Last Updated: May 19, 2026

Carolina Journal, a publication of the John Locke Foundation, respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect personal information when you visit our websites, complete a form, donate, register for an event, subscribe to email or text messages, respond to direct mail, or otherwise interact with us online or offline.

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected through our websites, forms, email, text messaging, event registration, direct mail, and related services. Because Carolina Journal is operated by the John Locke Foundation, references to “we,” “us,” and “our” in this Policy include both Carolina Journal and the John Locke Foundation.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect personal information that you provide directly to us, including:

  • Name
  • Mailing address
  • Email address
  • Telephone number or mobile number
  • Employer, title, or organization
  • Areas of interest or communication preferences
  • Donation, transaction, and event-registration information
  • Any other information you choose to provide in forms, surveys, correspondence, or other communications

We may also collect information automatically when you use our websites or interact with our communications, including:

  • IP address
  • Browser and device information
  • Referring and exit pages
  • Pages visited and links clicked
  • Dates and times of visits
  • Email engagement information
  • Cookie identifiers and similar tracking data

We may receive information from other sources, including public sources, event platforms, list partners, mailing partners, and service providers.

2. How We Collect Information

We may collect information when you:

  • Visit our websites
  • Fill out a form
  • Subscribe to an email list or alert
  • Opt in to receive text messages
  • Register for an event
  • Make a donation or purchase
  • Respond to direct mail or other outreach
  • Contact us by phone, email, mail, or web form
  • Interact with our emails, texts, pages, or event communications

Some information is collected automatically through cookies and similar technologies on websites where we use HubSpot tracking code or other website tools. HubSpot’s cookie banner tools can be configured to let visitors opt in or opt out of cookie tracking on HubSpot-hosted pages and external pages with the HubSpot tracking code installed.

3. How We Use Information

We may use personal information to:

  • Operate, maintain, and improve our websites, events, and communications
  • Process donations, registrations, and other transactions
  • Send newsletters, alerts, event invitations, fundraising appeals, receipts, acknowledgments, and other communications
  • Maintain donor, subscriber, event, and supporter records
  • Personalize communications based on interests, prior engagement, and relationship history
  • Analyze audience engagement and campaign effectiveness
  • Respond to questions, requests, and correspondence
  • Protect our systems, rights, safety, and operations
  • Comply with legal, tax, accounting, and recordkeeping obligations

4. Systems and Service Providers We Use

We use third-party systems and service providers to support our operations, including:

  • Salesforce, for constituent, donor, and relationship management
  • HubSpot, for forms, email communications, workflows, analytics, cookie-consent tools, and text messaging
  • Humanitix, for event registration and event administration
  • Payment processors, mailing vendors, print houses, technology providers, and other service providers that help us conduct our operations

These providers may process personal information on our behalf and under our instructions.

5. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We and our service providers may use cookies, pixels, scripts, and similar technologies to:

  • Keep our websites functioning properly
  • Remember visitor preferences
  • Measure website usage and page performance
  • Measure email and campaign performance
  • Understand how visitors interact with our websites and communications
  • Improve the relevance and effectiveness of our communications and outreach

Depending on the site and its configuration, visitors may be presented with a cookie or consent banner and may be able to accept, decline, or manage certain cookie settings. HubSpot states that its consent banner tools support visitor opt-in or opt-out choices for cookie tracking.

You may also manage cookies through your browser settings. If you disable cookies, some site features may not function as intended.

6. Email Communications

If you subscribe to updates, download content, make a donation, register for an event, or otherwise provide your contact information, we may send you newsletters, research updates, Carolina Journal content, event invitations, fundraising appeals, receipts, acknowledgments, and other communications related to our mission and activities.

Where we use forms with privacy or consent language, those forms may explain how your information will be processed and may give you choices about email communications. HubSpot’s form privacy tool supports marketing email consent, not SMS consent.

You may unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link in the email or by contacting us.

7. Text Messaging / SMS Policy

If you expressly opt in to receive text messages from us, we may use your mobile number and related messaging information to send updates, alerts, reminders, invitations, fundraising messages, or other communications you requested or agreed to receive.

Message frequency may vary. Message and data rates may apply.

You may opt out of text messages at any time by replying STOP or by contacting us.

Text-messaging originator opt-in data and consent are excluded from all other data-sharing categories in this Policy. We do not share that opt-in data or consent with non-service-provider third parties. If this Policy describes any broader categories of information sharing, those categories do not include SMS opt-in data or consent, except for aggregators, carriers, and providers necessary to deliver text-message services, or where required by law. HubSpot’s SMS requirements specifically call for a privacy policy stating that SMS consent data is not shared with third parties, other than service providers needed to deliver the text-message service.

Where text-message consent is collected through a website form, the SMS consent must be separate, explicit, optional, and not pre-checked. HubSpot’s current SMS guidance requires a separate checkbox for marketing SMS consent and live links to a privacy policy and SMS terms of service.

8. Direct Mail List Sharing, Rental, and Exchange

Unless you opt out, we may share, exchange, rent, or otherwise make available your name and postal mailing address for direct-mail and fundraising purposes with selected organizations, list partners, brokers, or mailing service providers.

These arrangements do not include:

  • Email addresses
  • Mobile numbers
  • Text-message consent data
  • Payment-card information

If you do not want your name and postal mailing address used for direct-mail list sharing, rental, or exchange, you may opt out by contacting us as described below. We will honor that request for future list-sharing activity, although you may still receive communications directly from us unless you separately opt out of those communications.

9. When We Share Information

We may share personal information:

  • With service providers that help us operate our websites, CRM, communications, events, direct mail, and donations
  • With event partners or co-sponsors, when necessary, to administer a joint event or program
  • In connection with direct-mail list sharing, rental, or exchange, as described above
  • To comply with law, legal process, or lawful government requests
  • To protect our rights, security, operations, donors, readers, staff, or others
  • In connection with an organizational restructuring, merger, transfer, or similar transaction
  • With your consent or at your direction

Except as described in this Privacy Policy, we do not share your personal information with outside parties for their own email, SMS, or general digital marketing purposes.

10. Donations and Payments

Donations and other payments may be processed through third-party payment processors. We may receive transaction details, such as the amount, date, and method of payment, but payment-card information may be collected and processed by the payment processor rather than stored by us directly.

We may retain donation and transaction records as needed for acknowledgments, tax receipts, accounting, audits, and legal compliance.

11. Event Registration

We may use third-party event registration services, including Humanitix, to register attendees, manage ticketing, communicate event logistics, and administer Carolina Journal or John Locke Foundation events. Information submitted through those services may be shared with us for event management, follow-up, and related organizational communications, subject to the preferences and disclosures provided at registration.

12. Data Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, use, alteration, or disclosure. Access to personal information is limited to personnel and service providers who need it for legitimate organizational purposes.

No system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to:

  • Fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy
  • Maintain donor, event, subscriber, and financial records
  • Comply with legal, tax, accounting, and reporting requirements
  • Resolve disputes and enforce agreements
  • Support appropriate archival and historical needs

When personal information is no longer needed, we may delete it, de-identify it, archive it, or otherwise handle it in accordance with our internal practices.

14. Your Choices and Rights

You may contact us at any time to:

  • Unsubscribe from email communications
  • Opt out of text messages
  • Opt out of direct-mail list sharing, rental, or exchange
  • Update or correct your contact information
  • Request changes to your communication preferences

Depending on where you live, you may also have additional rights under applicable privacy laws. We will review and respond to requests as required by applicable law.

15. Children’s Privacy

Our websites and services are intended for a general audience and are not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through our websites. If we learn that such information has been collected, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

16. Third-Party Sites and Services

Our websites and communications may contain links to third-party websites, platforms, or services. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third parties, and we are not responsible for their privacy practices. We encourage users to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites or services they visit.

17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the “Last Updated” date above. Posting the revised version on our website will constitute notice of the change unless applicable law requires additional notice.

18. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, your information, or your privacy choices, contact:

John Locke Foundation
4800 Six Forks Rd., Suite 220
Raleigh, NC 27609
(919) 828-3876
[contact email]