Purpose
To ensure the Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation respects the right to privacy of all its stakeholders including Board Directors, staff, volunteers, donors and all other interested parties.
Policy
Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information of its employees, volunteers, members, customers, donors and other stakeholders. The Foundation values the trust of the public, and recognizes that maintaining that trust requires transparency and accountability in the treatment of information that is shared by individuals with the Foundation. The Foundation adheres to Association of Fundraising Professional Code of Ethical Principles and Standards which includes the protection of unauthorized personal and confidential information.
The Foundation has a Privacy Officer who is accountable to the Foundation’s overall compliance with its Privacy Policy and acts as the primary contact person on information privacy. Contact Information for the Privacy Officer will be readily available on the Foundation website. The VP of Operations will act as the Privacy Officer for the Foundation.
Definitions
Personal information
Personal information is any information that can be used to distinguish, identify or contact a specific individual. This information can include an individual’s opinions or beliefs, as well as facts about, or related to, the individual. Exceptions include: business contact information and certain publicly available information, such as names, addresses and telephone numbers as published in telephone directories, are not considered personal information.
Information in the public domain is not subject to privacy legislation and as such is not included in this policy.
The Foundation considers donor and volunteer information always to be personal information, and does not disclose information about donors or volunteers without consent.
The Foundation does not have access to patient medical information. Where donors, volunteers or partners use home contact information as business contact information, the Foundation considers that the contact information provided is business contact information, and is not therefore subject to protection as personal information. Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation observes the following practices when collecting, maintaining and using personal information:
Consent
An individual’s consent is required regarding the collection and proposed use of personal information when information is collected. Consent can be either express or implied and can be provided directly by the individual or by an authorized representative. Express consent can be given orally, electronically or in writing. Implied consent is consent that can reasonably be inferred from an individual’s action or inaction. An individual’s consent is required before confidential information is released to outside parties.
The Foundation offers donors and volunteers the opportunity to opt out of having their information shared for the purposes beyond which it was explicitly collected. In order to withdraw your consent, contact the Foundation Privacy Officer.
QCHF will honour donor requests to:
- Limit the frequency of contact;
- Not be contacted by telephone or other technology
- Receive printed material concerning the organization; and
- Discontinue contact.
Limited Collection
The collection of personal information is limited to that which is relevant and necessary to QCHF programs and fundraising efforts. If you make a donation, attend an event, or become a volunteer of the Foundation, basic personal information will be collected. This information will allow the Foundation to:
- Process your donation and forward you a charitable tax receipt (if applicable);
- Acknowledge your donation in publications; and
- Communicate information to you regarding the Foundation’s programs, activities, services, fundraising events, funding needs, opportunities to volunteer or donate and more.
Should you wish your donation to remain anonymous or opt out of receiving further communication with regards to the Foundation’s activities, you may contact the Foundation Privacy Officer.
Limited Use, Disclosure and Retention
Personal information shall not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with the consent of the individual or as required by law. Personal information shall be retained only as long as necessary for the fulfillment of those purposes. The Foundation does not trade, rent or sell any personal information to third parties.
The Foundation’s website contains an online donation form which allows visitors to make a donation. The personal and credit card information provided on these forms is used only to process these donations and is not retained by the Foundation.
Accuracy
Personal information shall be as complete, accurate and up-to-date as possible. Donors are encouraged to review, correct and update personal information. To change or modify any personal information previously provided to the Foundation, contact the Foundation Office directly.
Security Safeguards
Personal information gathered by the Foundation shall be kept in confidence. The Foundation’s personnel shall be authorized to access personal information based only on their need to deal with the information for the reason(s) for which it was obtained.
Appropriate physical and electronic measures shall be used to ensure personal information is secure. Foundation will ensure that vendors shall maintain effective controls to protect the integrity and confidentiality of payment and other personal information consumers provide. Security measures shall be consistent with current industry standards and appropriate to the type of information collected, maintained or transferred to third parties.
Access to donor and volunteer records shall be limited to those who require such information to fulfill their job responsibilities. Special protection shall be given to all records pertaining to anonymous donors. The confidentiality of donor and volunteer records shall continue after the relationship with the individual has ended.
Confidentiality
Donors who request that their name and/or the amount of the gift not be publicly released shall remain anonymous.
Openness
Upon request, individuals shall be given access to the information in their donor record. The only exceptions to the release of donor information to that individual might include information that would likely reveal personal information about a third party, information that cannot be disclosed for certain legal, security, or commercial proprietary reasons, and information that is subject to solicitor-client privilege.
The privacy policy shall be accessible and available electronically on the QCH Foundation website.
Contact us
If you wish to be removed from any of our contact lists, please notify us at 613-721-4731 and we will accommodate your request.
Inquiries relating to our privacy policy on the treatment of personal information should be directed to Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation’s Privacy Officer, by telephone at 613-721-4731, or by e-mail at qchfound@qch.on.ca.