Non-Profit Organization

An organization operated for purposes other than generating profit, typically charitable, educational, religious, or social objectives. In privacy contexts, non-profits receive some special treatment but aren't exempt from privacy laws. CCPA explicitly excludes non-profit organizations from the definition of 'business,' meaning CCPA doesn't apply to them. However, other privacy laws like GDPR fully apply to non-profits processing personal data. Non-profits often process sensitive data (donor information, program participant data, volunteer information) and must implement appropriate privacy protections. Some jurisdictions provide lighter regulatory frameworks or reduced fees for non-profits, recognizing resource constraints. Non-profits should understand which privacy laws apply to them, implement appropriate data protection measures despite limited resources, be particularly careful with donation data and financial information, provide transparency to constituents about data practices, and leverage available resources and guidance for non-profit privacy compliance. Being non-profit doesn't eliminate privacy obligations.