National Eczema Society promises to keep safe any personal data you share with us and ensure that other organisations we work with use the data only to fulfil National Eczema Society promises to keep safe any personal data you share with us and ensure that any partner organisations use this data only to fulfil requests and according to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.l your request.
Developing a better understanding of supporters and stakeholders through their personal data allows National Eczema Society to make better decisions, fundraise more efficiently and, ultimately, support our work to make life better for people with eczema and their families.
This privacy policy explains what to expect when National Eczema Society collects personal information. Personal data collected via online and offline points will continue to be processed as per the policy below. If you don’t want your data to be used in the ways described in this policy, please email us at info@eczema.org, call 020 7281 3553 or write to us at 11 Murray Street, London, NW1 9RE.
The policy applies to information we collect about people who:
- Join National Eczema Society as a member
- Donate money to National Eczema Society
- Sign-up to receive newsletters and other communications from us
- Visitors the National Eczema Society website
- Post messages on National Eczema Society social media pages
- Contact National Eczema Society
- Order National Eczema Society information resources
- Complete National Eczema Society surveys
- Join specific programmes for support and who attend National Eczema Society events
- Are current and former employees, volunteers or job applicants of National Eczema Society
- National Eczema Society conducts business with
- People who apply for research grant funding
- How National Eczema Society uses profiling in targeting communications
- Data retention
- How National Eczema Society handles children’s data
- Other people National Eczema Society may collect data on who may be interested in supporting our work
- How National Eczema Society keeps your data safe and who has access
- Your rights and how to find out what data National Eczema Society holds about you
This policy also explains:
- How National Eczema Society uses data for targeted communications
- How long your data is kept
- How National Eczema Society handles children’s data
- National Eczema Society may collect data on other people whom it believes may be interested in supporting its work
- An individual’s rights, including how to find out what data we hold about you
National Eczema Society does not sell anyone’s data to third-parties. Data may be shared with third-party organisations engaged by National Eczema Society to process data, as described in this policy. Such processing activities are controlled by contracts with appropriate terms protecting personal data.
1. People who join National Eczema Society as a member
If you become a Member, National Eczema Society will usually collect the following data about you:
- name
- contact details
- payment details (bank or credit card details)
National Eczema Society will mainly use the data to:
- Provide information, services and the membership magazine Maintain a record of their relationship with National Eczema Society
- Ensure National Eczema Society knows how they prefer to be contacted
- Understand how National Eczema Society can improve its information, services or products
When joining National Eczema Society as a member, you receive copies of Exchange magazine, notices of Annual and other General Meetings and membership subscription correspondence because we believe it is reasonable members to receive information about the running of the organisation and as set out in its Articles of Association. National Eczema Society considers this to be a legitimate interest under the Data Protection Act 2018.
2. People who donate money to National Eczema Society or express an intent in donating in the future
When you donate money to National Eczema Society, your personal details are recorded to enable processing of your donation (for example made by cash, cheque, standing order, credit card or direct debit) and to claim Gift Aid where relevant. This may include some or all of the following, your name, address, telephone number, email, amount of donation, reason for donation, bank details, if you are a tax payer (for Gift Aid purposes). National Eczema Society may contact you using these details in respect of your donation (for example to send an acknowledgement or receipt, to give notice of direct debit collection) and may use your email and/or postal address to send printed general communications about eczema and National Eczema Society for three years following a donation unless you tell National Eczema Society not to. All such communications will give details about how to stop receiving future communications. National Eczema Society believes this to be a legitimate interest under the Data Protection Act 2018.
When a pledge to donate sometime in the future is made, the personal details and address of the potential donor are recorded and may be used to send general communications about eczema and National Eczema Society until the donation is received. National Eczema Society will continue to communicate with the donor for three years following the donation unless indicated otherwise. If a pledge to include a gift (legacy) in the potential donor’s Will is made, National Eczema Society will record their personal details including the address and send general communications about eczema and National Eczema Society until notification of death is received. All such communications will give details about how to stop receiving them. National Eczema Society believes this to be a legitimate interest under the Data Protection Act 2018.
3. People who sign-up to receive newsletters and other communications from National Eczema Society
National Eczema Society provides a range of resources for members and other supporters for distribution by email and in printed form by post, and may also seek to promote its services by telephone. National Eczema Society will only send such material by each channel if people have consented to this, other than as described in clause 2, for certain postal communications sent without explicit consent under ‘legitimate interest’ provisions. National Eczema Society might use personal information provided, or which is in the public domain, to select which communications to send.
This may include:
- Contact details (e.g. formal titles or professional details you share with us – and from which National Eczema Society may derive email address; post code etc.)
- Details about any donations made National Eczema Society in the past (e.g. gift amount, type of gift, banking and transaction information etc.)
- Any connection to eczema that may have been shared with National Eczema Society if permission has been given to use in this way
- Other preferences expressing interest in particular aspects of our work and activities
a) Communication by email
National Eczema Society only emails newsletters and other general communications to those who have subscribed using the National Eczema Society website or provided consent for this in other ways. The opportunity to unsubscribe is provided on every general email sent.
National Eczema Society gathers statistics around email opening and clicks using industry standard technologies to help monitor and improve email communications. This may include tailoring emails to reflect what National Eczema Society identifies to be of particular interest to an individual or what it knows about their previous engagement, including to help make appropriate requests for donations to supporters who may be able and willing to give more than they already do. All National Eczema Society emails include a two-click option to unsubscribe from future emails. Emails are sent using a third-party provider called MailChimp for email distribution and this is governed with appropriate terms to protect data.
National Eczema Society may ask you for your connection with eczema in order to better target email communications, and this information may be classed as sensitive personal data in the Data Protection Act 2018. Providing such information is always optional and is only used to target relevant health advice and other communications and to enable National Eczema Society to better understand the motives of people accessing its services.
National Eczema Society may use email addresses and first name and/or surname details to identify audiences on social media channels to provide health information, services, or products that may be of use or interest to those audiences. This involves uploading these supporter details to third-party social media applications. This upload is governed by terms and conditions restricting the processing and use of the data and can be viewed on the various social media platforms.
b) Communication by post
National Eczema Society sends magazines, publications, event information and invitations and fundraising materials by post to people who have asked to receive such information by post and to people who have donated to National Eczema Society in the preceding 3 years. To stop these communications, email National Eczema Society atinfo@eczema.org or call 020 7281 3553.
National Eczema Society may use data held on supporters (including post code, previous donating history, method of donating including type of bank account, involvement in National Eczema Society activities) to tailor such communications to different audiences and, by doing so, aim to best meet supporters’ interests in eczema and National Eczema Society, as well as to help make appropriate requests for gifts to supporters who may be able and willing to give more than they already do.
National Eczema Society uses third-party companies for large-scale mailings who would be passed contact details for this purpose only and these arrangements are governed by appropriate contracts which protect personal data. Before such mailings, National Eczema Society carries out ‘mortality screening’ to avoid distress being caused to families of the bereaved receiving mail intended for a deceased loved one. This is carried out by a third-party supplier and is subject to a contract with clauses protecting personal data.
To request not that data not be used in this way, email National Eczema Society at info@eczema.org or call 020 7281 3553.
c) Communication by phone
National Eczema Society only phones people who have consented to be called and this may be to give updates about or to ask for feedback on National Eczema Society services, in respect of an entry for an event, to thank supporters or to ask a supporter if they are able to make a donation (or increase their donation) to further its causes. National Eczema Society may use third-party companies for large scale phone calling programmes, which would be passed your contact details for this purpose only and these arrangements are governed by appropriate contracts that protect your personal data. If you are kind enough to share your telephone number with us and to give us permission to call you, this will overwrite any Telephone Preference Service registration you may hold. To request a change in how National Eczema Society communicates by phone, or to have contact details removed, email info@eczema.org or call 020 7281 3553.
National Eczema Society will always use this information with care and consideration. If you’d like to change how National Eczema Society communicates, or would like to have details remove, please email info@eczema.org or call 020 7281 3553.
4. Visitors to our websites
Third-party services (e.g. Google Analytics) are used to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns when someone visits eczema.org. National Eczema Society does this to find out things like the number of visitors to the various parts of the site, what page elements they click on, how long they stay on the site and what pages they visit. This information is only processed in a way which does not identify anyone. Nor does National Eczema Society make any attempt to find out the identities of the people visiting our website.
National Eczema Society also tracks the pages users visit when they click on links in National Eczema Society emails. This information is used to personalise the National Eczema Society website and emails with relevant content.
National Eczema Society also uses a ‘Facebook pixel’ on its website and on some third-party processor websites to track how Facebook users have interacted with the site. This information is used to target relevant content or advertisements on Facebook or Instagram.
a) Use of cookies by National Eczema Society
National Eczema Society uses “cookies” to help make the website – and the way it is used better. Cookies mean that a website will remember a visitor. They’re small text files that sites transfer to the visitor’s computer (or phone or tablet). They make interacting with a website faster and easier. More details can be found in our Cookie Policy.
b) Site search
The National Eczema Society website search is powered by WordPress. Search queries and results are logged anonymously to help improve the website and search functionality. No user-specific data is collected by either National Eczema Society or any third party on its behalf.
c) Security and performance
National Eczema Society uses third-party services to help maintain the security and performance of its website. To deliver this service, National Eczema Society captures the IP addresses of visitors to the website.
5. People who post messages on National Eczema Society social media pages
National Eczema Society use third-party providers, such as Sprout Social, to monitor and manage its social media interactions. These services are governed by the privacy policies of these platforms. For more information, view the Sprout Social privacy policy.
If someone posts on National Eczema Society’s social media pages, mentions National Eczema Society’s social media platforms or sends a private or direct message via social media, it will be assumed permission is given to respond. Messages posted on National Eczema Society social media pages (including X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube) are available publicly and National Eczema Society does not take responsibility for those messages that are subject to the privacy policies of the application provider and the specific privacy account setting of the user. National Eczema Society may use messages posted on its social media pages to better understand audiences, supporters and their concerns. As part of this, National Eczema Society may scrape, anonymise and aggregate information that users post on National Eczema Society social media pages. This information may then be published as a study or shared with partners. This will only be done in line with the privacy policies and terms and conditions of those platforms. If National Eczema Society seeks to use attributable quotes from people using social media channels, their permission will always be sought first. National Eczema Society will respond to publicly available social media posts relevant to eczema and associated issues where appropriate and within the permissions of those platforms.
6. People who contact National Eczema Society, including to make a complaint
a) People who email National Eczema Society
Any email sent to National Eczema Society, including any attachments, may be monitored and used for reasons of security and for monitoring compliance with the Society’s policies. Email monitoring or blocking software may also be used and emails will be processed through National Eczema Society prevailing email service. It is the responsibility of the sender to ensure email communications sent to National Eczema Society are within the bounds of the law. Depending on the purpose and content of the email, it may be stored on National Eczema Society’s email servers or supporter database.
b) People who phone or write to National Eczema Society about general matters
National Eczema Society will use caller data to handle queries or deal with the matter raised. National Eczema Society may store details of contact details with the data in case of related future queries, and in line with our data retention policies (see clause 15 below). National Eczema Society will not use these details for more general communications unless specific permission to do so is given.
c) People who submit a complaint
When National Eczema Society receives a complaint the details of the complaint and the complainant are recorded. National Eczema Society will only use the personal information collected to investigate and respond to the complaint and to monitor the level of service provided. National Eczema Society does report on the number and nature of complaints received, but not in a form which identifies anyone.
National Eczema Society will keep personal information contained in complaint files in line with its retention policy. This means that information relating to a complaint in respect of fundraising or general matters will be retained for two years from closure, and in respect of an advice enquiry for twelve months from closure.
d) People who contact a third-party partner of National Eczema Society
A query or complaint about a service provided on behalf of National Eczema Society by a third-party partner, may be directed to that organisation for efficient resolution. National Eczema Society’s relationship with third party partners is subject to appropriate contracts that protect the use of data in line with its own polices as outlined here.
7. People who order National Eczema Society resources
A range of advice and fundraising resources are available to order and are listed on the online shop on the National Eczema Society website. National Eczema Society will collect data necessary to fulfil these orders including address, email and phone number. National Eczema Society may also use the data to communicate about new advice or fundraising opportunities. These details will not be used for other purposes unless permission is given for National Eczema Society to do so.
8. People who complete National Eczema Society surveys
Surveys by National Eczema Society (or by others on its behalf) are generally anonymous and personal details are not recorded. If, for a particular survey personal details are collected, then the purpose for doing so and how it is used is made clear at the start of the survey.
9. People who join specific programmes for support, sign up to events, take campaigning actions, or join National Eczema Society volunteer groups
Sign-up pages for specific programmes or events state what information collected will be used for and this will be to enable delivery of that programme or event for that person. Opportunity to sign up to receive general communications from National Eczema Society will require separate consents for each channel. Third-party event registration software is used, and their privacy policies can be accessed at Zoom and Eventbrite. National Eczema Society may also use third-party software for data capture on questionnaires and their privacy policies can be accessed at Survey Monkey.
10. Job applicants and National Eczema Society current and former employees
Information provided as part of an application for a job at National Eczema Society will only be used to process the application and to monitor recruitment statistics. Taking up references will only be done with specific permission of the job applicant. National Eczema Society may use third-party software and services to run the job application process and applicant data is held on that software. National Eczema Society’s arrangement with this third-party is subject to contractual terms and specifically includes obligations for protecting personal data. Personal information about unsuccessful candidates is held for 6 months after the recruitment exercise has been completed, after which it is deleted. National Eczema Society retains de-personalised statistical information about applicants to help inform our recruitment activities, but no individuals are identifiable from that data.
Once someone is employed by National Eczema Society, data relating to their employment is held securely and only used for purposes relevant to that person’s employment. Data is kept for the duration of a person’s employment, generally informed by legal obligations as an employer. When an individual leaves the employment of National Eczema Society, the employment related data is retained in accordance with the data retention policies (see clause 15).
11. People National Eczema Society conducts business with
National Eczema Society works with a wide variety of people in order to deliver its objectives and hold data relating to these individuals, the organisations they work for and the connections they have, or may have. These are known as ‘business to business’ relationships (B2B). National Eczema Society has similar legal and regulatory responsibilities in respect of this data to supporter data, but seeks to meet these in a pragmatic way that enables mutually beneficial business relationships. These include relationships with: researchers who receive funding or support National Eczema Society research activities in other ways; healthcare professionals who provide health advice; policy makers and influencers including MPs; freelancers and consultants; companies and organisations having contractual relationships; companies or organisations which have, or may have, shared interest in eczema related developments. As a charity that receives legacies (gifts in Wills) from supporters, National Eczema Society communicates with executors, solicitors and any other parties that are involved in the distribution of assets. Such correspondence includes thanking the donor’s family and friends and asking and answering questions relating to the distribution of assets. National Eczema Society includes details of easy, single step methods in its communications for opting out of future communications.
12. People who apply for research grant funding
Information provided as part of an application for research grant funding will only be used to process and assess the application. The application may be shared with third-party funders where a grant round is being jointly funded with National Eczema Society and this will be made clear in the details of the specific grant round. The application may be shared with members of the Society’s Medical Advisory Board who assess grant applications on behalf of National Eczema Society and who are not employees. National Eczema Society may retain de-personalised statistical information about applications to help inform our research funding activities, but no individuals are identifiable from that data.
Successful grant applications are held indefinitely following completion of the funded research activity. The grant award is subject to a contract, the terms of which cover use of data.
13. How National Eczema Society uses profiling in targeting communications
National Eczema Society may use personal data provided to it in profiling audiences in order to better target communications. This may include using:
- Contact details (e.g. formal titles or professional details you share with us, email address information, post code etc.)
- Details about donations made to National Eczema Society in the past (e.g. gift amount, type of gift, banking and transaction information etc.)
- Any connection to eczema shared with National Eczema Society if permission is given to use the data in this way
- Other preferences expressing interest in particular aspects of National Eczema Society work and activities
- Age and other demographic information where relevant for specific marketing campaigns
- Tailoring communications may include varying content, subject matter and differentiated fundraising ‘asks’
National Eczema Society may use email addresses and first name/surname details to identify audiences on social media channels to provide adverts promoting health information, services, or products that are considered may be of use or interest to those audiences. This involves uploading these details to third-party social media platforms, from which they identify existing and established audiences and serve appropriate messaging. This upload is governed by terms and conditions restricting the processing and use of the data and these can be viewed on social media platforms.
To opt out of use of the data for any of these purposes you can let National Eczema Society know by calling 020 7281 3553 or emailing info@eczema.org.
14. Data Retention
National Eczema Society retains data on donors for a period of time after their last gift was received, generally depending on whether Gift Aid was applicable to the donation and in order to meet requirements of regulators. National Eczema Society retains data on people who have interacted but not made a donation for a period of time after their last interaction. National Eczema Society will generally continue to contact people who have either donated or who have given permission to do so for three years after the donation or their last positive affirmation of consent and having provided guidance on how to stop hearing from National Eczema Society in all communications.
National Eczema Society retains data on people who have pledged to donate some time in the future, such as a legacy pledger, until either after the donation has been made (as explained above) or until the pledge is withdrawn. Data on Trustees is retained for 20 years after retirement as a Trustee. Data on former employees is generally kept for seven years after ceasing employment.
15. How National Eczema Society handles children’s data
National Eczema Society does not routinely ask for age-related information from people sharing data for the purposes described in this policy. Those under 17 years of age, need to have obtained permission from a parent or guardian before sharing their data with National Eczema Society. National Eczema Society may ask for age-related information for specific activities which have age restrictions and these may not be available for under 17s to take part in. The purpose of asking for this data is made clear at the point the data is collected and parent or guardian consent obtained.
16. Other people National Eczema Society may collect data on who may be interested in supporting our work
National Eczema Society may use publicly available information to find new potential supporters and invite them to be involved in supporting our cause through tailored communications that may be of interest to them, or to contact people who may be interested in working for National Eczema Society in some capacity. External data sources include publicly available information such as Companies House, Charity Commission and other charity registers, Who’s Who and Debrett’s guides, Electoral Roll, reputable newspaper articles, publications, company websites and biographies on professional networking sites, social media sites as well as geographic and demographic information based on postcode. If you would prefer us not to use your data in this way, please let us know by emailing info@eczema.org or calling 020 7281 3553.
17. How National Eczema Society keeps your data safe and who has access
National Eczema Society ensures that there are appropriate technical controls in place to protect your personal details. Its network is protected and routinely monitored.
Information is only accessible by appropriately trained staff, volunteers and contractors. Regular reviews are undertaken to ensure this.
National Eczema Society uses external companies to collect or process personal data. These companies are subject to full checks before a contract is awarded that sets out the expectations and requirements, especially regarding how they manage the personal data they collect or to which they have access.
18. Your rights and how to find out what data National Eczema Society holds about you
Everyone has the right to request a copy of the information that National Eczema Society holds about them through the simple process of making a ‘subject access request’. National Eczema Society will give a description of the data held; say why and who it could be disclosed to and as well as provide a copy of the information in an intelligible form. National Eczema Society will respond within one month as required by data protection legislation.
To make a ‘subject access request’ please email info@eczema.org or call 020 7281 3553. National Eczema Society can be asked to correct any mistakes in the information held or for the data to be deleted (assuming National Eczema Society has no other obligation to keep it).
If you have a complaint in respect of the handling of your data please contact National Eczema Society using the contact details below.
If you are not satisfied with the way your request was handled, the matter can be referred to UK Information Commissioner’s Office.