Privacy Policy

How your personal information is used

This Privacy Policy explains how Growing Families collects, manages, uses, and looks after any personal information supplied to us or data created by us about you (collectively referred to as “data”). This includes any data that you provided directly to us, that you have requested from third parties or data that we have created about you as part of our process or to meet your on-going membership requirements.

At Growing Families we will:

  • Keep your data safe and secure
  • Not sell to third parties any data that could identify you
  • Only share your email address with selected partners if you have provided consent or if you have registered for one of our free webinars
  • Enable you to request change to or removal of your data at any time

Why we collect and use your data

To support your consultation application, your on-going membership of Growing Families, your newsletter subscription, your event registration or your volunteer profile. Relevant data about you is only shared with trusted individuals within the organisation under confidentiality agreements. Growing Families will not disclose any personal information unless we seek your consent or where such disclosure is legally authorised or required.

Types of Data

  • Contact – name, address, email and phone numbers
  • Social Demographic – age, employment status
  • Growing Families specific data – membership status & associated details, surrogacy journey status & associated details
  • Special data – Health, gender, sexual orientation, marital status
  • Financial – Membership fee payments, event registration payments, Consultation fee payments
  • Images – Images if provided by you or used with your consent

How your data is collected

  • Data is collected from you directly; provided in documents, communications and images as completed or provided by you.
  • Communications – letters, voicemails, emails, texts and other forms of electronic correspondence
  • Commentary – consultation notes

Data collection processes are GDPR compliant. You have the right not to provide the data that we request. This may, however, delay or prevent you from:

  • Proceeding with an application for a consultation
  • Continuing your membership of Growing Families
  • Attending an event

Marketing

Growing Families may use your contact information to communicate with you about a range of topics, such as:

  • Your communication and marketing preferences
  • Growing Families news, events, and general member requests
  • General surrogacy and egg donor community news and events

You have the right to opt-out of any communications we send to you.

How long do we keep your data

As a financial or non-financial member, we will retain your data as long as you remain a member. Subscription data and event registration data is retained for associated follow-up purposes, unless a request is received to not do so.

Cookies

The Growing Families website uses session cookies, which means that once the member or visitor closes their browser, the cookie terminates. When you visit this website, our Internet Service Provider makes a record of your visit and maintains a log, but no critical or personal information is stored.

Payments

If you make a payment to Growing Families your card information is not held by us. It is collected by our third-party payment processor (Stripe, PayPal, Eventbrite) who specialise in secure processing of online card transactions.

Stop using your data

Please Contact Us if you want to object to how we use your data, or ask us to delete it or restrict how we use it.

Changes to this policy

This policy was last updated in May 2023. Over time we may make changes to this policy and you will always be able to see in this section when it was last updated. If we make significant changes then we will publicise these to our members and may communicate with you directly regarding them.