OERF:Donor privacy policy
Note: This was approved by special resolution of the OER FOundation Board of Directors. It is partly based on the Wikimedia Foundation Donor Privacy Policy and is therefore a derivative work in accordance with the CC-BY-SA license
The Open Education Resource (OER) Foundation maintains the highest level of respect for the privacy of its donors and contributing members. The OER Foundation has adopted this Donor and contributing member privacy policy to ensure that where you are an individual, we handle your personal information in accordance with the New Zealand Privacy Act 1993 (the country where the OER Foundation registered offices are located) and where you are an organisation, that your information is handled to the same standard. The OER Foundation also subscribes to the Donor Bill of Rights endorsed by numerous philanthropic organisations around the world.
Policy
Personal information we collect
The OER Foundation collects, holds and uses personal information from:
- Donors
- Membership contributors (individuals and organisations) who pay an annual membership fee.
Donor and membership contribution information is usually collected by survey form when making a financial contribution to the OER Foundation. This information may include:
- Your name, address, contact number(s) and email address
- Name of institution or organisational affiliation
- Donor comments
- Amount donated or membership fee level
Purposes for collecting information
The OER Foundation collects information directly from donors and members. The OER Foundation uses donor and member information for the following specified purposes.
Purposes that apply to both donors and members:
- Thank donors and members for their contribution(s)
- To distribute receipts for donations and membership contributions
- Internal analysis and record keeping
- Confirm identity
- Follow up on any queries made by the donor or contributing member
- Reporting requirements for relevant agencies including the New Zealand Charities Commission, shareholders of the OER Foundation and Inland Revenue New Zealand (General Sales Tax returns for New Zealand members and reporting requirements for registered charitable organisations).
- Recognition of the name of the donor without public disclosure of the donation amount unless the donor explicitly informs the OER Foundation otherwise by separate confidential communication.
- Contact donors and members about changes to this policy
Purposes that apply only to donors:
- Publishing optional donor comments submitted on donor forms on public lists, which may also be used in promotional materials with appropriate attribution with the provision that the donor may request anonymity when providing information on the donor form.
Purposes that apply only to members:
- Generate invoices for membership contributions and membership renewal forms
- Inform members about OER Foundation publications, projects and activities unless you have selected not to receive such information
- Appropriate acknowledgement of membership status on OER Foundation administered websites, with the provision that the respective member designates the relevant institutional attribution
Disclosure
The OER Foundation will never publish, sell, trade, rent or share personal information with third parties other than the recognition of our donors and contributing members in accordance with this policy and for the public health and safety purposes listed below. The OER Foundation may outsource operational activities and services provided to contributing members. For this purpose, and only for the purpose of providing official services of the OER Foundation, personal information may, as required, be handled by:
- Individuals, professionals or organisations working under contract to the OER Foundation to provide such services in accordance with the policies of the OER Foundation.
In accordance with the Privacy Act 1993, the OER Foundation reserves the right to disclose personal information where it believes on reasonable grounds that the disclosure of information is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to public health or public safety or the life or health of the individual concerned or another individual. The OER Foundation also reserves the right to disclose personal information where authorised by the Privacy Commissioner if the public interest or benefit to another person substantially outweighs the breach of privacy.
How we manage personal information
The OER Foundation is committed to keeping personal information secure. We manage our systems to ensure your username and personal information is protected as best we can. Personal information under this policy is collected using a secure website and corresponding SSL certificate registered by the OER Foundation. The OER Foundation may enter your information in a database with appropriate computer, network and communications security. The personal information collected will be destroyed when no longer required.
The OER Foundation takes advantage of the Google Analytics service to monitor traffic to and from our web sites. The system uses a small piece of Javascript to anonymously aggregate website statistics such as the number of page views, the number of unique visitors, the time spent on our website, and common entry and exit points into and from the website.
If you opt to pay using a credit card, our payment processor PayPal has their own privacy policy which varies by region. Please check the footer of their website for the policy that applies to you. Note that your credit card details are never shared with the OER Foundation.
The OER Foundation website may use cookies to maintain the state of your web session in accordance with best technical practices.
Financial information
All access to donor financial information is strictly limited to professional staff who need to process those data. No such data are given to any person, organization or group who does not need to access those data.
The OER Foundation only uses online payment processing services with world class security and strong reputations. The OER Foundation does not store, nor does it have access to, your credit card information, bank account numbers, or other account data sent to those processing services.
Access or correction of personal information
You can access the personal information the OER Foundation holds on you or your organisation. If the information held is inaccurate, incomplete or not up to date you may request the OER Foundation to correct this by contacting the Privacy Officer in writing.
Contact
If you have questions about this Donor Privacy Policy or if you wish to be removed from our e-mail/postal contact lists, then please email for the attention of the Privacy Officer at info@oerfoundation.org or write to:
The Privacy Officer
OER Foundation Limited
c/o Otago Polytechnic,
3rd floor, F Block,
Forth Street,
Private Bag 1910
Dunedin 9054
New Zealand.
Please do not send donations to the address above. Donations are processed online.
Changes to the Donor and contributing member privacy policy
The OER Foundation may amend this policy from time to time by resolution of the Board of Directors.
Donor Bill of Rights
The Foundation subscribes to the Donor Bill of Rights which is endorsed by numerous philanthropic organisations around the world including the Fundraising Institute of New Zealand.
Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the not-for-profit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:
- To be informed of the organization's mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
- To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization's governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
- To have access to the organization's most recent financial statements.
- To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
- To receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition.
- To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
- To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
- To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
- To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
- To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.
The text of this statement in its entirety was developed by the American Association of Fund-Raising Counsel (AAFRC), Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and National Society of Fund Raising Executives (NSFRE).
