Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2025

Thank you for visiting the Cross River Gorilla Campaign website (www.crossrivergorilla.org).

The African Conservation Foundation (“ACF”, “we”, “us”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains who we are, what information we collect, how we use and share it, and the rights you have over your personal data. We encourage you to read this policy carefully to ensure you are fully informed.

If you have any questions or concerns about our use of your personal information, please contact us using the details provided at the end of this policy.

1. Who we are

The African Conservation Foundation is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number: 1120705) dedicated to protecting Africa’s endangered wildlife and their habitats. We develop and support conservation projects, build local capacity, and raise funds to ensure long-term sustainability of community-driven conservation initiatives.

2. Data protection principles

We comply with all applicable data protection laws, including the UK GDPR and EU GDPR where relevant. This means your personal data will be:

  • processed lawfully, fairly and transparently;
  • collected for specific, explicit and legitimate purposes;
  • limited to what is necessary;
  • accurate and kept up to date;
  • stored only for as long as necessary;
  • kept secure and protected.

3. Information we collect

We may collect the following categories of information:

  • Personal information: name, title, email address, postal address, telephone number, interests you choose to share, and any information you provide when contacting us.
  • Payment information: credit/debit card or bank details when making a donation or purchase (processed securely by our payment providers; we do not store full card details).
  • Additional optional information: such as campaign-related details, reservation information, event registrations or volunteer applications.
  • Technical and usage information: non-personal data including IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited and interactions with our website.

4. How we collect information

We collect information in the following ways:

Direct interactions

When you:

  • make a donation, purchase or booking,
  • subscribe to our newsletter,
  • fill out a form, send an enquiry or request information,
  • create an online account,
  • apply for employment or volunteer opportunities.

Through third parties

When you donate or engage with us via platforms such as JustGiving or other fundraising/booking systems and consent to share your information with us.

Automatically via our website

We collect non-personal technical data using cookies, analytics and similar technologies to understand website performance and user behaviour. More details can be found in our Cookies section.

5. Why we collect and use your information

We use your personal information to:

  • process donations and payments, including Gift Aid;
  • provide goods, services or information you have requested;
  • respond to enquiries and communicate with you;
  • send administrative messages relating to your donation, order, event or account;
  • send newsletters or campaign updates where you have given your explicit consent;
  • comply with legal obligations (e.g., tax, accounting, fraud prevention);
  • carry out due diligence in line with fundraising regulations;
  • improve our website, services and supporter experience.

We only process your personal data when we have a valid legal basis, including consent, contractual necessity, legal obligation, or legitimate interest, and we ensure these interests do not override your fundamental rights.

6. Newsletters and email communications

If you subscribe to our mailing list or opt in to receive updates, we will send you information about our campaigns, events and projects.

  • You can unsubscribe at any time by using the link at the bottom of each email.
  • Your data is stored securely and emails are delivered using a third-party provider (e.g., Mailchimp or a similar GDPR-compliant service).
  • Our email provider may track email opens and link clicks to help us understand what content is relevant and useful to supporters.

7. How we share your information

We treat your information with care and will never sell or trade your data.

We may share your personal data with:

  • trusted service providers acting on our behalf (e.g., payment processors, email delivery services, IT support),
  • regulators, auditors or authorities when legally required,
  • project partners only where essential and with appropriate data protection safeguards.

Where data is transferred outside the UK or EU, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place (such as Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent protections) to guarantee a similar level of protection.

8. Your rights

Under applicable data protection laws, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you;
  • Correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
  • Request deletion of your data where there is no legal basis for us to keep it;
  • Object to processing carried out on the basis of legitimate interest;
  • Restrict the processing of your data in certain circumstances;
  • Request transfer of your data to another organisation;
  • Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

To exercise any of your rights or update your information, please contact us using the details below.

9. Legal basis for processing

We process personal data as a data controller based on:

  • your consent,
  • our contractual obligations,
  • our legal obligations,
  • or our legitimate interests, including improving our services, maintaining website security, preventing fraud, and communicating with supporters.

10. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to enable essential functionality, enhance the user experience and help us understand website performance.

We use:

  • functional cookies for website operations,
  • analytics cookies (e.g., Google Analytics with IP anonymisation),
  • session cookies for logged-in users and commenters.

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings.

A separate Cookies Policy may be provided for full details.

11. Data retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting and reporting requirements. When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

12. How we protect your data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard your personal information, including:

  • secure servers and encrypted transfers,
  • strict access controls,
  • staff confidentiality agreements,
  • regular security monitoring and breach-response procedures.

If a data breach occurs that may affect your rights, we will notify you and the relevant authorities where legally required.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will post a clear notice on our website and update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.

Contact us

If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us at:

Email: info@africanconservation.org

Address: African Conservation Foundation, 31 Millharbour, London E14 9NB, United Kingdom

Website: www.africanconservation.org