1. To comply with IRS regulations concerning tax-exempt status and advertising and sponsorship.
2. To address the potential for conflict of interest and to assure freedom from influence.
3. To set a clear and concise policy for all potential advertisers and users of the web site to understand.

 

Definition of Terms in Statement

The following definitions should be considered general and applicable to this policy only.

• Web page: A page created or maintained by or on behalf of Defeat Diabetes Foundation

• Hyperlink or Hypertext Link: A logo, text, or other identifier incorporating a link to a Web site external to Defeat Diabetes Foundation, placed on a DDF Web page with or without compensation.

• Advertising: A logo, text, or other identifier incorporating a link to a Web site external to Defeat Diabetes Foundation, placed on a DDF Web page in exchange for remuneration or gifts in kind, where that placement is intended to promote or market a service, facility or product offered by the external Web site for a commercial purpose. Advertising includes messages containing qualitative or comparative language, price information or other indications of savings or value, an endorsement, or an inducement to purchase, sell, or use any company, service, facility or product.

• Qualified Sponsorship: A logo, text, or other identifier incorporating a link to a Web site external to Defeat Diabetes Foundation, placed on a DDF Web page to acknowledge donation of services, products, or financial or research support to the Defeat Diabetes Foundation. The IRS defines sponsorship as "a payment for which there is no expectation that the sponsor will receive a 'substantial return benefit,' the income received by the sponsored organization is not subject to tax as unrelated business income."

 

While we accept advertising, we don’t specifically endorse any products or services.

 

Links to commercial vendors may be made in the following specific situations:

• Licensed software required for Web viewing: The logo or graphic represents licensed software on which a core function of the page is based, e.g., Netscape, Adobe Acrobat Reader, RealAudio, VeriSign.

• Links to separately contracted vendor: The logo or link is to a vendor or other entity separately contracted to provide services to the Foundation, e.g., Groundspring, Firstgiving, etc.

• Sponsorship Recognition: A logo or link can be displayed to acknowledge support of the Foundation’s mission-related activities through sponsorship. Such logos or links are deemed to be recognition of corporate or other external sponsorship.

• Educational Purposes: The text link provides information for educational or other mission-related purposes and the Foundation has received no consideration for incorporating that link.

• Paid Links for Products or Services

 

A link should provide information for educational or other mission-related purposes.

While the Foundation staff has thoroughly evaluated the businesses and organizations that are contained at this links page to insure the highest quality and value to people with diabetes, such links should in no way imply endorsement of products or services offered by the external entity.

The logo, text or graphic should not include any qualitative or comparative language or descriptions of the non-Foundation party's products, services, facilities or company including, but not limited to, price information, inducement to purchase, endorsements, savings or value.

Particularly in cases where a group of external hyperlinks is included, the following language is recommended for inclusion: Links to Web sites external to Defeat Diabetes Foundation should not be considered endorsement of those Web sites or any information contained therein.

In all cases, the design of pages that incorporate commercial links must be consistent with established graphic and placement standards for Foundation Web pages. For example, commercial or text logos or display material may not be placed in the nameplate area, roughly the top quarter of a page; and pop-up notice of sponsorship will not be allowed.

 

We believe it is important for you to be able to distinguish between advertisements and offers from Defeat Diabetes Foundation's consumer health information. For this reason, all advertisements and sponsorship acknowledgments are separated from our consumer health information. Each is clearly labeled, for example, with the word "-“advertisement" running along the top, - side or bottom of the box in which the advertisement or sponsorship acknowledgment appears.

Information marked –“advertisement” may include advertisements and offers from third parties, as well as "in-house" advertisements that will link you to consumer health information we wish to highlight.

 

Guidelines

If you click on a third-party advertisement, you may be leaving Defeat Diabetes Foundation and will be directed to the advertiser's site. Be aware that Defeat Diabetes Foundation has no control over the practices of other Web sites. Your computer may receive cookies from other sites and you will not be protected by Defeat Diabetes Foundation's security and privacy policies.

At times, when you click on an advertisement, a box will pop up asking you to respond to a survey or poll or answer a question. These boxes are controlled by the advertiser; information you enter into these boxes is submitted to the advertiser, not to Defeat Diabetes Foundation. An advertiser will not be allowed to capture any personal data while on the DDF web site.

 

Defeat Diabetes Foundation maintains absolute editorial independence. Defeat Diabetes Foundation may receive funding from third parties who pay for the right to advertise their companies and products on our site. This funding supports Defeat Diabetes Foundation's efforts to develop comprehensive and credible consumer health information.

The appearance of third-party advertisements or sponsorship acknowledgments on Defeat Diabetes Foundation is not a guarantee or an endorsement by Defeat Diabetes Foundation.

 

Defeat Diabetes Foundation does not accept advertising that we know either contains false or misleading claims or promotes ineffective and/or dangerous products. Defeat Diabetes Foundation also does not accept advertising for tobacco, pornography, political candidates, advertising simulating editorial content, advertising inconsistent with the programs and purposes of the Foundation, or in conflict with Foundation-sponsored programs.

 

Advertisers and sponsors may target their messages to specific health information categories within our site, but we do not use personal information about you to determine which advertisements you will see when you visit our site.

 

Advertisers may not use any capturing of data or cookies while on the DDF web site. However, once off the DDF web site, DDF cannot guarantee any use of such methods.

 

Defeat Diabetes Foundation may share aggregated anonymous statistical information regarding site usage and traffic patterns with our advertisers and sponsors. Information in these aggregated summary reports cannot be linked to you individually. Any information provided by you to the advertiser is not controlled by Defeat Diabetes Foundation.

 

This advertising policy may be revised periodically. When we make significant changes that affect our advertising policies and practices, we will post a notice on the Defeat Diabetes Foundation home page. We recommend that you read our advertising policy whenever you visit our site in case you missed our notice.