- What is GDPR?
GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation and was enacted by the European Commission to strengthen data protection for individuals within the European Union (EU). GPR requires all businesses that process personal data of EU citizens handle this data with the utmost security. With the new regulations in place, Room to Read has taken the proper steps to stay compliant, informing all our EU chapters who in turn reached out to their EU volunteers to attain consent.
- How does GDPR affect Chapters?
The GDPR regulations apply to both EU and non-EU businesses and nonprofits who have collected personal data of EU citizens. Room to Read Chapters regularly collect volunteers’ and event attendee’s personal data including names and email addresses. It is imperative that we continue to practice collecting and processing data in a transparent and meticulous way.
Room to Read has a written policy and procedure on how we handle personal data and information. Please see our Privacy Policy for more details.
- I've noticed that a lot of companies have been sending emails notifying people that they're making changes to their policy. Does our chapter need to do that?:
No. Room to Read has updated our website with our Privacy Policy. As stated in question 2 of the Privacy Policy, How we collect information about you, it states in Article E that we collect information from you if you volunteer with Room to Read or participate in a Room to Read Chapter event. Therefore, we may collect and process personal information about you such as name, address, email, etc. Please see Question 6, Article 3 of the Privacy Policy for information for persons in EU, EEA, or EU citizens.
For information on our cookies policy and how we use them, as well as third party websites, please see our Privacy and Cookies Policy. For any other chapter related questions, please email chapters@roomtoread.org.
- As an EU chapter, does GDPR mean I cannot contact my chapter members?
No, it does not. Chapters are still allowed to promote, fundraise and engage with chapter volunteers and event attendees who have provided consent. The data processing must be done according to the six lawful bases outlined by GDPR legislation: Consent, Contract, Legal obligation, Public Task and Legitimate interests. For more information, please check out the GDPR Data Protection details on the European Commission webpage.
We recommend that you send an email to your chapter members asking them to subscribe to your chapter email list. Chapter members can either “opt-in” or “opt-out” of your chapter emails. Once members have opted in, they are a part of the new, active chapter list.
We may not contact a chapter member if they have opted-out of emails. If a chapter member does not reply to the email asking them to either opt in or opt out, then we must consider them as having opted out and remove them from the chapter email list. (See question 7)
- Can someone stay on a Room to Read Chapter email list, but not receive Room to Read emails?
Yes. Room to Read’s email list and each Room to Read Chapter’s email list are separate lists and are maintained on separate databases. Therefore, someone may opt out for Room to Read emails, but stay opted in for their Room to Read chapter email. The reverse can happen as well.
As the Chapter Leader or Core Committee member overseeing your chapter and the chapter email list, it is imperative that you keep track of your chapter emails and meticulously check who has opted in and out of emails. You may not email anyone who has opted out of emails. And for EU chapters you can only email individuals who have specifically opted in. If anyone has opted out, please remove them from the mailing list.
- I am an EU Chapter Leader and sent out an email asking my chapter members to either subscribe or opt-out of chapter emails. Now what do I do?
If a chapter volunteer has opted-in to the chapter emails, meaning they would like to continue to stay on your chapter email list, then they are fine to continue to contact. Any chapter volunteer that has opted out, or did not respond to the email, cannot be contacted. If a chapter volunteer responds to a chapter email wishing to be removed from the chapter email list, you must delete that volunteer from the list.
It’s important to note that once you have sent an opt in/opt out email to your chapter members, you have 30 days to update that information on your chapter mailing list. And always keep in mind you are not allowed to share details from your chapter’s database for any reason.
- What about the chapter members who did not respond to the email about subscribing to chapter emails? If they didn’t respond, can we still keep them on the email list?
For chapters in the EU, or when dealing with individuals who are EU citizens or residents, an email recipient must affirmatively opt-in to continue receiving emails. Without the affirmative opt-in, the individual must be removed from the email list. Therefore, anyone who does not respond to the email is considered an opt out and should be removed from the email list.
- What about the United Kingdom and Brexit? Does GDPR apply to them?
Yes. The UK has adopted the GDPR although they are in the process of leaving the EU.