DATA PROTECTION Policy

DATA PROTECTION FOR VOLUNTEERS

Burgess Hill Community Foodbank is a registered data controller – ICO registration number ZB065236 and we are covered by data protection law including GDPR.

We handle personal information as part of our work, and this policy tells our volunteers how to meet our data protection obligations while handling and storing this information. 

COLLECTING DATA

There are multiple occasions when we may collect personal information, including

• Receiving vouchers from clients
• Communication with our donors and volunteers
• Recording details of donors and volunteers

The data we collect will include: 

• Names and addresses
• Phone numbers
• Email addresses
• Limited financial information 

We are permitted to handle this data under GDPR because we need it to run the foodbank effectively – this is the lawful reason known as “legitimate interest”

HANDLING DATA

Any personal information that we collect and use must be handled securely and only stored for as long as it is needed. We never share data, or use it for anything other than the purpose for which it was collected. 

If you are dealing with personal information or other sensitive data, these are the rules you must follow:

1. Store all electronic data securely – make sure your computer and the files on it cannot be accessed by anyone else by protecting them with passwords. 
2. Don’t send personal information via email without password protecting it.
3. Delete emails etc. containing personal information as soon as possible.
4. Be careful if you write personal information down – don’t leave papers lying around where others could see them and destroy them as soon as possible. 
5. Help us to make sure we always look after data safely – if you think something we are doing isn’t secure please tell someone so we can put it right. 

STORING AND RETENTION OF DATA

We store some personal information and other data as part of our lawful reason for processing it, and we have the following rules in place

1. Donation records

We hold a spreadsheet showing the food and other donations we are given which includes the name of the donor and the details of the donation. Our financial team also receive details of any monetary donations when they process them. 

• These records are only handled on secure personal computers – never on public access computers such as in a library
• Names are removed from the donations spreadsheet after 2 years

2. Thank you letters

We write to all donors to thank them for their donations, either by post or email. 

• Thank you letters are stored electronically on a secure personal computer and deleted after 18 months
• Thank you emails are stored on the secure foodbank email system and deleted after 18 months. 

3. Other correspondence

The Foodbank uses a secure commercial email system and emails are stored within it for as long as they are needed. 

Volunteers should avoid sending personal or other sensitive data via their own personal emails wherever possible. If this has to happen, emails must be deleted immediately. 

4. Volunteer records

We have a database of volunteers containing their contact details. 

• The volunteer database is stored on a secure computer only accessible by the Volunteer Coordinator
• The database is reviewed annually and records of inactive volunteers are deleted. 

5. Vouchers

Paper vouchers are kept for a maximum of 18 months to allow annual summary records to be created. They are then destroyed by shredding.

Electronic vouchers are stored on a secure computer for a maximum of 18 months to allow annual summary records to be created, then deleted.

RIGHTS TO ACCESS DATA

Volunteers, clients and donors have legal rights over their personal data and the Foodbank has an obligation to fulfil these rights:

The right to be informed– about what data we hold and how it is handled

The right of access– to see all the data we hold about an individual

The right of rectification – to have any mistakes in the data put right

The right of erasure– known as the “right to be forgotten”, to have all the data deleted. 

This Data Protection Policy should be read in conjunction with the public PRIVACY POLICY which is published on our website HERE

If you have any questions or queries, please email supplyteam@burgesshillfoodbank.org.uk

Last updated June 2021