Privacy notice
Texas Christian University (TCU) understands that collecting and processing personal information is an important issue, and TCU is committed to safeguarding privacy. This notice addresses concerns about personal data collection in connection with the University’s alumni community and development efforts and explains why information is collected, what information is collected, and how it is used.
TCU believes that the development of a vibrant alumni community is an integral part of the University’s commitment to its students and broader University community. It is essential and necessary for TCU to collect, process, use, and/or maintain the personal data of University alumni, donors, and friends to advance its mission and to promote engagement with and giving to TCU.
1. How do we use data
As an alumnus/a, donor, or friend of Texas Christian University, we will use your personal data to contact you by mail, email, phone, and/or social media, complying with any preferences you have expressed (see “Preferences and opting out”). We contact you to invite you to networking, mentoring, and personal growth opportunities; to promote TCU Athletics and alumni events; to conduct research and analysis to better understand alumni attitudes, preferences, and interests; and for soliciting philanthropic support for the University.
Fundraising to support the University is an essential element in advancing TCU’s mission. To do this effectively and efficiently, we consider an individual’s potential to make a donation and may record this in our database. We assess an individual’s potential to support the University by using information you have provided, by looking at your interactions with us, and by using information we may gather from trustworthy, publically accessible sources (such as the National Change of Address register and county appraisal district data). These methods are used to make sure we provide the most appropriate opportunities for each individual to support the work of the University, including determining your likely areas of interest. Information from the previously mentioned publically accessible sources is also used to ensure the information we have is accurate.
2. How we store data
Your data is held at appropriate levels of security, including protection against unauthorized or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage, using appropriate administrative, technical, and physical security measures. Employees and volunteers who have access to your data are trained about TCU’s expectations concerning how to handle personal information appropriately. Your data will not be disclosed to any external organizations except those acting as agents of the University. Data is never “sold” to third parties.
3. What data we store
TCU stores the following types of information about alumni, donors, and friends:
- Your name, title, marital status, religious affiliation, ethnicity, and date of birth, if we have it.
- Your home and business address, telephone numbers, email addresses, and social media contact information.
- If you are an alumnus/a, details about your TCU degree or degrees earned from other institutions attended.
- We record when we have had contact with you, including when we have written to you, sent you a magazine or newsletter, or sent you broadly distributed email.
- We record your communication preferences related to contact via mail, email, and phone, or if you have told us you do not want contact from TCU.
TCU may also hold some of the following information:
- Your employment information, including job title, employer or company name, as well as business contact information.
- Information about your family, such as spouse’s name, children’s names, and familial relationships.
- If you are a student or alumnus/a, information about student activity involvement.
- Whether you have been invited to a University event and whether you have attended any University events.
- Information about your interests, including networking interests, volunteer interests, organization affiliations, committee participation, and awards and honors bestowed.
- We record information about when we ask for your support, whether to serve TCU as a volunteer or asking you to make a gift.
- If we have met with you in person, talked with you over the phone, or corresponded with you via email, we may record information from those interactions.
- If you have made a gift to TCU, we will retain data about your gift. This data is used to manage your donation and for University business purposes.
- Personal data, including information about race or ethnicity and religious beliefs would only be maintained and used if (1) you have directly provided it to TCU, or (2) it has been sourced from information we believe you have clearly made public.
No credit card data is stored electronically on TCU systems or devices. Please see TCU’s Credit Card Usage and PCI Compliance Policy for more information.
4. Preferences and opting out
TCU communicates with donors on a regular basis via email through our alumni community, alumni.tcu.edu. We separate email into categories such as "Athletics - Football" or "Neeley School of Business." We provide a method to opt-out of receiving a particular category of email, or all TCU emails, at the bottom of every email sent via our alumni email system, without requiring a log-in.
By default, you are opted in to TCU emails. If you have opted out of TCU emails and wish to opt in again, you may do so by updating your profile on our alumni system at alumni.tcu.edu. If you are not a TCU alumnus/a, you may indicate your email preferences by completing this online form.
5. Donor recognition
TCU recognizes donors for their gifts through print, spoken, and/or web-based media. However, you may choose to decline this recognition and make a gift anonymously. Please contact the Office of Donor Relations (donorrelations@tcu.edu or 817-257-7806) if you would like your gift to be anonymous.
6. Contact information
If you have comments or questions regarding this notice, contact Advancement Operations at 817-257-7706 or email advancementoperations@tcu.edu .
7. Additional resources
TCU’s Privacy of Information policy
AFP’s Donor Bill of Rights
Updated on October 15, 2018
