Privacy

PRIVACY POLICY 2026

The Rainy Day Trust (also referred to as ‘we’, ‘us’, or ‘our’) is a registered charity committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data responsibly.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and your rights in relation to it.

This policy complies with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. As a small charity, we only collect the information we genuinely need and aim to keep things as straightforward as possible.

The Data Controller is the Chief Executive Officer of the Rainy Day Trust.

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your information, please contact our Data Protection Officer:

• Email: info@rainydaytrust.org.uk
• Post: 8 The Courtyard, Harris Business Park, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, B60 4DJ

What personal information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with us.

Beneficiaries and Enquirers

When you contact us for support or make an enquiry, we may collect your name, date of birth, email address, postal address, phone number, and banking details if we need to make a payment to you.

Supporters and Donors

If you donate, volunteer, fundraise, or attend an event, we may collect your name, contact details (including full address, email, and phone number), and any marketing preferences you have shared with us. If you choose to Gift Aid your donation, we are required by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to retain your data to claim the relief.

Grant and Job Applicants

If you apply for a grant or a role with us, we will collect the information set out in the relevant application form, which is necessary for us to assess your application.

Website Visitors

When you visit our website, we collect certain information automatically, including details of your visit and the pages you view. Please see Section 8 (Cookies) for more information.

How we collect information

We collect information in the following ways:

• Directly from you – when you contact us, donate, apply for support, volunteer, attend an event, sign up for communications, or interact with us in any other way.
• Indirectly from third parties – for example, from fundraising platforms such as JustGiving or Virgin Money Giving if you have fundraised on our behalf. These platforms have their own privacy policies which you should read.
• With your permission from other organisations – for example, partner charities or organisations you have given permission to share your information with us.
• From your use of our website – through cookies and website analytics tools. See Section 8 for more details.
• From publicly available social media – depending on your privacy settings on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, or X (formerly Twitter).

How we use your information

We use your personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected, including:

• Providing you with the support, information, or services you have requested.
• Processing donations, including claiming Gift Aid with HMRC.
• Managing your involvement in fundraising, volunteering, or events.
• Sending you updates, newsletters, or fundraising communications where you have given your consent.
• Fulfilling obligations under any contract between us.
• Improving our services by seeking your feedback.
• Maintaining accurate organisational records.
• Analysing the use of our website to improve its content and performance.
• Processing grant or job applications.

Our legal basis for processing your information

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. We rely on the following bases:

1. Consent – where you have given us clear consent to contact you for marketing or fundraising purposes. You can withdraw your consent at any time by emailing us at info@rainydaytrust.org.uk. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing already carried out.
2. Contractual necessity – where processing is necessary to fulfil a contract with you, or to take steps you have requested before entering into a contract.
3. Legal obligation – where we must retain or share your information to comply with a legal requirement, such as Gift Aid reporting to HMRC.
4. Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests as a charity (for example, to respond to your enquiry or to operate our organisation), provided that your interests and rights are not overridden.

If you want to contact us about your marketing preferences please contact info@rainydaytrust.org.uk

How we keep your information safe

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. These include:

• Use of up-to-date cybersecurity measures including firewalls and antivirus software.
• Password protection and secure storage of all personal data.
• Restricting access to personal data to authorised staff, volunteers, and contractors only.
• Training all those with access to personal data on their data protection responsibilities.
• Use of UK or EU-based cloud storage services.
• Minimising the transfer of personal data wherever possible.

Please note that no internet transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure. While we do our best to protect your information, you submit data online at your own risk.

Who has access to your information?

• We do not sell your personal data. We will only share your information in the following circumstances:
  • With third-party service providers who help us deliver our services (for example, organisations that process applications or deliver goods on our behalf). We carefully select these providers and ensure they handle your data with equivalent care to our own, under appropriate data processing agreements.
  • With partners if we run a joint event – we will let you know how your data is shared when you register.
  • With analytics and search engine providers to help us maintain and improve our website.
  • In connection with any reorganisation or merger of our operations – we will ensure your privacy rights are protected in any such circumstances.
  • Where we are legally required to do so, or where sharing is necessary to prevent fraud or protect public safety.

Our use of “cookies”

Cookies are small files placed on your device by a website server. They help websites remember your preferences and understand how visitors use the site.

We use the following types of cookies:

• Session cookies – these are temporary and are deleted when you close your browser. We use them to track your navigation during a session.
• Persistent cookies – these remain on your device until deleted or until they reach their expiry date. We use them to recognise you when you return to our website.
• Analytics cookies – we use website analytics tools to understand how our website is used and to produce reports. These tools store cookies on your device.

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Please note that blocking cookies may affect how some parts of our website function.

You can delete cookies stored on your device at any time.

For more information on managing cookies, visit www.allaboutcookies.org or the ICO’s website at ico.org.uk.

Children’s Information

We do not knowingly collect or hold personal data relating to children under the age of 13. If you believe we have received information from a child without appropriate consent, please contact us and we will delete it promptly

How long we keep your information for

We retain personal data for only as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. As examples:

• Donation records are retained for a minimum of six years to comply with HMRC Gift Aid requirements.
• Where we rely on consent for direct marketing, we will review this consent after no more than two years and may ask you to renew it.
• If you ask us to stop contacting you, we will keep a minimal record of your details solely to ensure we comply with your request.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• The right of access – you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (known as a Subject Access Request). Please contact us in writing at info@rainydaytrust.org.uk. We will respond within one month. There is no charge for this.
• The right to rectification – you can ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.
• The right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data where there is no compelling reason for us to continue processing it (the ‘right to be forgotten’).
• The right to restrict processing – you can ask us to pause the use of your data in certain circumstances.
• The right to data portability – you can ask us to provide your data in a structured, machine-readable format for re-use.
• Rights in relation to automated decision-making and profiling – you have the right not to be subject to solely automated decisions that significantly affect you.

All rights are subject to certain legal exemptions. To exercise any of these rights, please contact the Chief Executive Officer at the address above.

If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your data, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

• Website: ico.org.uk
• Helpline: 0303 123 1113

Data controller

The data controller responsible for our website is Rainy Day Trust.

Keeping your information up to date

Please let us know if your contact details change so that we can keep our records accurate. You can do this by contacting us at info@rainydaytrust.org.uk.

This Policy may be changed from time to time and will be reviewed at least annually. If we make any significant changes we will advertise this on our website or contact you directly with the information.

The up to date Privacy Policy can be viewed on our website at https://www.rainydaytrust.org.uk/privacy/