Who we are
Hope Support Services (Hope) is the UK’s leading charity supporting children and young people when a loved one is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.
Hope is a registered charity (Charity Number 1135680)
Data protection
Hope takes data protection very seriously and is committed to protecting your privacy and security. This policy explains how and why we use your personal data.
As you browse our website and whenever you communicate with us, we collect information. This deepens our understanding of how we may support you and helps us improve the efficiency of our communications. The more information we have, the more efficiently we are able to operate.
Hope takes great care to preserve your privacy and safeguard any personal details you provide to us, and we will never sell your information to another organisation. We know that this is important to you and want to reassure you that you are always in control of how we use your personal information, particularly for marketing and fundraising activities.
You can decide not to receive our communications or change how we contact you at any time. If you wish to do so, or have any questions about this privacy policy or how we use your personal data, please contact help@hopesupport.org.uk or write to Hope at Overross House, Ross Park, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 7US or telephone 01989 566317 (between 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday).
We collect and use your personal information for carefully considered and legitimate charitable business purposes that help ensure we can run Hope efficiently, raise funds effectively and deliver our charitable objectives. This policy sets out how we use your personal data, what data we collect, and the legal basis for its use and outlines your rights in respect of your personal data.
What information do we collect
Personal data you give us
We collect personal data you provide us with when register with us for support, make a donation, or fill in any form including on our website. For example:
personal details (name, date of birth, email, address, telephone etc.) when you request to become a volunteer.
if you refer someone to Hope your details will be recorded, as will the details of the young person requiring support and your relationship to that person will be recorded;
financial information (payment information such as credit/debit card or direct debit details, and whether donations are gift-aided; and details of your interests and preferences (such as the ways you support us or types of volunteering opportunities you are interested in).
Information created by your involvement with Hope
Your activities and involvement with Hope will result in personal data being created, including details of how we have supported you, how you have helped us by volunteering or being involved with our campaigns and activities.
If you donate to us then we will keep records of when and how much you gave to a particular appeal or campaign.
Information we generate
We conduct research and analysis on the information we hold, which can in turn generate personal data. For example, by analysing your interests and involvement with our work we would hope to build a profile to help us decide which of our communications are likely to interest you.
Information from third parties
We may also receive information about individuals from third parties. This can include information such as your name, address, credit/debit card details and whether you are a taxpayer so that we can claim Gift Aid.
We use social media platforms for engaging with our supporters, such as Facebook and Twitter. As a result, we collect information from social media where you have given us permission to do so, or if you post on one of our social media pages.
Sensitive personal data
We collect and store sensitive personal data (such as information relating to health) about the young people we support and their loved one. This is strictly confidential with access restricted to relevant members of staff to ensure your privacy rights are protected.
Volunteers
If you are a volunteer then we may collect extra information about you (for example, references, details of emergency contacts, medical conditions etc.). This information will be retained for legal reasons to protect us (including in the event of an insurance or legal claim) and for safeguarding purposes.
How we use information
We always strive to provide a clear, honest and transparent approach regarding how and when we collect and use your personal data, we’ll only use your personal data where you would expect us to do so and we’ll only use your information for the purpose or purposes it was collected for, including as follows:
Marketing
We use personal data to communicate with people and to promote Hope. This includes keeping you up-to-date with our news, updates, campaigns and ways you can help fundraise. For further information on this, please see Section 6 (Marketing).
Administration
We use personal data for administrative purposes (i.e. to carry out our charity and support work). This includes:
receiving donations such as direct debits or gift-aid instructions;
maintaining databases of our volunteers and the people we support;
fulfilling orders for goods or services (whether placed online, over the phone or in person);
helping us respect your choices and preferences. If you ask not to receive marketing material, we’ll keep a record of this.
Internal research and analysis
We carry out internal research and analysis using the data provided by our supporters, donors and volunteers, to determine the success of campaigns and appeals, better understand behaviour and responses and identify patterns and trends. This helps inform our approach towards campaigning and makes Hope a stronger and more effective organisation. Understanding our supporters, their interests and what they care about also helps us provide a better experience (e.g. through communications that are more relevant.)
Profiling
We evaluate, categorise and profile personal data in order to tailor materials, services and communications (including targeted advertising) so that we only send you information you may be interested in. This also helps us understand our supporters and improve our organisation.
We profile supporters in terms of recency, frequency and value of financial and non-financial support. This information helps us to ensure communications are relevant and timely.
If, based on information that has been provided to us (such as postcode, demographics, or previous donations), it appears supporters might be willing and able to provide more assistance in our work, we may contact them to see if they wish to do so.
We collect information on preferences and interests (for example, whether you have shown an interest in digital support or have completed a Hope survey) so that we know what material you are mostly likely to be interested in.
We may aggregate and anonymise personal data so that it can no longer be linked to any particular person. This information can be used for a variety of purposes, such as recruiting new supporters, or to identify trends or patterns within our existing supporter base. This information helps inform our actions and improve our services, campaigns and materials.
Disclosing and sharing data
We will never sell your personal data. If you have opted-in to marketing, we may contact you with information about our partners, or third party products and services, but these communications will always come from Hope and will normally be incorporated into our own marketing materials such as e-newsletters.
Subcontractors and partners
We may share personal data with subcontractors or suppliers who provide us with services. For example, if you order something from the Hope online shop, your name and address will be shared with the delivery company. However, these activities will be carried out under a contract that imposes strict requirements on our supplier to keep your information confidential and secure.
Occasionally, where we collaborate with other organisations, we may also share information with them (for example, if you register to attend an event being jointly organised by us and another charity). We will only share information when necessary and we’ll make sure to notify you first.
Please also read our Cookie Policy below.
Marketing
Hope asks its supporters to “opt-in” for most communications, including all our E-marketing communications (the term marketing is broadly defined and, for instance, covers information about our services, fundraising and other Hope news).
You have the choice whether you want to receive these messages and are able to select how you want to receive them (post, phone, email, text).
You can decide not to receive communications or change how we contact you at any time. If you wish to do so please contact us by emailing help@Hopesupport.org.uk, writing to Hope at Overross House, Ross Park, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 7US or telephoning 01989 566317 between 9am – 5pm, Mon – Fri).
What do we mean by ‘marketing’?
Marketing does not just mean offering things for sale, but also includes news and information about:
- our charity, campaigns and our support services;
- educating the public on the need for our services;
- volunteering opportunities and how you can help us with our work;
- our events, activities and local groups;
- appeals and fundraising (including donations and competitions);
- leaving Hope a legacy.
- When you receive a communication from us, we may collect information about how you respond to or interact with that communication, and this may affect how we communicate with you in future.
Fundraising and marketing
As a charity, we rely totally on individual donations and support from others to undertake our support work. From time to time, we will contact members and supporters with fundraising communications. These might be about an appeal, a competition we’re running, or to suggest ways you can help raise funds (for example, a sponsored challenge event, or buying a product if Hope will receive a percentage of the proceeds).
We are totally dependent on the generosity of our supporters, whether to sign a petition to help us lobby during a campaign, or to respond to an appeal to raise vital funds for the charity to continue to be voice for our young people. All our work requires us to communicate with our supporters to let them know what actions they can take. We call these marketing communications.
Children and young people
Parental permission
If your child is under 18 then we’ll need permission from you as their parent or guardian for them to enter one of our competitions or to share a picture, photo or story with us.
Photographs, pictures and stories in our e-news
Hope is a charity for young people, and sometimes there are opportunities for sharing photos, stories and pictures. We ask consent prior to publishing any child’s picture, photo or story; this may include also publishing their name and age if appropriate.
Social media
We will not distribute or share images of identifiable children or young people without knowledge of express permission supplied by a parent or guardian.
Information for parents
We take great care to protect and respect the rights of individuals in relation to their personal data, especially in the case of children. If your child is under 18, we’ll only use his or her personal data with your consent. This means that, for example, if your child wants to have his or her name or picture featured in our e-news, we’ll need you to confirm you are happy for us to do so.
Marketing and fundraising
We won’t knowingly send marketing emails, letters or messages to under 16 year-olds.
How we protect data
We use various physical and technical measures to keep your personal data safe and to prevent unauthorised access to, or use or disclosure of your personal information. Electronic data and databases are stored on secure computer systems and we control who has access to information (using both physical and electronic means). Our staff receive data protection training and we have a set of detailed data protection procedures which staff are required to follow when handling personal data.
Payment security
All electronic Hope forms that request financial data will use the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol to encrypt the data between your browser and our servers.
If you use a credit card to donate, we will pass your credit card details securely to our payment provider (co-op bank). Other payment methods (for example, Worldpay) are handled in a similar manner.
Of course, we cannot guarantee the security of your home computer or the internet, and any online communications (for example, information provided by email or our website) are at the user’s own risk.
Data storage
Where we store information
Hope’s operations are based in the UK and we store our data within the European Economic Area (EEA). Some organisations that provide services to us may transfer personal data outside the EEA, but we will only allow them to do this if your data is adequately protected.
For example, some of our systems use Microsoft products. As Microsoft is a US company, it may be that using their products results in personal data being transferred to or accessible from the US. However, we will allow this as personal data will still be adequately protected (Microsoft is certified under the USA’s Privacy Shield scheme).
How long we store information for
We will only use and store information for as long as it is required for the purposes for which it was collected. How long this will be depends on the type of information and how it is used. For example, if you ask us not to send you marketing emails, we will stop storing your emails for marketing purposes (although we will keep a record of your preference not to be emailed).
We continually review what information we hold and delete what is no longer required. We never store payment card information.
Data protection rights
We want to ensure you remain in control of your personal data. Part of this is making sure you understand your legal rights, which are as follows:
- the right to confirmation as to whether or not we have your personal data and, if we do, to obtain a copy of the personal information we hold (this is known as a subject access request);
- the right to have your data erased (though this will not apply where it is necessary for us to continue to use the data for a lawful reason);
- the right to have inaccurate data rectified;
- the right to object to your data being used for marketing or profiling; and where technically feasible, you have the right to see the personal data you have provided to us that we process automatically based on your consent or the performance of a contract.
Please keep in mind that there are exceptions to the rights above and, although we will always try to respond to your satisfaction however, there may be situations where we are unable to do so.
If you would like further information on your rights or wish to exercise them, please write to us at Hope, Overross House, Ross Park, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 7US or email us at help@Hopesupport.org.uk
Complaints
In the first instance, please talk to us using the details set out above.
You can also register with the Fundraising Preference Service (FPS) which is run by the Fundraising Regulator and allows you to stop receiving email, telephone calls, addressed post and/or text messages from a selected charity by using the online service at fundraisingpreference.org.uk or by calling 0300 303 3517. Once you have made a request through the FPS, we will ensure that your new preferences take effect within 28 days.
You also have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you have any concerns about data protection at www.ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.
Links to other sites
Our website contains hyperlinks to many other websites. We are not responsible for the content or functionality of any of those external websites (but please let us know if a link is not working by using the ‘Contact us’ link at the bottom of the page).
If an external website requests personal information from you (e.g. in connection with an order for goods or services), the information you provide will not be covered by the Hope’s Privacy Policy. We suggest you read the privacy policy of any website before providing any personal information.
When purchasing goods or services from any of the businesses that our site links to, you will be entering into a contract with them (agreeing to their terms and conditions) and not with Hope.
Changes to this privacy policy
This Privacy Policy may change from time-to-time, for instance to reflect new legal requirements. Please visit this website page to keep up-to-date with any changes.
This Privacy Policy was last updated on 29th September 2023.
