Last Updated: 6/23/2026

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The National Honor Guard Society respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you choose to share with us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect information through our website, online forms, membership and outreach activities, donation platforms, events, communications, and related Society services.

By using this website or submitting information to the Society, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

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1. Who We Are

The National Honor Guard Society is a nonprofit organization created to preserve tradition, strengthen readiness, advance best-practice standards, support professional development, and connect Honor Guard professionals and ceremonial service communities nationwide.

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For purposes of this Privacy Policy, “Society,” “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to the National Honor Guard Society, including its website, programs, committees, events, communications, and related services.

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2. Information We Collect

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us, as well as certain technical information collected automatically when you visit our website.

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Information You Voluntarily Provide

We may collect information when you:

• Contact us through the website

• Request information

• Subscribe to updates or newsletters

• Submit a membership interest form

• Apply for membership, credentialing, recognition, training, grants, scholarships, or other programs

• Register for events

• Make a donation

• Volunteer with the Society

• Submit photos, biographies, testimonials, articles, or other content

• Communicate with us by email, phone, mail, form submission, or social media

 

This information may include:

• Name

• Email address

• Phone number

• Mailing address

• Organization, agency, department, or unit affiliation

• Professional title, rank, role, or assignment

• Discipline or field of service, such as law enforcement, fire service, EMS, corrections, military veteran ceremonial service, public safety, nonprofit, legal, governance, or related experience

• Membership category or program interest

• Event registration details

• Donation information

• Volunteer interest

• Professional background, training history, certifications, or experience submitted for Society programs

• Photos, biographies, or profile information submitted for Society use

• Any other information you choose to provide

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Donation and Payment Information

If you make a donation, pay dues, register for an event, or purchase any Society-related item or service, payment information may be collected and processed by third-party payment processors. The Society does not intend to store full credit card numbers or complete payment account details on its own systems.

Payment processors may collect information such as:

• Name

• Billing address

• Email address

• Donation or payment amount

• Payment method details

• Transaction date and confirmation information

Payment processors maintain their own privacy and security practices. You should review their privacy policies when submitting payment information.

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Automatically Collected Website Information

When you visit our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically through cookies, analytics tools, server logs, and similar technologies.

This may include:

• IP address

• Browser type

• Device type

• Operating system

• Pages visited

• Referring website

• Date and time of visit

• Approximate location based on IP address

• Website interactions

• Cookie identifiers or similar tracking technologies

This information helps us understand website performance, improve user experience, protect the website, and evaluate outreach effectiveness.

3. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website may use cookies, pixels, analytics tools, and similar technologies to support website functionality, security, analytics, user preferences, and communications.

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Cookies may be used to:

• Keep the website functioning properly

• Improve website performance

• Understand how visitors use the website

• Measure outreach and communications effectiveness

• Remember user preferences

• Support embedded content, forms, payment tools, or third-party services

Some cookies may be necessary for the website to function. Others may be optional, such as analytics or marketing-related cookies.

You may be able to manage cookies through your browser settings or through any cookie consent tools provided on our website. Disabling cookies may affect certain website features.

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4. How We Use Information

The Society may use personal information for the following purposes:

• Responding to inquiries

• Sending requested information

• Managing newsletter or email update subscriptions

• Processing membership interest forms

• Reviewing membership, credentialing, training, recognition, grant, scholarship, or volunteer applications

• Processing donations, payments, dues, registrations, or acknowledgments

• Issuing receipts or required nonprofit records

• Managing events, programs, committees, and Society communications

• Maintaining internal records

• Improving our website, programs, and outreach

• Developing educational resources, standards updates, and member communications

• Verifying eligibility for Society programs where applicable

• Protecting the security, integrity, and lawful operation of the Society and its website

• Complying with legal, tax, accounting, governance, audit, reporting, or regulatory obligations

• Preventing fraud, misuse, unauthorized access, or other improper activity

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5. Email Communications

If you subscribe to Society updates, submit an inquiry, register for an event, join as a member, donate, or otherwise provide your email address, we may send you communications related to the Society.

These may include:

• Organizational updates

• Membership information

• Event announcements

• Standards or resource updates

• Donation acknowledgments

• Program notices

• Volunteer opportunities

• Administrative messages

• Responses to your inquiries

You may unsubscribe from general promotional or newsletter-style communications by using the unsubscribe link provided in those emails or by contacting us directly.

We may still send necessary administrative, transactional, legal, or program-related messages where appropriate.

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6. How We Share Information

The Society does not sell personal information.

We may share personal information only as reasonably necessary for Society operations, legal compliance, program administration, or with your consent.

We may share information with:

• Website hosting providers

• Email and communications platforms

• Payment processors

• Donation management platforms

• Membership management systems

• Event registration providers

• Cloud storage or document management providers

• Analytics providers

• Professional advisors, such as attorneys, accountants, auditors, insurance advisors, or governance consultants

• Board members, officers, committee members, volunteers, or staff with a legitimate Society-related need to access the information

• Government agencies, regulators, courts, or law enforcement where required or permitted by law

We may also disclose information when we believe it is necessary to:

• Comply with law

• Protect the Society’s rights, safety, property, or operations

• Prevent fraud or misuse

• Enforce website terms, policies, or program rules

• Respond to lawful requests or legal process

• Protect the safety or rights of others

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7. Donor Privacy

The Society respects the privacy of donors.

We do not sell, rent, or trade donor names, mailing addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, donation amounts, or other donor information to third parties for their own marketing or fundraising purposes.

We may use donor information to:

• Process donations

• Send receipts and acknowledgments

• Maintain required financial and tax records

• Communicate about Society activities, impact, and future support opportunities

• Recognize donors where permission has been provided or where recognition is consistent with the donor’s selected giving preference

Donors may request anonymous recognition or request not to be publicly listed by contacting the Society.

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8. Membership, Credentialing, and Professional Development Information

The Society may collect professional, training, affiliation, and experience-related information for membership, credentialing, professional development, committee participation, instructor recognition, training provider recognition, grants, scholarships, or related Society programs.

This may include:

• Current or former agency affiliation

• Honor Guard experience

• Training history

• Instructor experience

• Professional references

• Certifications or credentials

• Letters of support

• Committee interest

• Volunteer qualifications

• Program eligibility information

The Society may use this information to review applications, verify eligibility, administer programs, maintain records, and communicate with applicants or members.

Where credentialing, recognition, or membership verification processes require additional information, the Society will use that information only for legitimate program-related purposes.

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9. Photos, Biographies, Testimonials, and Submitted Content

If you submit photographs, biographies, professional profiles, testimonials, articles, comments, or other content to the Society, we may use that content for Society-related purposes, including website publication, newsletters, social media, event materials, educational resources, member recognition, or promotional materials.

We will not intentionally publish sensitive personal information beyond what is reasonably appropriate for the purpose for which the content was submitted.

If you would like us to remove or update submitted content, you may contact us. Removal may not always be possible for materials already printed, archived, distributed, or lawfully retained.

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10. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may link to third-party websites, platforms, donation processors, payment processors, event registration systems, social media platforms, embedded content, or other services.

The Society is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, terms, or content of third-party websites or services. Your use of third-party services is governed by their own privacy policies and terms.

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11. Data Security

The Society uses reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, loss, or misuse.

However, no website, email system, database, or online transmission is completely secure. You should use care when submitting personal information online or by email.

The Society will work to maintain appropriate safeguards based on the nature of the information collected, the size and scope of the organization, and the resources reasonably available to the Society.

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12. Data Retention

We retain personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

For example, we may retain:

• Donation and payment records for tax, accounting, audit, and nonprofit reporting purposes

• Membership and program records for administration, verification, governance, and historical continuity

• Email subscription records until you unsubscribe or request removal

• Event registration records for event administration and legal or insurance purposes

• Communications records for follow-up, documentation, or operational purposes

When information is no longer needed, we may delete, de-identify, aggregate, archive, or securely retain it as appropriate.

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13. Your Choices and Rights

You may contact the Society to request that we:

• Update your contact information

• Correct inaccurate information

• Remove you from email lists

• Limit certain communications

• Review personal information you previously submitted

• Delete certain information, where legally and operationally feasible

• Request anonymous donor recognition

• Ask questions about how your information is used

Some information may need to be retained for legal, tax, accounting, governance, security, dispute-resolution, credentialing, membership, or legitimate operational purposes.

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14. State and International Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have certain rights under applicable privacy laws. These rights may include the ability to access, correct, delete, or limit certain uses of personal information.

The Society will respond to privacy requests as required by applicable law.

Some state privacy laws contain exemptions or different treatment for nonprofit organizations. For example, the California Attorney General states that the CCPA generally does not apply to nonprofit organizations or government agencies. However, the Society still aims to handle privacy requests in a fair, transparent, and responsible manner.

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15. Children’s Privacy

The Society’s website and programs are not directed to children under the age of 13.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without appropriate parental or legal guardian consent. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without appropriate consent, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information.

COPPA imposes requirements on operators of websites or online services directed to children under 13, or operators that knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

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16. Sensitive Information

Please do not submit sensitive personal information unless it is specifically requested and necessary for a Society program, application, donation, or communication.

Sensitive information may include information such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, medical information, criminal history, government identification numbers, or other highly sensitive personal data.

If a Society program later requires sensitive information for a specific purpose, we will provide additional instructions or disclosures as appropriate.

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17. Social Media

The Society may maintain pages or profiles on social media platforms. If you interact with the Society through social media, your interaction may be visible to others depending on your privacy settings and the platform’s policies.

Social media platforms are governed by their own privacy policies and terms. The Society is not responsible for the privacy practices of those platforms.

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18. Changes to This Privacy Policy

The Society may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, programs, technology, legal requirements, or organizational needs.

When we update this Privacy Policy, we will revise the “Last Updated” date at the top of the page. Continued use of the website after changes are posted means you accept the updated Privacy Policy.

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19. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to update your information, or want to make a privacy-related request, please contact us:

National Honor Guard Society
Email: info@nationalhonorguardsociety.org
Website: www.nationalhonorguardsociety.org