Last updated: 27 July 2026
Registered charity no. 1169466
Forgotten Women is committed to protecting the privacy and dignity of everyone we work with — supporters, volunteers, staff and, above all, the women and families who receive our programmes. This policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, and the choices you have.
Forgotten Women is a charity registered in England and Wales (charity number 1169466). We deliver emergency aid and sustainable livelihood programmes to vulnerable women across Afghanistan, Gaza, Pakistan, Yemen, Sudan, Malawi, Bangladesh, Syria and India.
For the purposes of UK data protection law, Forgotten Women is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy.
Registered name
Forgotten Women
Charity number
1169466
Registered address
X and Why Building, 20-30 Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1EW, United Kingdom
Data enquiries
We only collect what we need. Depending on how you interact with us, that may include:
Your name, email address, postal address and telephone number, and your communication preferences.
Amount, date, frequency and campaign of your gift, your Gift Aid declaration and UK taxpayer status, and any Zakat or Sadaqah designation. Card and bank details are captured directly by our payment providers — we never see or store your full card number.
Registration details, emergency contacts, dietary or accessibility requirements, references, right-to-work or DBS checks where a role requires them, and fundraising page activity.
IP address, device and browser type, pages visited and referring source, collected through cookies and similar technologies. See section 06.
Emails, letters, messages and call notes you send us, including complaints and safeguarding concerns.
Special category data. Occasionally we handle more sensitive information — for example health or accessibility needs at an event, or details shared in a safeguarding report. We collect this only where it is necessary, with appropriate safeguards, and we restrict access to a small number of trained staff.
We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13 in the UK without the consent of a parent or guardian.
We use personal data to:
We may carry out limited analysis of supporter data — such as grouping supporters by giving history or location — so our communications are relevant and we do not waste charitable funds on mailings you do not want. You can opt out of this at any time.
Under UK GDPR we must have a lawful basis for using your data. We rely on four:
Basis
When we rely on it
Consent
Marketing emails and SMS, non-essential cookies, and use of photographs or stories. You can withdraw consent at any time.
Contract
Delivering something you have signed up for — an event place, a challenge, a volunteer agreement or employment.
Legitimate interests
Administering donations, thanking supporters, postal updates, fraud prevention and improving our services — balanced against your rights, and always subject to your right to object.
Legal obligation
Gift Aid claims, accounting and audit records, safeguarding referrals, and responding to lawful requests from regulators.
Where we process special category data we rely on an additional condition, usually your explicit consent or the substantial public interest condition for safeguarding.
We never sell, rent or trade your personal data, and we do not swap supporter lists with other organisations.
We share data only where it is necessary, and only with organisations bound by a written agreement to protect it:
Cookies are small files stored on your device. We use three kinds:
Analytics and marketing cookies are set only with your consent. You can change your choices at any time through our cookie preferences, or block cookies in your browser settings — though some parts of the site may then not work properly.
We keep personal data only as long as we need it, then delete or anonymise it.
Record
Retention
Donation and Gift Aid records
7 years from the end of the relevant tax year
Supporter contact records
Up to 7 years after your last interaction
Marketing consents and opt-outs
Kept indefinitely, so we honour your choice
Volunteer and recruitment files
2 years after the role ends (6 months for unsuccessful applicants)
Safeguarding records
In line with our safeguarding policy and statutory guidance
Website analytics
Up to 26 months
We deliver programmes in Afghanistan, Gaza, Pakistan, Yemen, Sudan, Malawi, Bangladesh, Syria and India, and some of our technology suppliers are based outside the UK. This means personal data may be transferred abroad.
Where we transfer data outside the UK, we make sure it is protected by an appropriate safeguard: an adequacy decision made by the UK government, the International Data Transfer Agreement or UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or another lawful mechanism, supported by a transfer risk assessment.
In high-risk contexts we deliberately minimise what is transferred. Beneficiary information stays with the delivery partner wherever possible, identifying details are removed from reports, and we do not send supporter data to programme countries.
Much of our work involves women and children in situations of conflict, displacement and poverty. Their safety comes before our storytelling.
To raise a concern about how an image or story has been used, contact safeguarding@forgottenwomen.org.
You have the right to:
Know how your data is used — that is what this policy is for.
Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected.
Ask us to delete your data where we have no ongoing reason to keep it.
Ask us to pause use of your data while a query is resolved.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to direct marketing at any time.
Receive data you gave us in a portable electronic format.
Change your mind at any time, without affecting past processing.
To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@forgottenwomen.org. We will respond within one month. There is no charge, and we may ask you to confirm your identity first.
We review this policy at least once a year, and whenever our systems or activities change. The date at the top of the page shows when it was last updated. If we make a significant change to how we use your data, we will tell supporters directly by email or a notice on the website.
If you have a question about this policy, or you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, please contact us first — we would rather put it right ourselves.
Data enquiries: privacy@forgottenwomen.org
By post: Data Protection, Forgotten Women, X and Why Building, 20-30 Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1EW, United Kingdom
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection.
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
0303 123 1113 · ico.org.uk
