CRM Privacy Policy Questions

When the SCA launched its new online membership system (based on NeonCRM), they encouraged people to reach out to them with questions.

Please contact us at membership@sca.org if you need anything or have questions. We will be compiling and releasing an updated list of Frequently Asked Questions within 10 days.

“Member Portal Now Available” (February 8, 2023)

The next day, I emailed the membership office a question about the privacy policies that are applicable to the new system:

From: Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
To: Society Membership
Date: February 9, 2023

Good day,

Thank you for working on the new membership system.

I noticed that the new membership website has a different privacy policy than that posted on sca.org, which says that it applies to all websites “operated” or “controlled” by the SCA.

Does the SCA’s privacy policy apply to the new membership system, or is the NeonCRM site considered a third party system?

Does the NeonCRM privacy policy only apply when I am using their site directly, or does it also apply to my membership data even if I conduct business with you by paper mail?

Thank you for your consideration of this seemingly-minor but sensitive topic,

— Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin

(As always, I included my modern name and membership number in my email.)

Ten weeks later, I have not received a reply (and there’s been no FAQ posted), so I suppose it’s time to send a reminder…

From: Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
To: Society Membership
Date: April 21, 2023

Hello,

Can someone please confirm receipt of my February email?

Thank you!

— Mathghamhain

[July 2 Update:] I sent a second follow-up email, this time to a broader distribution list which includes the IT Manager, who sent a prompt and clear answer.

From: Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
To: Society Helpdesk
Date: June 30, 2023

Hello,

Obviously this is not an urgent question, but for what it’s worth, I would appreciate it if someone would eventually engage with the two questions below that I first asked five months ago.

Thanks so much,

— Mathghamhain

From: Society IT Manager
To: Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
Cc: Society Helpdesk
Date: July 2, 2023

Hey,

The short answer is Neon is the 3rd party CRM we use for membership data. This would include membership information submitted by paper.

To try to anticipate your next question, the following answer was just added to the membership FAQ:

Our membership database is powered by Neon One CRM. Neon One uses SSL technology and Server Digital Certificates to encrypt sensitive data traffic over the Internet. Data replication is over private connections. The database is not directly accessible by IP address from the public Internet. For more information, see the Neon One SLA and Security Policy.

(They also included some related language addressing the recent confusion regarding the privacy of information disclosed to Cuseum, the vendor that provides the digital membership card service.)

From: Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
To: Society IT Manager
Cc: Society Helpdesk
Date: July 2, 2023

Hello — thanks following up, and for the clarification — that distinction totally makes sense. […]

Thanks again — I really appreciate your willingness to answer these kinds of questions!

— Mathghamhain