Privacy Policy

How we handle your data

Last updated: 8 September 2026

StrayKind (formerly Animal Care Trust) is a UK registered charity (No. 1163828). We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data responsibly.

This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you interact with us through our website, donations, applications, or other services.

Who we are

Organisation: StrayKind (formerly Animal Care Trust)
Charity registration: 1163828 (England and Wales) 
Address: c/o Axis Cloud Accounting, The Marlowe Innovation Centre, Marlowe Way, Ramsgate, Kent CT12 6FA 
Website: straykind.org 
Email: hello@StrayKind.org

For data protection purposes, StrayKind is the data controller.

What information we collect

We may collect and process the following personal data:

When you donate: 

• Name, email address, and contact details
• Payment information (processed securely by Stripe or PayPal—we do not store your card details)
• Gift Aid declaration details, if applicable
• Donation history

When you sign up for emails: 

• Name and email address
• Your communication preferences

When you apply to rehome an animal: 

• Name, address, and contact details
• Information about your household and living situation
• Information relevant to assessing your suitability as an adopter

When you apply to volunteer: 

• Name, contact details, and any relevant experience
• Information you provide in your application

When you visit our website: 

• Technical data such as IP address, browser type, and device information
• Information about how you use our website (via cookies and similar technologies—see our Cookie Policy)

When you interact with us on social media:

– If you comment on or message our Facebook or Instagram pages, we receive your social media name, profile information, and the content of your comments or messages
– We use this data to respond to enquiries and manage our community, including through automated tools that help us reply promptly

How we use your information

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• Processing donations: To process your gift, send receipts, claim Gift Aid where applicable, and maintain accurate financial records as required by charity law.
• Communications: To send you updates about our work, fundraising appeals, and newsletters—only if you have opted in. You can unsubscribe at any time.
• Rehoming applications: To assess applications and match animals with suitable homes.
• Volunteer management: To process applications and coordinate volunteer activities.
• Website improvement: To understand how visitors use our site so we can improve it.
• Legal obligations: To comply with our obligations as a registered charity.
• Social media interactions: To respond to comments and messages on our Facebook and Instagram pages, including through automation that drafts replies for our team to review and send.

We process your data under the following legal bases:

• Contract: When you make a donation or submit an application, we process your data to fulfil that transaction.
• Legitimate interests: To administer our charity, communicate with supporters, and improve our services—provided this does not override your rights.
• Consent: For marketing communications. You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal obligation: To comply with charity law, tax requirements (including Gift Aid), and other regulations.

We may share your information with:

• Payment processors: Stripe and PayPal, to process donations securely.
• Email service provider: Mailchimp, to send newsletters and updates.
• HMRC: For Gift Aid claims.
• Our team in Taiwan: For rehoming applications, where relevant.
• Automation provider: Make (Make.com), to operate our social media response workflows
• AI processing provider: Anthropic, to help draft replies to social media comments and messages
• Data platform: Airtable, to securely store and manage records including social media interactions
• Advertising provider: Meta Platforms (Facebook and Instagram), which receives information about pages you view on our site and donations you complete, so that we can measure how well our advertising performs. This happens only if you agree to advertising cookies, and Meta does not receive your name, postal address or payment card details. See our Cookie Policy.

We do not sell your data to third parties. We only share data with service providers who process it on our behalf, under strict data protection agreements.

International transfers

Some of our service providers (such as Mailchimp and Stripe) are based in the United States. Where data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.

Our team in Taiwan may access rehoming application data. This is necessary to process applications for animals in our Taiwan sanctuaries.

Our social media automation providers (Make, Anthropic, and Airtable) are based in or process data in the United States; where data is transferred outside the UK we ensure appropriate safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses, are in place.

How long we keep your data

We retain your data only as long as necessary:

• Donation records: 7 years (as required for financial and Gift Aid records)
• Marketing preferences: Until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete your data
• Rehoming applications: 3 years after the application is closed
• Volunteer records: 3 years after your last involvement

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification: Ask us to correct inaccurate data.
• Erasure: Ask us to delete your data (subject to legal retention requirements). This includes data we hold from your interactions with us on social media.
• Restriction: Ask us to limit how we use your data.
• Portability: Request your data in a portable format.
• Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing.
• Withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@StrayKind.org.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve your experience and help us understand how visitors use our site. For full details, see our Cookie Policy.

Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. Payment information is processed securely by our payment providers and is not stored on our servers.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date.

Contact us

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, please contact us:

Email: hello@StrayKind.org
Post: StrayKind, c/o Axis Cloud Accounting, The Marlowe Innovation Centre, Marlowe Way, Ramsgate, Kent CT12 6FA

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Website: ico.org.uk
Phone: 0303 123 1113