Privacy notice for alumni

1. Introduction

1.1 The Office of Development and Alumni Relations at the University of West London (ODAR) exists to maintain strong links with former students of the University – and its predecessor institutions. We’re here to help you stay connected with other alumni and with news, events, reunions and updates from the University.

1.2 We also fundraise and, through the incredible generosity of our donors and friends, we are able to support our students with scholarships and bursaries, provide an inspirational learning environment and advance impactful research.

1.3 This notice details how ODAR collects, stores and processes personal information about our alumni and other stakeholders.

1.4 The aim of collecting and processing your data is to provide you with the best possible experience of being an alumnus/alumna and supporter.

1.5 ODAR is committed to maintaining the security and integrity of the data we hold on all of our stakeholders.

1.6 Our activities are undertaken in accordance with the University’s data protection policy which is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulations and the Data Protection Act (2018). The University of West London is registered as a data processor with the Information Commissioners Office; our registration number is Z4666761.

2. How we obtain your personal data

2.1 We receive your personal data from the following sources:

• Directly from you during your ongoing relationship with the University which begins when you first enrol as a student. All former students of the University of West London, and its predecessors¹, automatically become members of the alumni association.
• Through personal interactions and communications with the alumni and development team.
• When you engage through social media channels.
• When signing up to an account on ODAR’s NetCommunity platform.
• When requesting a transcript or certificate from the University Registry.
• When attending an event.
• When making a gift.

¹ The following are all predecessor institutions of UWL: Berkshire College of Nursing and Midwifery, Ealing College of Higher Education, Ealing Technical College, Acton Hotel and Catering School, Ealing Technical Institute and School of Art, Ealing Technical Institute and School of Art and Crafts, London College of Music, North West Thames Regional Health Authority's AIDS Unit, Northwick Park School of Nursing, Polytechnic of West London, Queen Charlotte’s College of Health Studies, Reading College and School of Art and Design, Riverside College of Nursing, Thames Valley College of Higher Education, Polytechnic of West London, Thames Valley University.

2.2 We may also use publicly available information, recommendations from staff, supporters and specialist third party services to identify individuals and organisations who we believe may have the interest and financial capacity to make a major gift to the University.

2.3 Where this activity is undertaken for a new contact, with whom we have no previous relationship, we will provide the individual with a link to this privacy notice as part of our initial engagement.

2.4 Sometimes third parties may also be used to update/and provide new details, for instance suppression information from the Telephone Preference Service or updates from the National Change of Address register.

3. Types of data we process

3.1 We collect various types of personal data including many of the following:

• Title, names, gender and date of birth.
• Contact details.
• Education details.
• Employment details and career history.
• Partner details.
• Awards received whilst at the University including scholarships and bursaries
• Relationships with staff, alumni and other stakeholders.
• Records of communications received from us including magazine, newsletter, emails and letters, your communication preferences.
• Your attendance (and that of your guests) on visits to, or at events at the University, including details of any payments made, and photographs, audio and video recordings in which you may be included. Where we make reasonable adjustments to improve your experience of the event, we will record information such as dietary and mobility requests.
• Details of services provided to you such as alumni cards, transcripts and careers related services such as LinkedIn Learning.
• Donations to the University including current and past gifts and pledges, projects supported and indications of the intent to leave a legacy.
• Relationship with other patrons/donors or relationship with trusts and foundations.
• Information relating to your willingness or financial capacity to support charitable objectives where it has been provided to us or publicly reported.
• Interactions between you and ODAR including offers of help and volunteering made by you.
• Any requests you have made for anonymity in relation to your giving.
• Thank you letters, donor reports provided relating to gifts you have made, correspondence and notes of meetings.
• With your permission we may publish your name in a donor list pertaining to a project.

4. Our reasons for processing your data

4.1 We process your data to fulfil our stated aims of both fostering a strong alumni association in order to maintain links with our former students and to raise philanthropic income to support current students, research and infrastructure projects at the University.

4.2 To further these goals, we may process your personal data for the following purposes: 

• to update your details to ensure we have as accurate information as possible 
• to process gifts, you may have made and to inform you of the impact of your donation 
• to inform you of our programme of events, lectures and webinars that are available to you as a former student and supporter 
• to verify account details when registering for an account on the alumni portal 
• to manage our ongoing relationship with you and to provide a record of your interactions and contributions to University life 
• to provide career guidance after you graduate 
• to send communications such as the magazine, newsletters and other updates including departmental updates 
• to inform you of the graduate outcomes survey and other surveys relating to alumni
• to send you mentoring or volunteering opportunities 
• to promote alumni benefits and services, including careers service or learning aids such as Linkedin Learning 
• to accept and process commercial revenue, e.g. event tickets 
• to contact you with a request to help us raise money or for a donation to support a fundraising programme at the University 
• to ensure that all approaches for major gifts are professional, respectful and in line with best practice 
• to process Gift Aid claims with the HM Revenue and Customs 
• to assess your information (available from public sources) when considering acceptance of major donations, as part of the University’s legal obligation to prevent bribery and fraud. 
• to produce management reports, and for other relevant purposes relating to the governance of the University. We will use only the data required and, unless necessary, we will use anonymised or pseudonymised data.

5. When and why we share data

5.1 We may, from time to time, need to share your personal data within University departments. Examples of such data sharing include, but are not limited to: event planning, award nomination and selection or for the processing of alumni card and transcript requests

5.2 We may also share your data with third-parties working on our behalf. These include Mailing houses, printers, external event organisers or venues, organisations providing tools such as relationship - or event-management systems such as databases and or survey tools; payment services (e.g. direct debit, online donation processing) and organisations assisting with activities such as auditing, business intelligence and analysis and research.

5.3 When we share your data with a service provider, we only share the minimum amount of information required to fulfil the task and through secure means. The data is not kept once the processing is complete and our third-party service providers are not allowed to use it for their own purposes.

6. Security of your data

6.1 The University’s alumni and donor database, Raiser’s Edge is securely hosted by Blackbaud Inc., a global non-profit Privacy Shield certified software provider, operating under a formal agreement with the University. The information held on the database can only be accessed by members of the University authorised by ODAR. All users undergo privacy training.

6.2 Online donations are processed via our third-party payment service providers and your credit or debit card information is not collected or stored by us. When you do provide us with your credit or debit card information, over the phone, or on a printed giving form, that data is destroyed after your payment has been processed. If you make payment by cheque or supply us with your bank details in order to set up a direct debit, your bank details are shredded securely once we are sure payment has been taken or the direct debit has been established.

6.3 We do not, and will not, sell your data.

7. How long do we hold personal information for?

7.1 We consider our relationship with alumni, friends and supporters to be lifelong and we will store your details until you inform us that you do not wish to hear from us or you ask us to delete some or all of your information.

7.2 In the event that you advise us that you no longer wish to hear from us we will keep a sufficient record of your ID, name, date of birth and your communication preferences to ensure that your data is not further used for such processing.

7.3 Some information, for example details about gifts and gift aid may have a statutory minimum period of retention for audit purposes. To manage your communication preferences online visit our website or email alumni@uwl.ac.uk.

8. The Legal basis for processing your data

8.1 We will only use your personal data where the law allows us to do so. Most commonly we rely on the following legal basis:

• where we have a legitimate interest to do so for the purposes listed in this privacy notice eg to run an alumni association, including events, and to undertake philanthropic fundraising
• where we need to perform the contract we have entered into with you (i.e. making a donation) 
• where we have to comply with our legal obligations (i.e. gift aid claims and other statutory requirements)

9. Your choice – now and in the future

9.1 We hope that you will want to stay connected with the University. However, you have the right to change your contact preferences or unsubscribe from any or all of our communication channels – including post, email and telephone – at any time. You can do this by writing to us at:

Database Manager, Office of Development and Alumni, University of West London, St Mary’s Road, W5 5RF

Phone number: +44 (0) 20 8231 0188

9.2 Alternatively, you can email us at alumni@uwl.ac.uk with your request to opt out of communications by post, email or phone. We promise to treat your request sensitively and in a timely fashion. You can opt back in to receive communications from us at any time.

9.3 You may also contact the Data Protection Officer for the University for further information at university.secretary@uwl.ac.uk.

9.4 You also have a right to:

• request a copy of the information we hold about you
• update or change any incorrect information we hold about you
• ask us to stop processing your personal data in certain ways (unless it is necessary for the purpose you provided it to us, for example where you have asked us to register you for an event or process a donation or gift aid)
• raise a concern or complaint about the way we use your information
• request information on publicly available sources used by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations

9.5 Should you require more information on any of these rights, please visit ICO website for further information. Should you have any complaints about the way we are processing your data, you may complain directly to the Information Commissioner's Office. Please see ICO for details on this process. We may amend this privacy notice from time to time. Any significant changes to this privacy statement or to the way we treat your personal data will be communicated via the University website or by contacting you directly.