This Privacy Policy explains how Pledgescore ("we," "us," "our") collects, uses, discloses, and protects information about you ("you," "user") when you use our website at pledgescore.com and related services (collectively, the "Service").
We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and other relevant regulations worldwide.
01What information we collect
Information you provide directly
- Email address — when you request your Quick Score or purchase a Full Report
- Quiz responses — your answers to the Quick Score and Full Audit questions (category, funding goal, story clarity, audience, reach, early support, story/proof signals, promotion plan)
- Campaign description and URLs — any text or links you provide during the Full Audit
- Payment information — collected and processed directly by Stripe. We do not store your credit card details on our servers.
- Contact information — if you email us directly at info@pledgescore.com
Information collected automatically
- Device and browser data — IP address, browser type, operating system, screen resolution
- Usage data — pages viewed, time spent, referring URLs, actions taken (e.g., quiz completion)
- Bot and spam protection — we use Google reCAPTCHA v3 on our forms. It runs in the background and may collect device and interaction data to distinguish real users from automated abuse, subject to Google's Privacy Policy and Terms.
- Cookies and similar technologies — as described in Section 08 below
02Why we collect this data
We use your data for specific, legitimate purposes:
- Provide the Service — generate your personalized Pledgescore and deliver reports to your email
- Process payments — for Full Reports and Studio packs via Stripe
- Communicate with you — send reports, respond to inquiries, deliver customer support
- Improve the Service — analyze aggregated, anonymized usage patterns to refine our scoring model
- Marketing (with consent) — send occasional updates about new features or educational content, only if you opt in
- Legal compliance — comply with tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations
- Fraud prevention — detect and prevent misuse of the Service
03Legal basis (GDPR)
For users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and UK, we process personal data under the following legal bases:
- Contract — processing necessary to deliver the Service you request (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR)
- Consent — for marketing communications and non-essential cookies (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR)
- Legitimate interest — for analytics, security, and product improvement (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR)
- Legal obligation — for tax and accounting records (Article 6(1)(c) GDPR)
04Who we share data with
We share data only with trusted third-party service providers who help us operate the Service. Each is bound by contract to protect your data and use it only for the purposes we specify.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties for advertising or other purposes.
We may also disclose data if required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Pledgescore, our users, or the public.
05How long we keep data
- Quiz responses and Pledgescores — 2 years after your last interaction, then deleted or anonymized
- Full Audit submissions — 2 years, unless you request earlier deletion
- Payment records — 7 years, as required by tax and accounting laws
- Marketing preferences — until you unsubscribe or request deletion
- Support emails — 3 years for reference and quality assurance
You can request earlier deletion of your data at any time — see Section 07 below.
06International data transfers
Pledgescore is operated from the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and this Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Our service providers (including Stripe, Google, and MailerLite) primarily process data in the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your data will be transferred to and processed in the U.S., which may have different data protection laws than your country.
Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards for these transfers, including Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission and adequacy decisions.
07Your rights
Depending on your location, you have the following rights over your personal data:
Under GDPR (EEA, UK):
- Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Rectification — correct inaccurate or incomplete data
- Erasure ("right to be forgotten") — request deletion of your data
- Restriction — limit how we process your data
- Portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
- Object — object to processing based on legitimate interest, including direct marketing
- Withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time
- Lodge a complaint — with your local data protection authority
Under CCPA (California residents):
- Right to know — what personal information we collect, use, disclose
- Right to delete — request deletion of personal information
- Right to opt out — of the sale of personal information (we do not sell)
- Right to non-discrimination — for exercising these rights
Under the VCDPA (Virginia residents):
- Right to access — confirm whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy
- Right to correct — fix inaccuracies in your personal data
- Right to delete — request deletion of personal data we hold about you
- Right to opt out — of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, and certain profiling (we do none of these)
- Right to appeal — if we decline a request, you may appeal, and may contact the Virginia Attorney General if concerns remain
To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@pledgescore.com. We will respond within 30 days (GDPR) or 45 days (CCPA and VCDPA).
08Cookies
We use cookies and similar technologies to run the Service and understand how it's used:
- Essential — needed for the site to function, such as remembering your progress through the quiz and carrying your score between pages. These are always on.
- Analytics — set by Google Analytics 4 (through Google Tag Manager) to measure aggregated, anonymized usage so we can improve the Service.
- Security — set by Google reCAPTCHA to tell humans apart from bots and prevent spam.
You can manage or block cookies at any time through your browser settings. If a cookie consent banner is displayed on the Service, you can also manage your preferences there. Blocking essential cookies may prevent parts of the Service from working.
Global Privacy Control (GPC). If your browser or a browser extension sends the GPC opt-out signal, we treat it as a valid request to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information under the CCPA and equivalent state privacy laws, for that browser.
09Data security
We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including:
- HTTPS encryption for all data in transit
- Access controls limiting who can view personal data
- Regular reviews of security practices
- Contractual protections with all third-party processors
However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.
If a data breach occurs that compromises your personal data, we will notify affected users without undue delay and in accordance with applicable law — including Virginia's data breach notification statute and, where applicable, GDPR Articles 33 and 34 — and will notify relevant regulators where required.
10Children's privacy
Pledgescore is not intended for users under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If we learn that we have collected such data, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us.
11Third-party links
Our Service may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., Kickstarter, Indiegogo, help articles). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. Please review their privacy policies before providing them with any personal data.
12Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will:
- Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
- Notify you via email (if we have your address and the change is significant)
- Post a prominent notice on the Service
Continued use of the Service after changes means you accept the updated policy.
13Contact us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
For EU/EEA residents, if we are unable to resolve your concerns, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.
See also our Terms of Use and Refund Policy.