This Privacy policy aims to give you more control over your information and more clearly explains how we use it. Our core commitments regarding your privacy have not changed, including the commitment in our Charter to never sell your data.
You can read the updated policy below. Our Terms of use as well as our Cookie Policy have been adapted to this policy so that everything is synchronized. As always, thank you for using Causedirect, and please let us know if you have any questions or comments.
Changes to This Policy
This policy may be updated from time to time. If we do, we will notify you of any material changes, either by notifying you on the Site or by sending you an email. New versions of this policy will never apply retroactively – we will tell you the exact date on which they will come into effect. If you continue to use Causedirect after a change, it means that you agree to this policy.
Who We Are
CauseDirect is a global internet platform aiming at raising awareness around the sustainable development agenda as defined by the United Nations (UN Sustainable Development Goals – UN SDGs) and accelerating its implementation.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
We strive to be the first Swiss-based collaborative Platform that connects and mobilises people around social and environmental causes, creating communities of impactful change-makers to move forward the sustainable development agenda and SDGs.
Causedirect’s allows Changemakers to support their favorite charities and projects (hereafter the “Featured Charities” and the “Featured Projects”) in a quick, easy and efficient manner, while providing them complete electronic records for personal accounting and tax purposes.
To achieve this goal, Causedirect seeks to collaborate with organizations that share its values, as well as its vision, bringing them together under one roof to make it easier for you to widen your audience and advertise yourself to new potential Donors, and for Donors to donate directly to a Featured Charity or Featured Project on your Portal, with the ultimate aim to increase the fundraising goals of the Featured Charities and/or Featured Projects.
What We Do
Causedirect brings together businesses, the civil society, and NGOs to recognize, fund and advance sustainable solutions within the framework of the SDGs. In particular, Causedirect helps on the one hand sustainable projects to find the resources they need to fulfill their goals and on the other hand enables people and organizations to achieve a positive and lasting impact on society, by:
Raising awareness about SDGs within the civil society as well as within businesses and academies.
Spotting the causes and projects generating the highest impact on society and on the environment.
Creating and enabling an environment for community action.
Encouraging solidarity commitment within Organizations.
Why we do it:
We believe that engaging each individual within an Organization to take action or participate in supporting or initiating causes, can have a great impact on the advancment of the sustainability agenda.
How we do it:
We connect people in organizations to highly innovative and ground-breaking projects that are aligned with the SDGs.
This connection is via a public Internet Platform as well as via a customizable Portal, enabling Organizations to:
Communicate with their staff / citizens / students about their SDG strategy and monitor progress;
Empower them to engage as social change-makers;
Support causes via a donation-based crowdfunding Platform, including a grant matching tool and volunteering capabilities.
When does this Privacy Policy apply?
This Privacy policy applies when we process personal information collected from people around the world. We process your personal data and information if you choose to create an account with us. Therefore, by registering online with Causedirect, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.
How This Policy Applies
This policy describes the information we collect from you, how we use it, and our legal basis for doing so. It also covers how and if this information can be shared and your rights and choices regarding the information you provide to us. If you see a word in upper case, it is defined in our terms of use. We use cookies and similar technologies as described in our Cookie Policy.
By using the Services offered by Causedirect, you acknowledge that you have accepted our Terms of Use and that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and our Cookie Policy.
The personal data we Collect and Receive
As a User, you are not obliged to create an account to use the platform although we recommend you to do it as it would help you create your own community of change-makers, generate maximal impact on society and inspire your friends and colleagues to do the same.
What is your personal data?
Your personal data is the information required to register on the Platform, such as your first name, last name, your date of birth, your gender and any other information you choose to provide, such as your telephone number, postal address, country of residence, not to mention various information, such as but not limited to, your hobbies, your favorite quotes, your inspiring personalities, your engagement, your causes, your skills your availabilities for a volunteering mission, etc. You will also be asked to provide an email address, a user name and a password.
You can access and correct most of your personal data stored by Causedirect by logging into your account.
We may ask you for this information if you register as a user of the Platform and or as a user of the Portal of your Organization, if you subscribe to our newsletters, download or send content via Causedirect or via the Portal of your Organization, or if you contact us This data may also include:
The information you provide for identity verification purposes, including but not limited to your legal name, your business name & title, and your date of birth. In some cases, our payment processing service will ask you to provide a secure download of an identity document (such as your passport, driver’s license or other government-issued ID) to Causedirect;
Details of requests as well as of the activities and interaction you have with Causedirect by using the Platform or the Portal of your Organization (i.e. if you donate, fundraise, volunteer, create an event etc.). Causedirect partners with other companies (such as PayPal) for payment processing, and the payment information you submit is collected and used by them in accordance with their privacy policies (for PayPal, click here). Causedirect does not store your payment information outside of the last four digits of your credit card or bank account (as applicable), expiry date and country, which we require for tax, government regulatory and security purposes; Information about your use of our mobile app (such as your IP address, the type of device or browser you use, and your actions on the Site);
Information on how people visit and interact with our site, in the form of traffic analysis. You can choose to be included in Google Analytics here. For more information on our use of data analysis to protect and improve our services, see our Cookie Policy; Communications you send to us (for example, when you ask for support, send us questions or comments, or report a problem);
Information that you submit on or to Causedirect or on or to the Portal of your Organization in the form of comments, contributions to discussions, or messages to other users; and
The e-mail address associated with your organization (work email), your social network accounts such as but not limited to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, if you choose to sign up with your Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ credentials. Causedirect will also request permission to access your name, profile photo, and friends list (these permissions are governed by the privacy policies of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, and can be managed through your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ parameters). We never post anything on your Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ or other third-party accounts without your permission.
You may decline to provide us with your information. However, this will limit your ability to sign up for an account or use our services. You can donate as a guest by providing only an e-mail address but you will not be able to raise funds, volunteer for a project without registering.
If you wish to modify your donation, as well as your volunteer and fundraising actions, if you wish to record payment details for future donations, comment on the project and make full use of all the features offered by the platform or portal of your organization, you will have to complete the creation of an account.
You can view, edit, or delete your information through your account settings.
When you make a donation through the Platform or through the Portal of your Organization, you grant us permission to access your donation records at any time and to use the information you provide to process your donation. Unless you request that your donation and message (if any) be anonymous, upon transmitting your donation we will make available to your selected Featured Charity online reports identifying, where available, the name, address, e-mail and transaction accounting details of the donation. You may choose to remain anonymous when you make a donation.
How we use this information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
• To secure your account and protect our Services (including to verify the identity of those in charge of administering and managing the portals specific to organizations or those in charge of managing projects and / or charities and preventing fraud and abuse);
• Allow us to provide you with the best service, and suggest actions that may be of interest to you;
• To create and administer your account, contact you if necessary and personalize your experience on Causedirect (for example, to display the projects corresponding to your preference criteria and to warn you of activities or events that may interest you, not to mention opportunities for volunteer); and
• Monitor and analyze your use of our services so that we can improve the performance of Causedirect and offer users the best possible experience.
Users of the European Union
The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires a “legal basis” for the collection and retention of personal information of citizens or residents of the European Economic Area. Our legal framework includes:
• Execution of the contract that we have with you: In certain circumstances, we need your personal data to meet our contractual obligation to provide you with services such as allowing you to give to causes that are important to you, raise funds for them, allow you to volunteer for these causes or projects, and also allow project creators to post them on the Causedirect site or on the portal of the organization for which they work.
• Legal compliance: Sometimes the regulations state that we must collect and use your data for tax purposes, such as forcing us to keep records of donations made through our platform or your organization’s portal.
• Legitimate interests: This is a technical term in data protection law that essentially means that we have a good and fair reason to use your data and that we do so in a way that does not harm your interests and rights. We sometimes need your data to pursue our legitimate interests in a reasonable manner in the course of our business and that does not materially affect your rights, freedom or interests.
For example, we use information such as your identity and location to avoid fraud and abuse and to ensure the security of the services we offer. We may also encourage you to do more for the common good by making communications specific to our services or to other causes that may be of interest to you, subject to your agreement.
We analyze how users interact with our platform and gather feedback so that we can better understand which services work best and which do not. This allows us to improve and develop the quality of the online experience we offer to all our users.
How This Information Is Shared
Information that is shared publicly
When you create an account, we allow you to create your profile, containing various information such as your username, the date the account was created, your hobbies, themes or SDGs that you prefer (as per Eradication of poverty – SDG1 – or Water & Sanitation – SDG 6), as well as the list of projects and activities or events that you have saved or launched. By default, your profile is private and you can choose to make it public in your account settings. Your username appears with the comments you post and the messages you send to Causedirect or the portal of the organization you are working for. If your profile is set to “public”, users can click your username to view it. If you make your profile public, others will see the following things:
• the username of the account you selected and the date the account was created;
• Any information you choose to add to your profile (such as a photo, bio, or your location), including, but not limited to, your skills and availability as a volunteer, your commitment, etc.;
• The projects you have supported and supported by either volunteering (online or on-site), mentoring or fundraising;
• Projects, activities, fundraising campaigns, events, you have created;
• Comments you have posted on Causedirect; and
• If you “liked” a project update.
If you want to have a public profile, but do not want others to see your name or profile picture on the Community tab of a project, you can choose an account picture or a non-identifiable name (for example, PatTheCat63). You can edit or delete certain information associated with your account (such as your username, profile, biography, and location within the organization you are working on) from your account settings and change your settings. if you want to make your profile private or change the default settings. You may also be asked to verify your identities before starting a project / initiative / activity / event. Once this has been done, your name will be displayed publicly on your profile and on all the projects / activities / events that you will initiate
Information that isn’t shared publicly
The following data will not be displayed publicly or disclosed to other users:
Any payment information you provide;
Your password;
your IP address;
Your phone number;
Your date of birth and any other information relating to your identity (for creators); any information about your private profile, according to your preferences; and The communications you send us (for example, when you ask for help, send us questions or comments, or report a problem).
Information that’s shared with trusted third-party services
We may share your information with certain trusted third-party services to help us provide, improve, promote, or protect Causedirect’s Services (such as when we partner with payment processors or use services that help us manage our ads on other sites). When we share data with third-party services we require that they use your information only for the purposes we have authorized, and we make sure that they protect your personal information to at least the same standards as us. We may also share aggregated and anonymized information in a way that does not identify you directly.
Information that is shared with the causes/projects/activities/events initiators and collaborators
When you support a project or participate in an activity or event, the initiator of the project, activity or event will know your username, amount and / or time – in hours – that you gave, unless you do not want that to be known. In this case, all information will remain anonymous. Recipients of your donations never receive credit card details or other payment information.
If you have financed a project or a cause, the beneficiary of your donation will receive the email address associated with your Causedirect account unless you do not want it.
Beneficiaries (e.g. associations, foundations, persons or organizations in charge of the project) are required to keep the information confidential. In no case may the latter request your personal information unless you authorize it, in the case, for example, where you would ask for a tax certificate. Please contact us through our support page if you receive a request for information that you feel is inappropriate or excessive.
Project creators can use collaborators to help them manage their project or initiative (such as an activity or event). These contributors can access information made available to individuals or organizations in charge of their projects / activities or events such as the names of contributors and participants, their e-mail addresses or correspondence that they could exchange with the Project Manager and are expected to treat the personal information of the funders and participants with the same care and respect.
Information that’s shared to protect Causedirect and comply with the law
We reserve the right to disclose personal information when we believe it is necessary for compliance and law enforcement, to prevent fraud or abuse, or to protect legal rights, property or safety of Causedirect, its employees and its users.
Links to other websites and services
Our platform may include links to other websites or services whose privacy practices may differ from those of Causedirect. When you use a link to an external site or service, they are governed by their own privacy and data processing policies.
Retention
We will retain your information as long as your account is active and as long as necessary to provide you with the services or as defined in this policy. We will retain and use this information as necessary for the purposes set out in this Policy and to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce our agreements and protect the legal rights of Causedirect.
We also collect and store aggregated, anonymous or pseudonymized information that we may retain indefinitely to protect the safety and security of our platform, improve our services or comply with our legal obligations.
Data Transfers
Because Causedirect is a company based in Switzerland, your information will be collected and processed in Switzerland. Switzerland has its own laws governing data protection and government access to information. The rules that protect your personal information under Swiss law may differ from those of your home country. If you choose to use our services, you must agree to our User Conditions, which define the agreement between Causedirect and its users.
Transfer Abroad
Our operations are based in Switzerland and our data is held on servers located in Switzerland. However, while Causedirect does not purposefully submit information outside of Switzerland, when you choose to make a donation, this donation will go directly to your chosen Featured Charity or a cause featured by a Corporation, which may or may not be based in Switzerland. As such, please be aware that it will be the privacy policy of the Featured Charity or Corporation that you donate to that will apply to the information submitted to the Featured Charity or Corporation, and we urge you to review these policies with your Featured Charities or Corporation of choice. Causedirect does not accept any responsibility or liability for the use of data by Featured Charities or Corporations
Your rights
Users residing in certain countries, including the EU, enjoy certain rights regarding their personal information. Except where an exception or exemption applies, these rights include the ability to access, correct, and request the deletion of your personal information. Although these rights do not apply globally, all Causedirect users may manage their personal information, as described below, in their account settings.
You can request a download copy of your personal data from Causedirect from your Account Settings page. To edit or delete the personal information you have provided to us, please log in and update your profile. You can also delete your account from the settings page of your account. We may retain certain information required by law or necessary for our legitimate business purposes.
Email and Mobile Notifications
We will communicate with you only if you want to hear from us. We strive to minimize emails and give you the opportunity to opt for any marketing communications we send. We will send you an email about your Causedirect operations and activities, which will also appear on your personal page. You can also choose to receive certain communications by email marketing, according to your preferences, and from which you can unsubscribe at any time by adjusting your notification settings. If you download the Causedirect app, you can manage the notifications you receive on your mobile device in your profile settings.
We will also send you service announcements as we deem necessary.
Notice of Changes
If we make changes to this Privacy Policy we will notify you, as appropriate under the circumstances, for example by publication on the Causedirect home page.
Security
The security of your personal data is important to us. We follow standard industry practices to protect the data we collect and maintain, including using Transport Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt information as it travels over the Internet. Since no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure, Causedirect cannot guarantee its absolute security.
Your account information is protected by a password, which you must choose carefully and keep safe. We encourage all users to enable two-factor authentication in account settings to further protect their account.
We have a security incident response team and a protocol in place in case of data breach. We encourage the responsible disclosure of vulnerabilities of our Services by sending an email to autoescape security@Causedirect.org
Children
People under 18 years of age (or below the legal age in your jurisdiction) are not allowed to use the Causedirect platform on their own. In addition, children under 13 years old are not allowed to register, open an account or use our services in any way.
If you believe that a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@Causedirect.com. If we learn that a child under the age of 13 has provided us with personally identifiable information, we will remove it.
Updated: May 2018