Privacy Policy

Happy Destination Foundation ("we", "our", or "us"), operating Pearls in the City at pearlsinthecity.org, is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect data when you interact with our website.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal data:

• Contact information — name, email address, phone number — when you fill in our contact or volunteer forms.
• Donation data — name, email, and donation amount — when you make a financial contribution.
• Newsletter subscription — email address when you subscribe to our updates.
• Technical data — IP address, browser type, and pages visited — collected automatically via standard web server logs.

We do not store full credit or debit card numbers. All payment processing is handled securely by Stripe.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To respond to your enquiries and messages
• To process donations and send receipts
• To send newsletters and impact updates (only to subscribers)
• To review volunteer applications
• To improve our website and services

3. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

As a foundation based in the Netherlands, we comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Our legal bases for processing personal data are:

• Consent — for newsletter subscriptions and voluntary form submissions
• Legitimate interest — for responding to enquiries and improving our services
• Contractual necessity — for processing donations

4. Data Sharing

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal data to third parties. We may share information with:

• Stripe — for secure payment processing. Stripe's privacy policy is available at stripe.com/privacy.
• Email service providers — for sending receipts and newsletters.
• Legal authorities — if required by law.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes described above, or as required by law. Newsletter subscribers may unsubscribe at any time.

6. Your Rights

Under GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data
• Withdraw consent at any time
• Lodge a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens)

To exercise these rights, contact us at info@pearlsinthecity.org.

7. Cookies

Our website uses minimal session cookies necessary for website functionality. We do not use tracking or advertising cookies. By using our site, you consent to this limited use of cookies.

8. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. All data is transmitted over HTTPS.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page indicates when it was last revised. Continued use of our website constitutes acceptance of any changes.

10. Contact

For any privacy-related questions, please contact us at:
Happy Destination Foundation — Pearls in the City
Email: info@pearlsinthecity.org