Cookie Policy
Learn about the types of cookies we use, why we use them, and how they enhance your experience on NGO Pulse. Transparency is at the heart of how we handle your data.
NGO Pulse, operated by SangoNet ("we", "us", or "our"), uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website and platform. This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how we use them, the types of cookies we deploy, and how you can manage your preferences.
By continuing to browse or use NGO Pulse, you consent to the use of cookies as described in this policy. You may withdraw or adjust your consent at any time through your browser settings or our cookie preference centre (where available).
1 What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, tablet, or smartphone) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites function efficiently, remember your preferences, and provide information to the site owners about how the site is being used.
Cookies may be session cookies (temporary β deleted when you close your browser) or persistent cookies (remain on your device until they expire or you delete them). They may be set by us (first-party cookies) or by third-party services we integrate with (third-party cookies).
2 How We Use Cookies
We use cookies on NGO Pulse to:
- Keep you signed in and authenticate your identity securely.
- Remember your preferences, such as language, display settings, and search filters.
- Protect against spam, bots, and malicious activity (including Cloudflare Turnstile and CSRF tokens).
- Understand how you interact with our platform so we can improve performance, features, and user experience.
- Process payments securely and maintain session state during checkout via PayFast.
- Deliver relevant content and, where applicable, measure the effectiveness of promotional campaigns.
3 Types of Cookies We Use
Below is a detailed breakdown of the cookie categories we use on NGO Pulse:
| Category | Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Required for core platform functionality β authentication, security, session management, and payment processing. The site cannot function properly without these. | Session cookies, CSRF tokens, Cloudflare Turnstile, PayFast session cookies |
| Functional | Remember your preferences and choices to personalise your experience β such as language, region, search filters, and notification settings. | Preference cookies, saved search filters, display settings |
| Analytics | Help us understand how users interact with the platform β pages visited, time spent, feature usage, and traffic sources. Used to improve performance and user experience. | Google Analytics, internal usage tracking |
| Marketing | Used to deliver relevant promotional content and measure the effectiveness of our outreach. We do not use cookies for third-party advertising networks. | Email campaign tracking, feature announcement reach |
4 Third-Party Cookies
Some cookies on NGO Pulse are set by trusted third-party services that we use to operate, secure, and improve our platform. These include:
- Cloudflare: Provides security (DDoS protection, bot detection) and content delivery. Cloudflare may set cookies such as
__cf_bmfor bot management and Turnstile verification. - Google Analytics: Helps us understand user behaviour and improve the platform. Google Analytics cookies collect anonymised data about page views, session duration, and navigation paths.
- PayFast: When you make an online payment, PayFast may set session cookies to securely process your transaction. We do not control these cookies β please refer to PayFast's privacy policy for details.
These third-party services have their own cookie and privacy policies. We encourage you to review them. We do not have direct control over third-party cookies, but we only partner with services that adhere to strong privacy and security standards.
5 Cookies & AI Features
Our AI-powered features β such as proposal generation, CV creation, and project management tools β may use functional and session cookies to maintain your session state, remember your inputs during a session, and ensure a seamless experience as you interact with these tools.
AI features do not use cookies to train models or collect data beyond what is necessary to deliver the requested functionality during your active session.
6 How Long Cookies Stay on Your Device
The lifespan of a cookie depends on its type:
- Session cookies expire when you close your browser β they are temporary and only last for your current visit.
- Persistent cookies remain on your device for a set period (ranging from minutes to months) or until you manually delete them. We use persistent cookies to remember your preferences and login state across visits.
7 Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You have full control over cookies. Here's how you can manage them:
- Browser Settings: Most browsers allow you to view, manage, block, or delete cookies. Check your browser's help section for instructions (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).
- Opt-Out Tools: For analytics cookies, you can install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
- Cookie Banner: Where available, use our on-site cookie preference centre to adjust your consent.
Important: Disabling essential cookies may prevent you from logging in, making payments, or using core features of NGO Pulse. Functional and analytics cookies can be disabled without breaking core functionality, but your experience may be less personalised.
8 Other Tracking Technologies
In addition to cookies, we may use similar technologies such as:
- Local Storage: Browser-based storage that retains data across sessions for functionality like saved drafts, form progress, and UI preferences.
- Web Beacons/Pixels: Small transparent images embedded in emails or pages to track engagement (e.g., whether an email was opened).
These technologies are used for the same purposes as cookies β to improve functionality, analyse usage, and deliver a better experience.
9 Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy periodically to reflect changes in our use of cookies, technologies, or legal requirements. The latest version will always be available on this page, with the effective date noted at the top. For material changes, we may notify you via email or on-platform notice. Continued use of NGO Pulse after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
Questions or Concerns?
If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy or how we use cookies, please contact us at info@ngopulse.co.za β we're happy to help.
