1. Who this policy covers
This policy describes information practices for ConnectNWA at connectnwa.com, including its forms, community features and related communications. ConnectNWA is led by founder Joanna Bunten and serves the Northwest Arkansas community. Links to other Connect brands, sponsor websites and other services lead to sites with their own privacy practices; this policy does not automatically apply to those sites.
2. Information we collect
Information you choose to provide. Depending on the form or service, this may include:
- Your name, email address, city or area, and other contact information you include in a message.
- Your skills, interests, experience, education, availability, preferred work or meeting format, networking goals and the kinds of people or opportunities you want to find.
- Business or organization details, such as its name, industry, website, hiring needs and opportunities, events or resources you submit.
- Membership level, sponsorship interests, business goals and related inquiry details.
- Mentorship requests, permission to make an introduction, correspondence and internal review or follow-up notes.
- Local business recommendations and any optional contact information, ratings, favorites or underrated votes you submit.
Technical information. Hosting and other service providers may process information such as IP addresses, browser and device details, request times and visited pages to deliver content, maintain security and troubleshoot the service. Local Love voting uses a browser identifier as explained below.
Other sources. We may receive information through correspondence, referrals or contacts you previously provided to ConnectNWA. Public business and event details may come from publicly available sources. Market Pulse uses published economic and community data; it is separate from participant profiles.
Please do not send Social Security numbers, government identification documents, passwords, bank or payment-card details, medical records or other sensitive information through our general forms.
3. How we use information
We use information to respond to inquiries; review profiles, applications and submissions; identify relevant people, opportunities or resources; request permission and facilitate introductions; manage membership and sponsorship inquiries; review and publish suitable community listings; operate voting features; and maintain and improve the website. We may also use it to prevent misuse, maintain records and meet applicable legal obligations.
We may send updates you request or subscribe to and messages about your submissions or participation. Submitting a profile is not permission to receive unrelated marketing from sponsors or third parties. Inquiry forms do not collect card details. When Professional checkout is activated, Stripe processes payments on its hosted pages. We receive payment confirmation, payer name and email, amount, currency and transaction identifiers for onboarding and payment records; we do not receive complete card details. Catalyst Circle and sponsorship inquiries remain subject to approval or agreement before payment.
6. Your choices and requests
- Access or correction: ask what information you submitted or request an update.
- Deletion: ask us to remove information associated with you, subject to identity verification and applicable retention requirements.
- Introductions and publication: decline an introduction, withdraw permission for a future introduction, or request removal of a listing you control.
- Communications: use an unsubscribe option when one is provided or email us to stop promotional communications. We may still send necessary messages about an active request or legal matter.
- Additional rights: depending on your location and the law applicable to the service, you may have further rights concerning your personal information. Contact us to make a request or ask about a decision on a request.
Email joanna.bunten@gmail.com with “ConnectNWA privacy request” in the subject line. Tell us the email address or submission involved and what you would like us to do. Do not email identification documents unless we arrange a suitable verification method. We may ask for enough information to verify your authority to make the request.
Withdrawing permission does not undo an introduction already made or remove information another recipient has independently retained. We can remove content we control, but cannot guarantee removal from search-engine caches or copies held by others.
7. Retention, security and processing location
We retain information for the purposes described in this policy, including active participation, follow-up, recordkeeping, resolving disputes and applicable legal requirements. Submissions do not currently have an automatic deletion schedule. You can request deletion, and we will assess what can be removed and whether any information must be retained. Residual copies may remain in provider backups or technical logs according to the provider’s retention practices.
The site uses HTTPS, restricted access to the founder’s submission workspace and service-provider safeguards. No website or storage system can guarantee complete security.
ConnectNWA operates from the United States. Our providers may process information in the United States and other countries in which they operate. Privacy protections can differ by location.
8. Students and children
ConnectNWA includes student and career-exploration pathways, but is not intended for children under 13. Children under 13 should not submit personal information. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information, contact us so we can investigate and arrange appropriate removal. Students under 18 should involve a parent or guardian before sharing personal information or arranging an introduction or meeting.
9. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as features or practices change. The date at the top identifies the latest revision. For material changes, we will provide additional notice and obtain consent where required by applicable law. A revised policy does not itself authorize a new use of information where additional permission is required.
10. Contact us
ConnectNWA · Joanna Bunten, Founder
Northwest Arkansas, United States
joanna.bunten@gmail.com
Use the subject line “ConnectNWA privacy request” so we can identify your message.