At Lotus Caring Hands we take your privacy very seriously and are committed to protecting your personal information. Please read this policy, along with our website Terms and Conditions carefully to understand how we collect, use and store your personal information. 

Introduction 

Lotus Caring Hands (LCH) is a charitable company registered in England and Wales with registered company number 06861610 and registered charity numbers 1132258. 

We are always looking at ways to improve our website, and use a range of tools that help us to make sure that it meets your needs. This website does not store or capture personal information unless submitted by you through one of our website forms. LCH does not make any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website, but merely logs general visitor data which is collected and used to improve and maintain the website for the visitors’ benefit. 

This privacy policy explains how we, LCH may collect and use the information you give us. 

This policy includes: 

  • How we collect information 

  • Where we collect information from 

  • What personal information we collect 

  • How we will use your personal information 

  • Children’s data 

  • Our use of cookies 

  • How we keep your data safe and who has access to it 

  • How we keep your information up to date 

  • Your right to your information 

  • Changes to this policy 

How we collect information 

We may collect information about you whenever you interact with us, for example when you: 

  • Enquire about our activities or services, visit our website or donate to us 

  • Sign up to receive updates on a campaign or our activities 

  • Create or update a profile 

  • Post content to our website/social media sites (including Facebook) 

  • Volunteer for us 

  • Attend a meeting with us and provide us with information about you 

  • Take part in one of our events or fundraise on our behalf 

  • Contact us through the following channels: online, email, phone, SMS, social media or post 

We may also receive information about you from third parties – but only if you’ve given them permission to share your information. 

Where we collect information from 

LCH may collect information in the following ways: 

  • When you give us information directly: You may provide your details to us when you request specific information, make a donation, campaign for us or participate in one of our events. We may work with a professional fundraising agency, which will collect this information on our behalf, but please be assured we are still responsible for your data. 

  • When you give us information indirectly: Your information may be shared with us when you use other fundraising sites, and provide your consent to be contacted by LCH. For example, if you are fundraising for us via Virgin Money or BT My Donate or Every Click. These organisations will have their own privacy policy and/or privacy statements, so please do ensure you understand this when providing your data.  

  • When you have given other organisations permission to share it: You may have provided your details to another organisation that works with LCH For example, in order to sign up to a third party event, or if you purchased a product via Give as you Live. However, when working with other organisations, we work to ensure it’s completely clear to you that your information will be shared with LCH. The information we get from these services depends on your settings or the response choices you give, so you should regularly check what you have agreed to with third party organisations. 

  • Social media: Depending on your settings or the privacy policies for social media and messaging services like Facebook and Twitter, you might give us permission to access information from those accounts or services. 

  • When we collect information when you are using our website: Upon visiting our website, information about your visit is recorded and stored. See the section below on the use of cookies for more details. 

  • When your information is available from other public sources: We may collect personal details about you from the public domain, such as from social networks, company websites, political and property registers, and news archives. We may use data services agencies to collect this information. Please see the section below for more details. 

What categories of personal information we collect 

The type and quantity of information we collect and how we use it depends on why you are providing it.  

If you support us, for example by making a donation, volunteering, registering to fundraise, signing up for an event or campaigning for us, we may collect where relevant: 

  • Your name  

  • Your contact details (full address, email address and phone number) 

  • Your date of birth  

  • Your bank or credit card details (only if you are making a donation) 

  • Where it is appropriate, we may ask for your reason for giving and your specific interests relating to LCH’s work 

We carry out targeted fundraising activity to ensure that our communication with you is as relevant and timely as possible, and provides the best experience of supporting LCH. In doing so, we may supplement what we know about you with information from third party sources to help us better understand your background and ensure any requests for additional support are tailored to you and how you might support us. This also helps us not to send irrelevant or inappropriate communications to our supporters, so that we can operate as cost effectively as possible. These third party sources may provide us with the following information: 

  • Your parliamentary constituency 

  • An estimate of your age based on publically available sources 

  • An estimate of the size and composition of your household 

  • Information about your interests, including shopping preferences, TV subscriptions and hobbies 

How we will use your personal information 

We will use your personal information in a number of ways, including for the following purposes: 

  • To provide you with the services or information you have requested 

  • To update you about any changes to our services 

  • To administer your donation, including Gift Aid processing 

  • To display your profile or content on the website (if you have agreed to do so) 

  • To maintain our organisational records and ensure we have your most up-to-date marketing preferences 

  • To help us improve our services, campaigns or information-offering 

  • To invite you to participate in interactive features on our website 

  • To invite you to participate in voluntary surveys or research 

  • To analyse and improve the operation of our website 

  • To analyse your website behaviour 

  • To tailor advertising that is presented to you on the internet according to your interests, preferences and other characteristics 

  • To help us work with third parties to ensure that we send you targeted communications (see 'What categories of personal information we collect' above) 

  • To contact you where you have been identified as a contact person for an organisation, such as a school (if we obtain your contact details in this way, we will only use them to contact you in the ways in which you have agreed to be contacted) 

If you would like to contact us about your marketing preferences, please write to Lotus Caring Hands, Rye House, Suite 118, 113 High Street, Ruislip, HA4 8JN, email admin@lotuscaringhands.org.uk. 

We always want you to get the most out of our website, so if you do experience any issues with our online forms we may follow up with you to find out how our team can best support you with any problems experienced. 

We may analyse your personal information to create a profile about you, your interests and preferences.  In doing this, we may combine information that you have given us with other information about you when it is available (for example, from public records or social media). This may include any of the information listed above (for example, an estimate of your age). This provides background information about our supporters and helps us to tailor appropriate communications to them, as well as helping us to improve the quality of our supporters’ experience with us. We may use third party suppliers to undertake these activities on our behalf and share your data with them only to the extent required (usually full name and postcode). Please rest assured that our suppliers will not share this information with any other organisation and it will only be used for the purposes set out above. Additionally, we may use and disclose information in aggregate (so that no individuals are identified) for marketing and strategic development purposes. 

You can opt out of your data being used in this way by calling our Supporter Care team by emailing admin@lotuscaringhands.org.uk 

Facebook marketing 

We may participate in Facebook’s ‘Custom Audience’ programme which enables us to display ads to our existing supporters when they visit Facebook. We provide your email address, mobile number and address to Facebook so they can determine whether you are a registered account holder with them. Our adverts may then appear when you access Facebook. Your data is sent in an encrypted format that is deleted by Facebook if it does not match with a Facebook account.  

For more information please see https://www.facebook.com/business/help/744354708981227 and Facebook’s Data Policy at https://en-gb.facebook.com/policy.php. 

Children’s data 

While we do not actively collect information from children (under 18s), we appreciate that our supporters are of all ages. Where appropriate, we will always ask for consent from a parent or guardian to collect information about children. All LCH events will have clear rules on whether or not children can take part, and the collection of data will be managed in accordance with each individual event, with appropriate safeguards in place.   

Our use of cookies 

'Cookies' are small pieces of information sent by a web server to a web browser, which enable the server to collect information from the browser. Essentially, a cookie takes the form of a small text file deposited on your computer's hard drive. We provide separate information about our use of cookies. 

How we keep your data safe and who has access to it 

We place great importance on the security of your personal information and will always try to take appropriate precautions to protect it. 

We ensure that there are appropriate technical controls in place to protect your personal details. 

We always ensure only authorised personnel (for example LCH trustees, volunteers or contractors) have access to your information, and that they are appropriately trained to manage your data. 

Despite all of our precautions, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. So, while we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you disclose to us online, and you must understand that you do so at your own risk. However, any payment card details (such as credit or debit cards) we receive through our website are passed securely to our payment processing providers who meet the required Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards. 

Who we share your personal data with 

We do use external organisations that collect and/or process personal data on our behalf. Before working with these companies we perform rigorous checks to ensure they meet all relevant regulations and legislation. We always implement a contract with our suppliers, which imposes robust data protection requirements, including the provisions of this policy, and seeks to provide maximum protection of your personal details. 

We may legally be required to disclose your details if required to by the police or for regulatory reasons. We will only ever share your data in other circumstances if we have your consent to do so. 

How we keep your information up to date 

Where possible, we try to keep your records up to date; for example, using the Post Office’s National Change of Address database. However, we really appreciate it if you let us know if your contact details change. 

How long we keep your information for 

We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as is necessary for the relevant activity, for example we will keep a record of any donations you have made for at least six years.  

If you ask us to 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.  

Legacy income is vital to sustaining LCH’s work. We may keep data you provide to us indefinitely, both to administer legacy gifts and to communicate effectively with the families of people leaving us legacies. This also enables us to identify and analyse the source of legacy income we receive. 

Where you contribute material to us, for example through user generated content or in response to a particular campaign, we will generally only keep your content for as long as is reasonably required for the purpose(s) for which it was submitted, unless otherwise stated at the point of generation. 

Our legal basis for processing your information  

Although in many cases we will seek consent to process your personal data, in some instances we may process your information without consent when we are legally allowed to do so. This will only be where it is in our legitimate interests to do so and where we are confident that such processing is not likely to prejudice your legitimate interests or rights and freedoms. 

Where we are processing your personal data on the basis of consent that you have given us, you are entitled to withdraw that consent at any time such that we can no longer rely on it as a basis for continuing to process your personal information. 

Your rights 

You retain control of how we use your data and you have the right to ask us to stop processing your personal information, which we will do. In some circumstances, we may legally be required to retain your personal information for audit purposes. However, this will be discussed with you depending on your requirements. Please contact admin@lotuscaringhands.org.uk if you have any concerns. 

You also have the right to request a copy of the information we hold about you. If you want to access your information, please contact: The Administrator, Lotus Caring Hnads, Rye House, Suite 118, 113 High Street, Ruislip, HA4 8JN or by email admin@lotuscaringhands.org.uk. 

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, which is expected to become law in the UK in May 2018, you are also granted a number of additional rights. These include: 

  • The right to rectification 

  • The right to erasure 

  • The right to data portability 

  • The right to object 

  • Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling 

For more information on these rights please read the relevant guidance issued by the ICO at https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-reform/overview-of-the-gdpr/individuals-rights/ 

If you would like to make a complaint about how we process your personal data, please contact our Data Protection Officer. 

If you are not happy with how your complaint is dealt with, you should contact the Information Commissioner’s Office.  Alternatively, you are entitled to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office without first referring your complaint to us. 

For further information please see the Information Commissioner’s guidance.   

Changes to this privacy policy 

This policy may change from time to time. If we make any significant changes to this policy, we will publicise these changes clearly on our website or contact you directly with more information. 

Please note that this privacy policy will be updated to reflect the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation. 

Please do revisit this policy each time you consider giving your personal information to LCH.