Be United Privacy Policy

This Website is operated by Be United, a charity registered in Scotland (charity number SC0 44615), whose registered address is at Clockwise Edinburgh Leith, 84 Commercial Street, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6LX. See About Us for more information. 

Be United (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your information. This policy sets out how we use the information you share with us and outline the measures we take to protect such information in accordance with UK data protection legislation, namely the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 2018.  

Be United will be the controller of your personal information and will comply with UK data protection laws when using and handling your personal information.  

If you are under 18 years old, please get a parent or guardian to read through this policy with you and to discuss them with you. 

1. Information We Collect 

We may collect and process the following types of personal data and information.  

Information you provide to us: 

  • name, email address, postal address, phone number 
  • Membership details and preferences, including type and tier (Artist, Individual, Business, Lifetime, or Gift Membership) 
  • donation details (please note: payment card details are processed securely by third party payment providers and are not stored by us) 
  • newsletter subscriptions and communication preferences 
  • volunteer applications and related information 
  • information provided when contacting us or participating in events, programmes or activities 

Information collected automatically: 

  • IP address 
  • browser type and version 
  • device information 
  • pages visited and interactions with the website 
  • this information is collected through cookies and similar technologies. Please see our Cookie Policy for more details. 

2. How will we use your data?  

We use personal information to: 

  • provide and manage access to our Website 
  • administer memberships, donations and Gift Aid where applicable 
  • send newsletters, updates and other communications 
  • manage volunteers, events and programmes 
  • respond to enquiries and provide support 
  • improve and develop our Website, services and activities 
  • meet our legal, regulatory and safeguarding obligations 
  • support our charitable mission and operations 

3. Lawful Basis for Processing 

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under UK GDPR, including: 

Consent – for newsletters, marketing communications and certain cookies. You may withdraw consent at any time where consent is the lawful basis. 

Contract – where processing is necessary for membership, donations or event participation. 

Legal obligation – for record-keeping, safeguarding or regulatory requirements. 

Legitimate interests – for internal administration, service improvement and communications related to our charitable aims. 

4. How do we store your data?  

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse or unauthorised access. While we take every reasonable step to protect your data, no online system is completely secure.  

5. Data Retention 

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting and reporting requirements. 

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised. 

Membership data is retained for the duration of the membership plus any necessary period to meet legal or safeguarding requirements. Gift Membership data is processed only with the consent of the named recipient and retained under the same principles. 

6. Marketing  

We will only send marketing or newsletter communications where you have opted in or where otherwise permitted by law. 

You can opt out at any time by: 

  • using the unsubscribe link in our emails, or 
  • contacting us directly 

Please note that unsubscribing from certain communications may affect your membership or participation in our programmes, as outlined in our Website Terms & Conditions. 

7. Mailing Lists and Email Providers 

We may use third party providers (such as email marketing platforms) to manage our mailing lists and send communications. Such providers may process personal data outside the UK. If this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as approved international data transfer mechanisms.  

8. Children’s Data 

We take the protection of children’s personal data seriously. Where we collect personal data relating to individuals under 18, we do so with appropriate safeguards and where required, with parental or guardian consent. 

We do not knowingly collect personal data from children without appropriate consent. 

9. Sharing your Information  

We do not sell or rent your personal data. 

We may share personal information with: 

  • trusted service providers (such as payment processors, email platforms, IT and hosting providers) 
  • professional advisers where necessary 
  • regulators or authorities where legally required 

All third parties are required to handle your data securely and in accordance with UK data protection law. 

10. Member Specific Considerations 

Personal data may be used to assess compliance with our Membership Terms and values (e.g. equity, empowerment, excellence) including actions relating to suspension or termination.  

Personal data is used to process Membership fees, notify of changes and manage automatic renewals. 

Data is stored according to Membership duration and for Gift Memberships, the named recipient’s consent. 

Except for Gift Memberships, Membership is personal and cannot be transferred without prior written consent. 

11. Your Rights 

You have the right to: 

  • access your personal data 
  • request correction of inaccurate data 
  • request deletion of your data 
  • object to or restrict processing 
  • withdraw consent where applicable 
  • request data portability 

To exercise your rights, please contact us using the details below. 

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). 

12. Privacy policies of other websites 

Our Website may contain links to third party websites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices and encourage you to review their policies. 

13. Changes to our privacy policy 

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Such changes to this Privacy Policy will be applicable to you and your data immediately.  

14. How to contact us 

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we use your data, please contact: [email protected] 

Thank you for choosing Be United.