How Givelink Handles Donor and Nonprofit Data Privacy

What data Givelink collects, how it's used, what donors control, and why a transparent giving platform is held to a transparency standard that goes beyond legal compliance.

A transparent giving platform has to be transparent about its own practices — not just about the nonprofits on it. Givelink, which is built around the principle that visibility is what philanthropy needs, applies that same principle to data: we collect what's needed to run the platform, we tell you what we collect, we tell you how it's used, and we give you control. This post explains Givelink's data practices in plain language — what we collect from donors and nonprofits, how it's used, what's shared and with whom, and what you can control.

Key Takeaways

• Givelink collects the minimum data necessary to operate the platform.
• Donor data is never sold to third parties or used for advertising.
• Nonprofits receive donor contact information after a donation — this is necessary for tax receipts and stewardship.
• Donors control marketing communications and can request data deletion.
• Transparency about data is part of the Givelink standard — the same standard we apply to nonprofit impact.

What Givelink collects from donors

When a donor creates an account and makes a donation on Givelink, we collect:

Account data: Name, email address, password (encrypted).

Donation data: Items purchased, amounts, dates, nonprofit recipients.

Payment data: Payment processing is handled by Stripe. Givelink does not store full credit card numbers — Stripe handles PCI compliance. Givelink stores a tokenized reference to the payment method.

Delivery data: Tracking information for orders in the fulfillment cycle.

Dashboard activity: Photo notifications viewed, dashboard login dates, return visit timestamps.

Optional: If the donor opts in to marketing communications, email open and click data.

What we do with that data

Operate the platform: Process donations, coordinate deliveries, issue tax receipts, update dashboards, send delivery photo notifications.

Improve the platform: Aggregate (anonymized) usage data helps us understand which features produce better donor experiences and retention.

Provide nonprofits with donor contact information: After a donation, the receiving nonprofit receives the donor's name and email address — necessary for issuing tax receipts and for donor stewardship communications. Donors are notified of this at the time of donation.

What we never do with donor data:

• Sell it to third parties
• Use it for advertising targeting
• Share it with organizations beyond the specific nonprofit the donor gave to
• Use it to solicit on behalf of other nonprofits without explicit donor opt-in

What Givelink collects from nonprofits

Organization data: Legal name, EIN, contact information, physical address, mission description.

Operational data: Wishlist items, delivery confirmation records, photo uploads, dashboard activity.

Donor records: Names and emails of donors who gave to the nonprofit — shared for tax receipt issuance and stewardship.

Financial data: Not stored by Givelink. Givelink does not handle nonprofit financial accounts.

What nonprofits can and cannot do with donor data

Can do:

• Issue tax receipts
• Send stewardship communications (thank-you notes, impact updates)
• Export donor data to their CRM for stewardship tracking

Cannot do:

• Share donor data with other organizations without explicit donor consent
• Use Givelink donor data for general list-building or data brokering
• Sell or transfer donor contact information

The nonprofit-donor relationship through Givelink is specific and consent-based. Donors who give to Nonprofit A's wishlist share their contact information with Nonprofit A — not with Nonprofits B, C, or D.

What donors control

Marketing communications: Donors can opt out of all marketing email from Givelink at any time. Transactional communications (delivery confirmations, tax receipts, photo notifications) cannot be disabled as they're essential to the platform's purpose.

Data access: Donors can request a copy of all data Givelink holds about them at any time.

Data deletion: Donors can request deletion of their account and associated data. Tax receipt records may be retained for the period required by applicable law.

Dashboard preferences: Donors can control notification preferences from their dashboard settings.

Why this matters for a transparency-first platform

A platform that asks donors to trust it with their giving data has to be worthy of that trust. Givelink applies the same transparency standard to its own practices that it applies to the nonprofits on the platform: say what you do, do what you say, and make it easy to verify.

"Clarity — transparency to every detail and freedom to decide the impact."

Data privacy is not separate from the Givelink mission. It's part of it. A donor who doesn't trust how their data is handled cannot have a genuinely human giving experience. A platform that exploits the trust of giving moments for commercial data purposes is doing the opposite of what transparent giving is supposed to do.

Givelink in action

A donor who had concerns about data privacy after a previous fundraising platform sold her contact information to multiple organizations evaluated Givelink's privacy practices before donating. She verified the opt-out process, confirmed the data sharing scope (only the specific nonprofit she gave to), and confirmed no third-party advertising use. She gave monthly. Review Givelink's privacy policy at givelink.app and give with confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Givelink sell donor data?

No. Givelink never sells donor data to third parties or uses it for advertising targeting.

Who receives my contact information when I give on Givelink?

The specific nonprofit you gave to receives your name and email address for the purpose of issuing a tax receipt and sending stewardship communications. No other organizations receive your data.

Can I opt out of marketing emails from Givelink?

Yes — at any time from your account settings or via the unsubscribe link in any marketing email. Transactional communications (receipts, delivery photos) cannot be disabled.

Can I request deletion of my Givelink account and data?

Yes. Contact Givelink at contact@givelink.app to request account and data deletion. Tax-related records may be retained for the legally required period.

Does Givelink store my credit card number?

No. Payment processing is handled by Stripe. Givelink stores only a tokenized payment reference. Full card numbers are never stored by Givelink.

Give with confidence — and with privacy.

Browse verified nonprofits on Givelink and give on a platform that holds itself to the same transparency standard it applies to nonprofits.

Stay Human.

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Alexandros Karagiannis is CTO and Co-Founder of Givelink.