Privacy Policy

1. PURPOSE

This policy describes how International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) collects and manages personal information and fulfills its obligations under the Privacy Act 1988. Personal information means information about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable. This policy details the personal information collected by IWDA, including why the organisation holds personal information, how it is protected, and the choices individuals can make about their personal information.

2. SCOPE

This policy applies to all entities and individuals engaging with IWDA including, but not limited to:

  • Donors and supporters
  • Staff, volunteers and consultants
  • Contractors and service providers
  •  Survey respondents and research participants
  •  Website users and event attendees

3. POLICY

IWDA respects individual privacy and is committed to protecting personal information. IWDA applies the Australian Privacy Principles (APP) contained in the Privacy Act 1988, and is guided by the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct of the Fundraising Institute of Australia.

Collection and storage of personal information
IWDA collects and retains personal information necessary to assist in achieving our mission, managing our relationships with donors and other supporters, keeping people informed of our activities, strengthening the organisation through fundraising, and complying with legal requirements. IWDA collects personal information only by fair and lawful means and, whenever reasonably possible, directly from the individual.
The types of personal information collected include:

  •  identifying information, such as your name;
  •  contact information, such as your postal address, email address and telephone number;
  •  financial information, such as the payment details for donation
  •  details of any services or training we provide; and
  •  records of our communications with you, including any messages you send us.

IWDA collects sensitive information only with consent when the information is reasonably necessary for the activities of IWDA. For example, IWDA will collect sensitive information through the Equality Insights Survey for the purpose of understanding deprivation.
IWDA will take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify personal or sensitive data where required under the Privacy Act, including on occasions when that data is no longer required. This includes donation and donor data, employee data and other sensitive information.
Individuals contacting IWDA may request anonymity, with the exception of donors who wish to receive tax receipts, as limited personal information is necessary in order to issue acknowledgement of contributions for tax purposes. IWDA will practice donor confidentiality and will only publicly identify IWDA donors with their advance knowledge and permission.

Equality Insights

When conducting the Equality Insights Survey, IWDA ensures:

  • Participation is voluntary and, where possible, individuals may choose to keep their data anonymous, though it will not be anonymous to enumerators conducting the survey;
  • Informed consent is obtained and documented;
  • Enumerators and supervisors follow privacy and confidentiality protocols;
  • Contractual agreements with external research firms include privacy clauses ensuring compliance with Australian privacy laws.

Online Privacy

To improve its website, IWDA collects standard information about website visitors, including cookies provided by a third party such as Google Analytics. This information is accessed by IWDA anonymously and in aggregate to track website usage. This information may also be accessed by Google Analytics; however, IWDA will make no attempt to identify individual users or their browsing activities except where required by law. Individuals may opt out of Google Analytics tracking by adjusting browser settings or using Google’s opt-out tool.
Personal information collected through the IWDA website or the website of a third party vendor acting on our behalf (e.g. donations, newsletter sign-ups, workshops sign-ups, petitions) is stored securely and accessible only to authorised IWDA representatives. Credit card details collected online are securely handled by our third-party payment processors, IWDA does not store these details.

Offline Privacy

Personal information collected over the phone or in person is stored securely. Credit card details collected over the phone or in person are encrypted in our database, and all personal information is stored securely where it is only accessible by authorised IWDA representatives.

Third-parties

Personal information collected by third-party vendors on IWDA’s behalf, either through online or offline channels, Will be subject to that vendor’s privacy policy and practices, in addition to IWDA’s privacy policy. Third-party vendors collecting personal information on behalf of IWDA will identify themselves as such, to enable individuals to make informed decisions about when and how they disclose their personal information. IWDA will take reasonable measures, contractual and otherwise, to ensure that third-party vendors contracted on our behalf will safeguard personal information to the same standard as IWDA; however, IWDA cannot control or be held liable for the business practices of third-party entities to whom personal information is provided.

Use of personal information

IWDA collects and retains personal information to:

    • Achieve its mission and manage relationships with donors and supporters;
    • Keep individuals informed about IWDA’s activities;
    • Strengthen fundraising efforts;
    • Comply with legal requirements.

IWDA may send you marketing materials about our activities, and those of our partner organisations. You can opt-out of receiving marketing communications from us by contacting us or following the “unsubscribe” link in the communication.
Occasionally we also allow like-minded organisations to contact you with information that may be of interest to you, including some organisations located outside Australia. Those organisations allow us to do the same and this way we can reach more people with vital information.
IWDA does not share personal information with third parties unless:

    •  The individual provides explicit consent;
    •  The data is shared with contracted service providers (e.g. external marketing agencies) for necessary IWDA functions;
    • Disclosure is required by law.

When sharing data with contractors, IWDA ensures through contractual agreements that personal information is safeguarded and only retained as long as is necessary.

Overseas disclosure

IWDA may disclose personal information to overseas recipients in limited circumstances and only as required by the nature of our work. Circumstances where IWDA may disclose personal information overseas include where arranging travel for a contractor engaged by IWDA or supporting professional networking between contacts in Australia and overseas. IWDA will only disclose personal information to overseas recipients in countries where we are actively engaged, including those listed on our website.

Accessing and correcting personal information

Individuals have the right to request access or correction of personal information held by IWDA, subject to exceptions listed in the Privacy Act 1988. Upon request, and within the parameters of the legislation, IWDA will provide individuals with access to this information.
To protect the integrity and security of data, IWDA may require verification of identity before providing access. An administration fee may be charged for certain requests, but individuals will be informed in advance. There may be cases where we are unable to provide the information you request, such as where it would interfere with the privacy of others or result in a breach of confidentiality. In these cases, we will let you know why we cannot comply with your request.

Data Retention and Breach Response

IWDA retains personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill its purpose. When data is no longer required, IWDA follows secure disposal methods to destroy or de-identify it.
IWDA has a Business Continuity Plan which outlines the whole of organisation plans and procedures for the recovery of business-critical processes and a key reference document is IWDA’s data breach response plan which outlines the approach to managing potential security incidents, including;

      •  Investigating suspected breaches;
      • Notifying affected individuals as required;
      • Reporting to regulatory authorities as per legal requirements.

Personnel Records
IWDA collects, stores, and processes personal information of staff, volunteers, and consultants in compliance with Australian privacy laws and workplace regulations. This includes, but is not limited to:

      • Employment records, including contracts and position details
      • Payroll and banking details for salary, superannuation and other payments
      • Performance evaluations and professional development records
      • Workplace health and safety information, including leave records and medical records where required

This information is collected for the purposes of employment administration, workplace safety, legal compliance, and organisational management.
Access to staff records is strictly limited to authorised personnel within IWDA’s leadership, finance, and people & culture teams. IWDA implements secure storage and data protection measures, including encryption and restricted access controls, to safeguard employment-related information. Employment records are retained only for as long as necessary to meet contractual, legal, and regulatory obligations. When records are no longer required, they will be securely deleted or archived in compliance with relevant laws.
Staff members may request access to or corrections of their personal information by contacting IWDA’s Privacy Officer. However, access may be restricted where it interferes with legal obligations or the privacy of others.

4.PRIVACY ENQUIRIES & COMPLAINTS

IWDA is committed to working with individuals to obtain a fair resolution of any privacy concerns. If you are concerned about the way in which we are managing your personal information and think we may have breached the Australian Privacy Principles, or any other relevant obligation, please contact us using the contact details set out below. We will deal with the matter within a reasonable time, and will keep you informed of the progress of our investigation. If we have not responded to you within a reasonable time or if you feel that your complaint has not been resolved satisfactorily, you can contact us to discuss your concerns.
Please contact us by calling (+61 3) 8373 2500, emailing privacy@iwda.org.au or alternatively write to:

The Privacy Officer
IWDA
PO Box 64, Flinders Lane
Victoria, Australia, 8009

You are also entitled to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). You can obtain further general information about your privacy rights and privacy law from the OAIC by:

      • calling their Privacy Hotline on 1300 363 992
      • visiting their web site at http://www.oaic.gov.au
      •  writing to:
        The Australian Information Commissioner
        GPO Box 5218
        Sydney NSW 1042

5. REFERENCES/RELATED DOCUMENTS