Fundraising & Alumni Relations privacy notice

About this Notice

This Notice applies to information relating to alumni (including graduates, Honorary Graduates and staff who have opted into the Alumni Association), donors, supporters, students in receipt of grants from the Fundraising and Alumni Relations team, students who are part of alumni volunteering schemes, fundraising champions and prospective supporters. As we hold this information in a form that identifies individuals, it is “personal data” (also referred to as “data” in this Notice).

The purpose of this Notice is to enable you to understand the scope of the personal data which BU holds and uses that relates to you personally, and how this data will be handled by us. It covers use of your information within BU and the circumstances in which we will share your data with other organisations.

Who we are

Bournemouth University (“BU”) seeks to build and maintain connections with graduates (sometimes referred to as alumni), donors, and other supporters to help create a lifelong community, celebrate achievements, and raise funds for projects that support our students, teaching, and research.

If you have any questions about this notice, contact the Bournemouth University Data Protection Officer (DPO): [email protected]

What personal data we hold

We hold information from your time as a student and your ongoing relationship with BU, including:

Contact details, course, and graduation information
Records of events you attend, volunteering you do, or donations/grants you make or receive
Equality and diversity information you choose to share (see further information on special category data below)
Information from public sources (e.g. LinkedIn, Companies House)
Notes from meetings, communications, or nominations for awards
Records of your communication preferences.

This data may come from:

BU student records, taken once you have completed your studies
Forms you complete (e.g. alumni update forms, grant applications)
Interactions with BU (e.g. through events, volunteering, fundraising)
Publicly available sources
Third-party service providers (e.g. data cleansing houses, mailing houses) under strict contract.

How we use your data and our lawful basis

Activity	Lawful basis	Notes
Alumni e-newsletters, event invitations, volunteering opportunities, alumni networks, award nominations, general updates on BU's fundraising campaigns	Legitimate interest	Staying connected benefits both you and BU. You can opt out at any time
Equality and diversity monitoring (anonymised)	Legitimate interest (with additional research/statistics safeguard if special category data is used)	Information used for reports does not identify individuals but is used to help us improve the activities we provide
Contacting you about activities or events linked to your protected characteristics.	Explicit consent	Only if you have shared this information and agreed to be contacted about it
Promotion of further study opportunities (e.g. postgraduate, CPD, professional qualifications)	Consent	We believe that this constitutes direct marketing and will therefore only share information with your consent.
Fundraising requests (asking for donations)	Consent	We believe that this constitutes direct marketing and will therefore only share information with your consent.
Administering donations, pledges, or grants	Legal obligation/contract/legitimate interest	Includes compliance with charity law, anti-bribery, anti-money laundering, and taxation rules.
Graduate Outcomes Survey	Public task/legitimate interest	We will send you reminders about the Graduate Outcomes Survey as required by HESA (the organisation behind the survey) – see HESA privacy notice.
Volunteering scheme administration	Legitimate interest/consent/public task	We keep relevant career, expertise, and correspondence records to match you to opportunities and manage our volunteering schemes.
Volunteer Fundraising Champions (alumni who introduce BU to potential donors or support major fundraising activity)	Consent and legitimate interest	We record information you provide about your contacts and your stated preferences for involvement.
Managing BU Honorary Graduates (nominations, awards, ongoing engagement)	Legitimate interest, consent, explicit consent (if special category data provided)	We process nomination details, biographical information, and communications preferences. If you decline an award, only minimal data (name and decision) is kept avoiding further contact.
Managing relationships with funders (e.g. grant-making trusts, companies, or individual donors)	Public task, legitimate interests, contract, legal obligation	We process funder contact details, correspondence, financial records, and project criteria. Information may be shared with the funder in line with the funding agreement.

Special category data

If you share special category data (e.g. ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability), we:

Use it anonymously for statistical analysis to improve inclusivity
Only use it to contact you about specific opportunities if you have given explicit consent
Never publish or share it in a way that identifies you without your consent.

Sharing your data

We share your data only when necessary and under strict conditions:

With service providers (e.g. email platforms, mailing houses, data cleansing providers) bound by contract
With HESA for the Graduate Outcomes Survey (see link above)
With public bodies or regulators if required by law (e.g. HMRC, anti-fraud checks)
With your consent for specific opportunities, events, or publicity.

We do not sell your data.

International transfers

We only transfer your personal data outside the UK/EEA where:

It is necessary to contact you overseas, or
You have given consent.

Retention

We keep core alumni records (e.g. name, contact details, course, award, graduation year) indefinitely so we can confirm your awards and provide references to employers or other education providers, and grant you access to BU facilities (such as our libraries)
Other data is kept only as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected and to meet legal, regulatory, or audit requirements.

Your rights

You can:

Access your data
Correct or update it
Request erasure (where legally possible)
Restrict or object to processing (including on legitimate interest grounds)
Withdraw consent at any time (without affecting prior lawful use)
Request your data in a portable format (where applicable).

Opt-out links are in all alumni emails or contact [email protected].

What do the lawful bases mean?

Legitimate interest – We use your data in ways that are necessary and proportionate to our aims, without overriding your rights
Consent – You have agreed to our use of your data for a specific purpose; you can withdraw at any time
Public task – We process data to perform tasks in the public interest, such as educational or research purposes
Legal obligation – We process data to comply with laws (e.g. charity, tax, anti-money laundering)
Contract – We need the data to perform a contract with you (e.g. grant agreement)
Explicit consent – Required for sensitive data or certain uses (e.g. protected characteristic-targeted contact).

Changes to this notice

We may update this notice and will notify you of significant changes via email.

2025 - Key change to our lawful basis:

Previously, most alumni communications were sent only with your consent. From June 2025, we will use legitimate interest for most alumni updates and event invitations. You still have the right to opt out at any time.

If you’re happy to keep hearing from us, you don’t need to do anything. To change your preferences, email the Alumni Team: [email protected] or use the unsubscribe link in our emails.