The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has launched a free tool to help small charities create a bespoke privacy notice.
This is to protect people’s information rights, as under data protection law, every organisation that holds people’s information needs to explain why it holds it and what it does with it.
Customers and suppliers, including beneficiaries and donors, as well as staff and volunteers, then know what will happen to their information.
Organisations can provide this information through a privacy notice, which is displayed on its website or included in other communications, to ensure they are compliant.
The tool has sections specific to organisations in the charity and voluntary sector.
This is as they often have people’s information, such as names, contact and payment details, or sensitive information including medical conditions and counselling sessions.
Amy Walton, NCVO small charity support manager, said: “This new tool from the ICO is a game-changer for small charities and voluntary organisations that juggle countless responsibilities with limited resources. By simplifying the compliance process, it empowers these organisations to focus on what they do best – supporting their communities – while building and maintaining the trust of their supporters, staff, and volunteers.”
‘Easy solution’
Faye Spencer, head of business services at the ICO said: “We're always looking for ways to make data protection compliance simple and stress-free for smaller organisations, who tend to have less time and fewer resources.
“Our new privacy notice generator does just that. It’s a quick and easy solution that provides organisations with the support they need, so they can concentrate on what they're good at, serving the needs of their customers and growing their organisation.”
The tool offers two different types of privacy notice.
One for customer and supplier information, which organisations can display on their website or external communications, and another for staff and volunteer information, for inclusion in welcome packs, policy libraries or other internal channels accessible to staff and volunteers.
The ICO is also encouraging those organisations that already have a privacy notice to use the generator to check it is up to date.
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