Ark is an education charity with the aim of transforming lives through education. We exist to ensure that every young person, regardless of their background, has access to a great education and real choices in life. We support schools and the development and implementation of initiatives that address some of the most intractable and challenging issues in education and society. To do this, we require support from a wide range of individuals and organisations.
If you have any questions regarding this policy, please contact Ark’s Data Protection Officer at dataprotection@arkonline.org. The postal address for Ark is 1EdCity, EdCity Walk, London W12 7TF.
How and why we collect information
The majority of information we collect is provided directly by individuals. We may also gain information when we process donations made by individuals through third parties such as JustGiving.com or Virgin Money Giving, Charities Aid Foundation, Charities Trust.
We may also capture information on individuals that is publicly available through sources such as Companies House, the Charity Commission, and published media articles.
The legal basis for processing and holding this data is legitimate interest and personal consent, where it has been provided. We will collect data, consent and renewed consent in line with Ark’s Data Protection Policy.
We collect and hold information to administer donations, event attendance, to contact you with suitable opportunities to partner or work with us, share information about activities we believe may be of interest to you based on our knowledge, invite you to an event and/or update you on general Ark activity and news.
We only use data to further our charitable aims and continue the important work Ark does.
We do not harvest information or conduct third party searches using your data or share data with third parties beyond the scope of this privacy notice.
What information do we hold, and for how long?
The information we hold typically includes name, contact details, employment, charitable activities and any previous contact with/donations to Ark, where applicable. This is to ensure we understand the background of our supporters/potential supporters and are able to conduct our charitable activities effectively.
Data collected in relation to correspondence regarding donations will be held for six years in line with the Companies Act 2006 and Charities Act 2022. After this time, Ark will retain key donation information for Ark’s existence, unless an information withdrawal request is issued. This data is held to ensure we sustain a record of historical charitable activity and understand how the organisation’s activities have evolved.
We will also retain records of event attendance, contact or interactions with Ark and this data is held in line with Ark’s Data Retention and Disposal policy which is available upon request.
Where we hold data on individuals who are not donors and where we have had no contact or interaction, we will hold this information for a period of two years, after which time all information will be securely disposed of from our records.
How do we store, protect and share your information?
All information is held on a secure database and files managed by Ark. Where information is stored and processed by an externally owned database or platform, we have formal agreements in place with each organisation to ensure the adequate safeguards and required level of protection are maintained. Relevant technical security measures are in place to ensure access is only available to specific Ark employees, as per the Ark Data Protection Policy.
We may share your data with Ark subsidiaries and members of the Ark Family (including Ark Schools, Ambition Institute and Frontline).
We will never sell your information to other third party organisations.
Fundraising Regulator
Ark is a voluntary member of the Fundraising Regulator, and we review our methods and processes in line with their Code of Practice.
Your Rights
You have the right to unsubscribe from our emails at any time and you can do so by clicking the ‘Unsubscribe’ link at the bottom of any email you receive from us.
You also have the right to request a copy of the information we hold about you and to have any inaccuracies changed.
You have the right to request that Ark removes any information held on you. This will be actioned within one month and any information we hold deleted and we will keep a record of the withdrawal request for future verification purposes. If an individual has previously donated to Ark, we will keep this information as required by law and for our accounting and financial auditing purposes.
If you would like to exercise any of the above rights, please contact Ark’s Data Protection Officer by email at dataprotection@arkonline.org.
If you have any questions or concerns about this notice or the way we are collecting or using your personal data, we request that you raise your concern with us in the first instance.
Further to this, if you are unhappy with our response to your complaint, you can also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who will investigate the case at their discretion: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 if you prefer to use a national rate number.
Changes
This policy will be reviewed periodically, and any changes published on this page. Please check this policy regularly to ensure you are aware of any changes to processing or data collection.