Privacy Policy

Last updated October 26, 2026

How Tawasaw Institute collects, uses and protects your personal information, including phone numbers, and how our text messages work.

Who we are

Tawasaw Institute ("Tawasaw", "we", "us") is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 85-0949909) at 3349 International Blvd, Ste 3, Oakland, CA 94601. This policy explains how we collect, use and protect personal information, including phone numbers, when you use tawasaw.org, our programs and our messages.

Information we collect

We collect only what each service needs:

Information you give us: your name, email address, phone number (when you choose to give one), the household members you add, your bookings, appointment and counseling requests, applications, newsletter sign-ups and the messages you send us.
Phone numbers: we collect a phone number only when you type it into one of our forms. A phone number is always optional unless you ask us to call or text you.
Text message consent: when you check the text message box on our newsletter form, we record that you agreed, the wording you agreed to, and the date and time.
Technical information: the cookies needed to keep you signed in, and a one-way scrambled (hashed) form of your internet address that we use only to stop spam. We do not keep your raw internet address with your messages.

How we use your information

To run the programs, bookings, appointments and services you ask for.
To reply to your messages and requests.
To send confirmations, receipts and reminders about things you signed up for.
To send our newsletter if you subscribe, and text messages only if you opt in to them.
To keep our community, our children and our website safe, and to meet our legal obligations.

Phone numbers and text messages

We use your phone number only to contact you about the things you asked for and, if you opted in, to send you text messages from Tawasaw Institute.

Mobile opt-in data and consent will not be shared or sold to third parties for marketing purposes.

We do not sell, rent or trade phone numbers or any other personal information. Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent are excluded from every kind of sharing described in this policy and will not be shared with any third parties, other than the text message provider that delivers our messages to you.

You can stop text messages at any time by replying STOP.

How we protect your information

Our website uses encrypted (HTTPS) connections.
Staff see only the information their role needs. Counseling notes and assistance requests are visible only to you and the people assigned to them.
We keep information only as long as we need it for the purpose it was collected for, or as the law requires.

Children

You must be 13 or older to create an account. A parent or guardian adds a younger child to their household and manages that child’s information.

Cookies

This site sets only the cookies it needs to keep you signed in. It uses no advertising or tracking cookies. Pages that show a Ticket Tailor booking form, a Zeffy donation form, a Calendly calendar or a YouTube video load those services, which may set their own cookies.

Your choices

To see, correct or delete your information, or your child’s, email contact@tawasaw.org.
To stop our newsletter, use the unsubscribe link in any newsletter email.
To stop text messages, reply STOP. Reply HELP for help.

Text message (SMS) terms

Tawasaw Institute may send text messages to people who choose to receive them, such as program updates, event reminders and, if you opt in, marketing and promotional messages.

You opt in by checking the text message box on our newsletter form and giving a mobile number. The box is never checked for you, and agreeing to texts is not a condition of any registration, purchase or donation.
Message frequency varies.
Message and data rates may apply.
Reply STOP to unsubscribe at any time. You will get one message confirming that you have been unsubscribed, and no further messages after that.
Reply HELP for help. You can also email contact@tawasaw.org or call (408) 837-3325.
Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
Mobile opt-in data and consent will not be shared or sold to third parties for marketing purposes.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we will post the new version on this page and update the date at the top.

Contact us

Tawasaw Institute, 3349 International Blvd, Ste 3, Oakland, CA 94601. Email contact@tawasaw.org or call (408) 837-3325.