Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 1, 2026

The Circle News (The Circle) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and how we protect it. We do not sell your data. We do not use your data to serve targeted advertising. We collect only what we need to operate a nonprofit news organization.

Information we collect

Newsletter subscribers. If you subscribe to The Circle newsletter, we collect your email address and, if you provide it, your name. We use this information to send you the newsletter. We use Mailchimp to manage our email list. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any newsletter, and your address will be removed promptly.

Donors and supporters. If you make a donation or purchase a subscription through our website, we collect the information necessary to process and acknowledge your gift. Donations made online are processed through Zeffy, a secure payment platform. We receive your name, email address, and gift amount. We do not receive or store your full payment card information. Donors who give $250 or more receive a written acknowledgment as required by the IRS.

Advertisers. Contact information provided in connection with an advertising or sponsorship inquiry is used solely for that business relationship and is not shared with third parties.

Website visitors. We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how our site is used in aggregate. This collects anonymized data about pages visited, referral sources, and general location (country/state level). We do not use advertising tracking cookies. We do not build individual profiles of site visitors.

Comment forms and contact forms. If you send us a message through a contact form or email, we use that information to respond to you. We do not add you to any mailing list without your consent.

How we use your information

We use the information we collect to send you content you have requested, process and acknowledge donations, communicate about advertising and sponsorship relationships, and improve our website and editorial coverage. We do not use your information for any purpose beyond these.

How we share your information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share data with service providers only to the extent necessary to operate our organization: Mailchimp for email delivery, Zeffy for donation processing, and Google for analytics. Each of these providers operates under their own privacy policies and data processing agreements.

We may disclose information if required by law or to protect the rights and safety of our organization and community.

Data retention

We retain donor records for seven years as required by IRS and nonprofit best practice standards. Newsletter subscriber information is retained until you unsubscribe. Contact form submissions are retained only as long as necessary to respond to your inquiry.

Your rights

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information by contacting us at editor@thecirclenews.org. Minnesota residents have additional rights under the Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act. We will respond to all requests within 30 days.

Children's privacy

Our website is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page reflects when it was last revised. Material changes will be announced on our website.

Contact

The Circle News

3045 Bloomington Ave, Box 7506

Minneapolis, MN 55407

editor@thecirclenews.org