Privacy Policy

Effective Date: August 19, 2026

The Porch respects your privacy and is committed to being thoughtful and transparent about how information is collected and used when you visit our website, subscribe to our communications, participate in our community, or interact with us in other ways.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we may collect, how we use it, and the choices you have regarding your information.

Information We Collect

We may collect information you voluntarily provide to us, including your:

Name
Email address
Phone number
Business or organization name
Mailing address
Information submitted through contact forms
Newsletter subscriptions
Event registrations
Advertising or partnership inquiries
Contributor applications
Story ideas, submissions, comments, or other content you choose to provide
Payment and transaction information when purchasing advertising, partnerships, event registrations, or other products or services

We may also automatically collect certain technical information when you visit our website, including your IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, referring website, approximate location, and information about how you interact with the site.

How We Use Your Information

We may use the information we collect to:

Operate and improve The Porch website
Respond to questions, submissions, and inquiries
Send newsletters and other communications you have requested
Process registrations, purchases, partnerships, sponsorships, or advertising transactions
Communicate with contributors, community partners, advertisers, and supporters
Understand how people use our website and content
Improve our stories, resources, events, programs, and user experience
Maintain the security and integrity of our website
Comply with applicable laws and legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information.

Email Communications

If you subscribe to The Porch newsletter or other email communications, we may use your email address to send you news, stories, events, community information, announcements, and other updates.

You may unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in our emails.

Transactional or administrative communications related to a purchase, registration, partnership, submission, or other direct interaction with The Porch may still be sent when necessary.

Payments

The Porch may offer paid advertising, partnerships, sponsorships, registrations, products, services, or other opportunities through our website.

Payments may be processed through Wix or other third-party payment processors. The Porch does not necessarily receive or store your complete credit or debit card information. Payment processors handle this information according to their own privacy policies and security practices.

Cookies and Analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to help the site function properly, understand website traffic, remember preferences, measure engagement, and improve the visitor experience.

We may also use third-party analytics and advertising technologies.

Depending on your browser and location, you may be able to control or disable certain cookies through your browser settings or through cookie preference tools provided on our website.

Disabling cookies may affect how some parts of the website function.

Third-Party Services

The Porch may use third-party services to operate the website and provide services to visitors. These may include website hosting, email marketing, analytics, payment processing, event registration, social media, embedded content, and other technology providers.

These third parties may collect or process information according to their own privacy policies.

Our website may also contain links to other websites. The Porch is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, or content of websites operated by other organizations.

Social Media and Embedded Content

The Porch may include links to or embedded content from social media platforms, video services, podcast platforms, event services, or other third-party websites.

When you interact with those services, those companies may collect information about your activity according to their own privacy policies.

Community and Editorial Submissions

If you submit a story idea, event, business listing, community announcement, letter, opinion piece, photograph, contributor application, or other material to The Porch, we may use the information you provide to evaluate, respond to, edit, publish, or otherwise manage your submission.

Information intended for publication should be considered public once published.

Submitting information does not guarantee that it will be published.

How We Share Information

We may share information with trusted service providers when necessary to operate The Porch, process transactions, deliver communications, analyze website performance, or provide services you have requested.

We may also disclose information when required by law, legal process, or when reasonably necessary to protect the rights, property, safety, or security of The Porch, our visitors, or others.

We do not sell personal information to third parties for their independent marketing purposes.

Data Security

We take reasonable administrative and technical measures to protect information collected through our website.

However, no website, online service, or method of electronic transmission can guarantee absolute security. You should use reasonable care when sharing personal information online.

Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including providing services, maintaining business and editorial records, resolving disputes, and meeting legal or financial obligations.

Children's Privacy

The Porch is intended for a general audience and is not designed to knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

If we learn that personal information from a child under 13 has been collected without appropriate consent, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

Your Privacy Choices

Depending on where you live, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including the ability to request access to, correction of, or deletion of information we maintain about you.

You may also contact us to update your information or ask questions about how we use your information.

We may need to retain some information for legal, financial, security, or legitimate business purposes.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

The Porch may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as our website, services, technology, or legal requirements change.

When we make changes, we will update the effective date at the top of this page. We encourage visitors to review this policy periodically.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how The Porch handles personal information, please contact us:

The Porch
Minnesota, USA
Email: jay@ThePorchMN.com
Website: www.ThePorchMN.com