Volunteer privacy policy

Information for Make 2nds Count volunteers on what information we store on you, how and why.

It is necessary for us to hold information about you, in line with legislation (the General Data Protection Regulations), for the purpose of you volunteering with us. We want to make sure that you are completely clear about what information we hold and that you are reassured that we keep this information safe and only for legitimate purposes. You are entitled to know what information we hold, why we hold it, how long we will hold it and how we store it; and you also have rights to see this information, or have it corrected if it is inaccurate. The information below sets out these details for you. We would also encourage you to speak to our Executive Director and Data Protection Officer, Emma Hall, if you have any queries at all.

Data Controller: make 2nds Count

Data Protection Officer: Emma Hall - emma.hall@make2ndscount.co.uk

Make 2nds Count collects and processes personal data relating to its volunteers to manage the volunteer relationship. We are committed to being transparent about how we collect and use that data and to meeting our data protection obligations.

What information do we collect?

Make 2nds Count collects and processes a range of information about you. This can include:

your name, address and contact details, including email address and telephone number, date of birth and gende
the volunteering remit we have agreed upon for you
details of your qualifications, skills, experience and employment history, including start and end dates, with previous employers and with the organisation
details of your bank account and national insurance number
information about your marital status, next of kin, dependants and emergency contact
information about your nationality and entitlement to work in the UK
information about any criminal record you may have
details of your schedule (days of volunteering and volunteer hours)
details of any concerns or complaints in which you have been involved
information about medical or health conditions, including whether or not you have a disability for which the organisation needs to make reasonable adjustments
equal opportunities monitoring information including information about your ethnic origin, sexual orientation and religion or belief

We may collect this information in a variety of ways. For example, data might be collected through application forms, CVs; obtained from your passport or other identity documents such as your driving licence or other forms completed by you at the start of or during volunteering; from correspondence with you; or through interviews, meetings or other assessments.

In some cases, Make 2nds Count may collect personal data about you from third parties, such as references supplied by (former) employers, information from employment background check providers, information from credit reference agencies and information from criminal records checks permitted by law. However, we would only ever do this with your prior knowledge.

Why does the organisation process personal data?

Make 2nds Count needs to process data to enter into a volunteering relationship with you and to meet our obligations.

In some cases, Make 2nds Count needs to process data to ensure that it is complying with its legal obligations. For example, we are required to run a PVG check to ensure your suitability for working with children and vulnerable groups if your volunteer remit involves this.

In other cases, Make 2nds Count has a legitimate interest in processing personal data before, during and after the end of the volunteering relationship. Processing your data allows us to:

run recruitment and promotion processes
maintain accurate and up-to-date records and contact details (including details of who to contact in the event of an emergency)
operate and keep a record of volunteer performance
obtain occupational health advice, to ensure that it complies with duties in relation to individuals with disabilities, meet its obligations under health and safety law
provide references on request for current or former volunteers
respond to and defend against legal claims.

Some special categories of personal data, such as information about health or medical conditions, is processed to carry out legal obligations (such as those in relation to volunteers with disabilities).

Where Make 2nds Count processes other special categories of personal data, such as information about ethnic origin, sexual orientation or religion or belief, this is done for the purposes of equal opportunities monitoring. Data that the organisation uses for these purposes is anonymised or is collected with the express consent of volunteers, which can be withdrawn at any time. Volunteers are entirely free to decide whether or not to provide such data and there are no consequences of failing to do so.

Who has access to data?

Your information may be shared internally, including with members of Make 2nds Count staff and key volunteers if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles.

Data will be stored in a range of different places, including in your volunteer file, in Make 2nds Count contact management systems and in other IT systems (including the Make 2nds Count email system).

Make 2nds Count shares your data where appropriate with third parties in order to obtain necessary criminal records checks from Disclosure Scotland via the organisation Volunteer Development Scotland. In those circumstances the data will be subject to confidentiality arrangements.

Make 2nds Count will not transfer your data to countries outside the European Economic Area.

How does Make 2nds Count protect data?

Make 2nds Count takes the security of your data seriously. Make 2nds Count has internal policies and controls in place to try to ensure that your data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused or disclosed, and is not accessed except by relevant employees in the performance of their duties. Where Make 2nds Count engages third parties to process personal data on its behalf, they do so on the basis of written instructions, are under a duty of confidentiality and are obliged to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the security of data.

For how long does Make 2nds Count keep data?

Make 2nds Count will hold your personal data for the duration of your volunteering. The periods for which your data is held after the end of volunteering, for relevant statutory retention periods, is set out for you below:

Volunteer information records - Seven years after volunteer leaves in line with supporter records
Volunteer accident/incident records Three years as per statutory retention period

Photographs

For the effective performance of its charitable business, Make 2nds Count has used photographs and/or films which may include volunteers both within internal and external media all with a view to promoting its activities and events or to allow patients, their families or external partners to recognise staff they are in contact with. The photographs/films represent “personal data” under legislation and you are therefore asked to provide specific consent for this purpose on the final page of this document. In giving such consent, you will retain the right to inform Make 2nds Count not to include you in any specific photographs/films where you so wish.

Your rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights. You can:

access and obtain a copy of your data on request
require Make 2nds Count to change incorrect or incomplete data
require make 2nds Count to delete or stop processing your data, for example where the data is no longer necessary for the purposes of processing
object to the processing of your data where Make 2nds Count is relying on its legitimate interests as the legal ground for processing

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact Emma Hall - emma.hall@make2ndscount.co.uk

If you believe that Make 2nds Count has not complied with your data protection rights, you can complain to the Information Commissioner.

What if you do not provide personal data?

You have some obligations to provide Make 2nds Count with data. Certain information, such as contact details, have to be provided to enable us to enter into a volunteering relationship with you. If you do not provide other information, this will hinder our ability to administer the relationship efficiently.

Last updated March 2024