Office of Development Privacy Policies

Stanford External Relations uses phone numbers and other data collected via Stanford websites and forms to create a record about you in our alumni and donor database, or to update your existing record. Your phone number may be used for fundraising purposes or to provide you with information about volunteer opportunities or events.

Text messaging, also known as SMS, is one of the methods that Stanford University uses to communicate with donors, families, and alumni. By providing your phone number to Stanford, you consent to receive periodic texts from Stanford External Relations (including the Office of Development). We will not use your phone number for any commercial, engagement, or fundraising purposes outside of Stanford.

Specifically, we may use your phone number to:

• Provide information about Stanford and alumni activities

• Fundraise for Stanford programs, initiatives, or campaigns

• Share information about volunteer opportunities or events in your area

Text messages will only be sent by authorized personnel of Stanford University, alumni volunteers, or student volunteers. Standard text messaging rates from your wireless carrier may still apply to any messages sent or received. 

Note: This disclosure does not apply to customer service or account-related messages from Stanford University (eg. two-factor authentication), or to messages sent through Stanford University’s emergency and community alert system, AlertSU.

If you have concerns about any of these purposes, or how we communicate with you, please contact us at alumniwebhelp@stanford.edu. To opt in to receiving text messages, please submit a help request and select “Opt in to receiving text messages” from the drop-down menu.

To opt out of text messaging (SMS):

You may request to opt-out of receiving text communications at any time by submitting a help request. When submitting the request, please select “Opt out of receiving text messages” from the drop-down menu.

OR

After receiving a message, reply STOP. You will receive a confirmation text.

Stanford University is committed to securing the accuracy and privacy of your information. Stanford External Relations and the Stanford Alumni Association follow Stanford's privacy and security policies, which can be found online at https://www.stanford.edu/site/privacy. 

This privacy notice explains how Stanford Office of Development collects, uses, discloses, and otherwise processes personal information via targeted social media advertisements. 

Categories of Personal Information we Process

Stanford University Office of Development collects the following data about you: first and last name, email address, mailing address, phone number, Stanford affiliation, and donation history. Stanford External Relations uses that data collected via Stanford websites and forms to create a record about you in our alumni and donor database, or to update your existing record. 

By providing information about yourself to Stanford, you consent that your data may be used for fundraising purposes or to serve you targeted advertisements on social media platforms including Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and LinkedIn.

Use of Personal Information 

We may use this information to: 

1. Add your data to a list of donors or prospective donors,

2. Upload that list to Meta or LinkedIn to search for and match to your social media account, 

3. Serve you targeted advertisements on that social media platform promoting Stanford and/or the benefits of donating to Stanford.

Data Storage and Retention

Stanford takes the security of your personal information seriously. We protect your information using security measures including physical, administrative and technical safeguards to reduce the risk of loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure or modification of your information. Our minimum security standards can be found at: https://uit.stanford.edu/guide/securitystandards. 

Sharing your Personal Information

We engage the following third parties to process your Personal Information on our behalf for the purpose stated above: Meta (Facebook, Instagram) and LinkedIn.

Stanford does not sell any Personal Information, including Personal Information of minors, to third parties for their use in direct marketing, advertising, or promotion of their products or services.  

Our service providers are required to comply with applicable data protection laws and Stanford's data protection standards under the terms of agreement with Stanford University.  

Automated decision making 

Stanford uses automated decision-making to target advertisements based on user affiliation (alumni, donors), giving history, and digital engagement patterns. The system employs algorithmic scoring to match content with user profiles, determining which ads users see and their frequency. This affects resource allocation and user experience, potentially influencing donation behavior and engagement levels. To ensure accuracy, Stanford regularly audits algorithmic performance and validates targeting effectiveness. Fairness is maintained through diverse content rotation, opt-out mechanisms.

Individual Privacy Rights

Under certain circumstances, you have rights under the data protection laws that apply to you in relation to your Personal Information. Please refer to Stanford University Online Privacy Policy.  To exercise, please contact privacy@stanford.edu.

Social commenting policy

Stanford Office of Development supports forums for the free and open exchange of ideas on our social media channels. We do not prescreen comments. Comments submitted by individuals, including students, faculty and staff, do not reflect the opinions or policies of Stanford. 

Stanford reserves the right to remove comments that expose the private data of others, contain commercial solicitations, are factually erroneous/libelous, are off-topic, are threatening or abusive, or are obscene. 

All users are subject to the terms of service of each social media site. In addition, references made to third-party content or websites do not indicate endorsement or responsibility on behalf of the university.

Contact Information

For more information on how we collect and process your Personal Information, or if you have any complaints regarding the processing of your Personal Information by Stanford University as part of the Office of Development social media process, please contact privacy@stanford.edu.

Updates to Notice

We may modify this notice from time to time. When we make substantive changes to this statement, the latest update will be included on our website.  Your further use of our Services after a change to our notice will be subject to the updated statement. If you don't agree to the changes, then you can always stop using our services, delete your account and stop giving us any more personal information.  Where we are required by the applicable privacy laws, we will also seek your consent to any material changes that affect how we use your personal information.

Effective Date

This Privacy Notice is effective as of August 2025.

For additional information regarding Stanford University privacy policy, please refer to Stanford University Online Privacy Policy. 

Stanford University is committed to securing the accuracy and privacy of your information. The Office of Development follows Stanford's privacy and security policies, which can be found online at https://www.stanford.edu/site/privacy/.

The Office of Development uses this website to collect personal contact information, information about your employer and credit card information. This information is used primarily to process donations to Stanford.

In addition, your information is used to create a record about you in our alumni and donor database, or to update your existing record. Your credit card information is not stored in this record.

Cookies are used to enhance the experience of the user.

Your personal information may be used for fundraising purposes or to provide you with information about Stanford Alumni Association activities. Your information may also be shared with other Stanford offices and departments for University-related activities.

Stanford has a small number of affinity partners, such as banks and insurance companies, who offer special promotions for Stanford students and alums. We carefully screen these partners and believe that they provide value to the Stanford community. From time-to-time the University may share your information with these business partners in order that they may offer you their services or products.

You may request to opt-out of receiving any or all of these communications by e-mailing us at secure-development-services@lists.stanford.edu. When contacting us, please specify which types of communication (email, regular mail, telephone calls, etc.) you no longer wish to receive.

Stanford reserves the right to change this policy or University policies at any time without notice. You should visit this page periodically to review the current policy.

If you have questions about this privacy policy, or you believe that your information has not been treated in accordance with this policy, please contact us via e-mail at alumniwebhelp@stanford.edu. You may also contact us toll-free within the United States at (866) 543-0243. Callers from outside the United States can call us at (650) 724-0627.