The short version
- Independent Check Ltd runs Giving121 and is responsible for your information.
- We only collect what you type into our forms, plus a few technical details about the form being sent.
- We use it to reply to you, check requests, write listings with your agreement, and put givers in touch with sponsors.
- Your name, photo and address are never shown on the site. Givers never get your contact details.
- A computer pre-screen reads requests first. A person makes every decision.
- We count visits without cookies and without identifying you.
- We don’t sell your information, show adverts or use tracking cookies.
- You can ask to see, change or delete your information at any time: info@giving121.com.
Who we are
Giving121 is run by Independent Check Ltd, company number 08302295, registered office Celtic House, Caxton Place, Cardiff CF23 8HA. Giving121 is not a charity. We are the “controller” of the personal information described here. That means we decide how it’s used and we’re responsible for looking after it.
We’re registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), registration number ZA389829.
Questions about your information: info@giving121.com or 0800 246 1094.
What we collect, and why
We only collect information you give us through a form on this site, or that a sponsor gives us about a case. There are no accounts, so there are no usernames or passwords. We never ask for bank or card details.
If you ask for help
Through the Get help form, we collect:
- what you need, roughly what it costs and what it will help you do;
- who supports you at the moment;
- what we should call you, and your phone number or email address;
- anything else you choose to tell us.
We use this to reply to you, to check your request with your sponsor, and to write your listing with you. Lawful basis: your consent.
Some requests include information about your health or a disability, for example if you need a special bed or a mobility aid. The law calls this “special category” information. We only use it with your explicit consent, which you give with a tick box on the form.
If you register as a sponsor
We collect your organisation’s name and type, your name, role, work email and phone number, and anything you tell us about how you’d use Giving121. We use this to check your organisation and to work with you on cases. Lawful basis: our legitimate interest in making sure every sponsor is a real organisation.
If you’d like to fund a case
We collect your name, email, phone number if you give it, and any question you ask. We use this to put you in touch with the sponsor and to send you the receipt or photo once the item is delivered. Lawful basis: taking the steps you’ve asked us to take before an arrangement is made.
If you contact us
We collect your name, email and message. We use them to reply. Lawful basis: our legitimate interest in answering questions.
If you ask to hear about new cases
We collect your name and email. We use them to email you when a new case is listed, and for nothing else. Lawful basis: your consent. You can stop these emails at any time by replying to any alert or emailing info@giving121.com, and we’ll take you off the list.
Technical details sent with a form
When you send a form, our website software saves your browser, your device’s operating system and the page you came from, alongside your answers. It doesn’t save your IP address. We use these details to spot spam and misuse. Lawful basis: our legitimate interest in keeping the site safe.
Our web host also keeps standard server logs, which include IP addresses, for a limited time for security.
Visit statistics
We use Umami to count visits and the pages people look at. It works without cookies, doesn’t store anything on your device and doesn’t identify you. It records the page, the site you came from, your browser, your type of device and your country. It doesn’t store IP addresses. Lawful basis: our legitimate interest in knowing which pages are useful.
Information about other people
If you tell us about someone else, such as a child or a partner, please only tell us what we need, and make sure they’re happy for you to share it.
How we check requests: the automated pre-screen
When a request for help or a sponsor registration comes in, a computer pre-screen reads it before a person does. It is run for us by TypeSafe (api.typesafe.ai), using its “Jev” system.
It answers questions like:
- Is this a request for one specific item?
- Is it something we can’t list, such as cash, debts or rent arrears?
- Does it contain details that could identify someone, which we’d need to remove?
- What kind of need is it, and what kind of organisation is the sponsor?
Your name, email address, phone number and address are removed before anything is sent to TypeSafe. We only send the description of the need and the organisation’s name.
The pre-screen doesn’t make decisions. It sorts requests so we can read them faster. A member of our team reads every request, and a person decides whether to contact a sponsor, ask you for more information, or explain that we can’t help. No decision about you is made by a computer alone.
If you’d rather your request wasn’t pre-screened, email info@giving121.com instead and a person will read it.
We also look up the organisation name on Companies House and the Charity Commission register. Only the organisation name is sent, not anything about you.
Who we share it with
- Your sponsor. If you ask for help, we share your request with the organisation you named, so they can check it.
- Givers. A giver sees your listing, which you approved. They never get your name, contact details or anything you haven’t agreed to show.
- Sponsors, when someone funds a case. We send the sponsor the giver’s name and email, and the giver the sponsor’s contact details, so they can arrange payment.
- Services that help us run the site. These are our web host, our email provider, TypeSafe for the pre-screen, and our own Umami server for visit statistics. They can only use your information to provide their service to us.
- If the law requires it, for example to the police, or to protect someone from harm.
We never sell your information, and we don’t use it for advertising.
Each sponsor organisation is responsible for the information it holds about the person it supports, under its own privacy policy. Before a sponsor shares someone’s details with us, it confirms it has that person’s agreement.
Sending information outside the UK
Some of our providers may handle information outside the UK. Where they do, we make sure it’s protected by UK-approved safeguards, such as adequacy regulations or the International Data Transfer Agreement. Ask us if you want details.
How long we keep it
These periods apply to the records on our website and to the copies in our email inbox.
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| A request for help that doesn’t go ahead | 6 months after we last hear from you |
| A case that’s listed | When a case is funded, it moves to the Funded list (item, price and date only) for up to 12 months. A withdrawn case comes down straight away. We keep the case record, including the receipt or photo, for 2 years after it comes down |
| A giver’s details for a funded case | 2 years after the case is funded |
| An enquiry to fund a case that doesn’t go ahead | 12 months |
| Sponsor details | While the organisation is a sponsor, then 2 years |
| Contact form messages | 12 months |
| New case alerts | Until you ask us to stop |
| Technical details saved with forms | 6 months |
| Invoices and records of listing fees | 6 years, because tax law requires it |
Your rights
You can ask us to:
- show you the information we hold about you;
- correct anything that’s wrong;
- delete your information;
- stop or limit how we use it;
- give you a copy to take elsewhere.
If we’re using your information because you agreed, you can change your mind at any time. That includes taking down your listing. It won’t affect anything we did before you told us.
You can also object to us using your information for our legitimate interests.
To do any of this, email info@giving121.com or call 0800 246 1094. It’s free. We’ll reply within one month.
Keeping it safe
Only our team can see requests, and only through a password-protected admin area. Forms are sent over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection. We keep the information we hold to a minimum, and we delete it when the periods above end.
Children
You must be 18 or over to ask for help yourself. If someone under 18 needs something, their parent, carer or sponsor can make the request for them. We don’t knowingly collect information from anyone under 18 without a parent, carer or sponsor involved.
Cookies
Our website doesn’t use cookies for visitors. See our Cookie policy.
If you’re unhappy
Please tell us first and we’ll try to put it right: info@giving121.com.
You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which regulates data protection in the UK: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or 0303 123 1113.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we use your information, we’ll update this page and the date at the top. If the change is important and we have your email address, we’ll tell you.