Privacy Policy

Our Commitment

London Health Sciences Foundation (LHSF) is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information of its employees, volunteers, donors, potential supporters and other stakeholders. We value the trust of those we work with, and of the public, and recognize that maintaining this trust requires that we be transparent and accountable in how we treat the information that you choose to share with us.

During the course of our various projects and activities, we collect and use personal information. Anyone from whom we collect such information can expect that it will be carefully protected. Our privacy policy is based on 10 internationally recognized privacy principles, which are detailed in a separate publication, entitled "Privacy Policy Principles", available from LHSF upon request.

London Health Sciences Foundation meets all legislative requirements with respect to privacy. We adhere to the privacy guidelines of the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy. We comply with the Donor Bill of Rights developed by the American Association of Fund Raising Counsel, the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Association of Fund Raising Professionals.

Defining personal information

Personal information is any information that can be used to distinguish, identify or contact a specific individual. This personal information can include an individual's opinions or beliefs, as well as facts about, or related to, the individual. Exceptions are business contact information and certain publicly available information, such as names, addresses and telephone numbers as published in telephone directories; these are not considered personal information.

Where an individual uses his or her home contact information as business contact information as well, we consider that the contact information provided is business contact information, and is not, therefore, subject to protection as personal information.

Privacy practices

The Foundation collects a limited amount of personal information about its donors and potential supporters, including name, title, address, telephone number, past donations and other relevant contact information.

This personal information is collected for the following purposes:

• to comply with Canada Revenue Agency requirements
• to provide donors with periodic stewardship information
• to provide donors with appropriate recognition by the Foundation and London Health Sciences Centre
• to provide donors and potential supporters with information about London Health Sciences Centre and Foundation activities
• to promote opportunities where donors and potential supporters may support the Foundation

Personal information collected by LHSF is kept in confidence and is only disclosed where necessary to meet the above purposes. For example, the Foundation may disclose limited personal information to London Health Sciences Centre so that it may directly recognize a particular donation.

Our employees are only authorized to access personal information if they need to use that personal information for the reason(s) for which it was collected. Safeguards are also in place to ensure that the personal information is not disclosed or shared more widely than is necessary to achieve the purpose for which it was collected and to prevent its being lost or destroyed. We also take measures to ensure that the integrity of this information is maintained.

We collect, use and disclose personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in light of the circumstances. We do not rent, sell or trade mailing lists or other personal information. Individuals also have the opportunity to opt out altogether of having us use their personal information except as required by law.

Website and Electronic Commerce

We use password protocols and encryption software to protect personal and other information we receive when a donation is made online. Our software is routinely updated to maximize protection of such information.

Updating of privacy policy

We regularly review our privacy practices for our various activities, and update our privacy policy. Please check our website on an on-going basis for information on our most up-to-date practices or request a copy of our most up-to-date privacy brochure.