FAQ Page - VILLAGE in the Village

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FAQs

Data Protection and Privacy

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Q1. Is all my data held by ViV secure?

A1. All your data held by ViV is stored and protected by our software provider, Club Express. We pay a fee to Club express for this and all their software services and support to us. The Club Express servers are located in a highly secure commercial data center. The servers are located behind an industrial-strength firewall that has been locked down as tightly as possible. The firewall is connected to the Internet through multiple independent high-speed channels, to ensure maximum performance and redundancy. All data is backed up on a regular basis using industry best practices.

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Q2. Is the privacy of my data protected? I’ve heard about something called GDPR? What is that?

A2. The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) were enacted by the European Union (EU) last year, with an effective date of May 25, 2018. They were enacted to protect the privacy and data of EU citizens and apply to any organization or individual who collects, stores, and processes data, whether it is online or offline, in electronic or hard-copy format. They are by far the strictest privacy laws anywhere in the world. The complete GDPR text can be seen at https://www.gdpreu.org/.

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Q3. This is a European Union regulation; why are we implementing it?

A3. Because no one knows in advance whether an EU citizen could be using an online system, every major vendor of an online platform has decided to modify their Privacy Policy in accordance with GDPR for everyone, even here in the US where our privacy laws are currently very lax. ViV doesn’t actually know if any of our members are EU citizens (or dual citizens) because we don’t ask questions about citizenship. But by making it easy for ViV’s members to make a few selections about how they desire their data to be treated, our software vendor, Club Express, can continue to comply with these new regulations and stay in business to support clubs and organizations, such as ViV.

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Q4. How is ViV implementing GDPR?

A4. Club Express has provided ViV with a selection screen to expedite each member’s data privacy selections. This screen will pop-up the first time a member tries to log in on or after June 12, 2018. It will be shown only once, or until the member makes his/her choices, but log in won’t be allowed until the choices are made. After indicating their choices, the member is finished and won’t see the pop-up screen again. However, their data privacy choices remain visible to them in their Profile on ViV’s website and can be changed by the member at any time. ViV’s Data Protection Policy can be reviewed here.

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Q5. Why does ViV need to keep my data?

A5. VILLAGE in the Village uses this information to run our organization, to provide services for members, to maintain accurate and complete financial records, to fulfill its legal obligations in accordance with laws pertaining to non-profits, to promote the club or association in the general community, to strengthen and grow the organization, to communicate with you about news and activities, and to advocate for issues that are important to members.

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Q6. What selections do I have to make on the pop-up screen?

A6. You will be required to answer a few questions by clicking "I Agree."

You agree that you have reviewed the updated Data Protection Policy. A link can be found here on our FAQ page, along with further explanations.
You agree to the storage and processing of your personal data in the US, by ClubExpress, on our behalf. (This is something we've been doing all along. Nothing has changed; you just have to "agree" that it's ok for us to be doing it.)
You agree to receive transactional messages sent by ClubExpress on our behalf, such as a renewal notice or a payment confirmation. (Again, nothing new!)
You agree to the sharing of your personal data with third parties to conduct the official business of ViV, such as processing credit card payments. (We only share information when necessary, such as when we process a credit card. The credit card payment information is encrypted.)
You will also be asked whether you will accept general purpose communications concerning VILLAGE in the Village, such as newsletters and event notices. (This is also nothing new: you always have the option to decline these messages. But we hope you continue to want to receive these emails!)

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Q7. I don’t log in to the ViV website. How do I make these selections?

A7. If you do NOT login to our website (now or ever), we will mail you a paper form that indicates your choices and certifies your agreement with our policies. We will be mailing out (via USPS) these letters to our members who haven’t logged in soon, and hope you will complete them and mail them back to us promptly. Thank you so much for your continued support.

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Q8. Does VILLAGE in the Village share or sell member and/or non-member data with third parties for marketing or fundraising purposes?

A8. No, ViV will never share or sell member and/or non-member data with third parties for marketing or fundraising purposes.

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Q9. I’ve heard something about the “right to be forgotten”. What is that and is ViV going to implement that too?

A9. The GDPR includes the “right to be forgotten”, that is, to have all your data currently held by an organization deleted. You have this right, but if you choose to be deleted from our database, it makes it virtually impossible for ViV to support and communicate with you as a member in the way we believe is necessary and our members have come to expect. Deletion of all your data may ultimately lead to your being dropped as a member of ViV. The rules surrounding the “right to be forgotten” are complex and still being worked out. As the rules mature, the information will be passed on to all our members. In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this, please call our Data Protection Officer 505-274-6206.

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Q10. I still have questions and/or reservations about data privacy and security. Who can I talk to?

A10. In compliance with the GDPR, we have appointed a Data Protection Officer ("DPO"), Steve Brodeur, to handle any questions or concerns you might have about the privacy of your personal data. You can reach Steve by emailing Privacy@VILLAGEintheVillage.org or calling our hotline (505-274-6206) and leaving a message.

Volunteering

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Q1. Does ViV need more volunteers?

A1. Absolutely! Although we generally manage to find someone for almost all of our service requests, sometimes it’s a struggle. The more volunteers we have, the easier our task is. Furthermore, as our number of volunteers increases, the wider the range of services we can offer increases. That’s because as our volunteer pool expands, scope of our volunteers’ skills also enlarges.

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Q2. If I’m Associate Member and pay my annual dues, do I need to volunteer?

A2. No. You are already supporting ViV’s mission with your annual dues contribution. However, we urge you to consider volunteering at least intermittently. Most of our volunteers report feeling that their efforts are richly rewarded by giving them a sense of purpose and meaning. They also frequently express satisfaction in getting to know some of our Full Members who have led incredibly interesting lives.

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Q3. What does ViV offer us other than services such as changing lightbulbs, providing transportation, and miscellaneous chores?

A3. Great question! ViV attempts to enhance the quality of life for all its members in any way that we can. We do that by providing various social events (e.g., lunches, and parties), educational events (such as Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and other ViV sponsored presentations), and recreational opportunities (for example, Bocce ball and organized walks). We urge everyone to participate in as many of these activities as possible.

Services

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Q1. As a Full member, how do I request services?

A1. The Call Manager is the ViV single point of contact for service requests and dispatcher for all services. He/she is on duty from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday to take your phone calls to 505-274-6206 or emails to CallManagers@VillageintheVillage.org. The Call Manager will take your request details, answer any questions you have, find a volunteer service provider for you, and send out confirmation and reminder emails to both parties. If you have any questions, changes, or cancellations, please contact the Call Manager as soon as possible.

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Q2. How much lead time is needed for service requests?

A2. ViV Volunteers are busy people and we cherish and respect their generous gift of volunteering time. To allow Volunteers to effectively weave Member service requests into their schedules, we ask for a minimum of two week's notice. Requests with less than this notice are very difficult to fulfill; our Volunteers are already booked with other tasks. We will do what we can but please appreciate that, on short notice, it may be a challenge to find a Volunteer.

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Q3. How many services can I request in any given time?

A3. As we look at our ratio of Volunteers to Full Members and consider the number of services typically provided, we believe we can confidently provide Full Members 6-8 services per month. Of course we will always strive to fill all requests but keep in mind that exceeding this number may tax our current volunteer pool to the point where we cannot fulfill your request. This guideline excludes ViV Events such as our coffees, lunches, walks, etc. In these cases the many volunteers attending are always happy to give a ride to and/or from the event.

Money

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Q1. Where does my dues money go?

A1. Many members ask this question. Your dues pay for our website with its critical Member Services software, accounting costs, liability insurance, ViV-sponsored events, office supplies, background checks for volunteers, audio-visual equipment as needed, annual Osher dues for ViV members, and rent of a storage facility for our medical equipment lending program. In addition, we subsidize the membership of some members who cannot afford our dues with our Access Fund. We also keep some funds in reserve for unexpected costs. We are now financially in a position to hire a part-time Administrative Manager to assist with our numerous administrative tasks, which helps avoid volunteer burn-out.

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Q2. How does the Access Fund work?

A2. ViV will waive or reduce the membership fee, or allow payments over time, if the fee is an obstacle to joining. The decision to waive or reduce the fee will be based on interview information obtained by at least one Board member and a member of the Members and Volunteers Committee designated by that Committee’s chairperson. If approved, financial assistance from the Access Fund will remain in place for one year. When renewal comes up, the member(s) will need another interview to determine current financial need.

Using the Website

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Q1. How do I set up a password and a ViV member online account?

A1. To set up your online ViV website account, follow these instructions, and if you get stuck, send an email to Webmaster@VillageintheVillage.org.

Go to the ViV website: www.VillageintheVillage.org.
Click on “Member Login” in the upper right corner of the screen.
You will see boxes to type in your User Name and Password.
1. Type in your User Name. You may already have this, or it will be provided by the Webmaster.
2. If you’ve forgotten your password or can’t find it, click on “Forgot My Username/Password” which is located directly under the blue Login and Cancel buttons. Or you can ask the Webmaster to reset your password. Both of these actions have the same effect, as described next.
3. You will shortly get an email with a temporary Password.
Enter your Username and the temporary Password in the boxes. Click on the blue Login button.
You will be taken to a new screen where you will be asked to make up and enter a new password that you can easily remember or will write down in some inconspicuous place.
1. You will have to enter the new password twice in two boxes as shown on the screen.
2. The screen will tell you that your new password is “weak” or “strong”, but this doesn’t really matter; even a weak password will work. It’s more important that you be able to remember it.
3. In this screen, you will also be able to change your User Name to anything you want. Just type over what’s there.
Once the website accepts your new password, you’re done! You can log in any time in the future with the same Username and password.
You will know that you’re logged in when your name appears in the upper right corner of the screen.

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Q2. Are there any shortcuts to logging in?

A2. Yes.

If your computer browser asks you if you want it to remember your password, say “Yes”. This is a very convenient feature because the computer will enter your username and password for you (with the username in letters, but the password in dots). Then Click on the blue Login button as usual.
If you’re the only user on your computer, you can click on the check box for “Remember me on this computer”, which is located just below the “Password” box. Now when you try to log in to the website, as soon as you click on “Member Login”, the computer will automatically log you in – no username, no password (it remembers both of these).
If there are two or more users of the ViV website on the same computer, you can easily log out and log in as a different user.

Go to your Profile by hovering the cursor over your name in the upper right of the screen.
Click on "Log in as a different User."
The other user can then login using their own Username and Password.

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Q3. In the Events Calendar, why does it say “Please RSVP” at the top and “Registration is not Required” at the bottom? Aren’t they the same thing?

A3. No, Registration is what large clubs and organizations use to keep track of the large numbers of people and volunteers they might have for, say, a road race. All we need is an RSVP, a response to the event leader as to whether you’re going to the event and how many people in your party. Usually, a phone call or email to the event leader identified in the announcement is adequate.