Effective Date: August 1, 2025

1. Our Commitment to Privacy
The Association of Independent Medical Systems Value Added Resellers ("AIMSVAR," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and security of our members and website visitors. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, https://aimsvar.org, use our member services, or interact with us in any other way.
Our mission is to promote the educational interests and welfare of our members. This policy is designed to be transparent about our data practices in service of that mission and compliance with our governing documents.

2. Information We Collect
We collect information that you provide directly to us and information that we collect automatically when you use our services.
• Personal and Business Information: When you apply for membership, we collect information such as your name, title, email address, phone number, business name, business address, and website. This information is necessary to process your application and manage your membership.
•Financial Information: We collect information related to your payment of membership dues to maintain your "good standing" status as defined in our bylaws.
•Communication Information: We may collect information when you communicate with us via email (through our ProtonMail platform), Slack, or other contact forms on our website.
•Website Usage Information: Like most websites, we collect information automatically through cookies and other tracking technologies. This may include your IP address, browser type, operating system, pages viewed, and the dates/times of your visits. We use this data to track key metrics, such as website traffic, to inform our decision-making. Our website uses Google Analytics to help us understand these trends.

3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
• To Provide and Manage Member Services: To process membership applications, manage the member database, facilitate communication through our Slack community, and provide member benefits such as inclusion in the AIMSVAR directory.
•To Communicate with You: To send official notices for annual or special meetings as required by the bylaws, respond to your inquiries, and send newsletters or other informational content.
•For Administrative and Legal Purposes: To maintain detailed financial records as required by our bylaws, manage our organization, and carry out the purposes of the corporation.
•To Improve Our Website and Services: To analyze website usage data to enhance user experience, improve our content, and maintain the security of our platforms.
• To Send Communications on Behalf of Members and Sponsors: We may use your contact information to send you emails on behalf of our members (VARs and Affiliates) or Sponsors regarding events (such as Solutions Webinars), products, or services we believe may be of interest to you. AIMSVAR sends these communications directly; we do not provide your contact information to these third parties for their marketing use.

4. How We Share and Disclose Your Information
AIMSVAR is a community-focused organization, and some sharing of information is inherent to our operations.
• Member Directory and Profile Pages: With your consent, we may include your organization's information in our public member directory. As per the AIMSVAR Membership Agreement, members may elect to opt out of this public directory. Only members in good standing are eligible for inclusion.
•Within the AIMSVAR Community: Information shared within the AIMSVAR Slack community is visible to other members of the channels you participate in. Affiliate channels have specific visibility rules to facilitate private conversations with VAR members.
•With Third-Party Service Providers: We may share information with third-party vendors who perform services for us, such as website hosting, email delivery, and payment processing. These vendors are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the services they provide to us.
•For Legal Compliance: We may disclose information if required to do so by law or in good faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect and defend the rights or property of AIMSVAR, or protect the personal safety of our members or the public.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

Third-Party Marketing: We do not sell, rent, or otherwise provide our member email lists to third parties, including sponsors or other members, for their marketing purposes. Any promotional communication sent on behalf of a third party will be sent directly by AIMSVAR.

5. Data Security
We are committed to protecting your information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. We will implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to safeguard your data, including access controls and the use of secure communication platforms.

6. Your Rights and Choices
You have certain rights and choices regarding your information:
• Access and Correction: You may review and request corrections to your personal information by contacting us.
• Opt-Out of Public Directory: You can choose to opt out of having your information included in our public member directory.
• Managing Cookies: You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites set or access cookies.
• Termination of Membership: You may resign your membership in writing at any time, as detailed in the bylaws. Upon termination, your data will be handled following our data retention policies.

7. Third-Party Websites
Our website may contain links to third-party websites. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

8. Data Retention
AIMSVAR will retain your information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, to fulfill our contractual obligations, and to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations. Our retention periods are as follows:
• Member Records: We retain your personal and business information for the duration of your active membership. If a membership is terminated, we will retain the information for a period of up to twenty-four (24) months to finalize administrative and financial records, unless a more extended retention period is required by law. Per our bylaws, a member ceases to be a member if they are not in good standing for twelve (12) consecutive months.
•Financial Records: All financial records, including those related to receipts and disbursements, will be retained for a minimum of seven (7) years to comply with general accounting best practices and legal requirements.
•Website Usage Information: Aggregated and anonymized website analytics data is retained for trend analysis for a period determined by our operational needs and the settings of our analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics).
• Communication Records: General communications (such as emails and Slack messages) are retained for as long as they are relevant to our ongoing business operations.

9. Children's Privacy
Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Effective Date" at the top. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

11. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact the AIMSVAR Administrative Director at: admin@aimsvar.org