Privacy policy

Effective Date: 2/24/2014 Last updated: May 26, 2026

The SPARK Initiative ("SPARK," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of everyone who interacts with our organization. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose, and protect your personal information when you visit our website, use our Shopify store, or engage with our programs and services.

By using our website or purchasing from our store, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy and agree to the practices described in it.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

  • Contact information: Name, email address, phone number
  • Billing and shipping information: Mailing address, billing address, and related order details
  • Account information: (if customer accounts are enabled) Username, password, security questions, and saved preferences and settings
  • Program and inquiry data: Information submitted through registration or contact forms
  • Transaction information: Items you view, add to your cart or wishlist, purchase, return, exchange, or cancel, and your past transactions
  • Communications data: Information you include when you contact us, such as customer support inquiries
  • Technical data: IP address, browser type, device information, network connection, and website usage data collected through analytics tools
  • Marketing data: Communication preferences and engagement history

We may also draw inferences from the information above. We do not collect personal information beyond what is necessary to provide our products, services, and programs.

2. How We Collect Information

We collect information in the following ways:

  • Directly from you: When you make a purchase, complete a form, create an account, register for a program or event, or contact us
  • Automatically: Through cookies and analytics tools when you visit our website
  • Through service providers and third-party platforms: Including Shopify for store hosting and transactions, Salesforce for customer relationship management and marketing communications, and Google Analytics for website analytics
  • From our partners or other third parties

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect to:

  • Process and fulfill orders, returns, exchanges, and registrations
  • Create, maintain, and manage your account, and remember your preferences
  • Communicate with you about your purchases, programs, or inquiries, and provide customer support
  • Send marketing and promotional communications, where you have opted in
  • Manage our customer and partner relationships through Salesforce
  • Analyze website traffic and usage through Google Analytics to improve our platforms
  • Authenticate accounts, secure our services, and detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent, illegal, or malicious activity
  • Comply with legal obligations and respond to valid legal process

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. (See Section 6 and Section 9 regarding Shopify's enhanced features and your right to opt out of any "sharing" for targeted advertising.)

4. Cookies & Analytics

Our website uses cookies and Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our platforms. This may include data such as pages visited, time spent on site, and general location. This information is used in aggregate to improve our website and is not used to personally identify individual visitors.

You may adjust your browser settings to decline cookies at any time. Please note that doing so may affect the functionality of certain features on our website. We do not currently have a cookie consent banner on our website and recommend that you review your browser settings if you wish to manage cookie preferences.

If you visit our website with a Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal enabled, we will treat it as a request to opt out of any "sharing" of personal information for the device and browser you are using, where applicable law requires. To learn more about GPC, visit https://globalprivacycontrol.org/. We do not currently recognize other "Do Not Track" signals.

5. Payment Information

Payment transactions made through our Shopify store are processed through Shopify's PCI-compliant infrastructure. The SPARK Initiative does not store, access, or retain any credit card or payment information.

Please note that no security measures are perfect, and information you send to us may not be secure while in transit. We recommend that you do not use unsecure channels to communicate sensitive or confidential information to us.

6. Third-Party Services & Our Relationship with Shopify

We use the following third-party platforms to operate our business:

  • Shopify: E-commerce, store hosting, and payment processing
  • Salesforce: Customer relationship management and email marketing
  • Google Analytics: Website analytics

Each of these platforms maintains its own privacy practices. We encourage you to review their respective privacy policies. We do not authorize these platforms to use your information for their own marketing purposes beyond what is necessary to provide their services to us.

Our store is hosted by Shopify, and information you submit to our store is transmitted to and processed by Shopify. To help protect, grow, and improve our store, we may use certain Shopify enhanced features that incorporate data from your interactions with our store, other merchants, and Shopify. For these enhanced features, Shopify is responsible for the processing of your personal information, including responding to requests to exercise your rights over that processing. To learn more, you can visit the Shopify Consumer Privacy Policy at https://privacy.shopify.com/en.

We may also disclose personal information to vendors who perform services on our behalf, when you direct or consent to disclosure, and in connection with a business transaction (such as a merger) or to comply with legal obligations.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, maintain our business relationship with you, resolve disputes, or comply with legal obligations. If you would like to request deletion of your data, please contact us and we will honor that request to the extent permitted by law.

8. Children's Privacy

We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under the age of 13. Our website and Shopify store are intended for adults, including licensed practitioners, educators, and organizational partners. For full details on how we handle information related to minors, please refer to our Children's Online Privacy Protection (COPPA) Notice.

9. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights regarding your personal information. These rights are not absolute and may apply only in certain circumstances.

  • Right to Know / Access — request access to the personal information we hold about you
  • Right to Delete — request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions
  • Right to Correct — request correction of inaccurate personal information
  • Right to Portability — request a copy of your personal information, or that we transfer it to a third party, in certain circumstances
  • Right to Opt Out of Sale or Sharing for Targeted Advertising — opt out of any "sale" or "sharing" of your personal information, including for targeted advertising
  • Right to Non-Discrimination — you will not be treated differently for exercising these rights

California residents (CCPA): The SPARK Initiative does not sell personal information. You may exercise the rights above by contacting us at info@thesparkinitiative.com.

UK and European Economic Area residents (GDPR): In addition to the rights above, you may have the right to object to or restrict processing, and to withdraw consent where we rely on it (withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of prior processing). If you are visiting from the EU or UK, please be aware that your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@thesparkinitiative.com. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request. You may also designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf; we will require proof of authorization and may still need to verify your identity directly.

10. Complaints

If you have a complaint about how we process your personal information, please contact us at info@thesparkinitiative.com. Depending on where you live, you may have the right to appeal our decision, or to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

11. International Transfers

We may transfer, store, and process your personal information outside the country in which you live, including in the United States. Where we transfer personal information out of the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we rely on recognized transfer mechanisms such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses (or equivalent UK contracts), unless the destination country has been determined to provide an adequate level of protection.

12. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. While no system is completely secure, we are committed to maintaining appropriate safeguards for the data we hold.

13. Your Choices

You may opt out of marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link in any email we send or by contacting us directly. Opting out of marketing communications will not affect transactional or service-related communications.

14. Changes to This Policy

We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time, including to reflect changes in our practices or for legal or regulatory reasons. Changes will be posted on our website with an updated effective date. Continued use of our website or services following any changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy, or would like to exercise any of your rights, please contact us:

The SPARK Initiative — info@thesparkinitiative.com

For the purpose of applicable data protection laws, The SPARK Initiative is the data controller of your personal information.