American Nurses Enterprise Privacy Notice
Effective Date: March 6, 2026
The American Nurses Association (“ANA”), the American Nurses Credentialing Center (“ANCC”), the American Nurses Foundation (“Foundation”), and their affiliates and subsidiaries, are dedicated to safeguarding your privacy. Throughout this notice, these organizations are collectively called “American Nurses Enterprise,” “ANE,” “we,” “us,” and “our”.
This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your Personal Data when you interact with us, including through our websites, programs, and services. It applies to the following data subject types:
- Website Visitors
- Customers
- Donors
- Grantees
- Fellows
- Members
- Employees of Credentialed Organizations
For more information regarding the collection of Applicant Personal Data or our practices regarding cookies and similar tracking technologies, please see our Applicant Privacy Notice or our Cookie Notice.
If you have entered into a contract, engagement letter, or other agreement with ANE, that agreement governs your relationship with ANE and the services provided (“Agreement”). In the event of a conflict between the provisions in your Agreement with ANE and those in this Privacy Notice, the provisions of the Agreement will prevail.
Please read this Privacy Notice carefully. By using our services or providing data to us, you acknowledge the practices described herein.
What is Personal Data?
Personal Data means any data that could identify an individual, either by itself or when combined with other data. This includes names, addresses, contact details, financial, and demographic data. Personal Data may encompass the following categories:
Sensitive Data. Personal Data whose disclosure or misuse may cause significant harm to an individual. This includes, but is not limited to, health and medical data, genetic and biometric data, racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation, and political opinions. This type of Personal Data may require extra protection.
Special Category Data. A term used in privacy regulations (such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable U.S. State based privacy laws) to describe certain types of sensitive Personal Data that require heightened protection. Examples include data revealing racial or ethnic origin, health status, genetic or biometric data, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and trade union membership.
Aggregated or anonymized data that cannot be traced to a person is not Personal Data.
Categories of Personal Data Collected
Depending on your relationship with ANE, we may collect all or some of the following Personal Data attributes:
- Identifiers. Such as your name, postal address, email address, phone number, and ANE account credentials. In some cases, we may also collect government-issued identification, such as your passports or driver’s license data.
- Certain Personal Data Records Necessary for Compliance Under Applicable U.S. Laws. Such as credit or debit card data (e.g., for donations, product purchases, event registrations, certification or membership fees), financial data, and health or medical data (e.g., dietary needs, accessibility requirements, health forms for travel).
- Personal Characteristics. Such as demographic data (e.g. age, gender, race & ethnicity, marital status etc.).
- Health and Wellness Data. Such as your health data, mental health data, and data collected through wearables or monitoring devices, such as vital signs, fitness metrics, or other wellness indicators.
- Commercial Data. Including records of your donations, event attendance, and areas of specialty.
- Professional or Employment-Related Data. Such as your job title, employer affiliation, role (e.g., Chief Nursing Officer), and nursing license number. We may also collect your CV, biography, educational transcripts, and other related data, particularly when engaging with us as a volunteer, grantee, fellow, or appraiser.
- Personal Data Related to Grants or Fellowships. Such as data related to your application, the execution of grant agreements and payments, and any feedback you provide in response to our inquiries.
- Internet or Other Electronic Activity Data. Such as your browsing history, search history, the specific pages visited on our websites, other Internet pages accessed, and the browser used to view the websites.
- Audio, Electronic, Visual, Thermal, Olfactory, or Similar Data. Such as photographs, audio or video recordings, or other media submitted as part of your accreditation or grant applications, or that are recorded during your program participation. This may include images of individuals, footage documenting events, or other content that relates to ANE’s mission and activities.
Sources of Personal Data
We collect Personal Data from multiple sources to provide services, meet legal and regulatory obligations, and improve your experience, while remaining transparent about how and why this data is obtained. These sources generally include:
- Direct Submissions and Communications. Data you provide voluntarily through forms, applications, registrations, surveys, email exchanges, or postal correspondence. This often occurs if you sign up for a service, requests information, or complete a membership, accreditation, or credentialling process.
- Digital Interactions. Data collected through your engagement with websites or online learning platforms or communities, which may include your browsing behavior, preferences, and technical identifiers gathered via cookies or similar technologies. See our Cookie Notice for more information.
- Event Participation. Details captured when you register for or attend events, conferences, or webinars. This can include your contact data, professional details, and participation history.
- Membership and Credentialing Systems. Data maintained within platforms that manage your memberships, certifications, or professional credentials. These systems typically store profile data, status updates, and activity records.
- Third-Party Relationships. Data shared by vendors, partners, or service providers who support business operations, marketing, or analytics. These entities may supply data collected during their interactions with you.
- Publicly Available or Purchased Lists. Your contact details and professional data obtained from public records or licensed data sources, often used for outreach or verification purposes.
- Financial and Transactional Systems. Data generated through payment processing or your financial transactions, such as billing details and purchase records, typically used for accounting and compliance.
Purposes and Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data
We may process your Personal Data for the following purposes and under the following legal basis:
| Purpose | Description | Legal Basis |
| Membership Management | We may process your Personal Data to manage your member and volunteer services accounts, provide you member services and volunteer service opportunities, and maintain accurate membership and volunteer service records. |
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| Credentialing, Accreditation, and Certifications | We may process your Personal Data to evaluate your eligibility, verify qualifications, conduct appraisals, administer accreditation, issue credentials and certifications, and maintain records in accordance with industry standards. |
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| Event registration and participation | We may process your Personal Data to register you for events, manage your attendance, and facilitate your participation in sessions and activities. |
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| Grant and fellowship administration | We may process your Personal Data to review your applications, award grants or fellowships, and manage related reporting requirements. |
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| Fundraising and donor management | We use process your Personal Data to receive donations, maintain donor records, and communicate with donors regarding fundraising initiatives. |
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| Marketing and communications (digital/physical) | We may process your Personal Data to send newsletters, promotional materials, and other communications via email, mail, or digital platforms. |
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| Survey and research analysis | We may collect your Personal Data through surveys and research activities to analyze trends, improve services, and inform organizational decisions. |
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| Professional development and training | We may process Personal Data to enroll you in training programs, track your progress, and deliver professional development resources. |
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| Legal and regulatory compliance | We may process your Personal Data to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and reporting obligations, including audit and risk management requirements. |
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| Payment processing and financial transactions | We may process your Personal Data to handle payments, manage billing, and maintain accurate financial records for transactions. |
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| Analytics and business intelligence | We may process your Personal Data to generate insights, improve operations, and support strategic decision-making through data analysis. |
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Sharing of Personal Data
We may share your Personal Data with external parties for various legitimate purposes and in accordance with applicable agreements. For example, we may provide data to vendors who perform services on our behalf; these vendors are contractually obligated to use your data solely for the specified purposes or as otherwise permitted by law. Below, we outline the primary categories of third parties who may receive your data and why:
| Who? | Why? |
| Vendors and service providers | We may share your Personal Data with trusted vendors who help us with the technical, operational, and administrative work behind our programs/services and systems. |
| Conference organizers and sponsors | If you’re attending an event, we may share your Personal Data with organizers and sponsors so they can coordinate logistics, verify credentials, and communicate event-related data. |
| Financial institutions and payment processors | When you make a payment, we may share your Personal Data with banks and payment processors to complete the transaction and comply with financial regulations. |
| Regulatory authorities | We may share your Personal Data with government or regulatory bodies as required by law or to comply with industry standards. |
| Other organizations for collaborative programs | We may share your Personal Data with partner organizations to enable programs, events, and outreach efforts. |
Sharing and Selling
Certain disclosures mentioned above may qualify as "sharing" or "selling" Personal Data under applicable law. You may be able to opt out of the sale or sharing of your Personal Data as further detailed in the section titled "Online Privacy Choices."
Social Media Applications and Third Parties
The website might offer different blogs, forums, wikis, or other social media platforms where you can share content with fellow users (collectively, "Social Media Applications”). Any Personal Data or other data you share on a social media application can be viewed, collected, and used by other users of that platform, over whom we have limited or no control. Accordingly, we are not responsible for any other user's use, misuse, or misappropriation of any Personal Data or other data that you share via these Social Media Applications.
Additionally, our websites, services, and materials may include references or links to third-party websites and services. Accessing and using such third-party websites and services is not governed by this Privacy Notice, but the privacy notices of those third parties.
Test Messages
We may collect your phone number to send you text messages you have consented to receive. You can cancel text messages at any time by texting "STOP", "CANCEL", "QUIT" or a similar word provided within the original text message. Note, we may send you a text message to confirm that you have been unsubscribed from future text messages. If you have any questions regarding text messages, please email the Privacy Office at privacy@ana.org with your name and the name of the text campaign.
Automated Decision-Making and Profiling
ANE does not make decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects based solely on automated processing.
International Data Transfers
We primarily store and process your Personal Data in the United States. If it is necessary to transfer it to other jurisdictions for program delivery, benefits administration, or vendor services, ANE implements appropriate safeguards for international transfers, such as standard contractual clauses or adequacy decisions where applicable.
Data Retention
We retain your Personal Data for the duration necessary or permitted to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected. Retention periods are determined by several factors such as: (1) the existence of an ongoing relationship with you and our need to provide programs and services; (2) compliance with legal obligations; and (3) considerations relevant to our legal position, such as statutes of limitations and potential litigation. Once your Personal Data is no longer needed, it will be securely deleted or anonymized.
Security of Your Personal Data
ANE implements reasonable physical, technical, and procedural safeguards to protect your Personal Data. If you have concerns about data security, please contact us at privacy@ana.org.
Rights of Data Subjects
Subject to certain conditions and applicable data protection law, you may have rights regarding your Personal Data including:
- Right to be Informed. You may have the right to know why your Personal Data is collected, how long it is kept, and who it is shared with.
- Right of Access. You may have the right to request access to your Personal Data and related details.
- Right to Data Portability. You may have the right to receive your Personal Data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
- Right to Erasure. You may have the right to request the deletion of your Personal Data in certain situations, sometimes referred to as the “right to be forgotten.”
- Right of Rectification. You may have the right to correct or update any inaccurate or incomplete Personal Data.
- Right to Restrict Processing. You may have the right to ask for the processing of your Personal Data to be restricted or suspended under specific circumstances.
- Right to Object. You may have the right to object to the processing of your Personal Data in certain cases, including for direct marketing purposes, processing based on legitimate interests, or processing for research and statistical purposes.
- Rights Related to Automated Decision Making and Profiling. You may have the right to opt-out of decisions made solely by automated means, if those decisions have significant effects on you.
To exercise any of these rights, please submit a request via one of the following methods:
- Filling out the appropriate online form: Privacy Requests
- Contacting us by email at privacy@ana.org.
ANE will make reasonable efforts to process your requests at no cost when submitted through the link above or by email to ANE.
Depending on the nature of your request, we may ask you to provide additional data to verify your identity.
If you are an authorized agent submitting a request on behalf of another individual, we may require documentation demonstrating your authority to act on their behalf.
If your request cannot be fulfilled within a reasonable time frame, you will receive an estimated date for completion. If your request cannot be processed, you will receive a response explaining why that is the case.
Online Privacy Choices
ANE and its partners may use different cookies for different purposes. You may update your cookie preferences at any time by selecting “My Privacy Choices” located at the footer of every page. This includes an option to decline participation in online activities that could be considered “sharing” or “selling” of Personal Data pursuant to applicable laws.
The popup banner that appears will provide more information on how to set your cookie preferences.
Global Privacy Control (GPC)
Some browsers have a GPC you can set to tell a website not to sell or share your data (see globalprivacycontrol.org for more information). If your browser sends a GPC signal, we will honor it in accordance with applicable laws. However, we do not respond to Do Not Track Signals.
Targeted Advertising
In accordance with applicable U.S. state regulations, you may have the right to opt out of the use of your Personal Data for targeted advertising purposes. See the Online Privacy Choices section for more information on how to opt-out.
Communication Preferences
If you wish to unsubscribe from an ANE email list (which may include communications about fundraising, educational programs, events, and other offerings), please use the "unsubscribe" or "update your communication preferences" link located at the footer of the email you received.
Children's Privacy
ANE content, programs, and services are intended for nursing professionals, members, organizations, and other donors or supporters who are over the age of 18. We do not intentionally market to or collect Personal Data from individuals under 18 years of age. If you believe your child’s Personal Data has been collected, please contact privacy@ana.org.
Changes and Updates to this Privacy Notice
By using this website, you accept our Privacy Notice, Terms of Use, and any relevant agreements. If you disagree with these terms, do not use the website or any of ANE’s offerings.
Our Privacy Notice is subject to modification over time. We may revise this notice at any time by publishing an updated version on this website, and such changes will apply only to data collected after the effective date of the revised notice. This notice supersedes all prior privacy statements and terms associated with this website.
How to Contact Us
For questions or concerns about this Privacy Notice or ANE’s privacy practices, contact us via:
Email:
or
Postal Mail:
American Nurses Enterprise
Attn: Data Privacy and Security Officer
8403 Colesville Road, Suite 500
Silver Spring, MD 20910
United States of America
You can also:
- Contact our Data Protection Officer (“DPO”) via DPO@ana.org. Please include your country of origin in the header of your email when reaching out to us.
- File a complaint with the data protection authority in your country, region, or wherever you believe data protection laws might have been violated.
- If you are in the EEA, a complete list of national data protection authorities is available here.
- For those in the UK, the relevant data protection authority is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and further information can be found on the ICO website.