Privacy Policy | Olympia Hindu Temple and Cultural Center (OHTCC)

At Olympia Hindu Temple and Cultural Center (OHTCC), we are a nonprofit religious and cultural organization dedicated to serving the Hindu community and broader public in the Olympia, Washington area. We are committed to honoring the trust you place in us by protecting your personal information with the same care and integrity that guides our dharmic values.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, protect, and share information when you visit our website, attend temple events, make donations, participate in cultural programs, or otherwise engage with OHTCC. By using our website or services, you agree to the practices described here.

Last Updated: March 31, 2026

a. Information You Provide Directly

We collect personal information you voluntarily give us, including:

Name, address, phone number, and email address
Donation and financial contribution details
Event registration and volunteer sign-up information
Religious affiliation or preferences shared for puja scheduling, naam karan (naming ceremonies), vivah (wedding), antyesti (last rites), or other sacramental services
Membership and family information for temple programs
Communications you send us — inquiries, feedback, or prayer requests

b. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect:

IP address and general geographic location
Browser type, operating system, and device information
Pages visited, time spent, and referring URLs
Cookie and session data (see Section 5 on Cookies)

c. Sensitive Religious Information

As a Hindu religious institution, some services — such as puja scheduling, religious ceremonies, astrological consultations, or community rites — may involve sharing information related to your faith, family lineage (gotra), or religious practices.

We treat this information with the highest level of confidentiality and use it solely to serve you in the context for which it was shared. We do not share or disclose religious or spiritually sensitive data without your explicit consent, except as required by law.

OHTCC uses your information only for legitimate purposes that support our mission, including:

Responding to your inquiries and requests
Processing donations and issuing tax-deductible receipts (as a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit)
Scheduling and coordinating religious ceremonies, pujas, and sacramental services
Registering participants for cultural events, yoga classes, festivals (Diwali, Navaratri, Holi, etc.), and educational programs
Sending newsletters, event announcements, and community updates (with your consent)
Managing temple memberships and volunteer coordination
Improving our website and services
Complying with legal, tax, and regulatory obligations

We will never use your information for commercial marketing, political campaigns, or purposes unrelated to our religious and cultural mission.

OHTCC does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share limited information only in these circumstances:

Service Providers: With trusted third-party vendors who assist us in operating our website or running programs (email platforms, payment processors, event management tools). These vendors are contractually bound to protect your data and use it only for our stated purposes.
Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or government authority.
Religious Partners: With affiliated Hindu organizations or visiting priests (pandits) involved in delivering a service you requested. We share only what is necessary and appropriate.
Safety: To protect the safety and security of our temple community, staff, or the public.

We do not share your information with other religious or nonprofit organizations for their own marketing or outreach without your explicit consent.

OHTCC processes donations through secure third-party payment processors (such as PayPal, Stripe, or similar PCI-DSS compliant platforms). We do not store your full credit card or bank account information on our servers.

Donation records — including your name, amount, and date — are retained for a minimum of 7 years in compliance with IRS nonprofit record-keeping requirements for 501(c)(3) organizations.

Donors who contribute $250 or more will receive written acknowledgment as required by the IRS. Donor information is kept strictly confidential and is not made public, sold, or shared beyond what is required for legal compliance.

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies. These may include:

Essential Cookies: Necessary for the website to function properly (e.g., form submissions, session management).
Analytics Cookies: Tools like Google Analytics help us understand how visitors use our site so we can improve it. This data is aggregated and anonymous.
Third-Party Cookies: Embedded content such as donation widgets or social media plugins may set their own cookies governed by those platforms' privacy policies.

You may control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some website functionality. We do not use cookies for advertising or cross-site tracking.

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law:

Donation and financial records: Minimum 7 years (IRS requirement)
Event registration data: 2 years after the event
Newsletter subscription data: Until you unsubscribe or request deletion
General inquiry correspondence: 3 years
Religious ceremony records (wedding, birth, memorial): Retained indefinitely as part of our religious archive, in accordance with temple tradition

You may request deletion of your personal data at any time (see Section 8), subject to legal retention requirements.

We take the protection of your data seriously and implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards, including:

SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted through our website
Secure payment processing through PCI-DSS compliant providers
Restricted internal access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
Regular review of our data practices and security measures

While we strive to protect your information, no internet transmission or digital storage system is entirely secure. Please contact us immediately at info@ohtccwa.org if you suspect any unauthorized use of your information.

We respect your rights over your personal information. You may:

Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Correction: Ask us to correct inaccurate or outdated information.
Deletion: Request that we delete your data, subject to legal retention obligations.
Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from our email communications at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us directly.
Restrict Processing: Ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@ohtccwa.org. We will respond within 30 days and will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

OHTCC warmly welcomes children and families as part of our temple community. However, our website is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verified parental or guardian consent.

For children's program registrations (such as Balagokulam, youth cultural classes, or summer camps), we collect information from parents or legal guardians only.

If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13 without proper consent, please contact us at info@ohtccwa.org and we will delete it promptly.

If you are a Washington State resident, you may have additional rights under Washington State law, including the Washington My Health MY Data Act and applicable consumer protection laws.

OHTCC does not collect health data through our website. However, if health-related information is shared in the context of religious or community care programs, it is treated with strict confidentiality consistent with Washington law.

For questions about your state-specific rights, please contact us at info@ohtccwa.org.

Our website may include links to external websites — such as affiliated Hindu organizations, event ticketing platforms, or government resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any site you visit.

This Privacy Policy may be updated periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify our community via email or website announcement.

The current version of this policy is always available on our website at ohtccwa.org.

The OHTCC Android app is available on the Google Play Store. The app displays the OHTCC website (ohtccwa.org) within a secure WebView and is subject to the same privacy practices described in this policy.

Data Collected Through the App

The OHTCC app itself does not independently collect, store, or transmit personal data. However, when you use features on the OHTCC website through the app — such as submitting a donation, pooja request, or contact form — the following information may be collected:

Name — for donation receipts, pooja scheduling, and correspondence
Email address — for confirmations and communications
Phone number — for event or service coordination
Payment information — processed securely through third-party payment providers (PayPal or similar); we do not store card details

This data is collected through the website forms embedded in the app and is governed by the same practices described throughout this Privacy Policy.

App Permissions

The OHTCC app requests only the minimum permissions necessary to function:

Internet access: Required to load the OHTCC website within the app

The app does not request access to your camera, microphone, contacts, location, files, or any other device resources.

Third-Party Services in the App

The app may load content from third-party services embedded within the OHTCC website, including:

Google reCAPTCHA — to prevent spam on contact and donation forms
Payment processors (PayPal or similar) — for secure donation processing
YouTube — for embedded live-stream content

These third-party services are governed by their own privacy policies.

Data Deletion

App users may request deletion of any personal data submitted through the app by contacting us at info@ohtccwa.org. We will process your request within 30 days, subject to legal retention requirements. You may also uninstall the app at any time — uninstalling does not delete data previously submitted through website forms.

The OHTCC app complies with the Google Play Developer Program Policies and applicable data privacy laws. We do not use your data for advertising, profiling, or any purpose outside our religious and community mission.

If you have questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or how OHTCC handles your personal information, please reach out:

Olympia Hindu Temple and Cultural Center (OHTCC)
2010 Black Lake Blvd SW, Olympia, WA 98512
(360) 920-5006
info@ohtccwa.org
www.ohtccwa.org