The International Coaching Federation (ICF) has a variety of policies with regards to privacy, research, spam, endorsement and political statements. Each can be found below.
This Policy covers the following:
This Policy applies to all of the personal data we collect about you, including information collected at events and information collected on https://coachingfederation.org/ and any other websites (including mobile access) where this policy is linked to; all of which are referred to as the “Site” in this policy.
The International Coaching Federation recognizes the importance of protecting our users’ privacy. To that end we have created our privacy statement and spam policy in order to demonstrate our commitment to privacy. Information on how Site content can and cannot be used is also listed below. Please note that spam laws and regulations above and beyond The International Coaching Federation’s policies may apply to commercial electronic messages sent to individuals who have elected to list their contact information on the Site.
We may occasionally amend this Policy. Any new policy will automatically be effective when it is published on the Site. You should therefore return here regularly to view our most up to date Policy. You should also print a copy for your records.
You can find details of all of our group entities below:
International Coaching Federation
ICF Coaching in Organizations
ICF Coach Training
ICF Credentials and Standards
ICF Foundation
ICF Professional Coaches
ICF Thought Leadership
The International Coaching Federation website (available at https://coachingfederation.org/) is owned and operated by The International Coaching Federation on behalf of its affiliates and subsidiaries. The International Coaching Federation is incorporated in Lexington, Kentucky, United States (EIN: 83-3632519) and its registered office is 2365 Harrodsburg Rd, Suite A325, Lexington, Kentucky, KY 40504, United States.
The International Coaching Federation Foundation website (available at http://foundationoficf.org/) is operated by WordPress. The ICF Foundation is a company incorporated in Lexington, Kentucky, United States (EIN: 33-1112728) and its registered office is 2365 Harrodsburg Rd, Suite A325, Lexington, Kentucky, KY 40504, United States.
We refer to International Coaching Federation together with its group entities as “we”, “us” or “our” in this Policy.
Most of the information we collect is information provided directly by you. This may include:
We may also collect, and process information obtained through the Site or the device you are using, including:
We may use publicly accessible information to verify information we are provided with and to manage and expand our organization.
Throughout the website there may be forms to request information and purchase or obtain products and/or services. These forms typically ask for contact information, financial information, and demographic information. Information from these forms is used to deliver the information, products and/or services that you request. It may also be used to notify you of future ICF products, services and/or opportunities that may be of interest to you. When completing these forms, please do not supply another person’s personal data to us unless we prompt you to do so and you have received that individual’s consent to do so.
We use information collected about you as outlined in this Policy.
General
Our primary purpose in collecting your personal data is to provide you with the services you requested and those which we believe will optimize your use of the Site. We may use your personal data for the following purposes:
In more legal terms, we process your personal data where we have your consent to do so, which you may withdraw at any time, or otherwise where this is necessary for:
A legitimate interest is when we have a business or commercial reason to use your information, so long as this is not overridden by your own rights and interests. Our legitimate interests are those indicated with a “*” above, and we consider that we have implemented sufficient checks and protections to ensure that your rights and interests are not unreasonably intruded on.
*However, you can object to processing on any of these bases at any time and, if you do so, we will stop processing the personal data unless we can show compelling legitimate grounds which override your rights and interests, or we need the data to establish, exercise or defend legal claims – see “Your rights” below.
Cookies
Cookies are small pieces of information that are stored by your browser on your computer’s hard drive. Our Site uses “cookies” to help you access our Site. Also, our Site’s cookies help speed up navigation, keep track of items and help to provide you with custom-tailored content. In addition, we also use cookies to remember information that you gave us so you do not have to re-enter it each time you visit our Site. We use four types of cookies, which we describe in this section.
These various technologies are used in analyzing trends, administering the Site, tracking users’ movements around the Site and to gather demographic information about our user base as a whole. We may receive reports based on the use of these technologies on an individual as well as aggregated basis. As is true of most websites, we gather some information automatically and store it in log files. This information includes IP addresses, browser type, internet service provider, referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp, and clickstream data.
Cookie consent
In most cases we will need your consent in order to use cookies on the Site. Exceptions to this apply such as where the cookie is essential in order for us to provide you with a service you have requested (e.g. to enable you to put items in your shopping basket and use our check-out process. If you visit our Site when your browser is set to accept cookies, we will interpret this as an indication that you consent to our use of cookies and other similar technologies as described in this policy. If you change your mind in the future about letting us use cookies, you can modify the settings of your browser to reject cookies or disable cookies completely. If you do not want to accept cookies, you can change your browser settings so that cookies are not accepted. If you do this, please be aware that you may lose some of the functionality of this Site. For further information about cookies and how to disable them please go for example to the UK Information Commissioner’s webpage on cookies: https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/online/cookies/. We do not knowingly collect or process data from anyone under the age of thirteen (13) years old.
We use a number of suppliers that may also set cookies on your device on our behalf when you visit International Coaching Federation websites to allow them to deliver the services they are providing. When you visit International Coaching Federation websites you may receive cookies from third-party websites or domains. We endeavor to identify these cookies before they are used so that you can decide whether or not you wish to accept them. NextRoll is utilized by International Coaching Federation for some online marketing activities, if you would like to learn more about NextRoll and the California Consumer Privacy Act, please click here. You can opt-out of cookie remarketing at any time by the following link: Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page.
We are committed to keeping your e-mail address confidential. We do not sell, rent or lease our subscription lists to third parties. We may disclose your personal data to enforce our policies, to comply with our legal obligations or in the interests of security, public interest or law enforcement in any country where we have entities or affiliates. For example, we may respond to a request by a law enforcement agency or regulatory or governmental authority. We may also disclose data in connection with actual or proposed litigation, or to protect our property, security, people and other rights or interests.
We share your information with third parties who help deliver our services to you. Examples include hosting our web servers, analyzing data, providing marketing assistance, and providing customer service. These companies will have access to your personal information as necessary to perform their functions, but they may not use that data for any other purpose.
You may have accessed our Site through a hyperlink from the website of one of our subsidiaries or trading partners If so, you consent to your personal details and purchase information, including behavioral patterns, being shared with that trading partner in accordance with our contractual relationship with them.
If we or any part of our group is sold, or some of its assets transferred to a third party, your personal information, as a valuable asset, may also be transferred to the acquirer, even if they are not in the same line of business as us. Our member database could be sold separately from the rest of the organization, in whole or in a number of parts. Potential purchasers and their advisors may have limited access to data as part of the sale process. However, use of your personal information will remain subject to this Policy. Similarly, your personal information may be passed on to a successor in interest in the unlikely event of a liquidation, bankruptcy or administration.
Please remember that when you share information publicly on the Site, for example a comment on a blog post, it may be indexable by search engines, including Google, which may mean that the information is made public.
The Site may use and contain links to third parties’ websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of those websites or services. Therefore, please read carefully any privacy policies on those links or websites before either agreeing to their terms or using those websites. If you have asked us to share data with third party sites (such as social media sites), their servers may not be secure. Note that, despite the measures taken by us and the third parties we engage, the internet is not secure. As a result, others may nevertheless unlawfully intercept or access private transmissions or data.
We take what we consider to be appropriate technical and organizational measures to guard against unauthorized or unlawful processing of your personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, your personal data. While no system is completely secure, we believe the measures implemented by the Site reduce our vulnerability to security problems to a level appropriate to the type of data involved. We have security measures in place to protect our user database and access to this database is restricted internally. However, it remains your responsibility:
When you signed up for a member’s account at this Site you agreed that we may transfer your personal data to countries outside the European Economic Area. We will put in place appropriate security measures to safeguard your personal data where any such transfer is made. If we transfer your personal data outside your country, we will take steps to ensure that your privacy rights continue to be protected in compliance with applicable data protection law and this Policy.
If you have given permission, we may contact you by about any of the following:
In compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act, GDPR, and CASL all email sent from our organization will clearly state who the email is from and provide clear information on how to contact the sender. In addition, all email messages will also contain concise information on how to remove yourself from our mailing list so that you receive no further email communication from us.
We are committed to keeping your information confidential. We do not sell, rent or lease our subscription lists to third parties, and we will not provide your personal information to any third-party individual, government agency or company at any time unless compelled to do so by law. We will use your email address solely to provide timely information about ICF and its programs and services. ICF will maintain the information you send via email in accordance with applicable international law.
You should have a prior relationship with the person receiving your email. If you prefer not to receive any direct marketing communications from us and/or our partners, you can opt out at any time by emailing icfheadquarters@coachingfederation.org or calling +1.859.219.3580. See further ‘Your rights’, below.
We will retain your personal data only as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Policy, or as is required by applicable law, and then we will delete it.
ICF reserves the right to alter its privacy policies. Any changes to the policy will be posted on this page.
This site is controlled and operated by ICF from its offices within the United States. ICF makes no representations that materials, information, or content available on or through this site are appropriate or available for use in other locations, and access to them from territories where such materials, information, or content are illegal is prohibited. Those who choose to access this site from other locations do so on their own volition and are responsible for compliance with applicable local laws.
You may access, download and print materials on this website for your personal and non-commercial use. You may not modify, copy, distribute, transmit, display, perform, reproduce, publish, license, create derivative works from, transfer, or sell any information, software, products or services obtained from this website without first obtaining written consent from ICF. Furthermore, you may not use the materials found on this website on any other websites or in a networked environment without first obtaining written consent from ICF.
All materials on this site (as well as the organization and layout of the site) are owned and copyrighted by the International Coaching Federation. © Copyright International Coaching Federation (ICF). All rights reserved. No reproduction, distribution, or transmission of the copyrighted materials at this site is permitted without the written permission of ICF.
As explained above, you have the right to opt-out of receiving marketing communications from us. In addition, to the extent permitted by the laws of your country, you may have the right to object to the processing of your personal data for direct marketing purposes. If your objection is not to direct marketing in general, but to direct marketing by a particular channel e.g. email or telephone, please specify the channel you are objecting to.
Further, to the extent permitted by the laws of your country, you may also have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, be forgotten, or object to processing of, or request data portability of the personal data collected about you subject to some conditions and exceptions. You can find out more about these rights in the EU by reading the General Data Protection Regulation here: http://www.eugdpr.org/the-regulation.html. In the EU you also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection regulator there.
If you wish to inquire about any of those rights or would like to submit a request then please send us your request by any of the following ways:
If you have any questions about this Policy, the practices of this Site, or your dealings with this Site, we encourage you to contact us using the following details:
International Coaching Federation
2365 Harrodsburg Rd, Suite A325
Lexington, KY 40504
Phone: 888.423.3131 or +1.859.219.3580
Fax: +1.859.226.4411
icfheadquarters@coachingfederation.org
This policy is intended to apply to ICF staff, the ICF Board and its executive, members of the International Coaching Federation, and academic personnel or external vendors who wish to utilize ICF resources to engage in research on any aspect of coaching.
Research
Not all information about coaching can be categorized as research. ICF’s working definition of research is: Research (including evaluation) is defined as any activity that involves the collection, collation, review or evaluation of data or information for the purpose of describing, maintaining or modifying activities, practices, interventions, or treatments. Research may involve the manipulation of variables or environmental factors whereas evaluation more typically involves the review of information for the purpose of providing feedback about the function, productivity or efficacy of an activity. Evaluation includes but is not limited to activities including needs assessments, process assessment, outcome studies, impact analysis, cost-benefit analysis and meta-analysis.
Evidence-Based Practice
ICF encourages and endorses evidence-based practice (EBP) with respect to effective coaching. That is, ICF wants coaches to make solid decisions regarding the method or technique they use based on their ability to critically assess the best available, current, valid and relevant coaching evidence before applying it to day-to-day coaching practices. ICF believes combining the explicit knowledge derived from sound research, broadly defined, as above, with the more tacit or experiential knowledge of the coach practitioner is the synergistic sine qua non of effective coaching.
Policy Statement
It is ICF policy to encourage and promote research activities that enhance the professional development and standards of the worldwide coaching community. ICF strives to collaborate with organizations and individuals that promote the highest standards of research to establish a discipline of coaching studies to support and further the profession. ICF seeks to facilitate the exchange of information among researchers and practitioners studying coaching theory, methodologies, and outcomes. Equally important, ICF seeks to make this information available to practicing coaches and those interested in the coaching profession. Specifically, ICF’s goals are to:
By the same token, research on coaching might be divided into two broad categories: 1) market-oriented or industry-related research on the coaching profession; and 2) research to gather evidence on coaching techniques, coaching core competencies, coaching methodologies, coaching outcomes, and coaching theories.
This kind of research on the coaching profession, on coaches and on coaching organizations often makes use of evaluative techniques and surveys conducted for the following purposes:
In short, market-oriented research is the coaching profession’s way of looking at itself. ICF’s policy is to prioritize requests for information from its members and to protect them from repeated and unnecessary demands on their time and resources. Thus, the criteria for ICF participation in such surveys is the importance of the information to be gathered and the legitimacy of the researcher or organization conducting the survey balanced against the time and/or other resources demanded of members or other respondents.
The core purpose of ICF is to advance the art, science, and practice of professional coaching. Coaching is an applied profession, and its successful development requires a dialectic process among coaches and practitioners to develop a discipline that can support the profession, and vice-versa. It is assumed that a discipline of coaching requires a solid theoretical foundation that will strengthen the coaching profession and contribute to its ongoing development. The quality of coaching theory will be determined by a vibrant research community combined with practitioners who both utilize and contribute to research inside and beyond ICF.
Therefore, for both broad categories of research on coaching (delineated in 1 and 2 above), ICF will encourage and collaborate with researchers and organizations that are gathering evidence on any aspect of coaching, given the following limitations:
The ICF Member Directory and CCF are intended to be used as a tool for potential coaching clients and ICF Members to connect with other ICF Members. The Directory is not to be used to promote or market products and/or services to ICF Members.
In order to protect our affiliates privacy, ICF will immediately refer these actions to our legal counsel; ICF expressly reserves all rights to take further action against those who violate our user agreement.
FTC indicates that the CAN-SPAM Act provides that “harvesting email addresses” is a violation of the Act that can give rise to criminal penalties, including imprisonment. Harvesting email addresses via unauthorized access to and use of email addresses secured from the ICF database and using those emails addresses to issue primarily commercial messages is a violation of the CAN-SPAM Act and subjects the sender to both significant civil fines ($16,000 per email) and criminal penalties.
The qualifications of coaches listed, and the information provided is not verified by ICF in any way. Individuals utilizing this database are urged to take reasonable steps to verify the qualifications of any potential coach. By utilizing the ICF Directories, you agree to hold ICF harmless from any and all claims which may arise as a result of your using the information provided and agree to adhere to the ICF Spam Policy and any other spam regulations that may apply.
Member/coach contact information included on ICF’s website is not posted for the purpose of promoting/marketing products/services to coaches. It is primarily posted for the purpose of allowing potential clients of a coach to connect with a coach. All other email and electronic communications with members should adhere to the following principles:
Please note that spam laws and regulations above and beyond ICF’s policies may apply to commercial electronic messages sent to individuals who have elected to list their contact information on the ICF website.
For the purpose of full disclosure and as a disclaimer of liability, this content was generated using the assistance of an AI program. Its contents, either in whole or in part, have been reviewed and revised by a human. Nevertheless, the reader/user is responsible for verifying the information presented and should not rely upon this article or post as providing any specific professional advice or counsel. Its contents are provided “as is” and ICF makes no representations or warranties as to its accuracy or completeness and to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law specifically disclaims any and all liability for any damages or injuries resulting from use of or reliance thereupon.
The International Coaching Federation (“ICF”) and each of its affiliated organization websites, as well as ICF generated materials may contain information, references to or content supplied by third parties. Information contained on those website(s) or in any written materials or content generated by ICF or the affiliated organizations referring to any specific third party (including vendors, members or other third parties) or its product(s), service(s) or process(es) or procedure(s), by trade name, trademark, service or product provider name or otherwise, does not constitute or imply the endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by ICF or any of its affiliated organization’s or their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, volunteers or contractors of the referenced third party content, person(s), product(s), service(s) or process(es).
ICF and each of its affiliated organizations specifically disclaim any endorsement, approval or recommendation, either expressed or implied, of any product(s), written content or materials, service(s), process(es) or procedure(s) developed, promoted, rendered or used by any third party.
The information or content about third parties, including their products and/or services that may be contained or referenced on the ICF or affiliated organization website(s) or in ICF or affiliated entity content/materials does not constitute the endorsement or recommendation of the same by ICF or any of its affiliated organizations. It is your responsibility to verify and investigate products, providers and services. Please consult your own professional advisor for all advice concerning medical, legal or financial matters in connection with the services needed.
ICF and each of its affiliated organizations, nor their respective officers, directors, volunteers or contractors specifically disclaim any liability or responsibility of any kind for the third party content or any information transmitted to or received by any person in connection with the person’s use of the website(s) or other ICF or affiliated organization generated content or materials. Also, references on the website(s) or in ICF or affiliated organization materials or content to any specific third party commercial product(s), process(es), information, service(s), manufacturer(s), or company(s) does not constitute endorsement or recommendation or by ICF or its affiliated organizations.
All information provided on the ICF and its affiliated organization websites and in other ICF or affiliated organization content or materials is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute a legal contract or other covenant or agreement of any kind between ICF or an affiliated organization and any person or entity unless otherwise expressly specified. No warranty, expressed or implied, is made regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability, or usefulness of any information, either isolated or in the aggregate. All information is provided “as is.” All warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, freedom from contamination by computer viruses, and non-infringement of proprietary rights, are disclaimed. Changes may be periodically made to the information; no notice is required with respect to any changes; and changes may or may not be incorporated into the website(s) or ICF generated content or materials. If you find any errors or omissions, we encourage you to report them by e-mail to ICF at icfpr@coachingfederation.org
ICF and its affiliated organizations, officers, directors, volunteers or contractors (i) are not liable for any improper or incorrect use of the information on the website(s) or other ICF developed materials/content referencing a third party’s products or services, (ii) assume no responsibility for anyone’s use of or reliance on any such information or content (iii) are not liable for any damages (of any type, for any reason, however caused, or under any theory of liability) arising in any way out of the use of the website(s) or other ICF developed content which may reference a third party’s products or services, even if advised of the possibility of that damage.
No ICF Member or third party may use or display the name, acronym, logo, or any of the family of marks of the ICF and/or any affiliated organization without the prior written consent of the ICF CEO and Chief Operating Officer and the appropriate affiliated organization Vice President. Such consent shall be at the sole discretion of the ICF CEO and the COO.
The International Coaching Federation’s (ICF) public statements and responses align closely with our core purpose: advancing the coaching profession and promoting its positive impact on individuals and society as a whole. Therefore our policies reflect our dedication to maintaining the integrity of the coaching profession. Under our new Organizational Advocacy Policy, ICF will take an official stance, make public-facing statements, or issue public-facing responses to world events only when those events directly affect the coaching profession.
ICF Statement of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (2023)
The International Coaching Federation places diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at the forefront of everything we do. We commit to valuing the unique talents, insights, and experiences that every coach and client brings to the world. To that end, we have established the Global Diversity Council to oversee, support, and influence our stakeholders to reflect on our blind spots and be aware of opportunities for improvement.
ICF Statement of Diversity and Inclusion (2020)
In July 2020, the ICF Global Board of Directors approved the ICF Statement of Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging and Justice. Staff and volunteer leaders from ICF’s six family organizations subsequently cosigned this statement. This statement of principles reflects a position we invite every ICF Member, Credential-holder and accredited training provider to subscribe to.
ICF Members and Credential-holders live and work in more than 140 countries and territories. ICF is a vibrant global community committed to the shared vision of making coaching an integral part of a thriving society. Our mission is to lead the global advancement of coaching. To do this, we must reflect on our blind spots and be aware of opportunities for improvement. We cannot ignore the challenges that many coaches and coaching clients face due to systemic problems in their communities.
As members of the ICF community, we ascribe to the core values of integrity, excellence, collaboration and respect. The foundation of these values is a shared commitment to diversity, inclusion, belonging and justice.
We will place diversity, inclusion and belonging at the forefront of every decision we make within our Association. As we continue the journey toward our vision, we will recommit ourselves to valuing the unique talents, insights and experiences that every coach and client brings to the world.
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is committed to a vision of a thriving society around the globe. We believe that coaching can help realize this vision by unlocking people’s potential and breaking down the barriers between us. When people can show up as their full selves, vulnerable and fully present, this is a gift that moves us forward and toward a more peaceful, loving and equitable society.
Violence of any kind is contrary to what ICF and coaching strive for—a thriving, healthy, cooperative human society. We condemn all acts of violence against race, religion, gender or any other aspect of diversity.
We remain committed to our statement of placing diversity, inclusion, belonging and justice at the forefront of every decision we make within our Association and calling for consistent action against violence and discrimination.
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