PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated: 28 August 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how the Association of Professional Business & Management Analysts ("APBMA", "We", "Us", "Our") collects, uses, shares and protects Your personal information when You use https://www.apbma.org and the services We provide through it.

It should be read alongside Our Cookies Policy and Terms of Service.

Who We Are

APBMA is operated by Business and Project LLC (DBA Association of Professional Business & Management Analyst), Warner Center Towers, 21550 Oxnard Street, 3rd Floor, Woodland Hills, CA 91367, United States. We are the controller of the personal information described in this policy.

Information We Collect

Information You give Us

• Membership applications. Full name, email address, telephone number, country and state or region, professional qualification, and employer where You choose to provide it.
• Member accounts. Email address and a password, which We store only as a one-way hash — We never hold your password itself and cannot retrieve it.
• Payments. Membership tier, billing cycle, region and payment status. We do not collect or store your card number, expiry date or security code. Card details are entered directly on Stripe's own checkout pages and never reach Our servers.
• Help desk tickets. The subject, message and any details You choose to include when You contact support.
• Newsletter subscriptions. Your name and email address.
• Correspondence. Anything You send Us by email, telephone or the contact form.

Information We collect automatically

• Session data. A session cookie that keeps You signed in while You use the member portal.
• Usage data. Pages visited, approximate location, browser and device type, and referring site, collected through Google Analytics — only if You consent to analytics cookies.
• Security data. Limited request information used to rate-limit the member verification page and to protect forms against automated abuse.

How We Use Your Information

• To process membership applications and maintain your membership record.
• To take payment for membership and to record whether a membership is paid.
• To issue, deliver and verify membership certificates and digital badges.
• To operate the member portal and authenticate You when You sign in.
• To answer help desk tickets and other correspondence.
• To send You service messages about your membership, such as password resets and payment confirmations.
• To send newsletters and Association news, where You have asked to receive them. You may unsubscribe at any time.
• To understand how the website is used, so We can improve it.
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse and unauthorised access.
• To meet Our legal, accounting and reporting obligations.

Legal Bases (Visitors in the UK, EU and EEA)

Where the UK GDPR or EU GDPR applies to You, We rely on the following legal bases:

• Performance of a contract — to process your application, take payment and provide membership services.
• Consent — for analytics cookies and for marketing emails. You may withdraw consent at any time.
• Legitimate interests — to keep the website secure, prevent fraud and improve Our services, where those interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Legal obligation — to retain financial records and respond to lawful requests.

The Public Member Verification Page

APBMA publishes a member verification page so employers and third parties can confirm that a certificate or membership code is genuine. Where a membership code is looked up, the page confirms the member's name, membership grade and whether the membership is current.

You can opt out. If You do not wish your membership to be confirmed publicly, You can turn verification off in your member portal settings, or ask Us to do it for You using the contact details below. Your record then returns no result to a public lookup.

Who We Share Information With

We do not sell your personal information, and We do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising. We share it only with the service providers We need to run the Association:

• Stripe, Inc. — payment processing. Stripe receives your email address and the details of the membership being purchased, and handles your card data directly under its own privacy policy.
• Google LLC — Google Analytics (only with your consent) and reCAPTCHA, which protects Our forms from automated abuse.
• Zoho Corporation — outbound email delivery for service messages and newsletters.
• Our web hosting provider — which stores the website and its database on Our behalf.
• The APBMA training platform at education.apbma.org, where You enrol on a course.
• Professional advisers, auditors and authorities, where We are required to disclose information by law.

International Transfers

APBMA is based in the United States and Our service providers are largely US-based. If You access the website from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection law may differ from that of your own country. Where required, We rely on appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses.

How Long We Keep Information

• Membership records — for as long as You are a member, and afterwards for as long as We need to confirm that a certificate We issued was genuine.
• Payment records — for the period required by tax and accounting law, normally seven years.
• Help desk tickets — for up to three years after the ticket is closed.
• Newsletter subscriptions — until You unsubscribe.
• Analytics data — as governed by Our Google Analytics retention settings.

Your Rights

If You are in the UK, EU or EEA

You have the right to access your personal information; to have inaccurate information corrected; to have information erased; to restrict or object to how We use it; to receive it in a portable format; and to withdraw consent at any time. You also have the right to complain to your national data protection authority.

If You are a California resident

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended, You have the right to know what personal information We collect and how We use and disclose it; to request deletion; to request correction; and not to be discriminated against for exercising those rights. We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined by the CCPA.

Everyone

You can exercise any of these rights using the contact details below. We will respond within the time limit set by the law that applies to You, and We may need to verify your identity before We act on a request.

Cookies

Essential cookies keep You signed in and keep the site secure, and are always active. Analytics cookies are set only after You accept them in the cookie banner. You can change your choice at any time using the Cookie settings link in the footer of every page. Full detail is in Our Cookies Policy.

Security

The website is served over HTTPS, passwords are stored only as one-way hashes, card data never reaches Our servers, and certificate downloads are restricted to the member they belong to. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so We cannot guarantee absolute security, but We take these measures seriously and review them regularly.

Children

The website and Our membership services are intended for professionals and students aged 16 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If You believe a child has given Us personal information, please contact Us and We will delete it.

Links to Other Websites

Our website contains links to sites We do not operate, including Our training platform, job board and social media pages. This policy does not cover them, and We encourage You to read the privacy policy of every site You visit.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the new version on this page and update the "Last updated" date above. Where the change is significant, We will tell You by email or by a notice on the website.

Contact Us

If You have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or wish to exercise any of your rights, You can contact Us:

• By email: info@apbma.org
• By visiting this page: Contact Us
• By phone: +1 310 860 6022
• By post: Warner Center Towers, 21550 Oxnard Street, 3rd Floor, Woodland Hills, CA 91367, United States