Community Outreach Programme Trust
Effective Date: 2 December 2025

1. Introduction

Community Outreach Programme Trust (“COPT”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy and personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you visit our website at www.coptrust.org or interact with us. This policy complies with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”) and other applicable South African legislation.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

2.1 Information You Provide

• Name and surname
• Email address
• Phone number
• Postal or physical address
• Payment information (processed securely by third-party payment providers)
• Any other information you voluntarily provide when contacting us or making a donation

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Pages visited and time spent on our website
• Referring website addresses
• Other technical data collected through cookies and similar technologies

3. How We Collect Information

We collect personal information when you:

• Make a donation through our website
• Subscribe to our newsletter
• Complete a contact form
• Send us an email or phone enquiry
• Browse our website (via cookies and analytics tools)

4. Purpose of Collection

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

• Processing and receipting donations
• Communicating with you about our projects and activities
• Sending newsletters and updates (where you have consented)
• Responding to your enquiries
• Improving our website and services
• Complying with legal and regulatory obligations
• Maintaining accurate records for audit and reporting purposes

5. Legal Basis for Processing

Under POPIA, we process your personal information based on one or more of the following grounds:

• Your consent
• The performance of a contract or donation transaction
• Compliance with a legal obligation
• Our legitimate interests in operating and improving our charitable activities

6. Sharing of Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

6.1 Service Providers
We use trusted third-party service providers to assist with payment processing (Payfast, PayPal), email communications, and website analytics. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.

6.2 Legal Requirements
We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government regulation, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of COPT, our supporters, or the public.

6.3 With Your Consent
We may share your information with other parties where you have given us explicit consent to do so.

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption on our website
• Secure third-party payment processing
• Restricted access to personal information on a need-to-know basis
• Regular review of our security practices

While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Donation records are retained for the period required by South African financial and tax legislation. When your information is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymise it.

9. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience and collect analytical data. Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We use:

9.1 Essential Cookies
Required for the website to function properly.

9.2 Analytics Cookies
Help us understand how visitors use our website so we can improve it.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain parts of our website.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including payment processors and social media platforms. This Privacy Policy applies only to our website. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites and encourage you to read their privacy policies.

11. Children’s Privacy

Our website is not directed at children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Users aged 13 to 17 may use our website only with parental or guardian consent. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without appropriate consent, we will take steps to delete that information.

12. Your Rights Under POPIA

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access — Request confirmation of whether we hold your personal information and request a copy of it
• Correction — Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information
• Deletion — Request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements
• Objection — Object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances
• Withdraw Consent — Withdraw your consent to processing at any time, where processing is based on consent
• Lodge a Complaint — Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator if you believe your rights have been violated

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 15.

13. Direct Marketing

We will only send you marketing communications, such as newsletters and donation appeals, where you have consented to receive them. You may withdraw your consent and unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us directly.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your rights, or have concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact our Information Officer:

Community Outreach Programme Trust
Email: info@coptrust.org