Who we are
PVBLIC House is a 501(c)(3) community organization based in Tysons, Virginia. We run workshops, fireside conversations, and community gatherings for builders, makers, and founders. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share information when you visit our website at thepublichouse.org, request access to membership, register for events, or otherwise engage with our programs.
Information we collect
Information you provide directly
- Membership and early access requests. When you submit the Request Access form, we collect your first name, last name, email address, and optionally your phone number, city, and a short note about what you are building.
- Event RSVPs. When you register for an event, we collect your name, email address, and any optional information the event organizer requests, such as dietary restrictions or accessibility needs.
- Account creation. If you create an account, we store your email address and a salted bcrypt hash of your password. We never store your password in plaintext.
- Volunteer and workshop forms. If you apply to volunteer or fill out a workshop interest survey, we collect the information you provide in the form, such as your contact details, background, interests, and availability.
- Payments and donations. If you buy a ticket or make a donation, payment is processed by Stripe. We receive confirmation of the payment, the amount, and what it was for — we never see or store your full card number.
- Photos you share. If you submit photos from an event, we store them and review them before they are published.
- Communications. If you email us at hello@thepublichouse.org, we retain that correspondence so we can respond and follow up.
Information collected automatically
- Usage and device data. We log standard request data such as IP address, browser type, device type, referring URL, pages viewed, and timestamps.
- Analytics. We use PostHog to understand how visitors use the site in aggregate. PostHog may set cookies or use similar technologies to identify returning sessions.
- Session cookies. When you sign in, we set a session cookie so we can keep you logged in across pages.
Information collected at events
- Check-in. When you arrive at one of our events, we may scan your ticket or look up your RSVP to mark you as checked in.
- Photography. We sometimes photograph or record our events for archival and promotional purposes. If you do not want to be photographed, please tell the organizer at the door and we will accommodate you.
Information from other sources
We may supplement the information you give us with publicly available professional information (for example, from a public profile you link to) to better understand our community and tailor our programs. We use AI tools to help summarize and organize this information internally.
How we use your information
- To process your Request Access submission and follow up about membership.
- To confirm your event registration and send you reminders, calendar invites, and updates about the event.
- To check you in at events and manage capacity and waitlists.
- To process ticket purchases and donations, send receipts, and handle refunds.
- To operate, secure, and improve our website and programs.
- To communicate about programs, cohorts, and announcements you have opted into.
- To meet legal, regulatory, and tax-reporting obligations.
How we share your information
We do not sell your personal information. We share information with a small number of trusted service providers who help us run the organization:
- Neon hosts our application database, and Cloudflare provides website hosting, security, content delivery, and file storage.
- Stripe processes ticket payments and donations. Your card details go directly to Stripe and are governed by Stripe's privacy policy.
- Resend delivers transactional email such as RSVP confirmations and password resets.
- PostHog processes anonymized product analytics about how the site is used.
- AI providers such as Anthropic and OpenAI process limited profile and event information to power internal tools that help us organize our community. We do not allow them to use your data to train their models.
- Upstash provides rate limiting on our authentication endpoints.
- Telnyx (and similar messaging providers) deliver the text messages you opt into, solely on our behalf.
We may also disclose information when required by law, to enforce our Terms of Service, to protect the safety of our community, or in connection with a merger, acquisition, or transfer of organizational assets.
Text messages (SMS)
If you give us your mobile phone number, we may send you text messages from PVBLIC House. These include one-time passcodes for signing in, event RSVP confirmations and reminders, volunteer shift details, and occasional updates about programs you have opted into.
- Consent. We only text you after you opt in — by entering your number to request a sign-in code, by texting our number, or by opting in on one of our forms. Your consent to receive texts is not a condition of any purchase or of attending our events.
- Frequency and cost. Message frequency varies — for events, typically up to a few messages per event you register for. Message and data rates may apply.
- Opting out. Reply STOP to any message to unsubscribe, or HELP for help. You can also email hello@thepublichouse.org. After you opt out we will not send you further texts other than a single confirmation that you have been unsubscribed.
- We do not sell or share your SMS information. Your mobile number and your consent to receive text messages are never sold, rented, or shared with third parties or affiliates for their own marketing purposes. We share your number only with the messaging providers (such as Telnyx) that deliver our texts on our behalf, and only to send the messages you asked for.
How long we keep your information
We keep your information for as long as your account is active and as long as needed to provide you with our programs. Event registrations and communications history may be retained longer for archival, financial, and audit purposes. You can request deletion of your data at any time by emailing hello@thepublichouse.org.
Your choices and rights
- Access and correction. You can sign in to view and update the information on your account, or email us to request changes.
- Deletion. You can ask us to delete your account and personal information. Some records may be retained where we have a legal obligation to keep them.
- Email opt-out. Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link. Transactional emails about events you registered for cannot be opted out of without canceling the registration.
- SMS opt-out. Reply STOP to any text message to stop receiving texts, or HELP for help. See "Text messages (SMS)" above for details.
- Cookie controls. You can clear cookies in your browser settings. Doing so will sign you out and reset analytics identifiers.
If you live in California, the EEA, the UK, or another jurisdiction with specific privacy rights, you may have additional rights under local law, including the right to a copy of your data, the right to object to processing, and the right to lodge a complaint with a regulator. Contact us to exercise any of these rights.
Security
We use industry-standard safeguards including TLS in transit, encrypted storage at rest with our infrastructure providers, salted bcrypt password hashing, rate limiting on authentication endpoints, and least-privilege access for our team. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Children
Our website and programs are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you by email or via a notice on the website.