Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Here at Link to Change, your privacy is important to us, and we want all our supporters to feel confident and comfortable with how any personal information you share with us will be looked after or used.

This Privacy Policy sets out how we collect, use and store your personal information.

Link to Change is a “data controller” for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (“Data Protection Law”). This means that we are responsible for, and control the processing of, your personal data.

Link to Change is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (registration no. Z7467034).

Please note this policy does not apply to Link to Change’s direct services to children, young people and their families.

2. Personal Data

Personal data is information that can be used to help identify an individual, such as a name, address, phone number or email address.

3. When we will Collect your Information

Link to Change only collects personal data when you specifically provide it to us, for example, we collect information from you in the following ways:

• When you get in touch with us: for example, if you make a donation, ask us about our activities, register with us for training or an event, apply for a job or volunteering opportunity. This could be by phone, email, through our website or in person.

• When you interact with us through others: this could be if you provide a donation through a third party such as Just Giving, book onto an event, and provide your consent for your personal information to be shared with us.

• When you visit our website we collect information to help us to understand how supporters use our site, and to make improvements. This information consists of your IP address, your browser (e.g. Chrome), when you visited and which pages you visited or downloaded during your visit. We cannot use this information to find out further personal information about you.

• From other information that is available to the public: in order to tailor our communications with you to your interests we may collect information about you from publicly available sources.

4. The Personal Information we Collect

Personal information includes details such as your name, date of birth, email address, postal address, telephone number, as well as information you provide in any communications between us. You will have given us this information whilst making a donation, registering for e-bulletins, booking onto training/events or any of the other ways to interact with us.

We aim to ensure that our communications to you are relevant and timely. To enable us to do this, we may also analyse publicly available geographic, demographic and other information relating to you in order to better understand your interests and preferences.

5. Why we Collect your Information

We use your information to manage your engagement with us, such as processing your donation and telling you what we do with the support we receive, sending you news and information about Link to Change so that you can take part in supporting our work, or to provide you with a product or service.

6. How we Process your Information

We will process your personal data on the basis of your consent, and/or because we need to use it in order to fulfil a contract with you (e.g. because you have booked a place on a training event), and/or our legitimate interest.

Legitimate interest means that the reason that we are processing information is because there is a valid reason for Link to Change to do so. This could include to make improvements to our services, to manage relationships with our supporters and to comply with relevant legislation. Whenever we process your personal information in this way, we ensure that we take into account your rights and interests.

We will never sell or swap your details. We may share your information with trusted third parties in the process of managing your engagement with us, such as payment processors for donations, to partners who manage sponsored events.

We will also share your information if required to do so by law, e.g. with HM Revenue and Customs for processing Gift Aid.

7. The use of Trusted Partners and Suppliers

We use external companies – such as Just Giving – to collect or process personal data on our behalf. We undertake checks on these companies before we work with them, and put agreements in place that require them to comply with data protection legislation and ensure that they have appropriate controls in place to secure your information.

Some of our suppliers may run their operations outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Although they may not be subject to same data protection laws as companies based in the UK, we will take steps to make sure they provide an adequate level of protection in accordance with UK data protection law. By submitting your personal information to us you agree to this transfer, storing or processing at a location outside the EEA.

8. Keeping your Information Safe

We are committed to keeping your personal information – and the ways that we use it – safe and secure. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorised access, use or disclosure. We are constantly improving our systems and processes to make sure that your data is protected and handled efficiently and safely.

We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.

9. Keeping your Information up to Date and Retain it

Where possible we keep our records up to date and use public records to do this in some cases. We are more easily able to do this if you let us know when your details change.

We only keep your personal data for as long as is reasonable and necessary for the relevant activity, which may be to fulfil statutory obligations.

If you request that we stop sending you marketing materials we will keep a record of your contact details and appropriate information to enable us to comply with your request not to be contacted by us.

10. Your Rights

Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data. These include the right to:

• Ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

• Ask us to correct your personal data if there are any inaccuracies.

• Request the erasure of your personal data.

• Object to processing of your personal data.

• Request restriction of processing your personal data.

• Request transfer of your personal data.

Right to withdraw consent.

We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response.

We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex. In this case, we will notify you and keep you updated.

11. Opting Out

You can update your choices or ask us to stop us sending you these communications at any time by contacting info@linktochange.org.uk or by phoning us on 01480 474974.

12. Right to Complain

If you are not happy about the way in which we are processing your personal information, please contact us at info@linktochange.org.uk,  write to Link to Change, 38a High Street, St Neots, Cambridgeshire PE19 1JA or phone 01332 362120. You also have the right to make a complaint to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.

We reserve the right to update this policy from time to time