Privacy Policy for Community Outreach Ministry Efforts

Last Updated: July 25, 2025

Community Outreach Ministry Efforts ("we," "us," "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, www.cometexas.org, and subscribe to our communications.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information from you in the following ways:

• 1.1 Information You Voluntarily Provide:
  
  • Email Newsletter Subscription: When you subscribe to our newsletter through our MailerSend integration, we collect your first name, last name, and email address. We use a double opt-in method, meaning we store this information only after you have confirmed your subscription via an email link.
  • SMS Notification Subscription: When you subscribe to SMS notifications through our Twilio integration, we collect your phone number.
• 1.2 Information Automatically Collected:
  • SMS Consent Records: In compliance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), when you sign up for SMS notifications, we automatically collect your IP address and the date and time of your consent. This information is stored in our database to maintain a record of your consent.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To send you our email newsletter and keep you informed about our organization's work.
• To send you SMS notifications about important updates, events, and announcements.
• To maintain a record of your consent for SMS notifications in compliance with the TCPA.
• To respond to your inquiries and provide support.
• To maintain the security and integrity of our website and services.

3. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We value your trust and do not sell your personal data. We only share your information with trusted third-party service providers as necessary to provide our services to you:

• 3.1 MailerSend: We share your name and email address with MailerSend to manage and distribute our email newsletter and other email notifications.
• 3.2 Twilio: We share your phone number with Twilio to send SMS notifications and maintain compliance with the TCPA.
• 3.3 Firebase Firestore We use Firebase Firestore as a secure database to store the information you provide for newsletter subscriptions.
• 3.4 Legal Compliance We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect and defend our rights or property, or protect the personal safety of users or the public.

4. Data Storage and Retention

We store and retain your data as follows:

• Newsletter Information (First Name, Last Name, Email): This information is stored securely in Firebase Firestore for as long as you remain a subscriber to our newsletter. If you unsubscribe, we will remove your information from our active mailing lists.
• SMS Consent Information (Phone Number, IP Address, Date): In accordance with TCPA regulations, we retain a record of your consent for a period of four (4) years from the date you provide it.

5. Your Rights and Choices

You have control over your personal information:

• Opt-Out of Email: You can unsubscribe from our email newsletter at any time by clicking the "Unsubscribe" link provided in the footer of every email.
• Opt-Out of SMS: You can opt-out of SMS notifications at any time by replying STOP to any message you receive from us.
• Access and Update Your Information: You can request access to your personal information or request updates to it by contacting us at contact@cometexas.org.
• Data Deletion: You may request the deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal obligations for data retention (e.g., TCPA consent records).

6. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and administrative security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. We rely on the robust security infrastructure of our service providers, including MailerSend, Twilio, and Google's Firebase.

7. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected such information, we will take steps to delete it.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy will indicate when the latest changes were made. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

9. Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
Community Outreach Ministry Efforts
Email: contact@cometexas.org
Phone: 254-350-6561
Address: Community Outreach Ministry Efforts
10853 F.M. 439
Belton, TX 76513.