Privacy Policy

Last Updated: March 2026

Memory is Survival. At Njila, we believe in the sacred nature of family stories, ancestral records, and the personal data you share with us. This Privacy Policy explains how Njila (a DBA of Operation Growth LLC) collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you visit njila.org, participate in our Patreon community, purchase digital products, or engage with our genealogy and heritage services.

By using our website or services, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of our services.

1. Who We Are

Njila is an ancestral heritage preservation and genealogy brand operating under Operation Growth LLC. Our services include Patreon-based community membership, digital downloads, live genealogy workshops, and family history research resources. We operate under the philosophy that your family’s story — and your personal data — deserve the same careful stewardship as the ancestral records we help you preserve.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you engage with Njila’s services, we may collect:

  • Name, email address, and billing information when you purchase digital products or subscribe to membership tiers
  • Family history data, names, dates, and genealogical research materials you share with us for research or archival purposes
  • Comments, questions, and messages submitted through contact forms or community platforms
  • Workshop registration information including name, email, and any genealogical background you choose to share
  • Patreon account information when you become a Njila community member

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit njila.org, we automatically collect:

  • IP address and approximate geographic location
  • Browser type, version, and operating system
  • Pages visited, time on site, and referring URLs
  • Cookie data as described in Section 5 below

2.3 Comments

When visitors leave comments on our site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, including your name, email address, and website URL, as well as your IP address and browser user agent string for spam detection purposes.

An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. After approval of your comment, your profile picture may be visible to the public in the context of your comment.

2.4 Media Uploads

If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.

2.5 Embedded Content

Articles and pages on this site may include embedded content (such as videos, images, and articles from other platforms). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor had visited those other websites directly. These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that content.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • To fulfill orders and deliver digital products, including genealogy guides, research templates, and educational resources
  • To provide and manage your Patreon membership benefits
  • To communicate with you about your purchases, membership, and account activity
  • To send newsletters, ancestral content, and heritage resources when you have opted in to receive them
  • To process workshop registrations and deliver live or virtual genealogy research intensives
  • To respond to your comments, questions, and research inquiries
  • To detect and prevent fraudulent transactions and spam
  • To improve our website, products, and services based on aggregate usage patterns
  • To comply with legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We do not use your family history data or genealogical research for any purpose other than delivering the service you requested.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

If you are a California resident, you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). We process your data on the following legal bases:

  • Contract Performance: Processing necessary to fulfill your purchase or membership agreement
  • Legitimate Interests: Improving our services, preventing fraud, and communicating with active customers
  • Consent: Email marketing and newsletter communications, which you may withdraw at any time
  • Legal Obligation: Compliance with applicable tax, financial, and legal requirements

5. Cookies

Njila uses cookies to enhance your experience on our website.

5.1 Comment Cookies

If you leave a comment on our site, you may opt in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.

5.2 Login Cookies

If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser. When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select ‘Remember Me,’ your login will persist for two weeks.

5.3 Editing Cookies

If you edit or publish an article or resource, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after one day.

5.4 Analytics & Third-Party Cookies

We may use analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) that set their own cookies to help us understand how visitors interact with our site. These tools collect information in aggregate and do not identify individual visitors.

6. How We Share Your Information

We share your personal information only in the following limited circumstances:

  • Service Providers: We work with third-party platforms including Patreon (membership), Stripe (payment processing), Flodesk (email marketing), and Thinkific (digital course delivery). These providers receive only the data necessary to perform their services and are bound by their own privacy policies.
  • Password Reset: If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.
  • Spam Detection: Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.
  • Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with legal process, protect the rights or safety of Njila, Operation Growth LLC, or others.
  • Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, your information may be transferred. We will provide notice before your personal data is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to marketers, data brokers, or other third parties.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

  • Comments: Comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely to allow automatic approval of follow-up comments.
  • Purchase & Transaction Records: Order history and billing records are retained for seven (7) years for tax and accounting purposes.
  • Membership Records: Active membership data is retained for the duration of your membership. Upon cancellation, we retain a record of your membership history for up to three (3) years.
  • Email Subscribers: Email addresses and preferences are retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
  • User Accounts: For users who register on our website, we store the personal information provided in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username).
  • Workshop & Research Inquiries: Communications related to genealogy workshops or research consultations are retained for up to two (2) years.

8. Your Rights

If you have an account on this site, or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

California residents have the following additional rights under the CCPA:

  • Right to Know: You may request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
  • Right to Delete: You may request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
  • Right to Opt Out: You may opt out of the sale of your personal information. Njila does not sell personal information.
  • Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at b@njila.org. We will respond within 45 days of receiving your request.

9. Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. Our payment processing is handled by Stripe, which maintains PCI-DSS compliance. We use SSL/TLS encryption for data transmission.

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. In the event of a data breach that affects your rights, we will notify you in accordance with applicable law.

10. Family History & Genealogical Data

Njila understands that family history data is deeply personal, sacred, and often irreplaceable. When you share genealogical research, family photographs, documents, or personal stories with us through our workshops, research services, or community platforms, we treat this information with the highest level of care and discretion.

  • We do not publish, share, or distribute your personal family history data without your explicit written consent.
  • Family documents and records shared with us for research assistance are used solely for that purpose and are not retained beyond the scope of the engagement unless you request otherwise.
  • Photographs and archival materials you submit remain your intellectual property. We do not claim ownership over any genealogical materials you share with us.
  • Community discussions within our Patreon membership are governed by our community guidelines. Members should exercise their own judgment about what personal family information they choose to share publicly within the community.

11. Children’s Privacy

Njila’s services are intended for adults aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete such information promptly.

12. Third-Party Links

Our website and Patreon community may contain links to third-party websites, platforms, and resources including Ancestry.com, FamilySearch, and other genealogical databases. This Privacy Policy applies only to njila.org and services directly operated by Njila/Operation Growth LLC. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies before sharing personal information.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will update the ‘Last Updated’ date at the top of this policy and, where appropriate, notify you by email or through a notice on our website.

Your continued use of our services after any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact

If you have questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us at b@njila.org.

We are committed to working with you to resolve any privacy concerns. Your trust — and your family’s story — are sacred to us.

Njila: The Ancestral Pathway · A DBA of Operation Growth LLC · Terms & Conditions