Privacy Policy

01Overview

Vikalpa Foundation ("Vikalpa", "we", "us", "our") is a not-for-profit trust working on community welfare programmes across India. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, and protect the personal information of everyone who interacts with us online — visitors, donors, volunteers, beneficiaries, and partners.

By using our website or sharing information with us, you agree to the practices described here. If you do not agree, please refrain from using the website or contact us directly using the details at the end of this page.

02Information we collect

We collect only what we need to run our programmes responsibly and to keep you informed.

Information you give us directly

• Name, email address, phone number, and postal address — when you donate, volunteer, or contact us
• Payment details processed through our payment gateway when you make a donation
• Details you share in volunteer or partnership application forms
• Any message content when you write to us through a contact form or email

Information collected automatically

• Device and browser type, approximate location (city-level), and pages visited
• Cookies and similar technologies, as described in Section 5

03How we use your information

• To process and acknowledge donations, and issue tax receipts where applicable
• To respond to volunteering enquiries and coordinate programme participation
• To send updates about our work, impact reports, and appeals — only if you have opted in
• To maintain the security and proper functioning of our website
• To meet legal, regulatory, and audit requirements applicable to a registered trust

04Donations & payment information

Online donations are processed through PCI-DSS compliant, third-party payment gateways. We do not store your full card, UPI, or net-banking credentials on our servers — these are handled directly by the payment processor under its own security standards.

We retain donation records (amount, date, donor name and contact details) as required for financial reporting, statutory compliance, and to issue receipts under applicable tax provisions.

05Cookies & tracking

We use a small number of cookies to keep the website working well and to understand how people use it.

You can disable non-essential cookies through your browser settings at any time; this may slightly affect how some pages behave.

06Data sharing & third parties

We share information only where it is necessary to operate:

• Payment gateways and banking partners, to process donations
• Email or SMS service providers, to send updates you've opted into
• Auditors, regulators, and government authorities, where required by law
• Programme partners, only with your explicit consent (for example, when you volunteer for a joint initiative)

We require every third party we work with to protect your data to a standard consistent with this policy.

07Data security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures — encrypted connections, restricted internal access, and regular reviews — to protect personal data against loss, misuse, or unauthorised access. No online system is completely risk-free, and we encourage you to also take care when sharing sensitive information over the internet.

08Your vikalp — choices & rights

You always have options over your own information. You may:

• Ask us what personal data we hold about you, and request a copy
• Ask us to correct inaccurate or outdated details
• Withdraw consent for communications and unsubscribe from updates at any time
• Request deletion of your data, subject to records we're legally required to retain (such as donation receipts)

To exercise any of these, write to us using the contact details in Section 11.

09Children's privacy

Some of our programmes serve children, but our website is intended for use by adults acting on their behalf — donors, guardians, volunteers, and partners. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children through the website. Any beneficiary data collected as part of our field programmes is handled separately, under stricter safeguarding protocols, and is not published or shared online.

10Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The "effective from" date at the top of this page will always show the latest revision. We encourage you to review it periodically.

11Contact us

For any privacy-related questions or requests, reach out to us: