Queen's Office of Advancement Privacy Statement

Personal Information is collected in accordance with Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and other applicable legislation, including the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and is used for the purpose of University activities. If you have question about the information collected or how it will be used, please contact the Office of Advancement, Unit, Queen’s University, 99 University Ave, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, or by telephone at 1-800-267-7837. More information on our privacy policy, including tracking of web interactions, can be viewed on the Access and Privacy website

All transactions involving credit cards are secured using industry standard TLS encryption as specified by PCI-DSS. More information regarding how those transactions are processed can be found in the Payment Card Acceptance Policy.

Personal Information We Collect 

If you are an alumni, we collected your personal information at the time you registered as a student and at the time you graduated.  See also the university’s general Notice of Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information for students and applicants.  We also collect personal information of alumni, parents, donors, community members, Queen's faculty/staff, and other constituents when you contact us, make a donation, or attend an event.  We collect the following types of personal information:

  • Basic personal details such as your name, suffix, and date of birth;
  • Personal contact details, such as your home and business address,  phone numbers, email addresses and social media contact information;
  • Information relating to Queen’s University, such as your degree information, student number or your employee number with the university;
  • Spousal and family information, such as the name of family members and their connection to Queen’s University;
  • Donation details such as where you would like your donation directed, the total amount, and in whose memory you would like the donation to be made;
  • Information on your participation in Queen’s University or other activities, such as event attendance, volunteer interests, committee participation, awards and honours;
  • Accommodations such as accessibility and dietary requirements when required for events we host.

The Office of Advancement does not store any credit/debit card details and is fully PCI-DSS compliant. The information used to process transactions is stored by a trusted, university approved, third-party payment processor. All transactions involving credit cards are secured using industry standard TLS encryption as specified by PCI-DSS. More information regarding how those transactions are processed can be found in the Payment Card Acceptance Policy.

Opinion Surveys

Every so often, we will ask you to provide your opinions on a voluntary basis through:

  • Readership surveys about the Alumni Review;
  • Post-event surveys about Advancement events that you have attended; and
  • Opinion surveys on our products and services.

Photography

Photographs or videos may be taken on campus and at official alumni and advancement events. These photographs or videos may be shared on the university website or social media accounts. Where the use of photographs or videos may not be reasonably expected by individuals, the university will seek consent to publish photographs or videos where it is practical to do so. Individuals with questions or concerns should contact the photographer or event organizer in the first instance, and secondarily, the contacts listed below.

Cookies

We collect information through cookies and similar technologies when you visit our website. We use this information to maintain the security of our websites, to aggregate data, and to enhance your experience with our website. See our Website Data Collection, Use and Disclosure Statement. More information on our privacy policy, including tracking of web interactions, can be viewed on the Access and Privacy website

How We Use Your Personal Information

We use and process your personal information for the following purposes:

  • Keep you updated with information about Queen’s University, events and alumni activities.
  • Issue tax receipts.
  • Send you materials on Advancement and fundraising activities, such as new fundraising campaigns and donation forms.
  • To collect details for events hosted by Advancement, such as dietary needs, seating preferences, and accommodations to help you enjoy our events. 
  • To provide you with information about Alumni benefits such as Alumni Review, Alumni email for life, and credit cards that are available to you as an alumni of Queen’s University.
  • Create online and printed donor listings.

We share your personal information internally with the faculties you attended as a student and with the units to which you donate.

Our Lawful Basis for Collecting and Using Your Personal Information

We only collect and use your personal information when we have a lawful basis to do so. For information collected by the Office of Advancement at Queen’s University, we do so based on the following:

  • Public task – we collect and use your personal information to fulfil our obligations under the statutes that govern us. 
  • Legitimate interest – we collect and use your personal information in support of our legitimate interest to advance the university’s mission through fundraising and engagement activities, and we balance your right to privacy by respecting your decision to opt out of further communications from us.  
  • Contractual purpose – we collect and use your personal information to fulfil our contractual obligations to you, such as where you ask us to process your delivery address so that we can send you information

How we Store and Secure Your Personal Information

Any personal information we collect from you will be stored confidentially and securely as required by the university’s Electronic Information Security Policy. We will only store your personal information for as long as necessary and in accordance with our Records Management Policy and our authorized records retention schedules.

Third Parties With Whom We Share Your Personal Information

We do not rent, trade, or sell our mailing, email, or telephone lists.

We enter into agreements with third-party service providers to assist us in carrying out our functions. We carefully vet the privacy and security practices of our vendors before using them. Our service providers include:

Events Management Systems – to help us execute and prepare for the events we host.

Communications Tools – to allow us to send mass mailings in order to communicate effectively with our donors and alumni.

Data Analytics and Aggregation Systems – to support the accuracy of data held by us, to aggregate data, and to provide us with information about our website to improve user experience.

Mailing Agencies - to help us assemble, package, and address printed materials for mailings.

Your Rights

You have certain rights in relation to the personal information we collect from you. Your rights include:

  • the right to access your personal information we have collected and processed about you;
  • the right to request the correction of your personal information if you believe an error has been made;
  • the right to request we cease to use your personal information for advancement or fundraising purposes;
  • the right to file a complaint with the appropriate supervisory authority if you wish to do so. In Ontario, the supervisory authority is the Information and Privacy Commissioner. In the United Kingdom, the supervisory authority is the Information Commissioner.

Contacts

For more information, or to exercise your rights, you may contact the Office of Advancement, Unit, Queen’s University, 99 University Ave, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, or by telephone at 613-533-2060, or 1-800-267-7837, or by email. You may also contact our Chief Privacy Officer via email or by phone at 613-533-6095.   

Last updated June 22, 2023.