Membership List Policy

Membership is WHYY’s single most important source of support, and WHYY’s relationship with its members is the highest expression of our commitment to our mission.

WHYY has established the following policy and practices for use of our online and offline membership and donor lists to protect the privacy of our members and ensure control in safeguarding against any unauthorized use.

WHYY considers the protection of its members’ confidentiality to be of paramount importance. The station will, at a minimum, adhere to the industry standards outlined by the Direct Marketing Association. Accordingly, the station and its third-party fundraising counsel and list brokers will adhere to procedures designed to insure that member privacy is maintained. The station will periodically inform its members of the potential for their names, physical and email addresses and phone numbers to be used in a commercial mailing list exchange and that they have the right to have their names withheld from any and all such mailings.

Members’ right to privacy

In its fundraising practices, WHYY will respect the privacy of its members. Members who want to exclude their names from any donor list exchange activity may contact WHYY Member and Audience Services by calling 215-351-0511 or sending an email to memberservices@whyy.org. In the course of an exchange transaction involving names of donors that have not requested to be excluded, WHYY will provide only non-personal public information, limited to members’ names and addresses and/or contribution history to outside organizations.

Use of the Membership List by WHYY

WHYY regularly contacts its members to carry out necessary and normal operations. In addition, WHYY also communicates with its members by phone or email. All membership communications are conducted directly by WHYY or through an affiliated third party, such as a direct marketing firm, acting on behalf of WHYY.

WHYY will, from time to time, provide member names to research organizations hired by and working on behalf of WHYY or other public broadcasting organizations (such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS, NPR) for the purpose of member research that will benefit WHYY and/or the public broadcasting stations.

Use of the List by other organizations

WHYY does not sell its membership list to other organizations. However, in order to assist in its membership and fundraising efforts, WHYY periodically exchanges the names and addresses and/or contribution history of its members and former members with other like-minded non-profit organizations, using a process that does not permit the other organization to review or retain a copy of the membership list. Exchange of the list allows WHYY to expand its membership base by obtaining the names and addresses of other likely donors, and provides a valuable source of additional funding.

WHYY will not sell, rent, transfer, provide or exchange its membership list with any political party, political committee, candidate for political office, political lobbying organization, religious groups, credit card mailers, pornographers, or certain public advocacy or self-interest organizations, as defined from time to time by WHYY’s President and CEO.

Process

• Each proposed use must be pre-approved in writing by the Director of Member Communications.
• Each use will be on a one-time only basis using a process (such as employment of a third-party mailing house) that does not permit the organization to review or retain a copy of the membership list.
• Each use will consist of names and addresses and/or contribution history (no phone numbers or other contact information will be provided).

Recordkeeping

WHYY will keep a complete and accurate record of all uses of the WHYY membership list.

Compliance

WHYY will take appropriate measures to ensure against unauthorized use of membership and donor lists, including requiring any third party, including but not limited to, list brokers, mail-list management organizations, Friends organizations, fundraising organizations, or advertising or public relations agencies, to abide by WHYY’s compliance requirements.

This policy will be reviewed by the Director of Member Communications on an annual basis.

Rev. 09/19