Veteran Business Collective (“VBC,” “we,” “us”) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 86-2179204) located at 4701 Wrightsville Ave Ste 3-105, Wilmington, NC 28403. This policy describes how we collect, use, store, and share information about members, prospective members, donors, and visitors to our website and services.
1. Information we collect
Account & membership. When you join VBC we collect your name, email address, mobile phone number, business name, business category, mailing address, military affiliation (branch of service, veteran status), and chapter affiliation.
Payment. Membership dues, sponsorship payments, and donations are processed by Stripe. Stripe receives your name, billing address, and payment-card details directly; VBC does not store full card numbers. We retain a Stripe customer identifier and the last 4 digits of the card for reconciliation.
Profile content. Members may add a business description, logo, website, social links, and other public-directory information. Public-directory content is visible to anyone who visits veteransbusinesscollective.org.
Communications. When you exchange messages with VBC staff or in VBC chat channels, those messages are stored on our infrastructure for service and audit purposes.
Site analytics. We log standard server information (IP address, user-agent, pages visited) to detect abuse and improve the site.
2. How we use information
- To provide VBC membership benefits, events, and communications
- To process dues, sponsorship payments, and donations via Stripe
- To send SMS broadcasts, event reminders, and other messaging you have opted in to
- To operate the public directory and member-to-member chat
- To prepare audit, IRS Form 990, and grant-reporting records
- To prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorized account access
3. SMS messaging program (TCPA / 10DLC disclosure)
By providing your mobile phone number during membership signup, RSVP, or contact form submission, you consent to receive SMS text messages from VBC related to your membership, including event reminders, chapter announcements, dues notifications, and broadcast updates from your chapter or VBC headquarters.
Message frequency: Up to approximately 10 messages per month, varying by chapter activity. Message and data rates may apply.
Opt out at any time by replying STOP to any VBC message. You can also email info@therealvbc.org to opt out. After opting out you will receive one confirmation message and no further messages until you opt back in. For help, reply HELP or contact us at the address above.
Mobile information is never shared, sold, rented, or transferred to third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Mobile opt-in data and consent records are not shared with any third party.
4. How we share information
We share information only with service providers that operate VBC’s infrastructure and only to the extent necessary to provide service:
- Amazon Web Services - data hosting (databases, files, email delivery), United States
- Vercel - website hosting, United States
- Stripe - payment processing
- Twilio - SMS delivery and inbound replies
- Plaid - bank-account connection for VBC’s own accounting (no member bank data)
- GoHighLevel - social-media post scheduling
We do not sell personal information. We may disclose information to comply with a subpoena, court order, or other legal process.
5. Member control of your information
- Edit your profile at /portal/profile after signing in
- Cancel your membership at /portal/billing
- Export a copy of your data at /portal/profile (JSON download)
- Request account deletion by emailing info@therealvbc.org. Soft delete is immediate; hard delete (full purge of personally identifying information) is performed within 30 days
6. Data retention
We retain active-member information for the duration of your membership and 7 years thereafter for IRS Form 990 audit purposes. Audit-log entries are retained 7 years and are append-only. SMS opt-out records are retained indefinitely so that re-subscription requires affirmative action by the user.
7. Children
VBC services are intended for adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13.
8. Changes to this policy
We will post any material changes to this page and update the “Last updated” date. For substantial changes affecting SMS or payment processing we will also notify members by email.
9. Contact
Privacy questions, data-export requests, and opt-out confirmations: info@therealvbc.org or (901) 219-7911.