. With the required consent or authorization, adults may provide personal information about children in limited circumstances, for example, when a parent or legal guardian submits a child’s information for inclusion in our STATE Magazine. By providing any information about a child, you represent and warrant that you are the child’s parent or legal guardian, or that you have obtained all necessary permissions to share that information with us. We use and disclose this information only for the specific purposes for which it was submitted. If we learn that personal information about a child has been provided to us without the required consent or authorization, we will delete that information.

Intellectual Property and Copyright Notice

All content, materials, and information made available through SDSU Alumni & Foundation’s websites, publications, digital platforms, and communications are protected by U.S. copyright law and other applicable intellectual property laws. Except as expressly stated, all copyrights, trademarks, logos, and other proprietary rights appearing on our Services are owned or controlled by SDSU Alumni & Foundation or are used with permission from the rights holders. 

The copyrighted materials on our Services include, but are not limited to, text, articles, design elements, photographs, images, graphics, audio and video content, software, source code, and other content created or curated by SDSU Alumni & Foundation. You may view and use these materials for your personal, informational, and non‑commercial purposes only. 

You do not acquire any ownership rights by accessing, downloading, or viewing any copyrighted material. You may not copy, reproduce, redistribute, publish, broadcast, transmit, display, modify, frame, create derivative works of, or otherwise use any portion of our content for commercial or public purposes without the prior written consent of SDSU Alumni & Foundation or the applicable rights holder. Any unauthorized use of our intellectual property may violate copyright, trademark, and other laws and is strictly prohibited.

User Submitted Content or Material. 

License Granted to SDSU Alumni & Foundation. You may choose to submit content and materials to us for inclusion in our publications, websites, social media pages, podcasts, or other communications. By submitting any content, you grant SDSU Alumni & Foundation a non exclusive, royalty free, worldwide license to use, reproduce, publish, display, distribute, and create derivative works from the submitted materials for our communications, publications, and other mission related purposes. This license allows us to edit or adapt submitted content for clarity, length, or format while preserving its substance.

User Representations and Warranties. You represent and warrant that you own or have obtained all necessary rights and permissions to submit the content, including any copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights. You further represent and warrant that the content does not infringe the rights of any third party.

AI Generated Content or Material. If you submit content or material created in whole or in part using artificial intelligence tools or technologies, you are solely responsible for ensuring that such content or material complies with all applicable laws and does not infringe any intellectual property, privacy, or other rights. SDSU Alumni & Foundation and SDSU are not responsible for verifying the originality, accuracy, or rights associated with AI generated content, and we disclaim any liability arising from its submission or publication.

Right to Decline or Remove Content or Material. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to decline to publish or to remove any submitted content or material that we determine is inappropriate, inaccurate, infringing, or inconsistent with our mission or editorial standards.
 

Security

We take commercially reasonable measures to protect your personal information. However, no website, mobile application, system, electronic storage, or online service is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee the security of your personal data transmitted to, through, using, or in connection with the Services. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. The safety and security of your information also depends on you. You are responsible for taking steps to protect your personal information against unauthorized use, disclosure, and access. 

How We Retain Your Personal Information

We keep the information described in this privacy policy only as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes described or for as otherwise legally permitted or required, such as maintaining the Services, operating our organization, complying with our legal obligations, resolving disputes, and for safety, security, and fraud prevention. After that, the information will be deleted, destroyed, or deidentified.
 

Disclaimer

You acknowledge that SDSU Alumni & Foundation and SDSU, as well as their respective employees, agents, service providers, content providers, and licensors, do not guarantee that the Services will operate without interruption or error. We make no warranties regarding the results that may be obtained from your use of the Services, or the accuracy, timeliness, reliability, completeness, or suitability of any information, content, or materials made available through the Services. Your use of the Services is at your own risk.

Your Privacy Options

Depending on your state of residency, you may have certain rights related to your personal information. Regardless of where you reside, we make the following options available to all individuals: 

• Access and Portability. You may request confirmation of whether we process your personal information and access a copy of the personal information we maintain about you. Where feasible, we will provide this information in a portable format.
• Correction. You may request that we correct inaccuracies in the personal information we maintain about you.
• Deletion. You may request that we delete personal information we maintain about you, subject to applicable legal exceptions.  
• Opt Out of Targeted Advertising, Profiling, and Sales. You may request that we not use your personal information for these purposes, including uses of automated technologies that may fall under applicable laws. Some features of the Services may not function as intended if you opt out. You may also opt out of future contact from us at any time.
• Communications Preferences. You may request that we stop contacting you for fundraising, marketing, or other outreach purposes at any time.
  To exercise any of these options, please contact us using the information in the “Contact Us” section and provide enough detail for us to understand and process your request. 

Third-Party Links

If our Services contain links to third-party websites, please be aware that those websites have their own privacy practices and policies. We encourage you to review the privacy policies associated with those websites. We do not control, and are not responsible for, the privacy practices or content of those websites.

Changes to Our Privacy Policy

We may amend this privacy policy by posting an amended version on our website from time to time. We encourage you to review this privacy policy periodically.

Contact Information

To exercise your privacy options, ask questions or comment about this privacy policy or our privacy practices, or if you believe your information has been compromised through our Services or otherwise, please contact us at (605) 697-7475 or email our team.