Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: [15 October 2025]

Notice: This document is a draft template tailored to The Haven Place Foundation (“HPF” / “we” / “us” / “our”) based on publicly visible material on havenplacefoundation.org and typical nonprofit practice. It is not legal advice. Before publishing, have the text reviewed by the HPF legal counsel and, if applicable, any other legal advisors.

1. Introduction and Scope

This Privacy Policy explains how Haven Place Foundation (“HPF”, “we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, stores, discloses, and protects personal information that we collect through our website (https://havenplacefoundation.org) and related services, including donation processing, volunteer and mentorship applications, partner forms, contact forms, newsletters, and events.

This policy applies to any person whose personal information we process, including donors, volunteers, partners, mentors, mentees, beneficiaries, job/mentee applicants, newsletter subscribers, website visitors, and other users of our services.

2. Data Controller and Contact Details

Data controller: Haven Place Foundation

Primary contact:

  • Address: Empire Court, Burma Hills, Accra, Ghana
  • Email: info@havenplacefoundation.org
  • Phone: +233 302 724 305
3. Categories of Personal Information we Collect

We collect a range of personal information depending on the interaction. Typical categories include:

  • Identity & contact data: name, title, organization, postal address, email address, phone number.
  • Communications: messages submitted via contact forms, e‑mail correspondence, phone call logs, newsletters, and marketing consents.
  • Payment & donation details: donation amount, transaction reference, billing name/address as supplied by the donor. We do not collect or store full card numbers on our servers — payment card processing is handled by our third-party payment processor. (See Section 7.)
  • Application materials/attachments: CVs, resumes, motivation letters, scanned documents or images submitted as part of volunteer, mentorship, or partner applications.
  • Profile data & preferences: newsletter preferences, language preferences, volunteer availability.
  • Usage & technical data: IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, pages visited, referring/exit pages, date/time stamps, cookie identifiers, and other diagnostic data from website logs.
  • Photographs and multimedia: images or video supplied by users for gallery, testimonial, or program reporting purposes (we will obtain consent as required).
  • Special categories / sensitive data: from time to time, we may receive limited sensitive information (e.g., health details necessary for program participation). We will only collect such data when necessary and with explicit consent and additional protections.
4. How we Collect Personal Data

We collect personal information through:

  • Website forms (Contact Us, Become a Volunteer, Partner with Us, Apply for Mentorship, Host a Learning Exchange, newsletter sign‑up, donation forms).
  • Direct communications (email, phone, in-person meetings, events).
  • Donations and payment processing flows (redirects to payment processors).
  • Public sources (public social media posts, publicly available directories), where permitted.
  • Photographs and media provided by community members and partners.
  • Automated technologies (cookies, web beacons, server logs, and analytics).
5. Purposes of Processing and Lawful Basis

We process personal data for legitimate nonprofit purposes, including but not limited to:

  • Receiving and processing donations, issuing receipts, and managing donor relationships.
  • Operating our programs (after-school program, community infrastructure initiatives, women’s empowerment programs, and environmental activities) and administering to beneficiaries/participants.
  • Managing volunteer, mentor, partner, and grant applications and communications.
  • Communicating program updates, newsletters, and fundraising appeals where we have consent or another lawful basis.
  • Conducting monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and research to assess impact and meet funder reporting requirements.
  • Fulfilling legal or regulatory obligations (e.g., tax records, anti-money laundering checks where applicable).
  • Detecting and preventing fraud or security incidents.
  • Managing our website and improving user experience via analytics.

Lawful bases (examples): consent (for newsletters, marketing, photos), contractual necessity (processing donations, volunteer agreements), legal obligation (financial recordkeeping), and legitimate interests (fraud prevention, site security, relationship management). For individuals in certain jurisdictions (for example, Ghana under the Data Protection Act, or the EU GDPR where applicable), additional rights and obligations may apply.

6. Sharing and Disclosure of Personal Information

We may share personal information with third parties for specific purposes, such as:

  • Payment processors for donation transactions (e.g., Paystack or other service used to accept payments).
  • Service providers who host our website, provide analytics, email and newsletter platforms, cloud storage, or CRM systems, under data processing agreements requiring confidentiality and security.
  • Professional advisors — lawyers, auditors, accountants, where necessary for legal compliance and financial audits.
  • Partners and funders when required for program delivery or reporting, and only where appropriate safeguards exist.
  • Law enforcement or regulators, when required by law or to comply with lawful requests.

We will not sell personal data to third parties.

7. Payment Processing & Donors

Online donations are processed using a third-party payment platform. Donors are redirected to the payment provider’s secure page to enter payment card details. We do not store complete payment card numbers on our servers. Payment processors will have their own privacy and security practices: donors should review their terms. By donating, you consent to the transfer of your payment information to the payment provider for processing.

8. Cookies, Tracking, and Analytics

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to operate the website and improve user experience, including session cookies, functional cookies for forms, and analytics cookies to understand site usage. Visitors may manage cookie preferences or block cookies via their browser settings. Blocking cookies may restrict some features.

If we implement third-party analytics (e.g., Google Analytics) or advertising/retargeting services, we will disclose those providers and their opt-out mechanisms here.

9. International Transfers

Because we use third-party service providers, personal information may be stored or processed in jurisdictions outside Ghana. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that transfers are subject to appropriate safeguards and contractual protections.

10. Data Security

We implement administrative, technical, and physical measures reasonably designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. These measures include access controls, encrypted communications (HTTPS), regular backups, and staff training. No online system is completely secure; if a breach occurs, we will follow applicable law for notification and remediation.

11. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined above, to comply with legal obligations, or to resolve disputes. Typical retention periods include:

  • Donation and financial records: a minimum of six (6) years as required by Ghanaian tax and accounting law.
  • Volunteer and application records: for the duration of involvement and a reasonable archival period.
  • Website analytics: aggregated/anonymous data retained for 12 months.
12. Rights of Data Subjects

Under applicable law (including the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) in Ghana), individuals have rights such as:

  • Access to their personal data.
  • Correction or rectification of inaccurate data.
  • Deletion or erasure in certain circumstances.
  • Restriction of processing.
  • Objection to processing for direct marketing.
  • Right to data portability where applicable.

To exercise rights or lodge a complaint, contact us at info@havenplacefoundation.org. If unresolved, data subjects may contact the Data Protection Commission in Ghana.

13. Children and Minors

HPF works with children in program delivery. We require parental/guardian consent before collecting personal data from minors for program enrolment and publicity (photographs, stories). We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children without appropriate consent; where discovered, we will delete such data unless lawful grounds exist for retention.

14. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Where changes are material, we will provide clear notice (via the website or by email to subscribers). The revised effective date will be displayed at the top.

15. Contact & Complaints

If you have any questions about this policy or want to exercise your rights, contact:

info@havenplacefoundation.org +233 302 724 305 Empire Court, Burma Hills, Accra, Ghana

For regulatory complaints in Ghana, the Data Protection Commission: https://dataprotection.org.gh/ (or local equivalent).