Wisconsin Forward Fund

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Wisconsin Forward Fund Effective Date: February 2, 2026 Last Updated: April 30, 2026

Wisconsin Forward Fund (“Wisconsin Forward Fund,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a Wisconsin-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit social welfare organization. We respect your privacy and are committed to being transparent about how we collect, use, share, and protect your information.

This Privacy Policy describes our practices in connection with information we collect through our website at wiforwardfund.org and any related pages, forms, communications, or services we operate (collectively, the “Site”). By using the Site, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Policy. If you do not agree with our practices, please do not use the Site.

  1. Who We Are

Wisconsin Forward Fund is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. We engage in education, issue advocacy, public policy research, grassroots organizing, and limited political activity consistent with our tax-exempt status. We are not a campaign committee, political action committee (PAC), or candidate’s authorized committee, and contributions to Wisconsin Forward Fund are not tax-deductible as charitable contributions.

If you have questions about this Policy, you can contact us using the information in Section 16 below.

  1. Information We Collect

We collect information in three ways: information you give us directly, information we collect automatically when you use the Site, and information we receive from third parties.

  1. Information You Provide Directly

When you interact with the Site, you may choose to provide information including:

  • Identifiers: Name, email address, mailing address, phone number, and ZIP code.
  • Donation and financial information: Payment card details, billing address, donation amount, employer, and occupation (collected and processed by our payment processors as required by applicable law).
  • Volunteer and engagement information: Areas of interest, availability, skills, prior advocacy experience, and event RSVPs.
  • Petition, survey, and form responses: Positions on policy issues, written comments, and other content you submit.
  • Communications: The contents of emails, messages, or other communications you send to us.
  • User-generated content: Comments, testimonials, photos, video, or other materials you submit for use in our advocacy or educational work.
  1. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the Site, we and our service providers may automatically collect:

  • Device and connection data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device identifiers, language preferences, and referring URLs.
  • Usage data: Pages viewed, links clicked, time spent on pages, search terms, and date and time of access.
  • Location data: Approximate location derived from your IP address.
  • Cookies and similar technologies: As described in Section 6.
  1. Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third parties, including:

  • Service providers that process payments, host events, manage email or SMS lists, or provide analytics.
  • Coalition partners, allied organizations, and list vendors, where permitted by law and the partner’s own privacy practices.
  • Publicly available sources, including voter files, government records, and information you have made public on social media.
  • Social media platforms when you interact with our pages or click links from our advertisements.
  1. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • To advance our social welfare mission, including public education, issue advocacy, lobbying, research, and permissible political activity;
  • To send you newsletters, action alerts, fundraising appeals, event invitations, surveys, and other communications you have requested or that are consistent with your relationship with us;
  • To process and acknowledge donations and to comply with tax, accounting, and reporting obligations;
  • To organize, promote, and manage events, trainings, and volunteer activities;
  • To understand and improve the Site, our communications, and our programs through analytics and audience research;
  • To match supporters across our records, append publicly available information (such as voter file data), and tailor outreach to be more relevant;
  • To prevent fraud, enforce our terms, protect the rights and safety of Wisconsin Forward Fund, our supporters, and the public, and respond to legal process; and
  • For any other purpose disclosed at the time of collection or to which you consent.

We do not sell your personal information for monetary consideration. See Section 5 for how we share information.

  1. Legal Bases for Processing (for EEA, UK, and Swiss Users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we process your personal data on one or more of the following legal bases:

  • Consent, which you may withdraw at any time;
  • Legitimate interests in advancing our mission, communicating with supporters, and operating the Site, where those interests are not overridden by your rights;
  • Performance of a contract, where processing is necessary to provide a service you have requested; and
  • Compliance with legal obligations to which we are subject.
  1. How We Share Information

We share information only as described below.

  • Service providers and vendors: We share information with companies that perform services on our behalf, including website hosting, email and SMS delivery, payment processing, analytics, advertising technology, customer relationship management, and event management. These providers are authorized to use your information only to perform services for us and are contractually obligated to protect it.
  • Coalition partners and allied organizations: We may share supporter information with aligned organizations for joint advocacy, fundraising, or organizing efforts, where permitted by law. You may opt out of this kind of sharing at any time using the contact information in Section 16.
  • Legal compliance and protection: We may disclose information when required by law, subpoena, court order, or other legal process; to comply with reporting obligations under federal or state campaign finance, lobbying, or tax law; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Wisconsin Forward Fund, our supporters, employees, or the public.
  • Business transfers: If Wisconsin Forward Fund undergoes a merger, dissolution, or transfer of assets, supporter information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Policy.
  • With your direction or consent: We share information in any other manner you direct or consent to.

Donor Privacy

As a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, Wisconsin Forward Fund is not required by federal law to publicly disclose the identities of its donors, and we do not voluntarily publish donor lists. We may, however, be required to disclose donor information to government agencies in connection with tax, lobbying, or campaign finance reporting; in response to subpoenas or court orders; or as otherwise required by law. Donors who wish to remain anonymous in our public-facing communications may make that request at the time of giving.

  1. Cookies, Analytics, and Online Tracking

We and our service providers use cookies, web beacons, pixels, and similar technologies to operate the Site, remember your preferences, measure traffic and engagement, and conduct advertising and audience-building.

  • Strictly necessary cookies are required for the Site to function and cannot be disabled.
  • Performance and analytics cookies help us understand how visitors use the Site. We use providers such as [Google Analytics / other], which may collect information about your visits across websites.
  • Advertising and social media cookies allow us and platforms such as [Meta / Google / X / TikTok] to deliver more relevant ads and measure their effectiveness.

You can control cookies through your browser settings and through our cookie preference center, where available on the Site. Some jurisdictions require us to honor opt-out preference signals such as the Global Privacy Control (GPC); where required, we treat a valid GPC signal as an opt-out of sale and sharing of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

  1. Communications, Email, and Text Messages

By providing your email address, you consent to receive emails from Wisconsin Forward Fund consistent with the federal CAN-SPAM Act. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in any email or contacting us.

By providing your phone number and opting in, you consent to receive recurring autodialed calls and text messages from or on behalf of Wisconsin Forward Fund, including for advocacy, fundraising, organizing, and political communication, consistent with the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and applicable state law. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. Reply STOP to unsubscribe and HELP for help. Your consent is not a condition of any donation or other transaction.

  1. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, to comply with legal, tax, accounting, or reporting obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce our agreements. When we no longer need information, we securely delete or de-identify it.

  1. Data Security

We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted to or stored by us. In the event of a security incident affecting personal information of Wisconsin residents, we will provide notification consistent with Wis. Stat. § 134.98 and any other applicable law.

  1. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights in connection with your personal information, including the right to:

  • Confirm whether we process your personal information and access a copy of that information;
  • Correct inaccurate information;
  • Request deletion of your information, subject to exceptions allowed by law;
  • Receive a portable copy of information you provided to us;
  • Opt out of certain uses of your information, including targeted advertising and any “sale” or “sharing” of personal information as those terms are defined under applicable state law; and
  • Withdraw consent where we rely on consent to process your information.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the information in Section 16. We will verify your request consistent with applicable law and respond within the timeframe required by law. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

If we deny your request, you may have the right to appeal. To appeal, reply to our response and indicate that you would like to appeal.

State-Specific Disclosures

California Residents. Although Wisconsin Forward Fund, as a nonprofit, is generally exempt from the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), we provide the following information as a courtesy. In the past 12 months, we may have collected the categories of personal information described in Section 2 from the sources described in that section, for the purposes described in Section 3, and disclosed those categories of information to the recipients described in Section 5. We do not sell personal information for monetary consideration. To the extent any sharing of information with advertising partners constitutes “sharing” under the CPRA, you may opt out as described in Section 6 or by contacting us.

Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia Residents. To the extent applicable state law grants you rights described above, you may exercise those rights by contacting us using the information in Section 16.

Nevada Residents. Nevada law gives certain consumers the right to opt out of the sale of certain personal information. We do not sell personal information as defined under Nevada law.

  1. Children’s Privacy

The Site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent, consistent with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us, and we will delete the information.

For users between 13 and 16, we do not knowingly sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising without affirmative consent.

  1. Third-Party Links and Services

The Site may contain links to third-party websites, social media platforms, or services that are not operated by Wisconsin Forward Fund. This Policy does not apply to those third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third party before providing your information.

  1. International Visitors

Wisconsin Forward Fund operates in the United States, and any information we collect is processed in the United States. If you are visiting from outside the United States, you understand and consent to the transfer of your information to the United States, which may have data protection laws different from those in your country. Where required, we use appropriate safeguards for international transfers.

  1. Political Activity Notice

Wisconsin Forward Fund engages in nonpartisan and partisan issue advocacy, lobbying, and limited political activity consistent with its 501(c)(4) status. Communications you receive from us may include advocacy or political content. This Policy does not authorize, and your interactions with the Site do not constitute, a contribution to any candidate, campaign committee, or political party. Activity that constitutes regulated election-related activity will be conducted in compliance with applicable federal, Wisconsin, and other state law, including the Wisconsin Ethics Commission requirements where applicable.

  1. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last Updated” date at the top of the Policy. If we make material changes, we will provide additional notice, such as by posting a prominent notice on the Site or sending an email to addresses we have on file. Your continued use of the Site after the effective date of the revised Policy constitutes acceptance of the changes.

  1. How to Contact Us

If you have questions about this Policy or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact:

Wisconsin Forward Fund Attn: Privacy PO Box 5 Madison WI 53701 Email: info@wiforwardfund.org Phone: 608-496-9090