Privacy Policy

Effective Date: April 2, 2026

At The Issaquah Spotlight, we value your trust and are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have regarding your personal information.

Information We May Collect

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

Name
Mailing address
Email address
Payment information for recurring donations, including credit card information processed through Stripe

We collect this information when you subscribe to our newsletter, submit a comment or letter to the editor, view content on our website, sign up for updates, make a donation, become a member, contact us, participate in events or otherwise interact with our website.

If you choose to make a donation, your payment information is processed and securely stored by Stripe, our third-party payment processor. Neither The Issaquah Spotlight nor Newspack, our third-party website provider and hosting platform, stores your credit card information.

How We May Use Your Information

We may use the information we collect to:

Send newsletters, weekly newsletters, updates and information about The Issaquah Spotlight
Process donations, memberships, recurring billing or other support activities
Communicate with you about programs, events or opportunities to engage with our work
Respond to questions or requests
Improve our website, services and community outreach

We will only use your information for purposes consistent with our nonprofit mission and operations.

Sharing of Information

The Issaquah Spotlight does not sell, rent, trade or share donor personal information for commercial purposes.

We may share information with trusted third-party service providers who help us operate our website, send emails, process donations, recurring payments, manage subscriptions or support communications. These providers are only permitted to use your information as necessary to provide services on our behalf.

We use Mailchimp to send emails and newsletters. If you subscribe to receive communications from us, your name and email address may be processed by Mailchimp to deliver newsletters, updates and related communications in accordance with Mailchimp’s privacy and security practices. We encourage you to review Mailchimp’s privacy policy for more information about how your information is handled.

Our website is hosted and supported through Newspack, a third-party website provider that assists with website functionality, subscriptions and publishing operations. Newspack may process limited information necessary to provide these services in accordance with its own privacy and security practices.

Payment information for recurring donations is processed by Stripe, our third-party payment processor. Stripe maintains and secures payment information in accordance with its own privacy and security policies. We encourage you to review Stripe’s privacy policy for more information about how your payment information is handled.

We may also disclose information if required by law or to protect the safety, rights or integrity of The Issaquah Spotlight and our community.

Washington State Donor Privacy Statement

The Issaquah Spotlight respects the privacy of donors and supporters and is committed to protecting donor information in accordance with applicable Washington State charitable solicitation and nonprofit practices.

Consistent with Washington nonprofit and charitable fundraising expectations:

We do not sell, rent, exchange or trade donor lists or donor personal information with other organizations or businesses.
Donor information is used only for acknowledgment, tax documentation and communication regarding our mission and programs, donation processing and related nonprofit operations.
Donors may request to remain anonymous in public acknowledgments or ask that their information not be used for future fundraising communications. The Issaquah Spotlight maintains a Donor Transparency Policy which can be found on our website. Requests to make a donation anonymous must be consistent with this policy.
We maintain reasonable safeguards to protect donor information from unauthorized access or disclosure.

If you would like to update your donor preferences, request anonymity or limit communications, please contact us using the information listed below.

Email Communications and Opt-Out

We use Mailchimp to send email communications and newsletters. If you receive email communications from us, you may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link included in our emails or by contacting us directly.

Even if you unsubscribe from marketing or newsletter communications, we may still contact you regarding donations, memberships, transactions, subscriptions or important administrative matters.

Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website may use cookies or similar technologies to improve website functionality, understand visitor usage and enhance user experience.

We may also use website analytics tools to better understand how visitors interact with our site. These tools may collect non-personal information such as browser type, device information, pages visited and time spent on the website.

Because our website is powered by Newspack, certain website functionality, analytics, subscriptions or performance tools may involve third-party technologies necessary to operate and improve the website experience.

You can modify your browser settings to refuse cookies, though some features of the website may not function properly.

Data Security

We take reasonable administrative, technical and organizational measures to safeguard personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, misuse or loss. However, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Choices

You may contact us to:

Request access to the personal information we maintain about you
Correct or update your information
Request removal of your information from our records, subject to legal, tax or operational obligations
Request anonymity for donations or opt out of fundraising communications

Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those external websites and encourage you to review their privacy policies.

Children’s Privacy

Our website is not directed toward children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page along with an updated effective date.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, donor privacy or how your information is used, please contact:

The Issaquah Spotlight
4775 245th Lane SE

Sammamish, WA 98029

publisher@issaquahspotlight.org

Website Terms and Conditions

Effective Date: April 2, 2026

Welcome to The Issaquah Spotlight website (“Website”). These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern your use of the website operated by The Issaquah Spotlight (“The Issaquah Spotlight,” “we,” “our,” or “us”). By accessing or using this Website, you agree to comply with and be bound by these Terms.

If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use this Website.

1. About The Issaquah Spotlight

The Issaquah Spotlight is a nonprofit local news organization dedicated to informing and strengthening the Issaquah community through credible, transparent and community-focused journalism.

2. Use of Website

You agree to use this Website only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not:

Violate any applicable laws or regulations;
Interfere with the operation or security of the Website;
Restrict or inhibit another person’s use of the Website;
Attempt to gain unauthorized access to Website systems or data;
Post or transmit harmful, fraudulent, defamatory, harassing, abusive or unlawful content.

We reserve the right to suspend or restrict access to users who violate these Terms.

3. Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise noted, content on this Website—including but not limited to articles, text, graphics, logos, photographs, videos, newsletters and branding—is owned by or licensed to The Issaquah Spotlight and protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws.

You may:

View, download and print content for personal, noncommercial use;
Share links to articles or brief excerpts with attribution.

You may not:

Reproduce, republish, distribute, sell, modify or commercially exploit Website content without prior written permission, except as allowed by law.

Requests for reuse or republication may be directed to: publisher@issaquahspotlight.org.

4. User Submissions and Comments

If you submit comments, submissions, letters to the editor, tips, story ideas or other user-generated content, you retain ownership of your submissions but grant The Issaquah Spotlight a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to publish, reproduce, edit, display, use and distribute submitted content in connection with our nonprofit journalism mission.

We reserve the right to moderate, edit, refuse or remove content that is unlawful, abusive, misleading, spam-related, defamatory or otherwise inconsistent with our Submissions Policy and our community standards. Our Submissions Policy can be found on our Website.

5. Accuracy of Information

We strive to provide accurate, credible and transparent reporting. However, information on the website is provided for general informational purposes and may contain errors or omissions. We do not guarantee the completeness, reliability or accuracy of all content. We will post corrections when we learn about errors or omissions in accordance with our Corrections Policy, which can be found on our Website.

Opinions expressed in comments, guest columns or letters belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Issaquah Spotlight.

6. Memberships, Donations and Sponsorships

The Issaquah Spotlight may accept memberships, donations, sponsorships or other financial support through the Website.

Unless otherwise stated:

Donations are voluntary and generally nonrefundable;
Membership benefits are subject to change;
Sponsorship does not influence editorial independence.

We maintain a commitment to editorial integrity and transparency in fundraising and sponsorship relationships in accordance with our Donor Transparency and Editorial Independence Policies, both of which can be found on our Website.

7. Third-Party Services and Links

This website may contain links to third-party Websites or services. We are not responsible for the content, policies or practices of third-party Websites.

Our Website is powered by Newspack and may utilize third-party technology providers for hosting, analytics, email subscriptions, payments or related services.

Your interactions with those services may be governed by separate terms and privacy policies.

8. Email Newsletters and Communications

If you subscribe to our newsletters or communications, you consent to receive emails from The Issaquah Spotlight. You may unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link included in emails or by contacting us.

9. Privacy

Your use of the Website is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use and protect personal information.

10. Disclaimer of Warranties

This Website is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, express or implied. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access, error-free functionality, or that the Website will be free from viruses or harmful components.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, The Issaquah Spotlight shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or special damages arising from your use of—or inability to use—the Website or reliance on Website content.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless The Issaquah Spotlight, The Issaquah Media Project – a nonprofit corporation, its officers, directors, volunteers, contractors, employees and affiliates from claims, liabilities, damages or expenses resulting from your misuse of the Website or violation of these Terms.

13. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. Continued use of the Website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

14. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by the laws of the State of Washington, without regard to conflict of law principles.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms and conditions, please contact:

The Issaquah Spotlight
4775 – 245th Lane SE