I-VOL Privacy Notice for Volunteer Involving Organisations

1. Who we are and what I-VOL is

Volunteer Ireland and the network of Volunteer Centres function as independent data controllers for specific purposes when collecting and using your data. In addition, Volunteer Ireland acts as a data processor, under documented instructions from each Volunteer Centre, for additional processing activities.

I-VOL is Ireland’s national searchable database of volunteering opportunities. The system is centrally operated and managed by Volunteer Ireland in collaboration with the national network of Volunteer Centres.

The I-VOL database is built on the Salesforce platform. Its functionality includes data encryption in transit and at rest, multi-factor authentication, and compliance with major standards and laws such as GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO 27001.

2. Who is responsible for your information?

The following organisations are independent data controllers for the personal data you provide when you register on I-VOL for any reason:

1. Volunteer Ireland
2. Volunteer Centre

Each organisation decides how and why it uses your information and is responsible for responding to any data protection queries about its own processing.

If you have any questions about how your information is used, you can contact:

• Volunteer Ireland: in**@*******er.ie (please include “Data Protection” in the subject line)
• Your local Volunteer Centre: contact details are available at www.volunteer.ie/your-local-volunteer-centre.

3. What information we collect

When you register on I-VOL, you must provide the following personal information from your organisation’s main contact person or persons:

• Name
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Role or position within the organisation

We collect the additional information on the registration form to manage your organisational profile, verify your organisation’s eligibility to register on I-VOL, and support your volunteering needs.

When posting volunteering opportunities, your organisation must provide the contact details of the person responsible for volunteer enquiries:

• Name
• Email address
• Telephone number

These details are stored on the I-VOL database and will be made available to prospective volunteers and may be visible to the public. Your organisation is responsible for ensuring these details are accurate, appropriate, and shared lawfully.

If your organisation registers interest in, or requests community volunteers through I-VOL, you must provide the contact person’s name, phone number, and email address and basic details about your organisation and the event or activity. This information is used by your local Volunteer Centre to:

• coordinate volunteer participation, and
• contact you about your request or registration.

The Volunteer Centre is the data controller for this information.

Volunteer Ireland does not use community volunteer personal data for its own purposes. It only processes the information on behalf of the relevant Volunteer Centre, in line with that centre’s instructions under the Data Processor Agreement.

4. Why we process your information and the legal basis

We process your information for the following purposes:

Volunteer Ireland uses your data to:

• Manage your organisation’s registration on the I-VOL platform.
• Provide platform support and information about volunteering.
• Operate and maintain the I-VOL system and security.
• Produce anonymised reports and statistics.
• Conduct research into volunteering.

Your Volunteer Centre uses your data to:

• Support your organisation locally in promoting opportunities and engaging with volunteers.
• Communicate with you about your listings, volunteer activity, and any participation in the community volunteer programme.
• Help match and refer volunteers to your opportunities.

The legal basis for this processing is:

• Contract (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR), processing is necessary for the performance of a contract (your organisation’s registration and use of the platform)
• Legitimate Interest (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR) operating and improving the I-VOL platform, reporting, and supporting volunteering infrastructure.
• Consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR), for optional communications such as newsletters, which you can withdraw at any time.

Your organisation is responsible for ensuring it has a lawful basis to provide any contact person details published on opportunity listings and that those individuals have been informed.

5. Who can access your information?

Your organisation’s information is accessible to:

1. Authorised Volunteer Ireland staff, who operate and maintain the I-VOL system.

• Access is limited to authorised staff only.

2 . Because I-VOL operates as a shared national system, staff in other Volunteer Centres can view organisational profiles and volunteering opportunities to help coordinate and promote volunteering nationally.

• Each Volunteer Centre acts as an independent data controller for any information it accesses and is responsible for using and protecting that data in line with its own privacy notice and GDPR obligations.

3. Prospective volunteers and members of the public, where your organisation chooses to publish the contact details of the person mandated by your organisation to oversee the volunteer recruitment process on your volunteering opportunities.

Volunteer Ireland acts as a data processor for the Volunteer Centres when maintaining and supporting the I-VOL database.

6. How long we keep your information

The following applies:

a) We keep your organisation’s registration and account information for up to six years after your last recorded activity on I-VOL. This reflects our legitimate interests in maintaining accurate organisational records, meeting governance, and reporting requirements, and managing potential legal claims.

b) Contact details published with individual volunteering opportunities or provided for participation in the community volunteer programme are kept on I-VOL for as long as the opportunity or event remains active.

• If the named contact is not also a main contact for the organisation, their details may be retained for a short administrative period afterwards (normally up to 12 months) for audit and reporting purposes.

• Where the contact person is also listed as a main organisational contact, their details are retained in line with the organisation’s main registration record (see point a).

c) Your organisation is responsible for deciding how long to retain opportunity or community volunteer contact person data within your own systems and for ensuring those individuals are informed about how their data will be used and retained.

7. Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, the following rights apply to individuals whose personal data we process, for example, the main contact person for your organisation or any other named contacts you provide in I-VOL. These rights do not apply to the organisation as a legal entity.

Your organisation should ensure that any contact persons whose details are provided in I-VOL are made aware of this Privacy Notice. These individuals have the right to:

• Access their personal data.
• Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Erase their data (“right to be forgotten”)
• Restrict or object to processing.
• Exercise data portability, where applicable
• Withdraw consent at any time for optional communications.

These rights apply to individuals, but your organisation has responsibilities for:

• How their data is managed in I-VOL.
• Managing data protection requests about the information it has provided in I-VOL, such as the names and contact details of people listed for volunteering opportunities.

Data requests must come from the organisations registered main contact or another authorised representative.

• The relevant Volunteer Centre may verify the identity and authority of anyone making a data protection request before acting.

You can make a data protection request about your organisation’s I-VOL account at any time. Requests will be managed in line with any legal obligations we may have to retain certain records:

• Requests made to Volunteer Ireland apply only to the data you submitted during registration and will be conducted in consultation with the relevant Volunteer Centre
• Any additional information added afterwards is managed by your local Volunteer Centre. To delete or amend data held by your Volunteer Centre, please contact that Centre directly.

Your organisation is also the data controller for any volunteer data you collect or manage outside I-VOL. You must ensure there is a lawful basis for processing this data, provide clear privacy information to those individuals, and retain the data only for as long as necessary.

To exercise any of these rights, individuals can contact us using the details provided in Section 2.

8. Communications

During the registration process you can opt-in to receiving both local and national updates from Volunteer Ireland and your local Volunteer Centre. These updates may take the form of email, SMS, or newsletter.

You can opt-in or opt-out from these communications at any time without affecting your registration.

9. International transfers

Your information is stored securely on the I-VOL database, which is hosted on Salesforce (instance GBR116) in the United Kingdom.

The UK is not part of the European Economic Area (EEA); however, the European Commission has recognised the UK as providing an adequate level of data protection. This means your information is protected to the same standard as it would be if it were held within the EEA.

If we ever use online tools or services that store or process information outside the EEA or the UK, we will ensure your data continues to be protected through appropriate safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.

10. What you need to do to continue

At the end of the registration form you will be asked to confirm the following:

• “I agree” – by ticking this box, you confirm that you have read and accepted the Terms and Conditions for registering your organisation on I-VOL.
• Optional: You can also choose to receive occasional updates about local or national volunteering matters. These updates are based on your consent, and you can withdraw that consent at any time by following the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting your local Volunteer Centre or Volunteer Ireland.

11. Changes to this Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. The latest version will always be available at www.i-vol.ie