PRIVACY POLICY
EFFECTIVE 09/30/2025
This Privacy Policy describes our online information collection, storage, and disclosure practices and the choices you have regarding how your personal information is collected and used by Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®). By accessing and usingwww.mesenow.com, the Site, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of information through the Site as described in this Privacy Policy, and your Personal Data (described below).Whenever you use our Site, you should check this Policy and review any changes since the last version. This Policy applies to all Site visitors, registered users, and all other users of our Site.
“Personal Data” is any information that enables us to identify you, directly or indirectly, by reference to an identifier such as your name, identification number, location data, online identifier, or one or more factors specific to your physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity.
By visiting the Site, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the policies referred to in this Notice.
Residents of the European Economic Area (“EEA”), which includes the member states of the European Union (“EU”), should consult the sections of this policy relating to the “Rights of EEA Residents” and “International Data Transfers” for provisions that may apply to them.
Who are we?
For the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (the “GDPR”), the Data Controller is Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®), mailing address at 166 Valley St, Building 6M, Suite 103, Providence, RI 02909
We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time. In the event we make changes to this Privacy Policy, such policy will be re-posted in the “Privacy” section of our Site with the date such modifications were made indicated at the top of the page, or we may contact you to inform you about the revisions with a link to the revised Privacy Policy. All changes are effective on the date listed at the top of this page and will apply to all information that we have about you. Your continued use of the Site or the services that we provide (“Services”) after any change is posted indicates your acceptance of the changes and your continued consent to our processing of your data. If at any point you do not agree to any portion of the Privacy Policy, then in effect,you should immediately stop using the Site and the Services. Because this Privacy Policy contains legal obligations, we encourage you to review this Privacy Policy carefully.
If you have any questions concerning this Privacy Policy or our information collection, storage, and disclosure practices, please contact us at info@mesenow.com or mail us at:
Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®)
166 Valley St Building 6M Suite 103, Providence, RI 02909
Personal Data That We Collect and How We Use It
What Private Data Do We Collect?
About each of your visits to the Site, we will automatically collect the following information:
Technical information, including the Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer or device to the Internet, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system, and platform.
Information about your visit, including pages you viewed or searched for, page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, e-learnings, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), methods used to browse away fromthe page, and any phone number used to call our customer service number; and locationinformation.
Why Do We Collect Private Data?
Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) is an organization whose purpose is to empower everyday visionaries, especially women, youth, and grassroots entrepreneurs globally, equipping them with tailored guidance, practical skills, community-driven resources, and cross-cutting support they need to thrive holistically and turn ideas into impact.
• We collect and otherwise use private data from our clients for the specific purpose of furthering our organization’s mission. Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship(MESENow®) does not collect or otherwise use private data without legal authorization, contractual obligation, and/or our clients’ express written consent.
The information we collect helps us to deliver on our mission because we can: (1) design and improve products and services that meet our clients’ needs; (2) monitor the effectiveness of our programs so that we, our investors, local governments and our other third-party partners know who we are reaching with our products and services and where we need to improve our outreach; (3) evaluate individual skill sets and match them to corresponding needs in the field; (4) monitor our investments; (6) conduct research in the aggregate to understand our global and regional poverty outreach; (7) send relevant updates, offers, and information to subscribers based on their preferences.
With Whom Do We Share Private Data?
Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) will never sell, rent, or trade personal data collected from you, online or offline, with third parties. We may use your IP address and Cookies to understand our audience better and understand how we can connect with you to further deliver on our mission. When required by law, we may disclose personal information to fight fraud or to protect the rights or property of Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship(MESENow®), our clients, donors, or others.
We use Mailchimp, a third-party email marketing service, to manage our subscriber lists and send email communications. When you provide your information for subscription, it is stored and processed through Mailchimp in accordance with their Privacy Policy. We only share necessary information with Mailchimp to provide you with our services, and your data will never be sold to other parties.
Transfer of Private Data
In connection with any of the uses or sharing of private data described in this Privacy Policy, we may transfer our clients’ private data internationally, to an organization outside the country in which the information is collected. Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) will follow all data protection protocols required by applicable local laws.
Security
• Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) is committed to protecting your private data against unlawful destruction, accidental loss or alteration, or unauthorized disclosure or access. First, we only collect and otherwise use private data that is relevant to, proportional to, and in furtherance of the altruistic purposes for which it is obtained. Second, we do not store your personal or sensitive information any longer than is necessary to satisfy those purposes. Third, when we store or otherwise use your personal or sensitive information, we use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards that are designed to protect and secure private data adequately.
• No data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Therefore, while we strive to protect user information, we cannot ensure or guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us or from the Site. You engage in such transmissions at your risk. If you believe your Personal Data is being improperly used by us or any third party, please immediately notify us via email at info@mesenow.com
• All sensitive information is securely stored. We ensure that the entities with whom we share our clients’ private data have agreed to provide sufficient guarantees, in compliance with local law, to secure and protect that data.
• Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) complies with major data protection standards, including the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) applies stringent security measures to protect your personal data.
• We annually audit our Privacy Policy to ensure internal compliance, to ensure compliance with local law, and to make any modifications to the Policy that may be necessary.
Your Privacy Rights
• You have a right to access and control your private data that we have collected and stored. Accordingly, you may ask at reasonable intervals for a copy of any personal or sensitive information about you that we have collected and stored. We will provide you with a copy with reasonable promptness and at no expense. You may also ask that we correct, update,or delete any of your private data by sending an email to info@mesenow.com
Social Networks
• If you choose to connect to our Sites through a third-party social network such as Facebook, X, Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and other networks (each, a “Social Network”), we may collect Personal Data from your profile on such Social Network, such as your name, username, and e-mail address. Also, our Sites offer features that will allow you to share information from our Sites to a Social Network or share information from our Social Network sites. If you decide to use such features, they may allow the sharing and collection of information both to and from such Social Networks, so you should check the privacy policy of each Social Network before using such features.
Non-Identifiable Data and Aggregated Personal Data
• Regardless of whether you submit information to us, Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) may send one or more “cookies” to your computer. Cookies are small text files placed on your web browser when you visit our Site that store information on your computer, such as your Site preferences. We use cookies when you sign in to keep track of your session. We also use cookies to track your activity on the Site as a unique person. For security purposes, all of this information is stored in encrypted form. This data may be used to display information about our altruistic work on websites operated by third parties.
• You can set up your web browser to inform you when cookies are set, or to prevent cookies from being set altogether. Please note, however, that if you decline to use cookies, you may experience reduced functionality and slower site response times.
• Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) or our service providers, including Google Analytics, may also collect web surfing data related to your use of the Site. Such information may include your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type, and internet service provider (ISP); your operating system; which of our web pages you access and how frequently you access them; referral or exit pages; clickstream data; and the dates and times that you visit the Site. This data may be collected using cookies, web beacons, page tags, or similar tools. As with cookies, the web surfing information is anonymous, “click stream” transactional data that is not associated with any users as individuals.
• Web surfing data and similar information may be aggregated for administrative purposes. Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) may, for example, use this aggregated information in the administration of the Site to improve its usability and to evaluate the success of particular marketing and advertising campaigns, search engine optimization strategies, and other marketing activities. We also use it to help optimize the Site based on the needs of our users.
• Mailchimp helps us understand how you engage with our emails by tracking metrics such as open rates, clicks, and preferences. Some of our emails may use cookies or tracking pixels to gather insights into interactions with our emails. This data is processed by Mailchimpand is used solely to improve our content and deliver more relevant information to you. For more details on how Mailchimp processes this information, please refer to their Privacy Policy.
How and When Your Information Is Shared with Other Parties
• Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) does not sell, trade, or license Personal Data about its users for marketing purposes. We do, however, work with several trusted partners who perform vital functions as part of our operations. We do not share your Personal Data unless it is necessary to fulfill our responsibilities, including providing information or Services to you.
Additional Sharing of Information
• We may engage third parties to help us carry out certain other internal functions or other data collection relevant to our business. Personal Data is shared with these third parties only to the extent necessary for us to process the transactions you initiate or perform other specific services. Our partners are legally required to keep your data private and secure.
• We may share your data with law enforcement or other government agencies as required by law or to limit fraud. We reserve the right to disclose your Data when we believe that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights or to comply with judicial proceedings, court order, or legal process. We further reserve the right to disclose any of your Personal Data that we believe, in good faith, appropriate or necessary to take precautions against liability, to investigate and defend against any third-party claims or allegations, to assist government enforcement agencies, to protect the security or integrity of the Site or our services, or to protect the rights, property or personal safety of Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®), its users, issuers, or others.
• We will not share your Personal Data if such sharing is prohibited by applicable privacy and data protection law, including, without limitation, the EEA’s General Data Protection Regulation effective May 25, 2018.
EEA Residents
This section of the Privacy Policy applies to individuals located in the European Economic Area (EEA), which consists of the member states of the European Union as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. It also applies to residents of Switzerland and the United Kingdom, which are not part of the EEA but maintain data protection laws aligned with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For the purposes of this section, all such individuals are referred to as “EEA Residents
Under the GDPR, Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) is both the controller and a co-processor of the Personal Data of EEA Residents. Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship’s (MESENow®) purpose for collecting and processing Personal Data from EEA Residents is to authenticate subscription to our mailing lists and to provide information about our Services. The legal basis for collecting Personal Data for subscribing to our e-mail lists is your consent. You may withdraw consent for obtaining such communications by following the “Unsubscribe” instructions on any or by contacting us at info@mesenow.com. EEA Residents may obtain information about the Personal Data that Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) holds about them by contacting Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) at info@mesenow.com
Users may obtain information about the Personal Data that Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) holds about them by contacting Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) at info@mesenow.com
International Data Transfers
• If you are a resident outside the United States, including in the EEA, we transfer Personal Data provided by you for processing in the United States. Under the GDPR, Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) is considered a “controller” and a “co-processor” of the Personal Data of EEA Residents. By providing Personal Data to Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) to obtain Services, you consent to the processing of such data in the United States.
• Please note that the United States does not have data protection laws equivalent to those in the EEA and other jurisdictions.
• Notifications and Communications from Our Site
• Communications Regarding Our Services
• We will send you notifications by email and free newsletters from time to time with updates, donation requests, and other information. Some notifications are communications relating to us and our Services. You may “opt-out” of receiving such communications by following the “Unsubscribe” instructions provided in the e-mail. Your information will remain stored with Mailchimp, but you will no longer receive communications from us unless you resubscribe.
Legal or Security Communications
• We also send out notices that are required for legal or security purposes. For example, certain notifications are sent for your protection. In other cases, these notifications involve changes to various legal agreements, such as the Privacy Policy or Terms of Service. Generally, you may not opt-out of such emails.
Updating or Deleting Your Information
• You may contact us at any time to review the personal information we have on file and to request corrections at: info@mesenow.com
• Also, if you signed up to receive any of our online newsletters or communications, you received a welcome message immediately after you signed up. It contains a web address where you can access and update your online account information. If you do allow others, including family or household members, to access Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®) members-only services, please understand that you are responsible for the actions of those individuals.
• If you want us to delete your Personal Data, please contact us at info@mesenow.com withyour request. We will take steps to delete your information as soon as we can, but some information may remain in archived/backup copies for our records or as otherwise required by law.
Personal Data Retention
• We retain the Personal Data we receive as described in this Privacy Policy for as long as you use our Services or as necessary to fulfill the purpose(s) for which it was collected, provide our Services, resolve disputes, establish legal defenses, conduct audits, pursue legitimate business purposes, enforce our agreements, and comply with applicable laws.
Links to Other Sites
• If you follow any links that direct you away from the Site, including links to social media sites or other websites, among others, this Privacy Policy will not apply to your activity on the other sites you visit. We do not control the privacy policies or the privacy practices of any third Parties.
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Privacy in Submitted Materials
If you submit any information to us, including through our blog, such information may be displayed on the Site, including the comments that you provide. By submitting such information, you forego any privacy rights in such materials. Please consult the Terms of Service for other conditions relating to the submission of materials to Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®).
Children Under 13
• This Site is restricted to the use of adults over the age of majority in their place of residence. No portion of the Site is directed to children under the age of 13. Consequently, we do not knowingly collect personal identifying information from any person we know is a child under the age of 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under age 13, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. If you are a parent or guardian of a child under 13 years of age and you believe your child has provided us with Personal Information, please contact us at info@mesenow.com
Do Not Track
• Although some browsers currently offer a “do not track (‘DNT’) option,” no common industry standard for DNT exists. We, therefore, do not currently commit to responding to browsers’ DNT signals.
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Your California Privacy Rights
• Under certain circumstances, California Civil Code Section 1798.83 states that, upon receipt of a request by a California customer, a business may be required to provide information regarding how that business has shared personal information of customers with third parties for direct marketing purposes. However, the foregoing does not apply to businesses like ours that do not disclose personal information to third parties for direct marketing.
Your Rights and Obligations
• We ask that you keep the Personal Data that you provide to us current and that you correct any information you have provided us by contacting us at info@mesenow.com.You represent and warrant that all Personal Data you provide us is true and correct and relates to you and not to any other person. If you are a resident of the EEA and wish to access or correct the Personal Data that Micro Enterprise Social Entrepreneurship (MESENow®)has about you or have any questions relating to the processing of your Personal Data, please contact us at info@mesenow.com with the subject line “GDPR Data.”
• If you use the Site, you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account and for restricting access to your computer or device, and you agree to accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account.