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PRIVACY OF INFORMATION POLICY

Glowing Hearts Charity (GHC) is open and transparent as to how we handle personal information. We are committed to maintaining the trust you have placed in us by keeping your personal information accurate, confidential, and secure. We are committed to collecting, using, and disclosing personal information responsibly, and only when necessary for the goods and services we provide. When you visit our website, contact us, participate in one of our programs, attend an event, join our team, or make a donation to support our activities, we will protect your privacy rights and your personal information.

 

Personal information is information about an identifiable individual. Personal information includes information that relates to their personal characteristics (e.g. gender, age, income, home address and phone number, ethnic background, family status) and their health (e.g. health history, health conditions, health services received by them). Personal information is to be contrasted with business information (e.g. an individual’s business address and telephone number), which is not protected by privacy legislation.

 

The GHC Privacy Policy is based upon the ten privacy principles outlined in the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

 

Accountability

Glowing Hearts Charity’s Chief Privacy Officer is the Community Relations & Outreach Director. The Chief Privacy Officer, along with GHC staff, volunteers, Board and committee members, and community partners are responsible for ensuring compliance with PIPEDA (where applicable) and with this Privacy Policy. At times, the Chief Privacy Officer may delegate another Director or Officer to act on behalf of the Chief Privacy Officer or to take responsibility for the occasional collection, use, and disclosure of personal information.

 

Purposes for Collection of Personal Information

GHC collects personal information as necessary to carry out our programs and services, such as but not limited to:

  • Intake information for referral to programs and services within GHC or through our approved community partners.

  • Contact information in order to issue charitable tax receipts, newsletters, event notifications, for donor recognition, and to solicit annual donations. 

  • Assess volunteer, staff, and board member applications.

  • Evaluate donor, supporter, and participant needs and interests.

  • Assess applications for awards and reporting.

 

With additional consent, provide photos, videos, and stories to the media, for research and reporting, and other public relations work.

 

Obtaining Consent

Personal information is collected through the use of forms that state the purpose of the information being collected (e.g.: application to participate in a program, volunteer application form, etc.) or through telephone or electronic communications. Generally, by providing us with personal information, we will assume that you consent to our collection, use, and disclosure of such information for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy or otherwise at the time of collection. Individuals may withdraw consent to share personal information with us at any time.

 

When you visit Glowing Hearts Charity’s website glowingheartscharity.org please rest assured that we do not collect identifying information about you unless you specifically provide it. We do collect non-identifying information, such as IP addresses, through cookies, which we use to improve the content on the website, monitor and analyze performance, operation, and effectiveness of our site, and ensure our platform is secure and safe to use. IP addresses are not linked to any personally identifiable information. 

 

Limiting Collection

The amount and type of information that GHC collects are limited only to that which is necessary to fulfill the purposes identified. 

 

Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention

GHC takes your privacy seriously and only uses your information for the purposes identified by you, and only retains this information as long as it is needed to serve those purposes, including to satisfy legal or regulatory requirements, or for the fulfillment of legitimate business purposes. 

 

GHC will never sell your personal information or data. Personal information may be disclosed to another organization offering children and youth vulnerable to poverty an initiative in partnership with GHC. 

 

Personal information may be stored as hard or electronic copies. Once your personal information is no longer needed, the goal is to irreversibly destroy the media which stores personal information so that personal information cannot be reconstructed or recovered in any way. When destruction is not possible, such as electronic files on a cloud-based platform, information is deleted using methods that resist simple recovery methods, such as data recovery utilities and keystroke recovery attempts. When going through the process of disposal, GHC also destroys and/or permanently deletes all associated copies and backup files.

 

Accuracy of information

GHC strives to keep personal information accurate, complete, and up to date, such as through communication with applicants to our programs.

 

Safeguards

GHC restricts its access to personal information to Board members and authorized staff and volunteers who have signed our volunteer waiver and confidentiality agreement, have provided GHC a criminal reference check, and have received privacy training. Individuals are to be notified where personal information may have been misused.

 

Privacy training includes:

  • A review of GHC’s Privacy of Information Policy.

  • The importance of upholding the privacy of personal information.

  • All personal electronic devices used for GHC must be password protected, and account passwords are to be changed every six months.

  • Access to personal information is on a need-to-know basis.

  • The need for sensitivity in collecting or using personal information verbally where others might overhear and that discussing personal information is to be avoided in public places.

  • The use of removing or masking unnecessary personal information in electronic communications.

  • Sharing personal information electronically with encryption or the use of our secure digital workspace.

  • Secure measures to destroy or delete personal information no longer needed.

  • The need to ensure that hard copies no longer needed are to be shredded immediately.

  • A breach of GHC’s Privacy of Information Policy may result in discipline up to and including dismissal.

 

Openness

GHC’s privacy policy is available to you at all times on our website. If at any time you are unable to access our website or require this policy in another format, we will do our best to provide it in an alternative format that meets your needs.

 

Individual Access

Individuals have the right to access personal information about themselves held by GHC, as well as the organization’s use of such information. You may request access to information and its use and its disclosure to third parties from the Board Chair, Privacy Officer, or designate.

 

Challenging Compliance

The Privacy Officer or designate has the authority to receive and ensure the prompt investigation and response to all complaints. The Privacy Officer has the authority to ensure compliance with GHC’s policies. The Privacy Officer has the authority to recommend to the Board of Directors any changes to the organization’s information handling policies.

 

Changes to Privacy Policy

GHC reserves the right to change our privacy policy at any time at our sole discretion.

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