Privacy Policy
Our Commitment
The Salvation Army Thrift Store is committed to protecting the privacy of its guests, donors, customers, clients, volunteers, employees, and members, and has always been concerned with treating personal information carefully and with appropriate confidentiality.
The Salvation Army Thrift Store embraces the principles of the Canadian Standards Association Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information to ensure that all personal information is properly collected, used only for the purposes for which it is collected, and is disposed of in a safe and timely manner when no longer required.
The Salvation Army Thrift Store operates over 100 Thrift Stores, Donor Welcome Centres, and Distribution and Recycling Centres’ across Canada. The donations received at these locations are sold in our Thrift Stores to help generate funds for local Salvation Army programs and services such as food banks and homeless shelters, while also contributing to greener communities through recycling and diversion. We couldn’t do what we do without the support of hundreds of thousands of generous supporters. We value our guests’ and donors’ trust and recognize that maintaining this trust requires that we be open and accountable in our treatment of the personal information that is shared with us. We do not trade, rent or sell the names of our supporters.
Guiding Principles
The following principles reflect our pledge to safeguard our guest’s and donor’s personal information:
1. We are accountable for your personal information.
We are responsible for all personal guest and donor information in our possession.
Personal information is any information that serves to distinguish, identify or contact a specific individual. Information that is publicly accessible is not considered personal information (e.g. information found in a telephone directory) and, therefore, is not subject to privacy laws or The Salvation Army Thrift Store policies regarding personal information.
We keep our guests and donors personal information in strict confidence.
Personal information is only used for specifically identified or reasonable purposes, and only authorized individuals within The Salvation Army Thrift Store who have valid reasons have access to personal information. All professional staff with access to personal guest and donor information are required to sign a privacy and confidentiality statement and to abide by The Salvation Army Thrift Store privacy and confidentiality policies at all times.
Where we choose to have certain services, such as data processing, provided by third party providers, we select the service providers carefully. We take all reasonable precautions to ensure that the service provider protects your personal information.
2. We collect, use and disclose personal information only for certain purposes that we identify to you.
The Salvation Army Thrift Store captures, uses or discloses personal information during certain campaigns only to:
- – Administer your donation
- – Respond to your information requests
- – Know who our guests and donors are
- – Send you information about The Salvation Army Thrift Store promotions, special offers, and exclusive content
- – Invite you to recognition and information sessions
- – Comply with any legal and/or regulatory requirements
- – Thank you for your support
We obtain personal information about you lawfully and fairly. Personal information is collected from you directly unless you authorize us to collect it from elsewhere.
Personal information collected will be limited to that required for the purposes identified.
3. We obtain your consent.
We collect, use or disclose your personal information with your permission.
Your permission may be expressed orally, in writing or may be implied, and you may give it to us orally, electronically or in writing. The Salvation Army Thrift Store may disclose personal information when we believe in good faith that the law requires it.
Regularly, you will be given opportunities to opt out of receiving communication materials from us or you may choose to do so by clicking here.
4. We limit the collection of your personal information.
The Salvation Army Thrift Store will limit its collection of personal information to what is required for the purposes identified by us. We obtain personal information about you lawfully and fairly.
5. We limit the use, disclosure and retention of personal information.
Personal information will not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with your consent or as required by law. Personal information will be retained only as long as necessary for fulfillment of those purposes. When we destroy personal information, we will use safeguards to prevent unauthorized parties from gaining access to that information during the process.
The Salvation Army Thrift Store does not trade, rent or sell any personal information to third parties.
6. Accuracy of your personal information
The Salvation Army Thrift Store is committed to maintaining accurate, complete and up-to-date personal information as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used.
We rely on our guests and donors to provide us with accurate personal information. To change or modify any personal information previously provided to The Salvation Army Thrift Store please email guestservices@salvationarmy.ca or update your profile by visiting https://www.thriftstore.ca/subscribe/
7. We safeguard your personal information
Your personal information is protected with security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.
Access to your personal information is restricted to authorized individuals within The Salvation Army Thrift Store who have valid reasons to access to personal information.
We maintain appropriate technical and organizational safeguards to protect your personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use or modification.
We use password protocols and secure websites to protect the personal information we receive when an online donation is made. Our software is routinely updated to maximize protection of such information.
8. We will be open about our privacy practices
The Salvation Army Thrift Store will make readily available to you specific information about our policies and practices relating to the management of personal information. You may request a print version of our Privacy Policy by contacting The Salvation Army Thrift Store, please email nro.communications@salvationarmy.ca
9. We allow you to access your personal information
You may ask us whether we hold any personal information about you. You can see that information and ensure that it’s accurate by contacting The Salvation Army Thrift Store, please email nro.communications@salvationarmy.ca
10. You may register a complaint
You may register a privacy-related complaint by contacting The Salvation Army Thrift Store, please email nro.communications@salvationarmy.ca. We will investigate all complaints. If a complaint identifies a gap in compliance, we will take appropriate steps to remedy the situation, including changing our policies and practices if necessary.
NOTE: Personal information relating to volunteers, job applicants, employees and clients are subject to similar protocols.
Contact The Salvation Army Thrift Store at nro.communications@salvationarmy.ca
Questions, comments and concerns regarding the handling of personal information may be directed to The Salvation Army Thrift Store, please email nro.communications@salvationarmy.ca
For public relations inquiries, please contact The Salvation Army Thrift Store Marketing and Communications Department by emailing nro.communications@salvationarmy.ca