Suffolk
Bird
Group

Personal Data Protection Policy

This policy describes:
• how the Personal Data of Suffolk Bird Group (SBG) members is held, used and stored
• who accesses the Personal Data and how
• the process for amending or removing Personal Data when no longer needed
The policy has been agreed by SBG Council and adheres to all relevant UK and European Data
Protection Legislation, specifically the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), May 2018.

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Personal Data held:
Oversight of SBG annual memberships is carried out by Officers of SBG and administered by
Officers and staff of Suffolk Naturalists’ Society (SNS), Charity Number 206084.
SBG and SNS hold some or all of these details for SBG members, depending on the information
supplied:

• Name - or names if for family membership
• Postal address - including postcode
• Email address
• Landline and/or mobile telephone number(s)
• Date of joining
• Membership category - individual, household, student and honorary
• Joint membership with SNS – if relevant
• Method of payment - cheque, direct debit, cash, bank transfer (BACS) or via SNS
• Gift Aid registration - Yes or No

SBG and SNS do not store ‘Sensitive Personal Data’ as defined by the GDPR.
SBG and SNS do not buy data from third parties or perform research or profiling on any of the
people whose data are recorded.

Uses of Personal Data:
Personal Data is used to communicate the following items to members. SBG and SNS may use
post, email, phone or text, as appropriate:

• Mailout of quarterly magazine The Harrier
• Subscription renewals and reminders
• Information on General Meetings
• Reminders of Indoor Events and Outdoor Events
• Invitations to contribute to bird surveys
• Requests for information related to Suffolk birds
• Sharing information on national, international and other topics,
including campaigns and appeals, appropriate to our role as a charity
‘for birds and for birders’

For those members who have signed Gift Aid Declarations, relevant Personal Data is also used to
prepare and submit current and previous years' Gift Aid claims to H M Revenue and Customs.
SBG and SNS will not use the data for direct marketing.

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Storage of Personal Data:
Personal Data on SBG members in digital format is stored securely with password protection and
is only accessible to authorised SBG and SNS Officers and staff.
Membership forms, Gift Aid registration forms and Data Consent forms on paper are stored
securely by SBG or SNS, for timescales as relevant.

Sharing of Personal Data:
Where the member has used the SNS/SBG Membership Form to request single Membership of
SBG or Joint Membership of SBG and Suffolk Naturalists’ Society (SNS), the personal data will be
shared with SNS for this purpose. The SNS Personal Data Protection Policy will then apply.
With this exception, SBG will not use its membership list to supply third parties with addresses or
other information, unless required to do so under UK law.

Access to Personal Data:
Access to Personal Data in digital or paper format is restricted to the following authorised SBG
Officers:

• Chair
• Treasurer
• Communications Officer
• The Harrier Editor
• Secretary
• SNS link person

and by the following SNS Officers and staff:

• Chair
• Membership Administrator

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For mailout of The Harrier, the Editor sends a password-protected spreadsheet to the SBG printer
with the names and addresses of current members. This information is deleted after each
mailout.

Members may request details of the Personal Data held on them by writing to the SBG Secretary
details of the current postholder are on the inside back cover of The Harrier.
If a request is received, the email address or postal address must match those we hold as proof of
identity. We will respond within the statutory limit of 40 days.

Changes to Personal Data:
To request changes (such as a new address or email address), members must write to the SBG
Secretary and must include proof of identity, such as providing the old address or by sending from
the email address held by SBG.
If a member specifically asks not to be contacted, this will be recorded on the SBG and SNS
Suppression Lists.

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Deletion of Personal Data:
When SBG membership has lapsed due to resignation or death, the Personal Data will be deleted
from the SNS membership database - and any SBG copies of this - and paper copies destroyed.
This will take place no later than 60 days after the SBG Secretary receives notification from the
member or his/her representative and communicates this to the SNS Membership Administrator.
Excepting that: any documents to be kept longer for legal or regulatory purposes - e.g. Gift Aid
declarations - shall be retained securely for the required period of time.
If membership has lapsed inadvertently, the Personal Data will be deleted once three months
have elapsed of the second calendar year of non-membership. This is to allow subscribers who
have forgotten to renew to catch up, or to allow family members to continue membership.

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Privacy Statement:
Suffolk Bird Group and Suffolk Naturalists’ Society are committed to protecting your privacy as a
member. If you provide us with your contact details we will keep them on a secure spreadsheet to
enable us to provide you with the benefits of membership. We value your support and will not
pass on information about you to anyone outside SBG or SNS. If you would prefer not to receive
future information from SBG please inform us by emailing communications@suffolkbirdgroup.org

SBG Council: adopted 25 June 2020