DARO Privacy Policy
The University of Westminster is the Data Controller for the personal information held in our Development Office and Alumni Relations Office (DARO).
This Privacy Policy is in addition to the University’s privacy policy and applies specifically to information held about alumni and friends of the University by DARO.
DARO is committed to protecting your privacy. This statement describes how DARO collects and uses personal information. The terms of this statement may change from time to time, and if those changes are significant, you will be notified.
Only authorised University staff, who are committed to confidentiality, will have access to personal information held by DARO, and it will only be shared externally where allowed or required by law. No personal information held by DARO is transferred outside the EEA unless allowed by law.
How we collect information
University of Westminster students’ details are transferred to DARO once a student successfully completes a course of study with the University, to form the basis of their Alumni record. We also hold records on registered non-alumni friends and supporters of the University, such as members of University Boards, and where allowed, people we consider to be potential donors to the University.
Apart from our initial graduate Alumni information, personal information is otherwise obtained by consent when a former student contacts us or a member of University staff. Alumni may also update their personal information via Westminster Connect, a securely hosted voluntary online portal which alumni can join to network with the University and one another. We may also occasionally receive information from Alumni about former classmates or friends. We will always check for consent in those instances before using these details for any further direct contact or marketing purposes.
We also sometimes obtain information about Alumni which has been made public or from sources that can satisfy the legal transfer of that information to us and for our use. Our collection and use of such information will be related to a legal basis and lawful purpose, which may include our tasks carried out in the public interest or where we have a clearly defined legitimate interest.
Occasionally, we may also process personal data held by DARO with compliant third-party companies as part of ongoing maintenance of accurate and up-to-date Alumni personal data.
Data related to these processes will sometimes include: Accurate home address, email and telephone numbers, philanthropic interests, job title, organisation, and estimated capacity to make a donation, and previous levels of engagement with DARO.
For further details on our processes at any specific time, or on any information we may hold on you, please contact [email protected].
Anyone pledging a donation of over £10,000 will also be screened using public domain resources for due diligence purposes.
What information we collect and hold
The personal information stored and processed by the University may include:
- biographic information including your title, name, date of birth and contact details – this may include your postal address, email address(es) and telephone number(s)
- information about your time at the University; your professional activities
- details of any volunteering you’ve completed at the University
- details of any donations you’ve made to the University
- details of any University events you’ve attended
- your current personal interests and charitable activities, which may include information taken from the public domain
- relationships to other alumni, donors and friends
- donor status and, where allowed, a wealth assessment
DARO does not hold or collect personal information about ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or health.
How the personal information we hold is used
- to keep you up to date with news and progress regarding the University
- to promote alumni and friends engagement activities and events, and to encourage your participation in activities we deem relevant to you
- to understand and inform how the University engages with its alumni and supporters in the future
- to further our legitimate charitable aims, including a range of fundraising programmes including direct marketing (including University publications), telephone and email fundraising and to provide you with any services you have requested and the promotion of benefits and services
Telephone fundraising
We may use your details for the purposes of telephone fundraising. Our annual telephone campaign will meet EU standards in relation to security and data protection.
Our callers are current University of Westminster students and are paid for their work, which provides them with valuable work experience whilst furthering the mission of the University through the funds we raise. We will respond personally and sensitively to anyone we call who appears vulnerable. If you would like to opt-out of receiving telephone fundraising calls, please email us at [email protected].
Graduate Outcomes survey
Graduate Outcomes is a UK-wide survey capturing information about the activities and perspectives of course leavers 15 months after they finish their Higher Education.
The survey is delivered by the Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited (HESA) to help universities and colleges (HE providers) fulfil their legal requirements to report on the outcomes of higher education to the higher education funding and regulatory bodies.
The University has a statutory duty to provide your contact details for this survey. To meet this duty, the Development and Alumni Relations Offices may share your basic contact details with the Higher Education Statistics Agency. Participation in the survey, although not compulsory, helps us to recognise the achievement of our graduates and to improve services for students and alumni.
Your choices
Once you complete your studies, the Development and Alumni Offices will keep in touch with you using the data which was held on your student record. We may also contact you via the email address you provide at the point of booking for your graduation ceremony in order to communicate opportunities available to you as a graduate of Westminster.
Our Careers and Employability Service might contact you in the 18-month period following your graduation, to notify you of resources and support available to help with your career planning.
You can choose the types of activities and information you could like to receive from the University – this is known as your contact preferences. You might, for example, be happy to receive the annual magazine by post, but would not like to be phoned to discuss your feedback on the magazine. You can change your marketing and contact preferences at any time by contacting us at [email protected].
We will also send you news and updates through our email newsletters, which are hosted by the email marketing service, Campaign Monitor. You can also change your marketing and contact preferences at any time, or unsubscribe from e-contact entirely, via these emails.
How we protect your information
All of the personal information we hold for you will be held securely by the DARO and used strictly in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For any general information relating to the handling of your personal information by the University, please contact [email protected].
Any personal information we obtain will be held securely on the DARO database. This is hosted within the EEA and is fully SAS 70 Type II Certified and PCI DSS compliant. We take appropriate steps to ensure that we only record and store information which is relevant, that we keep it securely, that it is accurate and up to date and only kept for an appropriate length of time.
DARO will only use compliant third parties to process the email communications we send to you, to ensure we meet EU standards in relation to security and data protection.
Our data retention policy
We categorise records in the following three ways which determine how long we store your personal data:
- Active: records are active upon graduation and remain active whilst we have a valid email, home address or contact number for the individual. These individuals receive regular communications from the DARO, attend University events and might have volunteered their time or donated money to the University. All copies of personal correspondence and contact are recorded on the active record.
- Lapsed: these are records which were once active but no longer contain any valid contact details, meaning that communication has ceased. Attempts will be made to source new contact details by using third-party companies (as discussed in the ‘Your data’ section). Lapsed records will remain in this category for five years to allow the University time to source new details or for the individual to proactively get in touch with the DARO to be re-categorised in the active pool.
- Archived: these are records which have lapsed for more than five years. After several attempts, no new contact details have been sourced. All records are stored indefinitely on the Raiser’s Edge database, however, all personal information is wiped from the record at this point. Name and course details are retained so that, if the individual later makes contact with the DARO, they can move from the archived pool back into the active pool.
Disclosure of information to third parties
We will never sell your data to any other charities or companies and will only share your data internally with those providing a service for the University, as detailed below.
Personal information will not be disclosed to external organisations other than those acting on the instructions of the University. Where this is the case, a written contract will be put in place between the University and the third party to set out the purposes for which the information can be used and the security measures that must be in place. The service provider will agree to never use your data for any additional purpose not set out in the agreement with the University. For example, we use a mailing house to send out copies of Network magazine.
Westminster Connect
Westminster Connect is a service provided free of charge for University of Westminster alumni. All potential users will be verified against our current records during the registration process before being granted full access to the site. The University of Westminster reserves the right to refuse access to anyone who misuses the site in any way. This activity is monitored on a regular basis.
Accessing your personal information
If you wish to request access to any of your personal information held by DARO, please contact the Data Controller through the University’s subject access procedure.
If you wish to amend the type of communications you receive or the way in which the University contacts you or to opt out of all communications please contact [email protected].
If you have any concerns or queries about this policy, or about how we hold and use your data, please contact [email protected].
You can also contact the Information Commissioner's Office in relation to any concerns or issues you may have with the processing of your personal information.
Last updated: March 2023