Privacy & Data Use

Last updated: 15 June 2026

CARE (“we”) runs this site to recruit and manage volunteers. This notice explains what personal information we collect when you apply, why we use it, and the choices you have. If anything here is unclear, email us at ops@carenw.org.

What we collect

• Identity and contact details you enter: your legal and preferred name, email address, mobile phone number, and (optionally) pronouns and name pronunciation.
• Your application answers, which may include free-text about your background, availability, accommodations, and health/medical information you choose to share.
• A profile photo, if you upload one, so crew and staff can recognize you on-site.
• If you name a current member as a sponsor, that person’s name and the mobile number already on their member account, so we can ask them to vouch for you.
• Records we generate as you move through recruitment: interview bookings, decisions, notifications we send you, and basic technical logs.

Why we use it

We use this information to operate the volunteer application and recruitment process: to verify it is really you, schedule and conduct interviews, make and communicate decisions, and — if you are approved — to set you up as a volunteer. We do not sell your personal information.

Text messages (SMS)

We use SMS to verify your phone number and to send application and interview updates. Text messaging is required for the application process, because we sign you in and reach you by text. Message and data rates may apply. Once you become a volunteer, you can turn off non-essential texts in your account settings; a small number of essential operational messages may still be sent.

Contacting a sponsor

If you name a sponsor, we send that member a short message asking them to confirm they know you. Please only name someone who has agreed to vouch for you.

Who we share it with

• CARE staff and volunteer interviewers involved in reviewing your application.
• If you are approved, the CARE members system, so your volunteer account can be created.
• Service providers that help us operate (for example, our SMS and email delivery providers), only as needed to provide those services.

How long we keep it

The information you provide is needed to manage volunteers, so we retain your application and the records we accrue while you are involved with CARE. If we part ways — including if an account is blocked — we keep your contact information and the records accrued during your involvement. We are continuing to define detailed retention periods.

Your choices

Your name, email, and phone are required to apply and to sign in. To ask a question about your information, request a copy, or raise a concern, email ops@carenw.org. Because sign-in is by text message, that address is also how we help if you lose access to your phone or change your number.

Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your information, including encrypted connections and access controls. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to keep your data safe.

Changes

We may update this notice as our practices evolve. The “last updated” date above reflects the current version.