Privacy Policy

You, the Fishermen’s Mission and Data Protection

Your Personal Information and the Fishermen’s Mission

How to use this guide

Each different section of information is marked with the blue arrows. For speed you may wish to scan down looking for the headings that apply to you. The key areas are if you are a donor, a client of our services, or a member of staff (paid or unpaid).

Why do I need to know this?

The Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) controls how your personal information is used. To indicate the UK’s status outside the European Union (EU), it was amended on 01 January 2021 by regulations under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The DPA 2018 sits alongside and supplements the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

This legislation has been put in place to give you a clearer understanding of how and why your data is collected, how it is stored, for how long and how it is disposed of. It also includes information as to when and how your information might be shared with others.

      If you have made a donation

We hold your information because you provided us with your details when you made a donation, asked for information from us, attended an event or sponsored a friend. If you asked us not to contact you again then you should not have received any further information from us. If this is not the case then please do contact us using the information provided. We do not collect information about you from any other sources. We do not use your information to create a ‘profile’ about you.

We keep your information on a secure, internationally recognised, data protection compliant database (Raiser’s Edge/Blackbaud). Access to your information is limited and all our team are fully trained in how to look after your data. We never buy or sell information.

Did you Gift Aid your Donation?

If you have made a gift aid declaration, then your name and address are attached to our Gift Aid Claim with the HMRC. Your Gift Aid Declaration is scanned and kept digitally. This work is undertaken by a fully data protection compliant company (Blackbaud) and the paper information is returned to us and stored securely.

We forward, electronically, your name and address to the company that send out our newsletters to you. This is done in a very secure manner and the information is correctly destroyed once the task has been completed.

What information do we keep on our database?

We keep the details of your name and address. If we have your telephone number and/or email address we will only use it in relation to an enquiry regarding your gifts. We will never call you for fundraising purposes, this is not the way we choose to fundraise. We do not store dates of birth.

We do not retain bank details unless you make a regular gift by direct debit. If this is the case, then please be assured that your bank details are securely stored on our database and any paper copies are kept under lock and key with restricted access.

If you have donated using your credit card, this information is not kept by us and the details of your cards are made indecipherable. You will appreciate that we do have to process your credit card payment and this is done through a data protection compliant processing agency (Rapidata).

Protecting your data

The security of your information is of the utmost importance to us. All our staff are fully trained in keeping your details secure. We use all reasonable measures to protect your information and we hold a Cyber Essentials certificate which demonstrates best practice.

How long do you keep my information?

Financial laws mean that all financial information, including donations, must be kept for 6 years. After this time the information can be archived or safely destroyed. We cannot, by law, destroy this information before this time.

Can I ask you about my information?

Yes of course! You have the right to know what personal information we hold about you. You can do this by contacting the Data Protection Officer using the information below.

     If you are a fisherman (active or retired) or a member of a fishing family who we have provided with support?

Did we provide financial support?

We hold your information because you provided it to us in order for us to be able to offer you support. We understand that the information you provided to us might be of a highly personal nature. Your information that we collected electronically is held securely on the Microsoft 365 platform. All our staff are trained in cyber security principles and our computers are accessible only by secure passwords. If we do need to keep any paper information, it is held under lock and key and destroyed securely when no longer required. Access to your information is restricted.

Protecting your data?

The security of your information is of the utmost importance to us. All our staff are fully trained in keeping your details secure. We use all reasonable measures to protect your information and we hold a Cyber Essentials certificate which demonstrates best practice.

Has my information been shared?

When we completed the application with you we would have asked you to sign a consent form with regards to who we would need to share your information with. You can check this with us if you need to. We will not share your information with any organisation without your explicit consent.

How long do you keep my information?

Financial laws mean that all financial information, including grants, must be kept for 6 years. After this time the information can be archived or safely destroyed. We cannot, by law, destroy this information before this time.

Did you receive support that was not financial?

We hold your information because you provided it to us in order for us to be able to offer you support. We understand that the information you provided to us might be of a highly personal nature. Your information that we collected electronically is held securely on the Microsoft 365 platform. All our staff are trained in cyber security principles and our computers are accessible only by secure passwords. If we do need to keep any paper information, it is held under lock and key and destroyed securely when no longer required. Access to your information is restricted.

Has my information been shared?

When we collected your information, we would have asked you to sign a consent form with regards to who we would need to share your information with. You can check this with us if you need to. We will not share your information with any organisation without your explicit consent.

How long will you keep my information for?

You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, so unless you have asked us not to keep your information, we will retain it for up to two years after we last had contact with you. We do this in case you need our support again during this time to ease the administration for you. After this time your information is disposed of securely.

      Are you a member of staff/ex-staff or a volunteer?

Your personal information will have been obtained for contractual purposes. While in our employment information is held on a data protection compliant database and access is restricted. You may access your own information at any time. Staff information will be retained for a minimum of six years to comply with financial laws.

If you are a member of our pension scheme then this information is also held by our Pension Administrators. This information is legally held by them until your death in order to ensure that pension payments are maintained.

Information concerning volunteers is held in a secure manner. When you decide you no longer wish to be a volunteer your information will be securely destroyed.

Can I ask you about my information?

Yes of course you can! You can contact our Data Protection Officer by email: DPO@fishermensmission.org.uk or you can call our Freephone 0800 634 1020 or write to us at Fishermen’s Mission, Mather House, 4400 Parkway, Solent Business Park, Whiteley, Hampshire. PO15 7FJ

Being part of the Fishermen’s Mission family

We have been supporting fishermen, their families and the fishing communities for more than 140 years. We have been able to do this because we have supportive and caring donors and friends. We feel a very strong connection to you all. If you have any questions or concerns then we encourage you to get in touch. We are here to help and reassure you.