--- title: How DashPledge Protects Student and Family Privacy description: "Learn how DashPledge protects student and family privacy, including child claiming, student mini-fundraisers, photos, public information, leaderboards, donor privacy, and role-based access." url: "https://dashpledge.com/docs/student-and-family-privacy/" updated: "2026-08-18" category: "Privacy & Security" --- # How DashPledge Protects Student and Family Privacy ## Protecting student and family privacy DashPledge is designed to support school fundraising while limiting unnecessary exposure of student and family information. Student information used to participate in a fundraiser is not automatically the same as information displayed publicly. What appears on a public fundraising page or leaderboard depends on the fundraiser, user permissions, and applicable privacy settings. ## Why does DashPledge need student information? For participating school fundraisers, DashPledge may use student information to support functions such as: - Connecting students to the correct school and campaign - Associating students with teachers and classrooms - Allowing eligible parents or guardians to claim their child - Creating student mini-fundraisers - Tracking Read-a-thon or Move-a-thon activity - Tracking fundraising progress - Managing achievements and milestones - Supporting eligible leaderboard features Access to this information depends on the user's role and the fundraiser workflow. ## Is every student in the roster publicly visible? No. A student being part of a DashPledge fundraiser roster does not automatically mean all of that student's information is publicly displayed. The roster is used to support campaign participation and relationships such as school, teacher, classroom, and parent claiming. Public visibility is a separate part of the fundraiser experience. ## What is a student mini-fundraiser? A participating student can have an individual fundraising page connected to the school's main campaign. This is called a **student mini-fundraiser**. The page allows supporters to contribute through that student's fundraiser while the eligible donation also contributes to the school's overall campaign. A student's public page should only display information appropriate for the fundraiser and applicable privacy settings. ## Does claiming a child make their information public? No. Claiming connects an eligible child to the appropriate parent or guardian account. It does not mean all information associated with the child becomes public. The child's fundraiser still follows the campaign's publishing and privacy controls. ## Can parents control their child’s fundraiser information? Parents and guardians can manage the personalized portions of their child's fundraiser when those options are available. Depending on the campaign, this can include information such as: - Fundraiser story - Student photo, when permitted - Fundraising goal - Other available fundraiser content Parents should avoid adding unnecessary personal information to a public fundraising page. ## Are student photos required? No. Student-photo visibility depends on the fundraiser and its privacy settings. When student photos are disabled, the applicable public fundraiser and leaderboard experiences should respect that setting. A student should still be able to participate in an eligible fundraiser without requiring a publicly displayed photo. ## Where can organizers manage student-photo visibility? Authorized organizers can review applicable privacy options through: **Fundraiser Admin → Campaign Settings** Student-photo visibility can affect applicable areas such as: - Student mini-fundraisers - Classroom leaderboard experiences - Other participant displays covered by the setting Organizers should consider student privacy before enabling public photos. ## Are student names always displayed publicly? No. Public student information depends on the fundraiser's design and privacy controls. Information available to an authorized organizer or teacher inside DashPledge can be different from what a public visitor sees. ## What information can teachers see? Teachers can access information appropriate for students assigned to their classroom and fundraiser. Depending on the campaign, this can include: - Assigned students - Claim status - Activity progress - Fundraising progress - Achievements - Classroom progress Teacher access does not mean the same information is publicly available. ## What information can organizers see? Authorized organizers can have broader campaign-management access needed to administer the fundraiser. This can include participant, campaign, donation, and progress information appropriate to their role. Organizer access is different from public fundraiser visibility. ## What can donors see? Donors and other public visitors should only see the information made available through the public fundraising experience. They do not receive access to private Teacher Dashboards, Parent Dashboards, Fundraiser Admin, or other restricted management areas. ## Is a student’s home address displayed? Families should not place home addresses or other unnecessary private location information on student fundraising pages. Student mini-fundraisers are intended to help families share and support the fundraiser, not to publish sensitive personal information. ## What information should parents avoid adding? Avoid adding information such as: - Home address - Personal phone numbers - Private email addresses - Detailed daily schedules - Private locations - Account credentials - Passwords - Payment information - Other unnecessary sensitive information Keep fundraiser content focused on the campaign and the student's participation. ## How are multiple children handled? A parent or guardian can have multiple eligible participating children connected to one account. Each child maintains their own appropriate fundraiser and progress relationships. Parents should make sure they're working with the correct child before editing, sharing, or recording activity. ## Does each child have a different public link? Yes. Each published student mini-fundraiser can have its own public fundraising URL. When a family has multiple participating children, make sure the correct child's link or QR code is shared. ## What about QR codes? A student fundraiser QR code directs supporters to the applicable public fundraising page. Before distributing a QR code, families should verify that it opens the intended child's fundraiser. The QR code should not expose private dashboard information. ## How does DashPledge handle unclaimed students? An unclaimed student can exist in the fundraiser roster before a parent or guardian connects the child to an account. Being unclaimed does not mean the student should be duplicated, removed, or made publicly visible. Teachers and organizers should preserve the existing student record while the normal parent-claim process takes place. ## Can teachers claim students for parents? No. Teachers manage classroom participation through their Teacher Dashboard. The normal child-claim process is completed by the eligible parent or guardian. These relationships serve different purposes and should remain separate. ## What about leaderboards? Read-a-thon and Move-a-thon campaigns may include student or classroom leaderboards. Leaderboard information should follow the campaign's participation and privacy settings. The information visible to authorized teachers or organizers may be different from information made available publicly. ## Are student photos always shown on leaderboards? No. Student-photo visibility should follow the applicable campaign privacy setting. If student photos are disabled, the relevant leaderboard experience should not publicly display those photos. ## Are fundraising totals private? Fundraising progress may be displayed as part of the public fundraiser when enabled. However, access to detailed donation and transaction information is different from simply displaying fundraising progress. Authorized organizers can have access to donation-management information that public visitors do not. ## Are donor names always public? No. Campaign settings can affect supporter-name visibility, and donors may also have an **Anonymous Donation** option when enabled. Public donor recognition is separate from the underlying transaction information required to process and administer a donation. ## Can anonymous donors still be identified by DashPledge? An anonymous donation is not an unidentified transaction. DashPledge and its payment-processing services may still retain the information necessary to process the payment, provide receipts, handle refunds, investigate disputes, and maintain transaction records. Anonymous giving controls applicable **public donor recognition**. ## How is payment information protected? Sensitive payment information is handled through the payment-processing services connected to DashPledge. Users should never place full payment card information in: - Fundraiser stories - Donor comments - Help Center messages - Ordinary support requests - Public campaign content ## What should I do if private information is accidentally published? If you notice sensitive or inappropriate information on a public DashPledge page, remove it using the available controls when you are authorized to do so. If you cannot remove it safely, contact DashPledge Support promptly and identify the affected page. Do not repost the sensitive information when explaining the problem. ## What if I think the wrong person claimed my child? Do not create another student or another parent account. Contact DashPledge Support so the claim relationship can be reviewed. Provide enough information to identify the school, child, and account relationship without sending passwords or sensitive credentials. ## What if I see information I should not have access to? Do not copy, distribute, or use information you believe was displayed incorrectly. Contact DashPledge Support and identify: - The page - Your account role - The information that appeared unexpectedly Avoid including unnecessary copies of sensitive information in your report. ## Protecting your DashPledge account Keep your account credentials private. Never share your DashPledge password with: - Students - Other parents - Donors - Teachers who should use their own account - Unauthorized organization users Each authorized user should use the account intended for them. ## What should I never send to DashPledge Support? Never send: - DashPledge passwords - Stripe passwords - Online banking passwords - Full payment card numbers - Card security codes - Login verification codes - Complete banking credentials Support should not need these credentials to investigate a DashPledge issue. ## What's next? Continue with the **Privacy & Security** guides to learn more about: - Keeping your DashPledge account secure - Payment and donation security - Student photos and public fundraiser visibility - Anonymous donations and supporter privacy - Reporting a privacy or security concern For child-claiming questions, visit **Parents & Students**. For donation privacy, visit **Donations & Donors**.