On Copyright
The contents of this website are copyrighted by the Cohousing Association of the United States, all rights reserved. You do not have the right to copy contents from this website and use it in your own work without explicit permission. There are some exceptions where specific content is pre-approved and available for re-use, but this is always specifically noted on any particular page containing available content.
On Reproduction Rights
For any use that is not specifically pre-approved, please request permission from our editor to copy and re-use our copyrighted content. If you are granted permission, then you will need to include a reference to the Cohousing.org Website in proximity to the reproduced content. In the case of online distribution, this reference must include a hyperlink to www.cohousing.org.
On Privacy
The Cohousing Association of the United States (Coho/US) respects each individual’s right to personal privacy. We will collect and use information through our website only in the ways disclosed in this statement. This statement applies solely to information collected at www.cohousing.org.
Collecting information
Coho/US collects personally identifiable information through our website at several points. When you join our mailing list or subscribe to our online magazine, we collect your name, zip code and email address.
We also collect personal data if you make a contribution, join our Community Directory or register for a tour, workshop, conference, or other event. We collect this information for our database so that we can better serve our constituents and track information. Our database is outsourced through Network for Good. We verify the accuracy of transactions through AVS address verification services.
We collect this information directly through our automated database. We employ cookies that collect personally identifiable information. A cookie is a small text file that our Web server places on a user’s computer hard drive to be a unique identifier. Cookies enable Coho/US to track usage patterns and deliver customized content to users. Our cookies do not have an expiration date.
Coho/US does not offer services or sell products to children. Coho/US does not request or knowingly collect personally identifiable contact information from anyone under the age of 13.
Data storage and security
Servers are hosted in a secured co-location facility. Coho/US protects user information with the following security measures: firewalls and 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption for data transmission and Authorize.Net for authentication. To learn more about SSL, see: Webopedia's Definition.
Information usage
The information collected by Coho/US will be used for fundraising, recruiting supporters, Community Directory listings, tracking tour or event registrations, and for third party mailings which are managed by Coho/US. Users who provide information will receive Cohousing magazine broadcasts and other Coho/US email announcements, including sponsored mails originating from Coho/US partners. Out of respect for the privacy of our users we present the option to not receive these types of communications by opting-out of specific types of mailings or all emails.
The information we collect may be used to create donor profiles based on event attendance or giving history. We may supplement information collected at our website with data from other sources.
We may share data with our website host, Network for Good, and our credit card payment server. These third parties will not use the information for any purpose other than for their contracted services for Coho/US.
We offer links to other websites. When you click on links to other websites, we encourage you to read their privacy policies. Their standards may differ from ours.
In particular, our website also offers the Cohousing List-serve. Please be advised that information posted on the Cohousing List-serve immediately becomes public knowledge and is sometimes automatically collected by other parties for their own purposes.
As Coho/US services evolve, we may revise this policy, so please check back frequently. If you have questions about Coho/US privacy practices please contact Coho/US.
Problem resolution
If you are experiencing privacy problems which you believe are related to this website, please contact Coho/US. We are committed to addressing issues that arise within two weeks.