CHARITY PRIVACY POLICY

Effective date: September 2025

The Labrador Rescue Trust (“we”, “our”, “us”) is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. We comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and the requirements of the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

This policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data across our charity activities, website, and affiliated online services.

  1. Who we are

The Labrador Rescue Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, registered number: 1088198. Our charitable aim is to the rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming of Labrador Retrievers.

Data Controller: The Labrador Rescue Trust
Contact: Hilary McNeill, Russell House, Oxford Road, Bournemouth. BH8 8EX

Email: datacontroller@labrador-rescue.com

  1. What personal data we collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal information:

  • Identity and contact information – name, email address, telephone number, postal address.
  • Application and registration details – forms completed for adoption, surrenders, volunteering, fostering, events, or subscriptions.
  • Donation and fundraising information – records of donations, Gift Aid status, fundraising activities, and payment details (processed securely through third-party providers).
  • Website and online data – IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, and cookies (see our Cookie Policy).
  • Correspondence – records of emails, phone calls, and other communications with us.
  • Preferences – consents for communications, event participation, or fundraising involvement.

We only collect the information that is necessary for our charitable purposes, regulatory obligations, and the services we provide.

  1. How we collect your data

We collect data when you:

  • Use our website or affiliated form providers (e.g. online adoption forms, dog surrender forms, volunteer sign-ups) and donation platforms.
  • Complete any hard copy forms in relation to the Charity’s activities.
  • Make a donation or set up fundraising for us.
  • Sign up for events, newsletters, or campaigns.
  • Contact us via phone, email, post or social media.
  • Interact with us through trusted third-party partners (e.g. JustGiving, PayPal, SumUp)
  1. How we use your personal data

We use your personal data to:

  • Manage adoptions, surrenders, fostering, volunteering, donations, and fundraising activities.
  • Respond to your enquiries and requests.
  • Process donations and claim Gift Aid.
  • Keep accurate internal records (e.g. supporter history, financial records).
  • Send updates, newsletters, fundraising appeals, and event information (with consent).
  • Improve our website, services, and communications.
  • Meet legal, accounting, and regulatory obligations as a registered charity.
  1. Lawful bases for processing

We rely on one or more lawful bases under UK GDPR, including:

  • Consent – when you opt in to communications or provide data via forms.
  • Contract – when processing is necessary for a service you have requested (e.g. adoption application or dog surrender).
  • Legal obligation – to meet charity, tax, or safeguarding requirements.
  • Legitimate interests – where it is in the charity’s legitimate interest to process data for administration, fundraising, or supporter engagement, provided your rights are not overridden.
  1. How we share your data

We do not sell or trade your data. We may share it only with:

  • Trusted service providers who process data on our behalf (e.g. website hosting, email platforms, payment processors, online form providers).
  • Regulatory authorities (e.g. HMRC for Gift Aid, the Charity Commission, or law enforcement where required).
  • Partner organisations – only if you have explicitly agreed.

All third-party providers are bound by data protection obligations and must use your data only for agreed purposes.

  1. How we protect your data

We use appropriate physical, technical, and organisational measures to safeguard personal information. These include secure storage, encryption, access controls, and staff/volunteer training in data protection.

  1. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, or as required by law and charity regulations. For example:

  • Donation and Gift Aid records – up to 6 years.
  • Volunteer or adoption application records – for the duration of involvement and a reasonable period thereafter.
  • Dog surrender records – for the lifetime of the dog as to our knowledge.
  • Marketing consents – until you withdraw consent.

We regularly review our retention periods in line with our Data Retention Policy.

  1. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

  • Access – request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Rectification – request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Erasure – request deletion of your data, where lawful.
  • Restriction – request limited use of your data.
  • Portability – request a copy in a structured, machine-readable format (where applicable).
  • Object – to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
  • Withdraw consent – at any time, where processing is based on consent.

To exercise your rights, contact us at operations@labrador-rescue.com.  We may need to verify your identity before responding.

  1. International transfers

We normally store personal data within the UK. If data is transferred outside the UK (e.g. where a third-party provider hosts services internationally), we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in line with UK GDPR.

  1. Complaints

If you have a concern about how we handle your data, please contact us at operations@labrador-rescue.com

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

  • Website: www.ico.org.uk
  • Telephone: 0303 123 1113
  1. Cookies and Website Tracking

Our website uses cookies to enhance user experience and analyse traffic. These include:

  • Analytics cookies for usage patterns
  • Functional cookies for site performance

You can manage cookies via your browser settings.

Our website may contain links to external websites, plug-ins, or content from third-party services (e.g. YouTube, Facebook, PayPal, JustGiving, Jotform). These providers may set their own cookies when you interact with their content. We have no control over these cookies – please check the relevant third-party privacy/cookie policies.

We do not use cookies to collect personal data or share information with third parties for marketing purposes.

If you have any questions about our use of cookies, please contact: itsupport@labrador-rescue.com

  1. Updates to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, regulation, or our operations. Please check this page periodically for updates.