Updated 30 August 2022

1. Our privacy policy

Privacy is Important to Us! – We are committed to maintaining the privacy of all personal information entrusted to us and continually implement practices to protect the privacy of your information.

We will not share any of your personal information with any third party without obtaining your consent

This privacy policy explains how our our organisation and the website may collect and use the information you give us. We try to make our policy straightforward and easy to understand, but if you have any question or there is something you do not understand about please contact us at Admin@fdss.org.nz

If you are under 18, please seek permission from a parent or guardian before giving personal information to anyone online.

If you do not agree to this policy, please do not give us your information.

2. How we obtain information

We obtain information through our interactions with you and try to be clear when we are doing so. We may also obtain your information through third parties and from public sources. Below, we have tried to list as clearly as possible how your information is obtained from each of these sources.

You have the right to request that your information not be used at any point. To do so, please contact us at Admin@fdss.org.nz. For more information on your rights, please view the ‘Your rights’ section below.

We may obtain information from you through your interactions with us such as when you are:

• Asking about our activities and services or your case / dispute background
• Visiting our website or donating to us
• Signing up to receive newsletters, event updates, or notifications on appeals
• Participating in a fundraising event
• Posting content to our website or social media websites
• Volunteering with us
• Using our client support service
• Meeting with us and having provided information about yourself
• Contacting us through the website or via any other mode such as online, email, phone, SMS, social media or post
• Using any of the form on the website to register for events or workshops.

We may obtain information from third parties if you gave them permission to share it with us such as when:

• Donating through a third party software (e.g. stripe, paypal or any online payments software),
• you are completing a challenge event to raise money for our charity and are using a third party to collect sponsorship, the third party may provide us your name and contact details (e.g. email, address, and/or phone number) so that we can provide you support and materials (e.g. a fundraising pack, t-shirt, etc.) and thank you for your contribution 

Public sources we may use include:

• company websites
• social networks (e.g. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter)

We may obtain information from public sources to help identify trusts,, foundations, firms, companies, and individuals for possible funding opportunities. Specific individuals may be contacted if they are whom the publicly available information directs us to (e.g. the email address for a partner at a firm).

3. The information we collect

The information collected will vary depending on the situation (e.g. donation administration, receiving our support for a court case, event registration, etc.), but is intended to be the minimal amount needed for the activity (e.g. providing the service or information requested). We will not sell or rent your personally identifiable information that you provide us. The information collected for the purpose of statistical reasons (We do not provide or share your full name or your email or contact details or your case details or situation or your involvement with FDSS to any party without your consent.

At FDSS, we hold the privacy and confidentiality of our clients in the highest regard. To uphold these principles, all FDSS volunteers and employees are required to sign a strict confidentiality agreement upon the commencement of their work. This agreement strictly prohibits the sharing or use of any FDSS client’s personal information with any third parties without explicit consent. This measure is in place to safeguard the privacy and security of our clients.

We want to assure you that FDSS is committed to maintaining the utmost confidentiality and trust in all interactions with our clients. If you have any concerns or questions regarding our confidentiality policies, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The personal information collected may include, but is not limited to:

• Full name
• email address
• postal address (including postcode)
• phone number
• Gender and Parental Role
• Ethinicty group
• Age group
• Location 
• bank or credit card details
• why you have decided to support us
• other information relevant to supporter/client surveys and/or offers

Certain types of personal information (e.g. health, race, religious beliefs, etc.) are in a special category under data protection laws, because they are considered to be more sensitive. We only collect this type of information if there is a clear reason for us to do so, (e.g. to provide appropriate facilities or support). We will also collect this type of information if you make it public or volunteer it to us (e.g. you tell us while we are supporting you during a client session). Wherever it is practical for us to do so, we will let you know why we are collecting this information and for what purpose.

Clients receiving support from our service are asked to provide us information through our ‘About You’ and ‘Feedback’ forms. The information is anonymized and used to help us better understand how our client service is being used and how we can make it better.

We do not actively collect information from children (under 18s) nor are our events aimed at children, however our supporters are of all ages. Where appropriate, we will ask a parent or guardian for consent prior to collecting their child’s information. Children can only fundraise or partake in an event to benefit our charity with a parent or guardian.

We do not actively collect and/or use information about your device (e.g. IP address, type of device, etc.) but depending on your device settings, it may be made available to us. Contact your device manufacturer or operating system provider for more information on what information is made available.

To maintain your privacy and confidential information and data. We are NOT able to pass your personal data or information or documents to another party. You can request to access your cloud folder. 

4. Why and how we use your personal information

At FDSS, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This policy outlines why we collect certain information from you and how we use it.

Rest assured, your individual identity and personal details will be kept confidential in accordance with our privacy policy. We greatly appreciate your cooperation and contribution, as it plays a vital role in our efforts to make a positive impact in the community.

• Statistical and Funding purposes: We collect your information for statistical and funding purposes. This data enables us to analyse and assess the impact of our programs and services, as well as to secure funding and resources necessary to continue our mission. The information gathered is anonymised and used in aggregate form to generate reports and statistics. These reports help us make informed decisions, improve our services, and demonstrate the effectiveness of our initiatives to our stakeholders.

• To Provide and Improve Our Services: We collect information to deliver the products or services you request, and to enhance and customize your experience with us.

• To Communicate With You: We may use your contact information to send you important updates, notifications, and relevant marketing materials.

• For Transactional Purposes: When you make a purchase or engage in a service with us, we may collect information required for billing, shipping, and order fulfillment
• To Understand User Behavior: We analyze user behavior and preferences to improve our products, services, and user interface.
• To Ensure Security and Prevent Fraud: We collect certain information to protect against unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the appropriate use of information.
• For Legal Compliance: We may be required to collect and retain certain information to comply with legal obligations and industry standards.
• To Conduct Research and Analysis: We may use aggregated and anonymized data for research, analysis, and statistical purposes.
• Marketing and Promotions: With your consent, we may use your information to send you promotional materials about our products and services, or those of trusted third parties.
• To Personalize Your Experience: We may use information to tailor our offerings and content to your interests and preferences.
• Client Support and Feedback: Your information helps us address your inquiries, provide client support, and gather feedback to improve our services.
• To Comply with Our Policies and Terms: We collect information to ensure compliance with our organisation policies, terms of service, and other agreements.
• With Your Consent: In situations not covered by this policy, we will obtain your explicit consent before collecting or using your information.
• We value the trust you place in us by providing your personal information. Rest assured that we take all necessary measures to protect it. If you have any questions or concerns about our data collection practices, please do not hesitate to contact us.

5. How we use this information

We will use your personal information to administer our website, applications, contact databases, client service and marketing material. Examples include:

• providing information you requested
• booking an appointment for client support
• keeping a record of the support a client receives from our service so volunteers will be better informed when providing you support in the future
• processing a singular or regular donation
• claiming gift aid on a donation
• maintaining a list of people who have previously donated or fundraised so we can contact them to see if they are interested in doing so again
• registering you for an event
• processing ticket purchases for events
• maintaining a list of people interested in receiving our quarterly newsletter, Annual Report, information on events and/or information on appeals
• understanding what activities you have had with us (e.g. donations, event participation, meetings, etc.) and how you prefer to be contacted (email, post, or phone) to ensure we only send you relevant and appropriate communications
• maintaining a list of people who have explicitly told us that they don’t want to be contacted by us
• analysing your website behavior in order to improve our website
• identifying funding opportunities (e.g. trusts, foundations, Livery Companies, companies, firms, etc.)
• create reports about our service
• safeguard staff, volunteers, and clients
• meet legal obligations

At any point, you can let us know how you would like to be contacted and what information you would like to receive, as well as update your communication preferences and opt out of communications, by completing our online contact us form or emailing admin@fdss.org.nz

Most of the time, we will obtain your permission for processing your information, but occasionally we may need to process your personal data without your consent. This will only be done when it is in our legitimate interest, it is legal for us to do so, and it will not infringe your legitimate interest, rights, and/or freedoms.

6. How we protect personal information

The safety and security of your personal information is important to us and we try to implement the safeguards needed to protect it, ensure it is accurate, and keep it up to date such as:

• Ensuring our websites have up to date SSL certificates to secure information transferred from you to the webservers.
• Ensuring payment gateways meet the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards.
• Ensuring contracts with third party data processors (e.g. server managers, system support, etc.) have clear expectations and requirements regarding the data they have access to
• Regular anti-virus scanning of hardware devices.
• Recycling hardware through certified vendors to ensure secure deletion of any information on hardware being disposed of.
• Providing training to staff to increase their knowledge and understanding of best practices for data protection.

Unfortunately no matter what safety measure are implemented, information sent via the internet can never be guaranteed to be fully secure. Even though we do our best to ensure your personal information is safe, we cannot guarantee that the information you provide online or via email is fully secure. Information you send via internet is therefore sent at your own risk.

7. Will we disclose the information we collect to outside parties?

We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required to do so by law or for regulatory reasons.

When we refer you to third parties professionals or other clients. We might share your name  and email address or phone number only with your consent, if required. 

General information may be shared with partners in order to aid our research, with personal identifying information removed (e.g. we may share the total number of attendees to an event or the number of clients completing a survey).

Client Feedback Sharing Policy

Any clients’ feedback or testmonials about our services provided to us orally or in writing by email or text message might be published anonymously on social media or our website without mentioning any real names of the parties involved. We will use fictitious names or details to protect your privacy. We may use pseudonyms or anonymise your identity or use different parental roles, location….etc to protect your privacy and the parties involved. 

8. Retention of your information

We aim to hold your information for only as long as necessary for the relevant activity (e.g. donation information will be kept for six years in alignment with auditing requirements).

If you opt-out of communications, we normally keep the minimal amount of personal information needed to ensure your request is carried out (e.g. name, email, and address). If you ask us to completely remove all of your information, we will do our best to carry out your request, but may not be able to if we were unable to keep the information required to track your request.

If your personal details change, please help us to keep your information up to date by notifying us at support@fdss.org.nz

9. Your rights

For any personal information of yours that we hold, you have the right to request:

• That we verify, correct, restrict use of, and/or erase your information. To do so, email admin@fdss.org.nz Please note, any information you shared via social media channels may remain after we carry out your requests on your information in our systems.
• What information you receive (e.g. annual report, thank you letters, invitations to events, etc.) and how you receive it (i.e. phone, email, and/or post). You can provide us your preferences by completing our online Stay in touch form. If you complete the form more than once, we will use the form with the most recent date. Alternatively, email us at admin@fdss.org.nz
• A copy of the information we hold about you by emailing us at admin@fdss.org.nz. Please include details of the information you want.

You also have the following rights 

• The right to be informed
• The right of access
• The right to rectification
• The right to erasure
• The right to restrict processing
• The right to data portability
• The right to object
• Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling.

We may require proof of identity prior to fulfilling your request, and we will respect your requests unless we are unable to do so for legal reasons (e.g. inability to delete donation information for auditing reasons). If we are legally unable to carry out your requests, we will notify you along with the reason(s) why. 

Complaints regarding our processing of your personal data can be made to the Privacy Commissioner, however we would appreciate the opportunity to address any issues you have with the way we process your data and can be contacted at admin@fdss.org.nz. If you are still unhappy after we have had the chance to discuss your complaint, you have the right to contact the privacy commissioner office at any time.

10. Privacy policy changes

We are constantly reviewing how we process and protect data. Therefore, changes to our policy may occur at any time, and we reserve the right to amend our Privacy Policy. If we do so, we will post notice of the changes on our website. Please revisit this policy page each time you consider giving personal information.

This privacy policy should be read in conjunction with our website or might notify our clients by email.