During the course of our various projects and activities, Oxfam frequently gathers and uses personal information from donors, members, volunteers, and others who are involved or interested in our work.
Personal information is any information that can be used to distinguish, identify or contact a specific individual, such as your email address, name, title, and address, or financial information. Anyone from whom we collect such information can expect that it will be carefully protected and that any use of this information is subject to your consent.
Oxfam Canada 's privacy policy reflects our respect for the information you have entrusted us with. Our commitment is to communicate with you in the most effective and appropriate way possible. We will do our best to honour any limitations you may wish to place on the usage of your personal information.
Please read the following to understand how your personal information will be treated.
Oxfam Canada's Privacy Policy Principles
Accountability
– Oxfam Canada recognizes that we are responsible for all personal information under our control.
Identifying Purposes
– Oxfam Canada, and those designated or contracted to act for or on our behalf, will identify the purposes for which personal information is collected at or before the time the information is collected.
Consent
– Oxfam Canada and those designated or contracted to act for or on our behalf will ensure that the knowledge and consent of the individual are obtained for the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information, except where inappropriate.
Limiting Collection
– Oxfam Canada will ensure that the collection of personal information will be limited to that which is necessary for the purposes identified by the organization. Information will be collected by fair and lawful means.
Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention
– Oxfam Canada will ensure that personal information shall not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with the consent of the individual or as required by law. Personal information will be retained only as long as necessary for the fulfillment of those purposes.
Accuracy
– Oxfam Canada will ensure that personal information under our care be as accurate, complete, and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used.
Safeguards
– Oxfam Canada will ensure that personal information shall be protected by security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of information.
Openness
– Oxfam Canada will make readily available to individuals specific information about its policies and practices relating to the management of personal information.
Individual Access
– Oxfam Canada agrees to ensure that upon request an individual will be informed of the existence, use, and disclosure of their personal information and will be given access to that information. An individual will be able to challenge the accuracy and completeness of the information and have it amended as appropriate.
Provide Recourse
– Oxfam Canada agrees to ensure that an individual will be able to address a challenge concerning compliance with the above principles to the designated individual or individuals accountable for the organization's compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Oxfam Canada collects personal information from individuals when they register to join our organization and become a member, volunteer, make a donation, subscribe to our newsletters or otherwise participate in our organization. The personal information we collect in any form be it verbal, print or electronic document, is voluntarily submitted by you, with your express or implied consent. Express consent is given explicitly, either orally or in writing. Implied consent arises where consent may reasonably be inferred from the action or inaction of the individual.
Oxfam Canada will make every effort to ensure that the purposes and uses of information we collect will be clearly presented to you. All materials used by Oxfam Canada, or those designated to work on our behalf, to collect information will present the purpose, need and use in a manner that is understandable to whomever it is intended.
Oxfam Canada uses the information collected about you to help us understand more about how you would like to be engaged in our work and to be able to send you communications that may be of interest to you, electronically or otherwise. Oxfam Canada uses the information collected about you to be able to send you communications such as our newsletters and various printed publications or donation appeals.
In the course of various public engagement activities and events, Oxfam Canada staff, community-based groups and support volunteers are involved in collecting personal information from other Oxfam supporters (such as your email or address if you sign up to receive information at an event). Oxfam Canada will ensure that those individuals, groups/organizations and/or businesses that have been approved, designated or contracted to act for or on our behalf are aware of and in compliance with the principles set forth in Oxfam Canada 's Privacy Policy.
When you are on the Oxfam Canada website and are asked for personal information, you are sharing that information with Oxfam Canada alone unless stated otherwise. Personal information gathered by Oxfam Canada is kept in confidence. Oxfam Canada staff and select support volunteers are authorized to collect and access personal information based only on their need to deal with the information for the reason(s) for which it was obtained. Safeguards are in place to ensure that the information is not disclosed or shared more widely than is necessary to achieve the purpose for which it was gathered.
As a general rule, Oxfam Canada will not externally disclose any of your personally-identifiable information, except when we have your permission.
Oxfam Canada ensures that a privacy protection clause be included in contracts with individuals/organizations both inside and outside the scope of the organization. Oxfam will be guided by the principles outlined in our privacy policy in the daily development, administration, management and evaluation of personal information in our care.
Oxfam Canada may make individual identifying information available to affiliated third parties, and our agents, for marketing purposes. From time to time, we agree with other like-minded organizations to contact some of each other's supporters, for the mutual benefit of both.
When you join Oxfam as a member, donor or volunteer, you will be given the option of receiving specific communications related to Oxfam and informed about how your information will be used (for example, you can ask that your information not be shared with other organizations). You can opt out of receiving particular information from Oxfam at any time.
If you have indicated that you are interested in receiving particular information about Oxfam, we will send you communications regarding our activities, either electronically or otherwise. In addition, we may send you direct mail that we feel may be of interest to you.
The accuracy of your individual information is important to Oxfam Canada . We are working on ways to make it easier for you to review and correct the information that Oxfam maintains about you. For example, if your email address changes or any other information we hold may be inaccurate or out-of-date, please let us know by email or phone.
When you give Oxfam Canada personal information, we take steps to ensure that it is treated securely. Oxfam Canada uses industry-standard encryption technologies when transferring and receiving sensitive visitor data on our website or through other means. All online donations are processed via a secure server. We maintain appropriate security of our contact lists and information management systems, to protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of information that we have collected from you.
During a visit to our website, your privacy is respected. When you are on the Oxfam Canada website, and are asked for personal information, you are sharing that information with Oxfam Canada alone, unless stated otherwise. We may use this information to monitor and track information, such as visitor usage patterns of our website.
Any personal information collected on our behalf is managed in accordance with this privacy policy, and is protected by applicable law.
The Oxfam Canada website provides links to several other third party websites. While we make efforts to choose our links carefully, we cannot take responsibility for the content of linked websites, or for the privacy policies of websites we link to. Since we do not control those websites, we encourage you to review the privacy policies on those websites prior to any use.
Oxfam Canada will make every effort to respond openly to inquiries regarding our management, collection and disclosure of personal information. If you have any questions, concerns or complaints relating to Oxfam Canada's policy or practices with respect to the treatment of your personal information, please contact:
Attn: Privacy Officer
Oxfam Canada
39 McArthur Avenue
Ottawa, ON
K1L 8L7