Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Medaria Aid is a registered UK charity (Charity No. 1204225) delivering medical supplies, medevac vehicles and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. We operate across the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.

When this policy refers to "we", "us" or "our", it means Medaria Aid.

Our contact details:
Email: medariaaid@gmail.com
Website: www.medariaaid.com

2. What This Policy Covers

This policy explains what personal information we collect when you use our website or interact with us, why we collect it, how we use it, and what your rights are. It applies to all visitors, donors, volunteers and contacts.

3. What Information We Collect

When you donate, we collect your name, email address, and payment details. Payment card data is processed directly by our payment processor (Stripe) and is never stored on our servers.

When you make a Gift Aid declaration, we collect your full name, home address (including postcode) and confirmation of your UK taxpayer status. This information is required by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to allow us to reclaim tax on your donation. We are legally required to retain this information and submit it to HMRC on request.

When you contact us, we collect the name, email address and any information you choose to include in your message.

When you volunteer, we collect your name, email address, relevant skills or experience and any other information you provide in your application.

When you visit our website, we collect technical and usage data through cookies and analytics tools. This may include your IP address, browser type, pages visited, time spent on the site and referring URLs. See Section 7 (Cookies) for full details.

4. How We Use Your Information

• To process donations: We use your name and email to confirm your donation, issue receipts and comply with our charity accounting obligations.
• To administer Gift Aid: Where you have made a Gift Aid declaration, we use your name, address and taxpayer status to claim tax back from HMRC on your eligible donations. We submit this information to HMRC as required and retain it in accordance with HMRC's requirements for charity Gift Aid records. You may cancel your Gift Aid declaration at any time by contacting us, though this will apply to future donations only and does not affect claims already submitted to HMRC.
• To communicate with you: We respond to contact form enquiries and volunteer applications using the contact details you provide.
• To send updates: Where you have given consent, we may send you email updates about our work, campaigns and fundraising. You can unsubscribe at any time.
• To improve our website: We use anonymised analytics data to understand how visitors use our site and to improve it.
• To meet our legal obligations: As a registered charity, we are required to maintain accurate records of donations, Gift Aid declarations and financial transactions, and to comply with UK Charity Commission requirements, HMRC obligations and applicable data protection law.

5. Legal Basis for Processing (UK GDPR)

For visitors in the United Kingdom and European Economic Area, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Contract: Processing your donation or responding to your enquiry.
• Legal obligation: Complying with charity law, HMRC Gift Aid requirements, tax law and anti-money laundering requirements. Gift Aid declaration data is processed and retained on this basis and cannot be deleted on request where it relates to claims already made or required records not yet submitted.
• Legitimate interests: Improving our website, preventing fraud, and maintaining the security of our systems, where those interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Consent: Sending marketing or update emails. You may withdraw consent at any time by clicking unsubscribe in any email or contacting us directly.

6. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services, each of which may process your personal data under their own privacy policies:

• Stripe: Payment processing. Your payment card data is handled directly by Stripe. We do not store card details. Please review Stripe's privacy policy.
• HMRC: Gift Aid declaration data, including your name, address and taxpayer confirmation, is shared with HM Revenue and Customs as required by law for the purposes of Gift Aid tax relief. This is a legal obligation, not a choice.
• Google Analytics: We use Google Analytics to collect anonymised data about how visitors use our website. You can opt out at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
• Meta (Facebook) Pixel: We may use the Meta Pixel to measure the effectiveness of our social media content. You can review Meta's data policy.

We do not sell your personal information to any third party.

7. Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. We use the following types:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies: Used by Google Analytics to collect anonymised usage data.
• Marketing cookies: Used by the Meta Pixel to measure campaign performance.

You can control cookies through your browser settings or via the consent banner shown when you first visit our site. Disabling certain cookies may affect your experience.

8. How Long We Keep Your Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, or as required by law.

• Gift Aid records: HMRC requires charities to retain Gift Aid declarations and associated donor records for a minimum of six years after the end of the tax year in which the last donation was made under that declaration. We are legally required to comply with this retention period regardless of any request for erasure.
• Donation records: Retained for a minimum of seven years to comply with UK charity accounting and tax law.
• Contact and volunteer enquiries: Retained for up to two years unless an ongoing relationship is established.
• Analytics data: Retained in accordance with the default settings of the relevant platform (typically 26 months for Google Analytics).

9. International Data Transfers

Medaria Aid operates in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. If you interact with us from outside the UK, your data may be processed in a different jurisdiction to where you are located.

Where we transfer data outside the UK, we take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including relying on standard contractual clauses or adequacy decisions where applicable.

Our third-party service providers (including Google, Meta, Stripe and Mailchimp) may also process data internationally. Please refer to their respective privacy policies for details.

Gift Aid declaration data is shared with HMRC, a UK government body, and remains subject to UK law.

10. Your Rights

UK and EEA residents (UK GDPR / GDPR):

• The right to access the personal data we hold about you
• The right to correct inaccurate data
• The right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• The right to restrict or object to processing
• The right to data portability
• The right to withdraw consent at any time

Australian residents (Privacy Act 1988):

• The right to access and correct personal information we hold about you

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at medariaaid@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.

If you are in the UK and are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

11. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, loss or misuse. Payment data is processed by PCI-DSS compliant third-party providers and is never stored on our systems.

Gift Aid declaration records are stored securely and accessed only by authorised personnel for the purpose of HMRC compliance.

No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. While we do our best to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page reflects when it was last revised. Continued use of our website following any update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, please contact us:

Email: medariaaid@gmail.com
Website: www.medariaaid.com

Medaria Aid
Registered Charity No. 1204225
Registered in England & Wales