Privacy Policy

Effective Date: June 1, 2025

The History Center of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy of visitors to our website. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your choices regarding that information. By using our website, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

1. Information We Collect

a. Information You Provide Directly

When you submit an inquiry form or sign up for our newsletter, we may collect:

• Your name
• Email address
• Phone number (if provided)
• Any message or inquiry you submit

b. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically through Google Analytics and Google Search Console, including:

• Your IP address (anonymized where applicable)
• Browser type and version
• Device type and operating system
• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Referring website or search terms used to find us
• Geographic location (at the city or region level)

This data is collected using cookies and similar tracking technologies. It is used in aggregate form to understand how visitors use our site and to improve our online presence.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To respond to your inquiries and provide information about our programs, events, and services
• To send you our newsletter and updates about the History Center, if you have subscribed
• To analyze website traffic and improve the functionality and content of our website
• To ensure the security and proper operation of our website
• To comply with applicable legal obligations

We will never sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.

3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to support analytics and improve your experience. Specifically:

• Google Analytics uses cookies to collect anonymized data about how visitors interact with our site. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on, available at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
• Google Search Console helps us understand how our site appears in search results. It does not collect personal data about individual visitors.

Most web browsers allow you to control or disable cookies through their settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of some parts of our website.

4. Third-Party Analytics and Tools

We use the following third-party services to operate and improve our website, each governed by their own privacy policies:

• Google Analytics — policies.google.com/privacy
• Google Search Console — policies.google.com/privacy

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these services to understand how they handle your data.

5. Donations, Memberships, and Event Registrations

Our website contains links to third-party platforms for processing donations, memberships, and event registrations. These transactions are handled entirely by those external services, not by the History Center’s website:

• Donations are processed through Bloomerang
• Membership sign-ups are processed through Checkpoint
• Event registrations are processed through Kindful

When you click a link to one of these platforms, you will leave our website and be subject to that platform’s own privacy policy and terms of service. We do not collect, store, or have access to any payment or financial information you provide to these third-party services. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before submitting any personal or financial information.

6. Newsletter Subscriptions

If you subscribe to our newsletter, your email address and name will be used solely to send you communications from the History Center. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send, or by contacting us directly. We will promptly remove you from our mailing list upon request.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law. Inquiry form submissions are typically retained for up to two years. Newsletter subscriber information is retained until you unsubscribe.

8. Your Rights and Choices (Illinois Residents)

As an Illinois resident, you have certain rights regarding your personal information under the Illinois Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) and related laws, including:

• The right to know what personal information we hold about you
• The right to request correction of inaccurate information
• The right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal limitations
• The right to opt out of any commercial use of your information (we do not engage in such use)

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 11 below. We will respond to your request within a reasonable time, typically within 30 days.

9. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect the personal information we collect from unauthorized access, disclosure, or misuse. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Children’s Privacy

Our website is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without parental consent, please contact us so we can take appropriate steps to remove that information.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact us:

History Center of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff
Email: info@lflbhistory.org
Mailing Address: 509 E. Deerpath
Lake Forest, IL 60045

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Any updates will be posted on this page with a revised effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of our website following any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.