Privacy Policy

Overview

Vantage Foundation Uganda Limited(“we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and the choices you have.

This policy applies to our website, donation forms, contact forms, newsletter signup, and any other channels where we collect personal information.

Data we collect

We collect the following personal data:

• Donors: name, email, phone (optional), donation amount, frequency, campaign, transaction reference, and any message you provide.
• Contact form submissions: name, email, phone (optional), subject, and message.
• Newsletter subscribers: email address only.
• Volunteer and partnership enquiries: name, email, phone (optional), and details you provide in your message.
• Technical data: we do not use tracking cookies or analytics tools. Our hosting provider (Vercel) may log standard request data (IP address, browser type, timestamp) for security and operational purposes.

How we use your data

• To process and acknowledge donations.
• To respond to your enquiries and messages.
• To send you our newsletter (only if you opt in).
• To verify donations against official bank statements (admin dashboard).
• To maintain records required for financial accountability and audit purposes.

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes.

Legal basis

We process your personal data based on your consent (when you submit a form or make a donation) and our legitimate interest in operating as a registered non-profit organisation in Uganda. We comply with the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019 of Uganda.

Data storage and security

Donation data is stored in a secure PostgreSQL database hosted by Neon. Access to the admin dashboard is protected by a password and CSRF protection. We do not store payment credentials (PINs, OTPs, card numbers) — donations are made via bank transfer or Mobile Money outside this website, and we only record the transaction reference you provide.

Email notifications (if enabled) are sent via a secure SMTP connection. We do not store sent emails on our servers.

Data retention

We retain donor records for as long as required for financial accountability and audit purposes. When you request deletion, your records are soft-deleted (marked as deleted and hidden from our dashboard) and permanently purged after 12 months. Contact form submissions are retained for up to 12 months after resolution. Newsletter subscriptions are retained until you unsubscribe.

Your rights

• Access: you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: you can ask us to delete your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Withdrawal: you can unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time.
• Complaint: you can lodge a complaint with the Personal Data Protection Office of Uganda.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at [email protected].

Cookies

This website does not use tracking or advertising cookies. We use a single essential cookie (vantage_admin) to authenticate administrators on the donation verification dashboard. This cookie is set only after an admin logs in and is deleted when they log out.

Children’s privacy

We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 18. Our programmes may involve children, but we do not collect their personal data through this website. Photographs of children are published only with verified consent — see our Safeguarding Policy.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date below indicates when it was last revised. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the updated policy on this page.

Contact us

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

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone/WhatsApp: +256 786 585 216
• Address: Ishaka, Bushenyi, Uganda