Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Hayat Charity (“we”, “us”, “our”) is a UK-registered charity (No. 1212073) based in Manchester. We deliver humanitarian aid, education, healthcare, and emergency relief across ten countries.
For the purposes of UK data protection law, Hayat Charity is the data controller of the personal information we collect through this website.

2. What Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

• Contact details — name, email address, phone number, and postal address
• Donation information — payment details (processed securely by our payment provider; we do not store card details), donation amounts, and Gift Aid declarations
• Communication preferences — whether you wish to receive updates from us
• Website usage data — IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time spent on the site (collected via cookies)
• Enquiry and correspondence — any information you provide when contacting us through our website or by email

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to:

• Process donations and send donation receipts
• Administer Gift Aid claims with HMRC
• Respond to enquiries and requests
• Send updates about our work, campaigns, and appeals (where you have given consent or where we have a legitimate interest)
• Improve our website and services
• Meet our legal and regulatory obligations as a registered charity

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following lawful bases:

• Contractual necessity — to process donations and fulfil requests you have made
• Legal obligation — to comply with charity law, Gift Aid regulations, and HMRC requirements
• Legitimate interests — to send relevant updates to existing supporters, provided this does not override your rights
• Consent — for marketing communications where we have asked for and received your agreement

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties. We may share information with:

• Payment processors — to securely handle donations
• HMRC — for Gift Aid reclaims
• Service providers — such as email platforms or IT support, who process data on our behalf under strict data processing agreements
• Regulatory bodies — such as the Charity Commission, where required by law

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain personal data only as long as necessary:

• Donor records are kept for 7 years to comply with Gift Aid and financial regulations
• Contact and communication records are kept for 3 years after our last interaction
• Website analytics data is retained for 26 months

After these periods, your data is securely deleted or anonymised.

7. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience. These include:

• Essential cookies — required for the website to function
• Analytics cookies — to understand how visitors use our site (e.g. Google Analytics)

You can control cookie settings through your browser. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

8. Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure — request that we delete your data in certain circumstances
• Restriction — ask us to limit how we use your data
• Portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Object — opt out of processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
• Withdraw consent — at any time, where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@hayatcharity.org.uk.

9. How to Complain

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

• Website: ico.org.uk
• Helpline: 0303 123 1113

We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concern first — please contact us before approaching the ICO.