Privacy Policy
School of Wood Carving, Inc. (also styled “School of Woodcarving”) is a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to preserving the art of traditional woodcarving and advancing woodcarving education as a charitable public benefit. We respect your privacy and handle your information with care. This policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, and the choices you have.
Last updated: June 1, 2026
We are a charitable arts-preservation organization, not a degree-granting school. We offer free and low-cost woodcarving lessons to learners worldwide, free from barriers of cost, geography, or background. Membership fees and donations directly fund our free instruction and craft-preservation work. Protecting the privacy of the carvers, learners, and supporters who make this mission possible is part of that public-benefit commitment.
Who we are and how to reach us
This website, https://schoolofwoodcarving.com, is owned and operated by School of Wood Carving, Inc., a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization (EIN 88-0521972). School of Wood Carving, Inc. is the “data controller” responsible for the personal information described in this policy. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us using the details below.
What personal data we collect, and why
We collect only the information we need to deliver lessons, process donations, keep your account secure, and improve our charitable programs. Here is what we collect and the reason for each:
- Name and email address — to create and manage your learner account, send lesson access and account notices, and respond to your questions. This is the basic information that lets us deliver instruction to you.
- Membership and account data — the lessons you can access, your membership plan, your progress, and your activity on the platform. This helps us provide the right content, support your learning, and improve our free and low-cost lessons.
- Billing and payment information — collected and processed by our third-party payment processor (PayPal) when you make a membership contribution or make a donation. Our paid memberships are recurring and renew automatically until cancelled; full membership and cancellation terms are in our Terms of Service. See “How payments are handled” below. We do not see or store your full card number.
- Donation history — the amount, date, and method of gifts you make. We use this to issue receipts, keep accurate charitable records, comply with nonprofit reporting rules, and thank our supporters.
- Newsletter and email sign-ups — if you choose to subscribe, we collect your email so we can share lessons, craft-preservation news, and updates about the organization. You can unsubscribe at any time.
- Technical and usage data — such as IP address, browser type, device, and pages viewed, collected automatically through cookies and analytics tools to keep the site secure and understand how it is used. See “Cookies and tracking” below.
Every piece of data we collect supports our mission: delivering woodcarving instruction to learners worldwide and preserving a traditional craft. We do not collect personal information we do not need.
How we collect your data
We collect information in three main ways:
- Information you give us — when you register for a lesson, start or manage a membership, make a donation, sign up for our newsletter, or contact us.
- Information collected automatically — through cookies and analytics tools as you browse the site.
- Information from our service providers — for example, confirmation from PayPal that a payment or donation was completed.
Cookies and tracking
Our site uses cookies and similar technologies. Some are essential to make the site work (for example, keeping you logged in and securing your account). Others are optional and help us understand and improve the site, including:
- Google Analytics — to see which lessons and pages are most helpful so we can improve our free instruction.
- Facebook/Meta pixel — to understand how visitors find us and to share our mission with people who may want to learn or support our work.
Where required by law, we ask for your consent before placing optional cookies, and you may accept or reject them through our cookie banner. You can also control or block cookies through your browser settings and opt out of Google Analytics using Google’s browser add-on. Blocking some cookies may affect how parts of the site work. Essential cookies cannot be turned off because the site cannot function without them. Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” signal; because there is no common industry standard for how to respond to it, our site does not currently respond to Do Not Track signals, but you can still control optional cookies through the cookie banner and your browser as described above.
How we use your information
- To provide and manage your learner account and deliver online woodcarving lessons.
- To process membership payments and donations, manage recurring billing, and send receipts.
- To respond to your questions and provide support.
- To send newsletters and updates you have signed up for.
- To keep the site, your account, and payments secure and to prevent fraud.
- To understand how the site is used so we can improve our charitable programs.
- To meet our legal, tax, and nonprofit record-keeping obligations.
Third parties we share data with
We do not sell your personal information. We do not trade or rent it. We share data only with trusted service providers who help us run our charitable programs, and only as needed for them to do their job:
- Payment and donation processor (PayPal) — to securely process membership payments, recurring billing, and donations.
- Course-hosting platform — to host and deliver our online lessons and manage learner accounts.
- Email marketing platform — to send newsletters and updates to people who have signed up.
- Analytics providers (Google, Meta) — to help us understand how the site is used.
These providers are required to protect your information and use it only to provide services to us. We may also disclose information if required by law, to comply with legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, and property of our organization, our learners, or others.
How payments are handled
All card payments and donations are processed by PayPal, a PCI-DSS-compliant payment processor, over a secure HTTPS connection. School of Wood Carving, Inc. does not collect or store your full card number, security code, or bank details on our own systems. We receive only confirmation of the transaction and limited details (such as your name, email, and the amount) needed to provide your membership, issue receipts, and keep accurate charitable records. Paid memberships are recurring and renew automatically until cancelled; you can review how memberships, renewals, cancellations, and refunds work in our Terms of Service and Donation & Refund Policy. PayPal handles your payment information under its own privacy policy.
How we store and secure your data
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information, including HTTPS encryption across the site, access controls, and reliance on reputable service providers. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work to protect your information and to limit access to it. In the unlikely event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify affected individuals and the applicable authorities as required by law.
How long we keep your data
We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy. Account and membership data are kept while your account is active and for a reasonable period afterward. Donation and payment records are kept as long as required by tax, accounting, and nonprofit reporting laws. Newsletter data is kept until you unsubscribe. When we no longer need your information, we securely delete or anonymize it.
International data transfers
We are based in the United States, and we serve learners worldwide. If you are located in the European Union, the United Kingdom, or the European Economic Area, please know that your personal information is processed in the United States, where data-protection laws may differ from those in your home country. When we transfer this information, we rely on appropriate safeguards, such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses (or equivalent measures offered by our service providers) where required by law, to help protect it. You may contact us at alexander@schoolofwoodcarving.com for more detail about these safeguards.
Your privacy rights
Wherever you live, you can ask us to help with your information. Depending on your location, you may have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Correct information that is wrong or out of date.
- Delete your personal information, subject to records we must keep by law.
- Opt out or unsubscribe from newsletters and marketing emails at any time using the link in any email or by contacting us.
- Withdraw consent you previously gave, including for optional cookies.
If you are in the European Union or United Kingdom, the GDPR gives you these rights, plus the right to data portability and the right to object to or restrict certain processing. We rely on the following legal bases to process your personal information: performance of a contract when we provide your membership and manage your account; your consent for marketing emails and optional cookies, which you can withdraw at any time; our legitimate interests in keeping the site secure and understanding how it is used; and compliance with a legal obligation for tax, accounting, and charitable record-keeping.
If you are a California resident, the CCPA/CPRA gives you the right to know what personal information we collect, to request deletion, to correct inaccurate information, and to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information — and again, we do not sell your information. Under California’s “Shine the Light” law (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.83), residents may request information about personal information shared with third parties for those parties’ own direct marketing; we do not share personal information for third-party direct marketing. We will never discriminate against you for exercising your rights.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at alexander@schoolofwoodcarving.com. We will acknowledge your request within 10 business days and respond within 45 days (or sooner where the law requires), and if we need more time we will let you know. We may need to confirm your identity first. An authorized agent may submit a request on your behalf with proof that you have given them permission to act for you.
Donor privacy commitment
We are grateful for every gift, and we protect our donors’ information. Donor information is used to process gifts, send receipts, keep accurate charitable records, comply with nonprofit reporting rules, and — only where you have not opted out — to thank you and share updates about our work. We do not sell, rent, or trade donor information. If you would prefer that we not share your information with anyone outside the organization, or that we not include your name in any acknowledgments, just let us know at alexander@schoolofwoodcarving.com and we will honor your request. For details on how gifts are processed and refunded, see our Donation & Refund Policy.
Children’s privacy
Our website and lessons are intended for adults and older learners. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13, in keeping with the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). If you believe a child under 13 has given us personal information, please contact us at alexander@schoolofwoodcarving.com and we will promptly delete it. Children may take part in woodcarving lessons under the supervision and with the consent of a parent or guardian, who manages the account.
Electronic communications
Because we deliver our programs online, you agree to receive account information, donation receipts, agreements, and legal notices from us electronically — by email or by posting them on our website — and you agree that this electronic delivery satisfies any legal requirement that such communications be in writing. You may withdraw this consent or ask for a paper copy by contacting us at alexander@schoolofwoodcarving.com, though doing so may limit our ability to provide certain online services.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as our programs, technology, or the law change. When we do, we will post the updated policy on this page and revise the “Last updated” date below. For significant changes, we may also notify you by email or a notice on the site. We encourage you to review this page from time to time. Your continued use of the site after we post an updated policy means you accept the changes.
Last updated: June 1, 2026
Accessibility
We want everyone to be able to learn woodcarving with us, so we are committed to making our website usable for all visitors. We are working toward conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA as an ongoing effort. If you have trouble using any part of the site, or if you need help or an accommodation, please email us at alexander@schoolofwoodcarving.com and we will do our best to assist you.
Learn more
Read more about our charitable mission and the people behind it, or review our other policies: