Wise Friend Privacy Policy

Effective Date: August, 2024

Last Updated: October, 2025

1. Introduction

Wise Friend LLC (“Wise Friend,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) provides behavioral-health education, mentorship, and personal-growth training through online and in-person programs, including the Life Plan, Inner Workbook, and other Wise Friend materials (collectively, the “Services”).

We are based in the United States. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use and protect it, and what rights you have.

By using our website ( wisefriend.org ) or any of our Services, you consent to the practices described here.

2. Scope

This policy covers information collected through:

• our websites and online learning platforms,

• Wise Friend events, workshops, and mentorship programs, and

• communications (email, social media, or surveys).

It does not apply to third-party websites or services that may be linked from our site.

3. Information We Collect

We collect two broad categories of data:

a. Personal Information You Provide

• Name, email address, phone number, mailing address

• Program registration and mentorship application details

• User-generated responses (journaling entries, reflection data, or goal-setting inputs)

• Billing and payment information (processed by secure third-party payment processors)

• Demographic or contextual data you choose to share (e.g., age range, occupation, location)

• Communications with us (emails, chat, survey responses)

b. Sensitive Behavioral Information

Because Wise Friend focuses on self-reflection and behavior change, you may voluntarily share information about:

• mental-health-related reflections, stress, emotions, coping habits, and personal goals

• self-ratings or progress-tracking data 

• notes between mentors and mentees regarding wellbeing or performance

Important: We are not a healthcare provider and do not collect or process “Protected Health Information” (PHI) under HIPAA. If you disclose health-related reflections, they are treated as sensitive personal data, protected by privacy and security measures but not as clinical records.

c. Automatically Collected Data

When you visit our site, we collect:

• IP address, browser type, device type, operating system

• Usage analytics (pages visited, time on page, referring links)

• Cookies and tracking technologies (see Section 8)

4. How We Use Information

We use personal and behavioral information to:

• Provide, personalize, and improve our educational and mentorship programs

• Track user progress and deliver reflective summaries or nudges 

• Conduct internal research and aggregate analytics to enhance curriculum effectiveness

• Communicate updates, invitations, or resources (you may opt out at any time)

• Comply with legal or contractual obligations and prevent misuse of our systems

We will never use behavioral or reflective data for targeted advertising or profiling for marketing purposes.

5. Legal Bases & U.S. Jurisdiction

We process information based on:

• your consent (when you opt in or voluntarily submit information),

• our legitimate interest in improving educational outcomes, and

• legal obligations under applicable U.S. law.

Our operations are governed primarily by U.S. law. If you access our Services from another country, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States.

6. How We Share Information

We may share information only as necessary:

• With trusted service providers (hosting, analytics, email, payment, fulfillment) under confidentiality agreements

• With approved mentors, facilitators, or program staff bound by Wise Friend confidentiality and data-use agreements

• With affiliates or foundation partners when required to deliver co-branded programs — only with appropriate privacy assurances

• As required by law, legal process, or to protect rights, property, or safety

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal data to third parties.

7. Retention of Information

• Program data are retained for up to five years from last activity, unless you request deletion sooner.

• Administrative, financial, or donor records are retained for seven years to comply with IRS and accounting requirements.

• When retention periods expire, information is securely deleted or anonymized.

8. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies to:

• enable site functionality and learning-platform sessions,

• analyze aggregate usage trends, and

• personalize user experience (e.g., remember login status).

You may disable cookies in your browser settings; essential cookies are required for core functionality. We do not use third-party advertising cookies.

9. Security Measures

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards, including:

• encrypted data transmission (HTTPS, TLS)

• secure data storage with access controls

• limited staff access under confidentiality agreements

• annual privacy and security training for employees and mentors

No online system is 100 % secure, but we maintain industry-standard defenses and continuously monitor for vulnerabilities.

10. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your state of residence (for example, CA, VA, CO, CT, UT), you may have the right to:

• access, correct, or delete personal data we hold about you,

• request to opt out of data sharing or automated decision-making,

• limit use of sensitive information, and

• receive notice of material privacy changes.

To exercise these rights, email privacy@wisefriend.org. We will verify your identity and respond within the period required by law.

11. Children and Minors

Our general website and programs are intended for individuals 18 and older.
If a mentorship or youth program involves participants under 18, we obtain verifiable parental or guardian consent before collecting personal information and restrict mentor access to need-to-know data.

We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13 without parental consent, consistent with COPPA.

12. Mentorship and Reflective Data Protections

• All mentors and facilitators sign a Confidentiality and Data-Use Agreement prohibiting them from sharing participant reflections or behavioral observations outside program purposes.

• Reflective data (journals, goals, self-ratings) are stored separately from account identifiers whenever feasible.

• Aggregated insights may be used to evaluate program impact but are never attributed to named individuals.

• If you end a mentorship relationship, you may request that your reflective data be deleted or anonymized.

13. Third-Party Links and Integrations

Our site may link to or embed tools from learning or donation platforms (e.g., Stripe, Eventbrite, Mailchimp, Google Workspace). Your use of those tools is governed by their respective privacy policies. We encourage you to review them.

14. Data Transfers and Storage

All data is processed and stored in the United States. Service providers are required to implement equivalent safeguards consistent with FTC and state privacy standards. If you are located abroad, you consent to this transfer and understand that U.S. laws may differ from those in your country.

15. Policy Updates

We may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time. When changes are significant, we will post a notice on wisefriend.org and update the “Last Updated” date above. Your continued use of our Services after such notice means you accept the updated policy.

16. Contact Us

For questions, requests, or complaints about this Privacy Policy, please contact:

Wise Friend LLC
Attn: Privacy Officer
Email: support@wisefriend.org
 

17. Summary of Your Commitment

By participating in Wise Friend programs, you acknowledge that your growth journey may involve reflecting on personal and emotional topics. We treat that information with the utmost care, using it solely to support your learning and to improve the quality of our mentorship system. You always retain ownership of your reflections, and you can request deletion or export of your personal data at any time.