Northumberland United Way Privacy Policy

Since January 1, 2004, the Personal Information and Protection of Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) has applied across the board to all personal information collected, used, or disclosed by organizations in the course of commercial activities, except in two situations. The first exception relates to provinces which have enacted legislation deemed to be substantially similar to PIPEDA; and the second exception is that PIPEDA does not extend to personal information about employees unless the organization involved is a federal work, undertaking, or business.

PIPEDA describes personal information as "information about an identifiable individual," but this does not include the name, title, or business address or telephone number of an employee of an organization. The Act describes "commercial activity" as "any particular transaction, act, or conduct, or any regular course of conduct that is of a commercial character, including the selling, bartering, or leasing of donor, membership, or other fundraising lists"

Northumberland United Way is a vital-non-profit organization dedicated to supporting a network of social service agencies through fundraising and fund distribution. We rely on the support of hundreds of generous contributors and achieve our fundraising objectives by engaging with an understanding our donors. Because we deal with individuals and information about those individuals, it is essential that we protect the privacy of that information. Northumberland United Way is committed to respecting and protecting the privacy of our donors and our volunteers.

Personal information is provided to us through correspondence, online donations, pledge cards, or other forms of communication. Northumberland United Way does not compile information on clients or beneficiaries of Northumberland United Way Member Agencies. From time to time, Northumberland United Way may share experiences of individuals who have been helped by our Member Agencies. The information in these experiences is used only with the express permission of the individual.

The Privacy Principles

1. We are accountable for your personal information. All employees and volunteers of the Northumberland United Way are required to protect the confidentiality of your personal information. We take every precaution to ensure confidentiality of your information. The data you or your employer provides to us is used to assist in our campaign process and receipt your donation, and respond to any of your requests.

2. We collect, use, and disclose personal information only for certain purposes that we identify to you. We use personal information only to help us in our fundraising campaign, process and receipt your donations, provide you with information about United Way, respond to any of your information requests, and with your consent, recognize you publicly for your donation.

3. We will obtain your consent. We collect, use, or disclose your personal information with your permission. Your permission may be expressed in writing or be implied, and you may give it to us verbally or electronically.

4. We keep your personal information accurate and up to date. We maintain appropriate procedures to ensure that personal information in our possession is accurate and up to date. You are entitled to seek a correction of your personal information if you believe that the information in our possession is not correct.

5. We do not sell your personal information. If you are a donor to the Northumberland United Way, individually or through a workplace campaign, your information is not shared with other organizations. Where a portion of your gift is directed to another United Way or another charity, we provide only the amount of your donation. We do not provide your name or personal information to any other organization.

6. We will limit how long we keep information. We keep personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was obtained, or as required by law.

7. We safeguard your personal information. When we destroy personal information, we use safeguards to prevent unauthorized parties from gaining access to that information during the process. We maintain appropriate technical and organizational safeguards to protect your personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification.

8. We will be open about our privacy practices. Northumberland United Way will make specific information about our policies and practices relating to the management of personal information readily available to you.

9. We allow you to access your personal information. You may ask whether we hold any personal information about you, ensure that it's accurate and to see that information as provided by law.

10. You may register a complaint. We will investigate all complaints. If an objection is justified, we will take all appropriate steps to repair the situation.


Privacy Officer

The Northumberland United Way's Privacy Officer shall be the Finance & Operations Manager. The Privacy Officer is responsible for ensuring that the Privacy Legislation is complied with through the ongoing review of our information systems and procedures.


Procedure

All campaign pledge/donations forms shall include a reference to our policy:

"The Northumberland United Way is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your personal information. The information you provide may be used to assist in the proper administration and acknowledgement of your gift, to issue tax receipts and to fulfill your information requests. For complete details of our privacy policy, please go to our web site, www.cobourg.unitedway.ca"Add Content...