AEGN

Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important to us. Please read our general statement of principles and privacy policy, and contact us if you have any questions.

The Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network (“the AEGN”, “we”, “us”, and “our”) Privacy Policy contains important information about personal information.

General statement of principles

Safeguarding members’ and friends’ personal and financial information is important to us. We comply with all relevant privacy legislation. Any information the AEGN gathers is strictly for our use and conforms with our mission of providing services to our membership. We will not sell or give away to any individual or organisation, any lists or other data that we may possess.

The AEGN collects personal information that is required to deliver services to our members and to achieve our mission. This personal information can include contact details, opinions or other information relating to a person that is relevant to an activity in which they are participating. All contact with you will be only on the basis of relevance to the AEGN’s mission.

Privacy laws entitle you to access information about yourself held by the AEGN. If you consider your information needs to be updated, you may request that this occurs. Unless the information is required to be held for statutory reasons, you may request that it be removed. You may access your information by writing to the Chief Executive Officer, AEGN, Level 6, 126 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne, Vic 3002.

For more information, please read the full privacy policy or contact:
info@aegn.org.au or telephone the office on +61 3 9663 7844

Privacy Policy

Last updated October 2022

1. Purpose and nature

The Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network (AEGN, we, us or our) recognises the importance of your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we intend to collect, store, use, disclose, protect and otherwise handle your personal information having regard to the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act). 

By visiting our website, signing up to our newsletters, engaging with our community, making a donation or otherwise providing us with your personal information, you consent to your personal information (including your sensitive information) being collected, used and disclosed as set out in this Privacy Policy. 

This Privacy Policy does not constitute a contractual representation, promise, guarantee or warranty by AEGN to you as to the manner in which we will or may collect, store, use, disclose, protect or otherwise handle your personal information.  

This Privacy Policy applies to AEGN and its related entities, such as its subsidiaries, and their employees or volunteers.  These related entities comply with the same obligations that AEGN has to protect your personal information under this Privacy Policy. 

For more information, please read the full privacy policy or contact: 
info@aegn.org.au or telephone the office on +61 3 9663 7844 

2. What is personal information?

Personal information is information or an opinion about you, whether true or not and whether recorded in a material form or not, from which you can be reasonably identified. 

3. Why does AEGN collect personal information?

We collect personal information for the primary purpose of delivering services to our members in connection with our mission, and to support the operations of AEGN. This may include but is not limited to: 

(a) raising the profile of environmental giving to inspire as much impactful environment and climate change funding as possible; 

(b) connecting our members with a community of like-minded environment and climate change funders; 

(c) sharing ideas and opportunities, co-fund, collaborate, and build momentum to make positive change; 

(d) helping our members build their skills and knowledge to help them to fund strategically, confidentially, and in a way that is rewarding; 

(e) providing our members with access to a range of strategic tools and resources, access to experts, tailored advice, project sharing opportunities, curated events and access to expert scientists, academics and changemakers, to help our members be as effective as possible in their giving;  

(f) organise, run and host events in connection with our purpose; and 

(g) understand our membership, how better to serve them better and to develop strategies that will grow the amount and impact of philanthropic environmental giving. 

We may also use your personal information for purposes closely related to the primary purpose. 

If we do not collect your personal information, we may not be able to provide you with our services or connect you with our community. 

4. What personal information does AEGN collect?

The types of personal information we collect include: 

(a) names; 

(b) contact details (including address, email address, telephone number(s) and other contact details); 

(c) banking details;  

(d) information about you that relates to your grant making and philanthropic activities; and 

(e) other information you provide to us. 

4.2 Sensitive Information 

The personal information collected by us may include sensitive information. Sensitive information is defined in the Privacy Act as information or an opinion about such things as an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, membership of a political association, religious or philosophical beliefs, membership of a trade union or other professional body, criminal record or health information.   

For example, we will only collect sensitive information if necessary to provide our services, such as if you apply to participate in a field trip, we may need to collect health related information, or if we discuss our initiatives with you, the information that you provide to us may contain your political opinions, although we do not have a political purpose.  

We will only collect sensitive information with your consent. If you are not a member of the AEGN you may still seek confirmation as to whether we hold information in relation to you. 

We will only use sensitive information: 

(a) for the primary purpose for which it was obtained; 

(b) for a secondary purpose that is directly related to the primary purpose; 

(c) with your consent; or 

(d) where required or authorised by law.   

4.3 Exception in relation to employee records 

The APPs and this Privacy Policy do not apply to AEGN’s treatment of employee records where the treatment is directly related to a current or former employment relationship between the AEGN and the employee.  

5. How does AEGN collect your personal information? 

We will collect personal information only by lawful and fair means and not in an unreasonably intrusive manner. We will not collect personal information unless the information is necessary for our functions and activities. When you provide us with personal information you consent to the use, disclosure and handling of your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and any subsequent amendments (see clause 13). 

5.1 Collecting information from you 

Wherever it is reasonable and practical to do so, we will collect personal information directly from you. 

Depending on how you choose to interact with us, we may collect your personal information when you contact, or are contacted by, us or our service providers by telephone, by email, through our website and social media, such as LinkedIn, or when you complete a form or document and provide it to AEGN.  

5.2 Collecting information from third parties 

We may also collect information about you from other people or independent sources.  For example, we may collect personal information about you from our related entities or from a trust or foundation office that hold publicly available information. However, we will only do so where it is not reasonable and practicable to collect the information from you directly.  Where we have collected your information from a third party, such personal information will be held, used and disclosed by us in accordance with this Privacy Policy. 

5.3 Unsolicited information 

If we receive personal information that it has not requested and determines that the personal information received is not reasonably necessary to provide its services, we will take all lawful and reasonable steps (if any) to de-identify or destroy that personal information.  

5.4 Anonymity/pseudonymity  

Where practicable, you may be able to interact with us anonymously or by using a pseudonym. Circumstances where it is not practicable, however, include where personal information is required to complete a credit card transaction or to contact you about our services.  

6. Our website and the use of cookies 

6.1 Information about the use of our website 

We may collect information about how you use and visit our website. For example, we record your server address, the date and time of your visit, the pages you visited, any documents you downloaded, the previous site you visited and the type of device, browser and operating system you used.  

We use and disclose this information in anonymous, aggregated form only for purposes including statistical analysis and to assist us to improve the functionality and usability of our website. You are not individually identified, however we reserve the right to use or disclose this information to try to locate an individual where we reasonably believe that the individual may have engaged in any unlawful or inappropriate activity in connection with our website, or where we are otherwise required or authorised by law to do so. 

6.2 Cookies 

We may also collect information based on how you use our website, including through ‘cookies’, web beacons and other similar technologies.  

Cookies are small text files that are transferred to your computer’s hard drive through your web browser to enable AEGN’s systems to recognise your browser and record non-personal information such as the date, time or duration of your visit and the pages accessed, for website administration, statistical and maintenance purposes (Cookie Information). 

We use cookies to provide you with a more consistent experience across our services.  No attempt is made by AEGN to use Cookie Information to personally identify you.  However, if Cookie Information is linked with personal information as set out above, this Cookie Information becomes personal information and will be treated in the same manner as the personal information to which it has been linked. 

You can remove or reject cookies by adjusting the settings on your web browser.  Please note that some parts of our website may not function fully for users that disable cookies. 

6.3 Third Party Links 

Our website may contain certain links to other websites.  We do not share your personal information with those websites and we are not responsible for the privacy practices applying in respect of those websites. 

7. How does AEGN hold your personal information? 

We will take reasonable steps to keep the personal information that we hold about you secure and ensure that it is protected from loss, unauthorised access, use, modification or disclosure. To do so, we take the following steps to protect your personal information: 

(a) your personal information is stored in a customer relationship management (CRM) platform or within secure systems that are protected with passwords;  

(b) our employees and authorised agents are trained in relation to privacy protection and obliged to respect the confidentiality of any personal information held by us;  

(c) implement and maintain internal information security policies including a staff confidentiality policy and data management policy.  

We will also take reasonable steps to permanently de-identify or responsibly destroy personal information if it is no longer needed for the purpose for which the information was used or disclosed. 

7.1 Security breach procedures 

Our data security practices have been adopted with a view to protecting the data held by AEGN.  Notwithstanding this, individuals should be aware that there are inherent risks associated with the transmission of data over the internet and other mediums.  Accordingly, we cannot guarantee any transmission will be completely secure. Other than liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, we will not be liable in any way in relation to any breach of security or any unintended loss or disclosure of information that you send electronically. 

8. How does AEGN use your personal information? 

We may hold, use or disclose your personal information for a range of purposes so that we can fulfill AEGN’s mission and provide any services that you request. 

For example, we may hold, use or disclose your personal information to: 

(a) to support the operations of AEGN as set out in section 3 above; 

(b) provide you with membership products and services;  

(c) share with event organisers and hosts of AEGN events;  

(d) fulfil administrative functions associated with the AEGN’s initiatives and events, such as payment processing; 

(e) assist you with your queries or concerns; 

(f) keep you informed of news, events and media appearances, including interviews of our key members; 

(g) comply with any legal or regulatory obligations imposed on us including complying with our obligations under ASIC;  

(h) perform our regular and necessary business functions (such as internal accounting and audits, reporting, research, service development and planning); 

(i) consider any concern or complaint that you raise against AEGN or to manage any legal action between you and AEGN; 

(j) prevent or investigate any actual or suspected fraud, unlawful activity or misconduct; or 

(k) comply with any relevant laws, regulations, codes of practice and court orders. 

8.1 Opting out of direct marketing 

We may use your personal information to identify and promote products or services that may be of interest to you. You can opt out of receiving promotional material from us at any time by clicking on the opt out link within an email, or by contacting AEGN via the contact details in clause 12.  If you do opt out, we will continue to provide information in relation to your existing membership only or only as you request.  

9. How is personal information disclosed to others? 

We do not sell, rent or trade personal information to, or with third parties. 

However, in order to provide our services, we may disclose your personal information to organisations that carry out functions on our behalf. Information will only be given where it is required to carry out the necessary functions in which you have indicated your interest. Third parties may include for example, we may disclose your personal information to: 

(a) organisers, venues or transport providers used for an AEGN event; 

(b) electronic and/or credit card transaction processors;  

(c) information technology service providers such as website managers and developers; 

(d) organisations and freelancers that are contracted by AEGN as service providers; 

(e) any person or entity to whom you have consented we may disclose your personal information; and 

(f) any person or entity to whom we are required or authorized to disclose your personal information in accordance with the law.  

Where possible the AEGN will put in place confidentiality arrangements with these entities to ensure this information is only used to carry out functions on our behalf.  

We will not disclose your personal information to third parties who are overseas. However, we may store your information in cloud or use storage providers that are networked or use electronic storage. As electronic or networked storage can be accessed from various countries via an internet connection, it may be accessible overseas.  

10. How can you access or correct your personal information? 

You may contact us to request access to the personal information we hold about you at any time.  You may also ask us to correct information about you that you believe is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date. 

Please contact AEGN using the contact details set out in clause 12  We will need to verify your identity before giving you access to, or correcting, your personal information.  We will respond to the request within a reasonable period after the request is made.  There is no charge to make a request, however we may charge a reasonable fee to cover the administrative costs of retrieving your personal information. 

In certain circumstances, we may refuse, or be unable, to correct or provide you with access to your personal information. In these circumstances, we will write to you to explain the reasons why this is the case. 

11. How can you complain if you have concerns about how AEGN has managed your personal information? 

If you have concerns or wish to make a complaint regarding the treatment of your personal information by us please contact AEGN using the contact details set out in clause 12.  We may ask you to place your concerns in writing so that our compliance staff can fully understand and investigate your complaint. 

We will provide you with an estimated response timeframe in relation to your complaint.  In any event, we will endeavour to respond to your complaint within 30 days. 

If a complaint remains unresolved, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au to have the complaint heard and determined. 

12. How to contact us 

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or AEGN’s management of your personal information, you can: 

(a) write to us at: AEGN, Level 6, 126 Wellington Parade East Melbourne, Victoria 3002; 

(b) telephone the office on +61 3 9663 7844; or 

(c) e-mail us via  info@aegn.org.au

13. Changes to AEGN’s privacy policy and information handling practices 

This Privacy Policy is subject to change at any time, so we encourage you to review this Privacy Policy at regular intervals.  If AEGN changes this Privacy Policy an updated version will be posted on our website to notify you of this change.  By continuing to use our services after that time you will be deemed to have accepted any changes to our Privacy Policy.  

Contact us

If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy, what personal information we may hold in relation to you, or about the way we manage your personal information you can mail, phone or email us:

m AEGN, Level 6, 126 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne, Vic 3002

p +61 3 9663 7844

e info@aegn.org.au