PRIVACY POLICY
Privacy Policy
What we collect, how we use and share it, and the rights you have over it. The short version: we keep what we need to assess an application and to meet our legal obligations, and we do not sell any of it.
In short
- If you apply for assistance we collect your contact details, your animal's condition, the clinic's estimate, and documents proving need and identity — because we have to account for charitable funds.
- We do not sell your information, and we do not pass it to anyone for their own marketing.
- Your application details go to the treating clinic so care and payment can be coordinated. Funds go to the clinic, never to you.
- You can ask what we hold, correct it, ask us to delete it, withdraw consent, or raise a grievance with our Grievance Officer.
Introduction
Hammy-Needy Animals' Hope Foundation ("Hammy-Needy", "we", "us" or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of everyone who interacts with us — including donors, applicants seeking financial assistance for animal healthcare, partner veterinary clinics, and visitors to our website at hammy.org.in.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use and share it, and the choices and rights you have regarding your information. By using our website or services, you agree to the practices described in this Policy.
Who we are
Hammy-Needy Animals' Hope Foundation is a charitable initiative that provides financial assistance to support veterinary care for pets, strays and community animals, working through partner veterinary clinics and caregivers.
Information we collect
3.1 Information you provide to us
a) Assistance applicants. When you apply for financial assistance through our Application Form, we may collect:
- Your name and contact information (email and/or phone number)
- The animal's name, type and medical condition
- The name of the veterinary clinic or hospital involved
- Estimated cost of treatment, and the reason for requesting financial assistance
- Supporting documents you upload, which may include veterinary estimates or treatment plans, medical reports or diagnoses, proof of financial need (for example income statements or NGO registration certificates), photographs of the animal, and identification proof (for example an Aadhaar card or NGO certificate)
b) Donors. When you donate, we (or our third-party payment processor) may collect your name, contact details, billing address and payment information. We do not store full payment card details on our own servers — these are processed securely by our payment gateway partner or partners.
c) Partner clinics and caregivers. We may collect the business name, contact details and registration information of veterinary clinics and organizations that partner with us.
d) General communications. If you contact us by email, phone or through a contact form, we collect the information you choose to share, such as your name, contact details and the content of your message.
3.2 Information collected automatically
When you visit our website, we (and third-party service providers, such as analytics or hosting providers) may automatically collect certain technical information, including:
- IP address and approximate location
- Browser type and device information
- Pages visited, time spent, and referring website
- Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see section 11)
Sensitive information
Some information we collect — particularly government-issued identification (such as Aadhaar numbers), income or financial details, and medical records of animals — is sensitive in nature. We collect this information only where necessary to verify eligibility for financial assistance and to disburse aid responsibly, and we apply additional safeguards to protect it (see section 7).
How we use your information
We use the information we collect to:
- Evaluate and process applications for financial assistance
- Verify the identity, financial need and eligibility of applicants
- Communicate with applicants, donors, caregivers and partner clinics about applications, donations or inquiries
- Disburse funds directly to partner veterinary clinics on behalf of approved applicants
- Process and acknowledge donations, including issuing receipts
- Maintain records for accounting, auditing, legal and regulatory compliance
- Improve our website, services and outreach
- Send updates about our work, impact stories or fundraising campaigns (only where you have consented to receive such communications)
- Detect, prevent and address fraud, misuse or security issues
Legal basis for processing
We process your personal information on the following bases:
- Consent — where you have voluntarily provided information, such as through our application or donation forms
- Legitimate interest — to operate and improve our charitable services, verify applications and prevent fraud
- Legal obligation — where processing is necessary to comply with applicable Indian law, including tax and regulatory requirements applicable to charitable organizations
How we protect your information
We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction, including restricting access to sensitive documents (such as identification proof and financial records) to authorized personnel involved in reviewing and approving applications.
However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Data retention
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Policy, including processing applications, maintaining donation and financial records for accounting and legal compliance, and responding to inquiries. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and applicable legal requirements. When information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to delete or anonymize it.
Your rights
Depending on applicable law (including India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023), you may have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you Section 11
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information Section 12
- Request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal and record-keeping obligations Section 12
- Withdraw consent to processing at any time, where processing is based on consent Section 6(4)
- Raise a grievance regarding how we handle your information Section 13
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in section 14.
Third-party links and services
Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services (such as payment processors or social media platforms — Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies separately.
Children's privacy
Our services are intended for use by adults capable of entering into agreements (such as applicants, caregivers and donors) on behalf of animals in their care. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.
Grievance Officer and contact
If you have questions, concerns or complaints about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, please contact our Grievance Officer.
If a grievance is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may complain to the Data Protection Board of India, established under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Chapter V
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.
Any of this unclear?
Ask, and we will answer plainly.
If you want to know what we hold about you, or you want it gone, it is one message. You do not need to give a reason.
