our privacy policy

This statement outlines our commitment to you with regards to what information we collect, steps we take to protect and secure it, how we use and share the information, and how you can contact us with questions or concerns. Please note that we are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of other websites to which we provide links.

We will notify our contacts via this website, email and social media if we need to change how we intend to use your personal information.

Personal Data

Bless is fully committed to compliance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation and will therefore follow procedures which aim to ensure that all employees and volunteers or others serving Bless who need to have access (see Data Sharing below) to any personal data held by or on behalf of Bless are fully aware of and abide by their duties under the General Data Protection Regulation.

Data Collection

Bless needs to collect and use information about employees, delegates, volunteers and referees (for volunteer applications) in order to operate and carry out its functions. Bless may also be required by law to collect and use information. Bless regards the lawful and appropriate treatment of personal information vital to successful operations and in maintaining confidence between Bless and those with whom it carries out business.

On visiting our website, Bless receives and records information from your browser, including your IP address and cookies (see Cookies below). We may also use third party tools to monitor how visitors use our website. These forms of data collection are to enable us to make our user experience useful and relevant.

Bless may also collect and store information about your financial transactions with us. This is needed to keep a record of income, for tax purposes and to process payments and Gift Aid. We do not have access to your credit card details if you have paid online and we do not retain your credit card details provided by any other means once your payment has been cleared.

Data Handling

The information we ask you to provide when creating a Bless account will be used to create your user profile, which can be accessed and used by Bless to offer administrative support; in relation to any further action you may take relating to your account (e.g., booking for an event); and to contact you about products and services that may be of interest (this is when our use of your information is for the purposes of our legitimate interests and we will provide you with an opportunity to opt out of receiving further communications at the time you are contacted).

If you have a Facebook account linked to your email address, we may let you know about Bless activities that may be of interest to you via Facebook.

Bless will, through management and use of appropriate controls, monitoring and review:

• Use personal data in the most efficient and effective way to deliver its services.

• Strive to collect and process only the data or information which is needed.

• Use personal data for such purposes as are described at the point of collection, or for purposes which are legally permitted.

• Strive to ensure information is accurate.

• Not keep information for longer than is necessary.

• Securely destroy data which is no longer needed.

• Take appropriate technical and organisational security measures to safeguard information (including unauthorised or unlawful processing and accidental loss or damage of data).

• Ensure that information is not transferred abroad without suitable safeguards.

• Ensure that there is general information made available to the public of their rights to access information.

• Ensure that the rights of people about whom information is held can be fully exercised under the General Data Protection Regulation. These rights include:

• The right to be informed

• The right of access to personal information

• The right to request rectification

• The right to request erasure

• The right to restrict processing in certain circumstances

• The right to data portability

• The right to object to processing

Processing data

The legal bases that we rely on for processing your personal data are:

• You have provided your consent to us using your personal data for a specific purpose:
  We will ask for your consent to use your personal data to send you marketing emails.

You always have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

• It is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject:

This would include where we have to retain certain records, for example, to manage health and safety, for the detection and prevention of crime, safeguarding obligations, for maintaining suppression lists to ensure we comply with marketing laws, for tax reasons (such as those related to gift aid donations) and undertaking due diligence before accepting certain donations or entering into certain relationships.

• It is within our legitimate interests.

Personal Access & Erasing Data

Account holders request access to their Bless account information at any time and view or change personal details and communication preferences. Bless must act upon any request to remove personal data without undue delay and at least within one month of receipt. However, the right to remove your personal data is not absolute and only applies in certain circumstances. It does not apply if processing is necessary for one of the following reasons:

• To exercise the right of freedom of expression and information.

• To comply with a legal obligation.

• For the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority.

• For archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific research, historical research or statistical purposes where erasure is likely to render impossible or seriously impair the achievement of that processing

• For the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Data Sharing

Access to your online data is limited to Bless team members for the purpose of system support and management. This access is restricted by a data protection contract which prohibits data sharing

We securely store your first name, last name and email address with a GDPR-compliant online communications platform (Mailchimp) to manage and distribute emails. We use tracking to monitor the performance of our emails and their content (e.g., to monitor the open rate of emails or the popularity of specific links). You are given the opportunity to manage your communication preferences or unsubscribe from all emails each time you receive an email from us.

We will not disclose your personal details outside of our organisation unless to comply with a legal obligation or to deliver services that you have signed up to.

Photography

Bless reserves the right to photograph or film volunteers or delegates within public areas at Bless conferences and events. Only official Bless photographers will be authorised. Only distance photography will be taken during ministry times, and we will not photograph faces.

All photographs taken for Bless are the property of Bless and may be used for illustrative purposes, such as for the website, social media or brochures, for educational purposes, such as providing a visual explanation of the different activities that we run, or as a resource for future marketing and promotion of Bless events. It is the responsibility of Bless to make sure that all staff, delegates and volunteers are aware that there may be photography and filming in the public spaces provided. This should be made clear through public notices, signs and/or visual projection.

Cookies

The Bless website uses cookies to provide a full user experience. A cookie is a piece of information that is stored on your computer’s hard drive by your web browser. Cookies cannot look into your computer and obtain information about you or your family, or read any material stored on your hard drive. Cookies do not in any way compromise the security of your computer. Cookies will not be used to contact you for marketing purposes.

Bless may use cookies to gather statistics about the number of people who visit the site and to help us develop the site content, layout and services. You can block cookies on your web browser at any time (please note that this will affect some website functionality and may diminish your user experience).

Further Queries

If you have any concerns or queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@blessnet.eu

May 2018