Privacy Policy

Last updated: 30 June 2024

Project ESPWA is committed to protecting the personal information of everyone who shares their information with us in the course of our work. This Privacy Statement sets out how we collect, use and store your personal information, (this means any information that identifies or could identify you). We want our supporters and those that we support to have confidence in how we collect and process any personal information shared with us.

We ensure all data gathering and processing activities are carried out in compliance with legal requirements and with our organizational values and principles. The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which aims to strengthen data protection for everyone in the EU, came into force as the new data protection framework on 25th May 2018 and introduced changes in relation to the way that organisations based in the EU, including Project ESPWA, collect, store and use personal data. Project ESPWA is, for the purpose of the GDPR, the data controller and can be contacted at the e-mail or postal addresses below.

Who we are

Project ESPWA is an Irish NGO established in 2011 by a group of volunteers in response to the devastating earthquake that struck the Island of Haiti in 2010. ESPWA is the creole word for ‘Hope’, a theme we make central to our vision for the future.

We work directly with the overburdened Haitian orphanage system to create safe, secure environments for the children in their care. We also maintain a regular supply line of relief aid shipped directly from Ireland.

We are a non-denominational, non-governmental and non-political organisation, relying exclusively on public fundraising.

Address:

Project ESPWA
Greyacre Road
Newtownbalregan
Dundalk
Co. Louth
A91 X832

Email:  info@projectespwa.ie
Project ESPWA Charity No. CHY 19799
Company registration No. 495500

Your Information – what we collect, why and how we use it:

The Personal Information we collect includes details such as your name, email address, postal address, telephone number and credit/debit card details. Project ESPWA collects information from the public in a number of ways. For example, we ask for contact and other information when companies and members of the public engage with to donate funds, good or volunteer with us. We use this information to keep you informed about other events which may be of interest to you, to help improve our services and to keep a record of our communications with you.

If you are a financial supporter and send us a donation(s) by post or online, we will ask for information that enables us to effectively administer your donation. This will generally include your name, contact information such as address, email or telephone number, your payment details and whether you wish Project ESPWA to claim tax paid on your donation. We also ensure that, if you are setting up a regular donation to Project ESPWA either through your bank account or giving by credit card, that you are 18 years or older by asking for, and keeping a record of, your year of birth.

We send invitations to carefully selected individuals and organisations throughout the year to attend and participate in events which are relevant for professional development, networking or to fulfil their CSR programme.

If you request information about one of our services or projects by email or via our website, we collect this information so that we can make sure you receive the help you need.

What do we use your information for?

We use information for several purposes including:

  •     Fundraising (LI)
    •      Awareness-Raising
    •      Advocacy and Campaigning
    •      Supporting the delivery of services to customers
    •      Financial procedures / Processing transactions
    •      Marketing

 

Sensitive Personal Information

Sensitive personal information can include information on people’s health, race, ethnic origin, political opinions, sex life, sexual orientation or religious beliefs. While we do not routinely process this type of information, and do not expressly ask for this type of information, in the event that (for example a tax form or will bequest) might include such information, we will take extra precautions to safeguard any sensitive personal information we process or store on your behalf. We will treat this with the upmost of confidentiality and in accordance with this privacy policy. Data Protection legislation recognises that some categories of personal information are more sensitive. We will only process this information to deal with your enquiry or submission. We will not share your information with anybody without your express permission except in exceptional circumstances. Examples of this may include: self-harm, or threat to others or in situations of child protection issues such as physical abuse or exploitation.

How long do we store your information?

Financial Supporters of Project ESPWA

These are supporters that help or have helped us with financial gifts.

We stop using the personal information of these supporters after 6 years from the time of the last donation. We store financial records of donations for a period of 7 years, as required by Revenue for audit purposes. If a donor has requested to have their contact details removed before this date, this financial information is anonymised where possible.

For those who pledge a gift in their Will to Project ESPWA, we will maintain a record of your details indefinitely as proof of your support in case the Will is contested. We will not retain your data for this purpose if do not want us to or if you have asked for the data to be erased.

If you are a legacy pledger and we have not heard from you in 6 years but you have not opted out of marketing, we will not contact you for marketing purposes beyond this point however we will keep this legacy information solely for the purposes of proof of a legacy gift being made.

Supporters who have demonstrated an interest in our work through an enquiry, request for volunteering or information about one of our services or projects will have their personal information retained for a period of 12 months.

Legal basis for using your information

We process all personal data lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner. We take a personalised approach to communications and hearing from us. We adhere to the relevant GDPR articles in relation to processing your data. This is necessary and proportionate and carried out in the least intrusive way to achieve our desired goal of serving our customers as efficiently and effectively as possible.

We will only use your personal information if:

  •     We have asked you and have a record of your express and recent consent for us to do so;
    •      We have a ‘Legitimate Interest’ to do so in order to support our charitable purposes. Our use will be fair and balanced and never unduly have an impact on your rights.
    •      We have a contract with you that we can only fulfil by using your personal information, e.g. to send you an item that you have requested or if you have signed up to participate in an event;
    •      We have a legal obligation to obtain information about you, e.g. we are required by law to keep records of donations that we receive for 7 years according to Revenue.

We will not unduly prioritise our interests as a charity over your interests as an individual. We will always balance our interests with your rights. We will only use personal information in a way and for a purpose that you would reasonably expect. We promise to always be open and honest with you about your information and how it is used.

If you would not wish us to follow these general guidelines, please contact us and let us know.

We will contact you with information and updates about our services and about how your support is helping people. We will also contact you about ways that you might like to get involved or support us further.

This may be by post, email, telephone or text message, according to your preferences. We will also continue to ask whether you are still happy to hear from us and in which ways.

You can tell us to change your communication preferences at any time by emailing: info@projectespwa.ie

Sharing your data

Project ESPWA engages with some third parties (including Google Analytics for marketing purposes and our donation provider for payment processing) for the provision of key services. In these cases, some limited personal data may be shared or processed by these third parties. In each case, this processing is protected and controlled by appropriate data processing agreements with these processors. These data processing agreements ensure such third party processors are obligated to keep the information secure and to only process the data to the extent required to deliver the required service. Otherwise, Project ESPWA does not, and will never, share, sell or swap your information with any other organisation for their own marketing purposes or commercial gain.

Legal disclosure

We comply with requests for the disclosure of personal information in line with data protection legislation and best practice. This could include requests from law enforcement, Revenue or tax agencies. In these circumstances, the request must be submitted in writing and in accordance with the relevant legal requirements.

Keeping your information safe

We take looking after your information very seriously. If this information needs to go to an external supplier, for example, to process a donation through our website, this information is encrypted, transmitted securely and stored within the EU/EEA.

We also take the physical security of donation forms, tax forms or will bequests very seriously, and store them securely and irretrievably destroy (shred) any physical/paper forms when they are no longer needed.

Web Forms

We at Project ESPWA guarantee our commitment to respecting and protecting your online privacy. This includes the personal information that you share with us via web forms on our website or our owned social media channels and online ads, e.g. if you respond to an ad on one of our social media channels, we will use the contact data you provide only to contact you about your specific area of interest or the particular event advertised.

Your Rights

You have rights over your personal data, and you are in control of how your information is used. These rights are not absolute, and some qualifications and restrictions do apply. In summary your rights are: The Right to withdraw consent; Right of access; Right to rectification; Right to be forgotten / erasure; Right to restrict processing; Right to object; Right to refuse automated decision making and/or profiling; Right to portability. You also have the right to seek compensation through the courts in the event that your data privacy rights have been infringed.

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the Data Protection Commissioners Office. https://www.dataprotection.ie/docs/Home/4.htm

Contact Details for the Office of the Data Protection Commission

Address: Data Protection Commission, 21 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2 D02 RD28

Telephone: +353 57 8684800 / +353(0)761 104 800 / Lo Call No. 1890 252 231

Email: info@dataprotection.ie

 

Changes to this policy, to your personal information or preferences:

We review and update this policy from time to time – to ensure it reflects the data being processed and the basis for that processing. If we make important changes, like how we use your personal information, we’ll update the policy and let you know. We will let you know via a notice on the website or via an email. If you don’t agree to the policy changes, then you can always stop using our services, ask us to delete your account and stop giving us any more personal information.

From time to time we may also contact you to ensure that the information you have provided us with remains accurate and up to date.

Should you wish to change your preferences you can do this any time:

By Post:
Project ESPWA
Greyacre Road
Newtownbalregan
Dundalk
Co. Louth
A91 X832

By Email:
info@projectespwa.ie