Privacy Policy | United Korean Founders Inc

1. Introduction

United Korean Founders (“UKF,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a 501(c)(6) trade association dedicated to building an ecosystem where Korean-heritage innovators can connect, grow, and lead. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you visit our website at unitedkoreanfounders.org (the “Site”), use our membership services, access public profiles or member directory features, attend events (if applicable), or otherwise interact with us (collectively, the “Services”).

By using our Services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the practices described herein, please do not use our Services.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

We collect information that you voluntarily provide to us, including:

Membership Registration: Name, email address, phone number, company name, job title, professional background, LinkedIn profile URL, and other information submitted during the membership application process.
Public Profile / Member Directory Profile: Biographical information, profile photo, professional interests, and other details you choose to include in your profile. Certain fields and features (including, without limitation, intent tags and IR-related fields) may be visible to the public, visible only to members, and/or vary by membership tier and profile settings. UKF describes these visibility and access rules in the membership information pages and related materials available on the Site.
Volunteer Registration: Name, contact information, skills, availability, and areas of interest.
Payment Information: When you pay membership dues or make other payments, your payment card details are collected and processed directly by Stripe, Inc., our third-party payment processor. UKF does not receive or store your complete credit card number, CVV, or other sensitive payment data.
Event Registration (if applicable): Name, contact information, dietary preferences, accessibility needs, and other information related to event attendance.
Communications: Information you provide when contacting us via email, contact forms, or other channels.
Survey Responses: Feedback and responses to surveys, including volunteer experience surveys.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our Site, we automatically collect certain information through cookies and similar technologies, including:

Device and Browser Information: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen resolution, and language preferences.
Usage Data: Pages viewed, links clicked, time spent on pages, referring URLs, and other interactions with the Site.
Analytics Data: We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to collect usage statistics. GA4 may use cookies and similar technologies to track user behavior on the Site.

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third parties, including Stripe (payment confirmation and transaction status), event co-organizers (if applicable), and publicly available professional information (such as LinkedIn profiles) that you have made public.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

Membership Administration: Processing applications, managing accounts, processing dues payments, and communicating membership information.
Directory Services: Displaying your profile and, where applicable, your intent tags in the directory to facilitate professional connections among members, consistent with your profile settings and membership tier permissions.
Communications: Sending membership updates, newsletters, and other communications related to UKF activities. You may opt out of non-essential communications.
Event Management (if applicable): Organizing and administering events, including registration, logistics, and follow-up.
Volunteer Coordination: Managing volunteer opportunities, tracking participation, and recognizing contributions.
Site Improvement: Analyzing usage patterns through GA4 to improve the Site's functionality, user experience, and content.
Legal and Compliance: Complying with applicable laws, responding to legal requests, and protecting UKF's rights and interests.
Donor/Partner Recognition: Displaying donor and partner information in the Hall of Fame section, with consent.

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

With Other Members / Public Visibility: Information included in your public profile may be visible to the public. Member directory profile information may be visible to other UKF members, and certain fields may be visible only to members and/or vary by membership tier. You control the information you include in your profile.
Service Providers: We share information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, including Stripe (payment processing), Google (analytics via GA4), website hosting providers, and email service providers. These providers are contractually obligated to use your information only to perform services for UKF and in compliance with applicable privacy laws.
Event Partners and Sponsors (if applicable): With your consent, we may share attendee information with event co-organizers or sponsors for purposes directly related to the event. We will not share your information with sponsors for their independent marketing purposes without your explicit opt-in consent.
Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information when required by law, court order, or governmental regulation, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect UKF's rights, your safety, or the safety of others.
Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, reorganization, or transfer of UKF's assets, your information may be transferred to the successor entity, subject to the same privacy protections.
Aggregated or De-identified Data: We may share aggregated or de-identified data that cannot reasonably be used to identify you for research, reporting, or promotional purposes.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use the following types of cookies and similar technologies:

Essential Cookies: Necessary for the Site to function properly, including session management and security.
Analytics Cookies: Used by GA4 to understand how visitors interact with the Site. These cookies collect information in an aggregated form to help us improve the Site.
Functional Cookies: Enable enhanced functionality and personalization, such as remembering your preferences.

You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Site. We honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals sent by your browser.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your membership is active or as needed to provide you with our Services. After your membership ends, we retain your information for the following periods:

Membership records: 3 years after membership termination, for administrative and legal compliance purposes.
Payment records: As required by applicable tax and financial reporting obligations (typically 7 years).
Event attendance records (if applicable): 3 years after the event.
Volunteer records: 3 years after last volunteer activity.
Analytics data: Retained in aggregated, de-identified form in accordance with GA4's data retention settings.

Upon expiration of the applicable retention period, we will securely delete or de-identify your personal information, unless longer retention is required by law.

7. Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

Encryption of data in transit using TLS/SSL;
Payment processing through Stripe's PCI DSS-compliant infrastructure;
Access controls limiting personnel access to personal information on a need-to-know basis; and
Regular review and updating of our security practices.

No method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

8. Your Rights and Choices

8.1 All Users

Regardless of your location, you may:

Access, update, or correct your member profile information at any time by logging into your account;
Opt out of non-essential communications by using the unsubscribe link in our emails or contacting us directly; and
Request deletion of your account and associated personal information by contacting us at contact@UKF.net.

8.2 California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

Right to Know: You may request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources of that information, our purposes for collecting it, and the categories of third parties with whom we have shared it.
Right to Delete: You may request that we delete personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions.
Right to Correct: You may request that we correct inaccurate personal information.
Right to Opt Out: You have the right to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of your personal information. UKF does not sell personal information. UKF does not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
Right to Limit: You may request that we limit the use of your sensitive personal information.
Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

To exercise your CCPA rights, contact us at contact@UKF.net. We will verify your identity before fulfilling your request. You may also designate an authorized agent to make requests on your behalf.

8.3 Other State Privacy Laws

Residents of states with comprehensive privacy laws (including Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and others) may have similar rights. We will honor valid requests consistent with applicable law. Please contact us to exercise your rights.

9. Children's Privacy

The Site and Services are not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child, we will take steps to delete such information promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at contact@UKF.net.

10. International Users

The Site is operated from the United States. If you access the Site from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction. By using the Site, you consent to the transfer and processing of your information in the United States.

11. Third-Party Services

Our Site integrates with or links to third-party services, including:

Stripe: Payment processing.
Google Analytics 4 (GA4): Website analytics.

These third parties have their own privacy policies governing the information they collect. We encourage you to review their policies. UKF is not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party services.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, applicable laws, or for other operational reasons. We will post the updated policy on this page with a revised “Last Updated” date. For material changes, we will provide prominent notice, such as by email to members or a banner on the Site. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

United Korean Founders Inc
Address: 345 E 73rd St 12A
Email: contact@UKF.net
Website: unitedkoreanfounders.org

For CCPA-related requests, you may contact us at the email address above with the subject line “Privacy Rights Request.”