Privacy Policy

Last updated July 31, 2026

LodgeLink helps Elks lodges manage their memberships. This policy explains what we collect, why we hold it, and who can see it. It covers the LodgeLink service itself. Your lodge is a separate organization with its own record-keeping practices.

What we collect

We collect only what running a lodge membership requires.

  • Account details. Your first and last name, email address, and password. Passwords are stored only as a cryptographic hash, so nobody at LodgeLink can read yours.
  • Contact details. Mailing addresses and phone numbers you or your lodge add to your record.
  • Membership records. Your lodge, membership number, current status, and the dated history of that status - when you applied, were initiated, transferred, demitted, suspended, or reinstated - along with your sponsor and proposer.
  • Membership application details. If you apply through LodgeLink, your occupation, the references you name, and whether you disclose a criminal history along with any explanation you write. See sensitive information below.
  • Activity records. Event registrations, volunteer shifts and hours, committee memberships, hall rental requests, and reimbursement vouchers you submit or approve.
  • Files you upload. Receipt images attached to reimbursement vouchers, and your profile photo.
  • Payment records. When your lodge records a payment you made, we store the amount, the date, the method, a description, and the check number if you paid by check.
  • Technical records. Sign-in timestamps and the IP addresses you sign in from, kept to secure your account, plus diagnostic information when the application encounters an error.

What we do not collect

LodgeLink does not process payments. It records cash and check payments that your lodge collected in person, the way a ledger does. We do not operate a payment gateway, and we never receive or store credit card numbers, debit card numbers, or bank account credentials.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers or data brokers. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. The only cookies LodgeLink sets keep you signed in and remember your light or dark theme preference.

Sensitive information

The Elks membership application asks whether an applicant has a criminal history and, if so, for an explanation. Where you complete that application in LodgeLink, we store your answer so the reviewing officers at the lodge you applied to can consider it.

This information is visible only to officers and board members of that lodge and to LodgeLink administrators. It is not shown to other members, it is never published on a public lodge page, and it is not used for anything other than reviewing your application.

Who can see your information

  • Your lodge. Officers and board members of your own lodge can see your member record. LodgeLink keeps each lodge's records separate, so members and officers of other lodges cannot see them. The exception is a transfer: when you ask to transfer to another lodge, the officers at the receiving lodge see the record needed to act on your request.
  • Other members of your lodge. Members can see the lodge directory - names, and the contact details your lodge chooses to share. Application details, payment records, and vouchers are not part of the directory.
  • LodgeLink administrators. We can access lodge data to operate the service, investigate a fault, or respond to a support request.
  • The public. Only what your lodge publishes on its own public profile page. Individual member records are never public.

Services we rely on

LodgeLink runs on infrastructure and services operated by other companies. Each one receives only what its job requires.

  • Amazon Web Services - hosting, the database, and storage for files you upload.
  • Sentry - error monitoring. Receives diagnostic information when something breaks, which can include the account involved.
  • Google Maps - address autocomplete and mapping. Receives address text you type into an address field.
  • Our email provider - delivers invitations, notifications, and password resets to your address.

How long we keep it

Membership records are the lodge's permanent record, so they persist after a membership ends - a lodge needs to know who was a member, and when. If you close your account, we remove your sign-in credentials and profile, and your lodge keeps the membership history it is required to keep.

Security

Traffic to LodgeLink is encrypted in transit with TLS. Passwords are hashed. Access to lodge data is scoped to the lodge it belongs to and checked on every request. No service can promise perfect security, and we do not.

Your choices

You can view and correct most of your own details from your profile. To ask for a copy of your information, to correct something you cannot edit, or to close your account, contact us at the address below or ask an officer at your lodge. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights over your personal information, and we will honor them.

Changes

When we change this policy we will update the date at the top of this page. If a change materially affects how we handle your information, we will tell you directly.

Contact

Questions about this policy, or about your information, go to support@lodgel.ink.

Adapted from the Basecamp open-source policies, used under CC BY 4.0.