Privacy Policy
We take your privacy very seriously. This privacy policy explains what information the National Literacy Trust collects about you, how we use it, the lawful bases we rely on, and the steps we take to ensure it is kept secure.
The information we collect
We collect information about you when you:
- become a member
- take part in our programmes or events
- use our services (including this website)
- volunteer
- donate or otherwise support our work
- complete surveys, evaluations or enter competitions
We also collect website usage information using cookies.
The information we collect may include:
- your name, address and contact details (email and phone number)
- place of work and job title
- records of your interactions with us (e.g. programme participation, donations, event attendance)
We collect this information through:
- our website
- direct communications (email, phone, social media)
- in-person interactions
How we use your information and our lawful bases
We will only use your personal data where the law allows us to. Most commonly, we rely on the following lawful bases under UK GDPR:
Performance of a contract
Where it is necessary to fulfil an agreement with you, including:
- managing memberships
- delivering programmes and services
- processing event registrations
- administering purchases or donations
Legal obligation
Where we are required to comply with the law, including:
- maintaining financial records (e.g. Gift Aid for HMRC purposes)
- responding to regulatory or legal requests
Legitimate interests
Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests as a charity, provided your rights do not override those interests. This includes:
- managing and improving our services and programmes
- communicating with you about your involvement with us
- internal administration and record-keeping
- analysing and improving website performance
We always balance our interests against your rights before relying on this basis.
Consent
Where you have given clear consent, including:
- receiving marketing communications (where consent is required)
- participation in surveys or optional activities
- certain uses of cookies
You can withdraw your consent at any time.
Marketing communications
We would like to send you information about literacy news, resources, training and ways to support our work.
We will send you marketing communications where:
- you have given your consent; or
- you have previously engaged with us (for example, by making a donation, registering for an event or using our services), and we are contacting you about our own similar services, activities or opportunities (this is known as a “soft opt‑in” under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations).
Where we rely on soft opt‑in, we will:
- only contact you about relevant and related services
- provide a clear opportunity to opt out when your data is collected
- include an easy unsubscribe option in every communication
You can opt out at any time by:
- clicking the unsubscribe link in our emails, or
- contacting us at contact@literacytrust.org.uk
We do not sell or share marketing data with other organisations.
Sharing your information
We will not share your personal data with third parties for their own marketing purposes.
We may share your information only where:
- you have given your consent
- it is necessary to deliver services you have requested (e.g. service providers, event platforms, payment processors)
- we are required to do so by law
We may share email addresses with Facebook (or similar platforms) to create “lookalike audiences” for advertising. This data is used solely for that purpose, and you can opt out when providing your details.
All third-party providers are required to respect the security of your data and process it lawfully.
Fundraising, prospect research and profiling
We use prospect research and profiling techniques to help us better understand our supporters and potential supporters. This enables us to build effective relationships, tailor our communications and fundraising activities appropriately, and ensure that our resources are used efficiently and responsibly.
Profiling helps us understand our supporters' interests, engagement with our work and their potential capacity to support the National Literacy Trust. It can also help us identify individuals who may be interested in supporting our mission to improve literacy outcomes for children, young people and adults across the UK.
We may carry out this research ourselves or engage carefully selected third-party providers to assist us. Where we use third-party providers, we ensure appropriate contractual and data protection safeguards are in place.
As part of our prospect research activities, we may review information that is publicly available to help us build a picture of an individual's interests, charitable giving and potential affinity with our work. This research may be undertaken in relation to existing supporters, prospective major donors and individuals who may have a connection to our charitable objectives.
The publicly available information we may consider includes information published by Companies House, professional biographies, publicly available social media profiles, media articles, property information, charitable and philanthropic activities, and other information that individuals have chosen to make publicly available. We may also consider previous interactions with the National Literacy Trust, including donation and engagement history.
We only use information obtained from reputable and lawful sources and seek to ensure that any prospect research is carried out in an ethical and proportionate manner. We do not seek to obtain information from sources that have not been made public or that we reasonably believe have not been collected or shared lawfully.
We may also ask supporters, volunteers, trustees or other members of our network whether they would be willing to introduce us to individuals who may have an interest in supporting the National Literacy Trust. In these circumstances, we ask those making introductions to ensure that the individual is comfortable with the introduction being made. Following any introduction, we will provide information about how we process personal data and will respect the individual's communication and marketing preferences.
Where appropriate, prospect research and profiling may also help us identify and avoid inappropriate fundraising approaches, including in circumstances where an individual may be vulnerable and additional care should be taken in our communications and fundraising activities.
We undertake prospect research and profiling on the basis of our legitimate interests in generating support for the National Literacy Trust and advancing our charitable purposes. Before carrying out such activities, we consider and balance our interests against the rights and freedoms of the individuals concerned.
Cookies
Cookies are small text files placed on your device to collect standard internet log information and visitor behaviour data.
We use cookies to:
- track and analyse website usage
- improve user experience
We rely on:
- consent for non-essential cookies
- legitimate interests for strictly necessary cookies
You can control cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling cookies may affect website functionality.
Your data protection rights
Under UK data protection law, you have rights including:
- the right to access your personal data
- the right to correct inaccurate data
- the right to request erasure of your data (in certain circumstances)
- the right to restrict or object to processing
- the right to data portability
- the right to withdraw consent at any time
To exercise these rights, contact:
contact@literacytrust.org.uk
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
www.ico.org.uk
Retention of your information
We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including:
- donation and Gift Aid records: at least 7 years (legal obligation)
- programme and service records: as needed for delivery and reporting
- marketing suppression records: to ensure we respect your opt-out preferences
Security of your information
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, loss or misuse.
Access to your data is restricted to authorised personnel and trusted third-party providers.
International transfers
In some cases, we may transfer your personal data outside the UK or European Economic Area.
Where this happens, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:
- UK-approved standard contractual clauses
- transfers to countries with adequacy decisions
Passwords
If you create an account with us, you are responsible for keeping your password confidential.
Other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites. This privacy policy applies only to our website. You should read the privacy policies of other websites you visit.
Changes to this privacy policy
We keep this policy under regular review and will publish updates on this page.
How to contact us
If you have any questions about this policy or how we use your data, please contact:
National Literacy Trust
68 South Lambeth Road
London SW8 1RL
Email: contact@literacytrust.org.uk
Phone: 020 7587 1842