Alumni and supporters privacy notice

If you studied at the University, data collected by the University during your time as a student are transferred from your student record to the DARO database when you graduate.  This is explained on our website in the Student Privacy Notice.

If you are a supporter of or a volunteer at the University, we will hold the personal data provided by you during your interaction with us. This is explained in the relevant privacy notices.

If you studied at the University, we process biographical, contact, and education details collected by the University during your time as a student.

If you are a supporter of the University, the data we process is that which you provide for example, if you sign up to our newsletters, register for an event or share your details with us following a visit to other parts of the University, such as Winterbourne House and Garden or the Barber Institute of Fine Arts.

We may also collect and hold personal information derived from publically available sources (either directly or through internet search functions). These public sources may include LinkedIn, Twitter, Companies House and other business-related resources including company websites, The Queen’s Honours lists, Royal Mail National Change of Address service, reliable news and press reports, and rich lists.

Examples of categories of personal data which we may hold are:

• Biographical/ contact details – for example, your name, postal/ email address and telephone number, date of birth, gender, nationality, marital status, and student number;
• Education details – for example, the courses you completed and dates of study;
• Professional details – for example, employer, occupation and work address;
• Any preferences provided by you for a specific purpose such as access requirements or other adjustments and dietary preferences for event management purposes and your communication preferences;
• Philanthropic details – for example, your history of donations (of both time (for example, volunteering) and money) made to the University, your areas of philanthropic interest and your publicly known philanthropy;
• Engagement details – for example, your membership of clubs, societies and alumni groups, your attendance at College or University events, your relationships with other alumni, supporters of the University and Colleges and publicly -known relationships with non-University stakeholders;
• Photographs – including those we have taken (for example, at events or to accompany a published interview) and those which are in the public domain.

The majority of the personal data that we hold is the information that you have provided to the University or information which is in the public domain.  We only process data for specified purposes and if it is justified in accordance with data protection law. 

In general terms, we process your personal data to improve your experience and engagement with the University as a supporter and/or member of our alumni community.

We also process personal data for the following purposes:

• To generate philanthropic support (for example, fundraising and/or volunteering) for University charitable projects. More specifically, these activities may include:
  • sending you publications (for example, the alumni magazine, Old Joe; updates on events on campus; and email newsletters about the University and its fundraising projects) in a way which is tailored and relevant to you ;
  • helping you keep in touch with other alumni and/or University supporters and donors by inviting you to alumni reunions and University events;
  • informing you of the benefits available to alumni, such as careers advice and educational programmes, for alumni for two years after graduating;
  • asking you if you would like to support the University (for example, by making a donation, contributing to surveys, volunteering, or acting as a mentor);
  • thanking you for any gifts of time and money that help the University’s charitable causes;
  • undertaking any necessary research for our due diligence to meet money laundering regulations in alignment to our Gift Acceptance policy; and,
  • internal record-keeping and administration (for example, to process a donation or administer an event which you are attending).
• To validate your address and to prepare reports using maps by ‘geocoding’ your address against publicly available web mapping services
• To publish photographs and videos relating to our activities and events. We will inform you about such processing at the time when the data is obtained or as soon as reasonably possible thereafter.
• To compile anonymised statistics for ranking/league tables in which the University participates.

We may occasionally carry out wealth screening.  This involves using trusted third parties who review information which is in the public domain (for example, FTSE100 directorships, company directorships, property holdings, Forbes, rich lists, etc.) on our behalf to give an indication of the financial giving capacity of individuals.  We never use the data produced by this exercise as the sole basis for sending out communications; it is a starting point for further research we carry out about a person to identify if they may be interested in supporting the University, which includes considering any previous engagement with the University, their philanthropic interests and previous donations.  This enables us to identify and contact only those individuals whose interests we believe align with our charitable fundraising mission.

We consider the processing of your personal data for these purposes to be necessary:

• For the pursuit of the University’s legitimate interests in fundraising, in support of the University’s charitable mission and maintaining a strong relationship with our alumni and supporters;
• To enable the University to comply with its legal obligations, for example for compliance with money laundering rules and Gift Aid requirements, disclosing personal data to Local Authorities for specified purposes.
• For the performance of tasks carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of our official authority, for example the completion of Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education/ Graduate Outcomes survey;
• Very occasionally, when it is needed to protect your or another person’s vital interests and you are not capable of giving your consent (for example, in an emergency).

In some circumstances (for example, if you are not an alumnus of the University, or if, because of a disability, we need to make reasonable adjustments for you at an event we are organising), we will need your consent to process your personal data. In these cases, we will seek your consent which, if given, you will be able to withdraw at any time.

Within the University, your data is shared with only those University staff who need access for the purpose of delivering our alumni and supporter activities. Your personal data is held securely on the University’s DARO database, which is restricted to nominated university employees.

Your personal data is shared as is necessary, on a considered and confidential basis, with several external organisations which assist with our alumni and supporter activities. These organisations act on our behalf in accordance with our instructions behalf for the purposes outlined above and do not process your data for any purpose over and above what we have asked them to do. We make sure we have appropriate contracts in place with them. Sometimes your personal data is processed by these organisations outside the European Economic Area (for example, because they use a cloud-based system with servers based outside the EEA), and if so, appropriate safeguards are in place to ensure the confidentiality and security of your personal data.

It is also sometimes necessary for us to share personal data with third parties as follows:

• Third parties engaged by the University to provide alumni, supporter and fundraising related services – we share biographical, contact and education details, professional details, volunteering and philanthropic details;
• Event venue providers – names and accessibility and assistance requirements and related information;
• The Charity Commission – for compliance with charity law;
• The Office for Students - as our principal regulator for charity law purposes;
• Compilers of ranking leagues, including, but not exclusively, the Financial Times;
• Local Authorities to carry out any of their public functions;
• HMRC - as required for Gift Aid purposes; and
• Occasionally and when necessary internal and external auditors or regulators.

We ensure we have appropriate data sharing and/or processing agreements in place before sharing your personal data with any other data controllers.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties under any circumstances, or permit third parties to sell on the data we have shared with them.

We will retain most of your data indefinitely in support of your lifelong relationship with the University, or until there is no longer a legal basis for holding it, or you object to the use of your data for direct marketing purposes.

Details about your rights are set out on the website page ‘Data Protection – How the University Uses Your Data’.  This also explains how to ask any questions you may have about how your personal data is used, exercise any of your rights or complain about the way your data is being handled.

If you change your mind about receiving information about the University’s alumni and supporter services and activities, you should contact us using the contact details provided in all our emails to you. 

This privacy notice is effective from 25 May 2018 and was last updated on the 14 February 2020. It is reviewed when necessary and at least annually. Any changes will be published here and you will be notified by email or as appropriate.