Privacy Policy

This privacy policy covers what we do with any information we collect about you when accessing the VAL Volunteering service. Other projects managed by VAL have their own websites, where you will find their own specific privacy policies.

VAL Volunteering is managed and delivered by Voluntary Action LeicesterShire (VAL). The service helps to match potential volunteers with volunteer roles posted by Volunteer Involving Organisations.

About VAL

VAL is a charity based in Leicester. VAL manages and delivers a range of contracts and projects, including VAL Voluntary Sector Support, VAL Directory, VALUES, the GREAT Project and the YES Project.

VAL is registered as a data controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Our registration number is Z9829723.

Lawful basis for processing data

We use the following lawful bases for processing your data:

Based on our legitimate interests:

We collect basic contact information from the individuals who sign up via the VAL Volunteering website, through our volunteering drop-ins or directly through our Volunteering team, without which we would be unable to deliver our volunteer matching service

Based on explicit consent:

To collect special categories of personal data such as ethnicity to report on whether we are delivering a fair and equal service
To send marketing communications where we ask for your consent

What we collect

We collect the data which we need in order to successfully deliver and report on our services:

  • Names
  • Addresses
  • Email addresses
  • Telephone numbers
  • Date of birth
  • A brief volunteer biography
  • Gender

We may also request more sensitive information (known as special categories of personal data):

  • Ethnicity

From time to time we may also ask for you to voluntarily provide additional information as part of surveys, polls, feedback or competitions.

When you visit our website, we collect data about your visit using Google Analytics cookies.

How we use your information

Your information will only ever be used to help us deliver and report on our services.

Information about your ethnicity is only used for reporting purposes.

Data sharing

Personal data about volunteers is shared with volunteer involving organisations as a part of the volunteer matching process. We do not share personal data with any other organisations.

VAL uses external services to perform some of its functions, such as those used to host our website, deliver our training or to send marketing emails. Some of these services are based outside of the European Economic Area (EEA).

We do use your information to help with the statistics in our reporting. Our reporting never includes personal data or anything that could identify a specific person, only anonymous statistical data which helps us to monitor and improve the performance of our services.

Data retention period

Personal data will be stored for up to six years after our last point of contact with you.

After that point we will retain anonymised data for the purposes of reporting.

You have the right to contact us at any point to erase or update your personal data. Please bear in mind that if we erase your personal data from our systems, we will no longer be able to offer you our support services.

Marketing

We would like to send you information about news and events relating to VAL Volunteering

If you consent to receive marketing, you can opt out at any time by clicking the ‘Unsubscribe’ link at the bottom of our emails.

We will also communicate directly with you by phone, text message or email about the activities you are doing as part of VAL Volunteering.

Access to your information

You have the right at any time to ask us what information we have about you, request amendments or updates to that information, or to ask us to delete information we hold on you.

You can submit an information request via our data access request form.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your computer by websites you visit to help track your behaviour on those sites. For example, we use Google Analytics tracking cookies to understand how you use our site, which allows us to improve the overall website experience.

You can configure your browser to block websites from accepting cookies and to delete any existing cookies that have already been downloaded. However, please note that blocking cookies may stop some features of our website from working correctly.

Please note: Cookies cannot be used to run code or programs, or to deliver viruses to your computer.

You can find out more about cookies on the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website: https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/online/cookies/

Other websites

Our website contains links to other websites. This privacy policy only applies to this website so when you link to other websites you should read their own privacy policies.