Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 2025

1. Introduction

The Brothers Project ("we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, use our services, or interact with us.

We are a registered charity in England and Wales (Charity Number: 1213355) and comply with all applicable UK data protection laws, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of information:

2.1 Information You Provide

• Name, email address, phone number, and postal address
• Information about your circumstances when requesting support
• Volunteer application details including skills and experience
• Donation information (financial details are processed securely by third-party providers)
• Any other information you choose to provide in correspondence with us

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

• IP address and browser type
• Pages visited and time spent on our website
• Referring website addresses
• Device information

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to:

• Provide support services including food bank access, welfare advice, and mental health support
• Communicate with you about our services, events, and activities
• Process volunteer applications and coordinate volunteering activities
• Process donations and send acknowledgments
• Improve our website and services
• Comply with legal obligations
• Analyze usage patterns to enhance user experience

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

• Consent: When you have given us explicit consent to process your data
• Legitimate Interests: When processing is necessary for our legitimate interests in providing charitable services
• Contract: When processing is necessary to fulfil an agreement with you
• Legal Obligation: When we are required to process data by law

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your data with:

• Partner organizations when making referrals for additional support (with your consent)
• Service providers who assist with our operations (subject to confidentiality agreements)
• Regulatory bodies or law enforcement when required by law

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include:

• Secure storage of physical and electronic records
• Access controls limiting who can view personal data
• Staff training on data protection
• Regular review of our security practices

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The retention period varies depending on the type of data and purpose:

• Contact form inquiries: 2 years
• Volunteer records: Duration of volunteering plus 3 years
• Service user records: 6 years after last contact
• Donation records: 7 years (for financial reporting)

8. Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the following rights:

• Right of Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your data in certain circumstances
• Right to Restrict Processing: Request limitation of how we use your data
• Right to Data Portability: Request transfer of your data to another organization
• Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below.

9. Cookies

Our website may use cookies to enhance your browsing experience. Cookies are small files stored on your device that help us understand how you use our website. You can control cookies through your browser settings.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

11. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16 without parental consent. If you believe we have collected such information, please contact us immediately.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us:

14. Supervisory Authority

If you are not satisfied with our response to any complaint or believe our processing of your personal data does not comply with data protection law, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):