Privacy policy

Who We Are

We are an independent humanitarian and development organization striving to make the world a better and fairer place.

Our privacy statement also applies to Islamic Relief UK and the Humanitarian Academy for Development (HAD) who are also part of our organisation, and subsidiaries we own called TIC International and International Waqf Fund which help raise funds for our work.

Our registered address is:
19 Rea Street South
Digbeth
Birmingham
B5 6LB
United Kingdom

Your rights over your personal data

Direct marketing:

If you want to stop the processing of your personal data for any direct marketing purpose (including postal marketing and our use of profiling), please contact our supporter relations team:

Telephone: 020 7593 3232

Email: [email protected]

Post: Supporter Relations Team, Islamic Relief, 16 Lower Marsh, London, SE1 7RJ

Right to withdraw consent: If we ask for your consent to use your personal data, you always have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. You can expect that any direct marketing that you receive from us will include clear and easy instructions on how to withdraw your consent.  Please note that if you withdraw your consent for receiving email or SMS text from us, this will not prevent advertisements being shown to you on websites and social media based on cookie data (See ‘Use of cookies’ section).

Post: Supporter Relations Team, Islamic Relief, 16 Lower Marsh, London, SE1 7RJ

Right of access (also known as subject access): You have the right to ask what personal data we hold about you and to request a copy of that information.

Right to object and / or restrict processing: You have the right to know why your personal data is being collected and used and to request that this is restricted or stopped.

Right of data portability: You have the right to request that a copy of your personal data that we hold is transferred directly to another organisation.

Right of erasure: (also known as right to be forgotten): You have the right to request that your personal data that we hold is erased.

Right of rectification: If you believe your personal data that we hold is inaccurate, you have the right to request that it is corrected or updated.

If you want to exercise any of these rights or want to find out more information please contact our Data Protection Lead.   You have the right to expect a confidential and professional service and to receive a full response.

Telephone: 020 7593 3232

Email: [email protected]

Post: Data Protection Lead, Islamic Relief, 19 Rea Street South, Digbeth, Birmingham, B5 6LB

Privacy statement for our supporters

If you are a volunteer, please see our ‘Privacy statement for our employees’ section.

When do we collect your personal data

• When you make a donation or bequest to us
• When you sign up to a campaign with us
• When you register for, or attend one of our events, or enter one of our prize draws
• When you contact us by email, telephone, letter or through our websites and subdomains such as fundraise.islamic-relief.org.uk
• When you visit and use our websites and subdomains (See ‘Use of cookies’ section)
• When you interact with us on our social media platforms
• When you make a purchase at one of our charity shops

Why do we collect and use your personal data

• To process your donations and purchases, monitor the execution of your bequests, and to comply with your donation related instructions such as gift aid and GiveMatch.
• To keep you informed about our activities and ways to support us. Please note:
  • We will only send you marketing materials by email, phone or SMT text if you have provided your consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time (See ‘Your rights over your personal data’ section).
  • We will not send you marketing materials by the post if you have asked us to stop (See ‘Your rights over your personal data’ section).
• To deal with your queries, requests and responses to our projects and campaigns.
• To send you a confirmation of your donations, purchases and event registrations, and to deliver products purchased online.
• To personalise our services, for example, we may use personal data you have given us and your interactions with our services to help us predict your interests and to send you marketing materials that we think might be of most interest to you. (See also ‘Use of profiling’ section).
• To improve our services, for example, if we are allowed, we may request your feedback on our services.

In what situations do we collect personal data from other sources

• When you agree to support us through a third-party fundraising site such as Just Giving and Facebook Giving and provide them with your consent to share your personal data with us.
• When you make a donation to us through MyTenDays or MyTenNights after following a link to their donation page directly from our website.
• When you make a bequest to us through a will-writing service that we are partnered with.
• When we receive significant donations or support we may run a background check using publicly available sources and a third party screening and due diligence service provided by Refinitiv. We carry out background checks in accordance with our due diligence policies and procedures in order to protect our charitable interests.
• If we are allowed to send you marketing materials, we may use sources in the public domain to check that your marketing preferences and contact details are accurate and up to date. Examples of such sources include royal mail databases and the fundraising preference system.
• We may undertake research for high value fundraising using publicly available sources such as national and local press, charities commission, companies’ house and from social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. We will only use these sources where the data has been deliberately made public.

In what situations do we share personal data with other organisations

• If we are allowed to send you marketing materials, we may share your personal data with companies that help us to prepare and send out marketing materials and conduct market research on our behalf.
• With third party data services to ensure that data we hold about you is accurate and up-to-date and to understand how supporters are engaging with us to inform our fundraising and marketing strategies. (See also ‘Use of profiling’ section).
• If we receive gift aid from you, we may be required to share your personal data with Her Majesty’s Revenues & Customs (HMRC) to receive the tax rebate.
• With law enforcement agencies if we receive a valid legal instruction.
• If you register for one of our events or challenges, we may be required to share your personal data with event organisers for health and safety purposes.
• If you use a debit or credit card to make a donation or purchase, your personal data will be processed by a payment processing processor that may store some of your personal data outside of the European Union including in the US. We only use payment processing partners that are certified against appropriate frameworks such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.
• If you have agreed to receive marketing emails or SMS texts from us, we may provide your email address and/or mobile phone number in an encrypted format to social media companies, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat or YouTube, or to digital advertising companies that provide services to us by displaying our advertising to you on social media platforms and other websites, as well as identifying audiences with interests similar to yours. If you have opted out from receiving marketing emails or SMS texts from us, this will not prevent our advertisements being shown to you on a randomised basis, through the social media platforms own targeting algorithms, or based on cookie data. To completely stop seeing advertising from us on your social media platforms you will need to review the privacy settings on your social media account.
• • If we receive a significant donation or support we may run a background check using a third party screening and due diligence service provided by Refinitiv. We carry out background checks in accordance with our due diligence policies and procedures in order to protect our charitable interests.
  • We contract a limited amount of third parties to store data on our behalf. This may include your personal data. Types of third parties we use include cloud storage, website hosting and software providers.
  • If we are required by law, we may share your personal data with data cleaning companies to ensure that the data we hold about you is accurate and up to date.

  We only share personal data with another organisation if we have a legal basis to do so.

  In all the above situations, we will ensure that we have a written contract (or valid legal instruction) in place with the organisation that includes data protection clauses to ensure that they do not use personal data for their own marketing purposes, and have security requirements in place to protect your personal data.

What is our legal basis for collecting and using personal data 

Where we have your consent.   For example, we will only send you emails, make telephone calls or send you SMS text messages with your consent. You can withdraw this consent at any time (See ‘Your rights over your personal data’ section).

Where the processing is necessary to enter into or fulfil the terms and conditions of a contract. For example, processing your donation made to us.

Where the processing is required under the law.  For example, disclosing your personal data to a law enforcement agency if we receive a valid legal instruction.

Where the processing is our legitimate interest.  For example, we may send marketing materials to your postal address and social media account if you haven’t told us not to or opted out using another method such as a marketing preference service.  We will only rely on this legal basis if we believe your interests and fundamental rights do not override our legitimate interest. (See ‘Your rights over your personal data’ section).

Privacy statement for our employees

This section includes our privacy statement to staff, volunteers, interns, apprentices and contractors (including prospective employees).

When do we collect your personal data

• You apply for a position with us or contact us in relation to volunteering for us, or fundraising on our behalf.
• As part of the everyday administration and management of your contract with us. For example:
  • You let us know if there is a change to your personal data.
  • You apply for or notify us of leave.
  • You complete your appraisal.
  • You make a formal complaint or raise a concern about your work with us.
  • As part of the everyday administration of work-related activities. For example:
    • You use an ICT approved or ICT provided system or technology.
    • You are present (CCTV) at one of our sites or sign in at one of our buildings.
    • You register to become involved in work-related activities such as a first aider, fire warden, surge roster staff or registered driver.
    • You attend or complete one of our training courses.
    • You make a formal complaint or raise a concern.
• Why do we collect and use your personal data
  • To recruit and select employees.
  • To enable payment of salary, tax, pension contributions and expenses.
  • To manage your contract with us. For example, processing leave requests and maintaining appropriate levels of conduct and performance etc.
  • To meet legal obligations. For example, we may process your personal data (including sensitive data such as physical or mental health) to protect your health and safety and to fulfil our equal opportunities obligations etc.
  • To take appropriate action in the event that a formal complaint or concern is raised, including safeguarding.
  • To run background checks in accordance with our due diligence policies and procedures.
  • To plan staffing levels and necessary cover.
  • To keep you informed of, and to improve our strategy, plans, activities and services. For example, we welcome and encourage your feedback, and in some cases might actively seek this.
  • Other employees might access your personal data where this is required for work purposes. Where this is the case, the organisation relies on all employees to access and use personal data in accordance with their obligations under our data protection policy.