Privacy Policy

DARO is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy outlines the types of data that we hold and how we use this data to provide services to our alumni and supporters. We aim to be clear when we collect your personal information, and not do anything you would not reasonably expect us to as a past student, a supporter, or any individual who has contact with DARO. By providing any personal data to DARO, you agree to our use of such data in accordance with this privacy policy.

DARO supports UCD through contact with alumni, students, supporters and those who may become potential supporters of the University. We do this by offering a range of academic, social and networking events. For example, we provide publications of interest, access to University Library resources and employment and skills advice for graduates. We also fundraise to support the University’s strategic objectives

To do this, DARO maintains a database that contains personal data collected by the University and by DARO during UCD’s relationship with students, alumni, donors, supporters, prospective supporters and non-alumni friends of UCD.

We primarily obtain personal information about our past students from the student records system as initially past students personal data is transferred from their student record to the DARO database when they graduate.

A significant proportion of the information we hold on alumni is that which alumni provide to us. For example, they may have given UCD this information by filling in forms on the University’s website, which was then transferred to the alumni database, or by corresponding with UCD or DARO directly or giving a donation by telephone, email or otherwise. We also hold information if our alumni have interacted with any other departments, units, societies, institutes, Student’s Union, schools or colleges within the University framework and we may receive data from these areas.

We may also receive information about students, alumni, donors, supporters, prospective supporters and non-alumni friends of UCD from another party, for example, via an introduction by a friend or acquaintance. For example, a friend or classmate may pass on details to us to invite alumni to a reunion or for us to share updates with alumni that may be of interest to them about UCD. We will always check with the individual before using these details for marketing purposes.

If an alum had a relationship with the Students’ Union or a student society, for example as a member, we may share their contact details with them or them with us to ensure that they and we have the most up to date means of contacting the past student.

We are obliged to keep graduate details up to date, to keep in contact with alumni about their legal entitlement to vote in the elections to Seanad Éireann, and we will make every effort to check the contact details we have for alumni are correct (for example, through surveys, phone calls etc), and, where appropriate, update them.

We may sometimes collect information about alumni or potential supporters of UCD that is published publicly and append it to their record, such as current employer or any awards or accolades they may receive or any news from the press media.

We may also use information from publicly available sources to carry out research to assess an alum’s or potential supporters’ inclination and capacity to support the University by volunteering time or financially. We take this approach to ensure they receive the most appropriate communications and that our fundraising activity is as effective as it can be, and in respect of major and very large donations by individuals or businesses, for due diligence purposes.

More information on these activities is below and you will always have the right to opt out.  We value our relationship with you and we use your personal data to ensure we contact you in the most appropriate way, improve our services and to ensure we work efficiently and effectively.

DARO processes the information outlined in this Privacy Policy in pursuit of our legitimate interests in:

• Communicating with students, staff, alumni, friends, and current and potential supporters with an interest in the University about UCD for example, e-zines, alumni magazines, social media, events etc.
• Updating alumni on their legal entitlement to vote in the elections to Seanad Éireann
• Providing benefits and services to students, staff, alumni and supporters (for example library access/adult education courses/post graduate studies/gym membership etc);
• Furthering the University’s educational charitable mission (which includes fundraising through UCD Foundation and securing the support of volunteers);
• Supporting the University to achieve its strategic and operational goals.

We may pursue these legitimate interests by contacting you by telephone, email, post, text or social media. Information about how you can manage the ways that we contact you, including how to opt out from some or all contact from DARO, is outlined in the ‘Your choices’ section below.

Whilst DARO relies on legitimate interest as the legal basis for processing data where this is not overridden by the interests and rights or freedoms of the data subjects concerned it recognises that it is not the only lawful ground for processing data. In addition to the use of legitimate interest, we may also sometimes process your data on alternative grounds – for example, because you have given us consent to do so or connected with the performance of the University’s statutory objects and functions under the Universities Act 1997 and related legislation.

The personal data stored and processed by us, the majority of which is given to us by our alumni and supporters but some of which we may obtain from other sources, may include for alumni:

• Details of past students’ education (e.g. your College(s), the courses you have completed, your subjects, dates of study, details of any awards, scholarships or other accolades achieved during your University years)
• Unique personal identifiers and biographical information (e.g. student number, name, title, date of birth)
• Your contact details (and we update these whenever you let us know that they have changed)
• Details about your family (e.g. your marital status, the name of your partner or spouse, children etc) to help provide the best alumni experience. For example, so we can tailor communications and event invitations to you
• Your current interests and activities
• Your career highlights and other life achievements

For alumni, supporters and future supporters:

• key financial indicators as they occur in the public arena (for example significant shareholdings, media releases, Rich list placements etc)
• details of what correspondence we have sent to you and any responses we have received from you
• details of alumni interactions with the University, including:
  • your membership of clubs, societies, and alumni groups
  • your attendance at University events
  • other contact with us or our partners (as listed below)
  • details of benefits and services provided to you, including those set out at https://www.ucd.ie/alumni
  • your relationships with other alumni or supporters of the University and DARO
  • personal data provided by you for a specific purpose (e.g. disability and dietary preferences for event management purposes)
  • your communication preferences, to help us provide tailored and relevant communications
  • non-financial support that you provide the University (e.g. details of volunteering roles, participation in panel discussions, as a speaker, mentoring etc)

We augment the data we hold from the University and DARO, with publicly available data.

Only UCD Foundation holds data relating to donations to the Foundation including:

• financial information relating to you and your family
• your history of donations made to UCD Foundation
• your ability and willingness to make donations to UCD Foundation, including our judgement and assessment of your income assessed according to publicly available data e.g. salary surveys and whether donations or funding appeals may be of interest to you

We use targeted internet searches and may search the following websites (either directly or using search engines), where relevant to obtain and maintain the accuracy of the data listed above:

• Public sources for companies (to find personal data of those companies’ employees, etc.):
• CRO (Ireland), Companies House (UK) and SEC (US)
• LinkedIn, to check business details
• Company websites
• Press & Online Media

Your data is used by us for several interdependent purposes in support of alumni relations communications and events and fundraising.

These include:

• updating alumni on your legal entitlement to vote in the elections to Seanad Éireann
• to keep you up to date with news and progress regarding UCD and its community by sending you publications (e.g. alumni magazines, e-zines)
• conducting surveys, including research on when and whether donations or funding appeals may be of interest to you or areas of the University that you may like to volunteer in
• providing services and benefits of being an alum, including access to University facilities, discounts and alumni email accounts
• sending you details of volunteering opportunities
• inviting you to alumni and other University events like professional career development or reunions
• the promotion of other opportunities and services available to you (e.g. offers and opportunities available through the University’s network)
• internal record keeping, including the management of any feedback or complaints
• Communications to you may be sent by post, telephone, SMS or electronic means (principally by email), depending on the contact details we hold, and the preferences expressed by you about the types of communications you wish to receive.
• sending you tailored proposals, appeals and requests for donations including direct marketing, telephone and e-mail fundraising
• wealth analysis and research to improve our understanding of our alumni and supporters, inform our fundraising strategy and target our communications more effectively
• administrative purposes (e.g. to process a donation you have made or to administer an event you have registered for or attended)

UCD Foundation may use your details for the purposes of telephone fundraising. Our telephone fundraising campaigns are managed in-house. Our callers are current UCD students and are paid for their work which provides them with valuable work experience whilst raising much needed funds for the University. If you would like to opt-out of receiving telephone fundraising calls, please e-mail us at (opens in a new window)info@ucdfoundation.ie

UCD or DARO may also use third-party partners to support the activities described above. If you interact with the University through a third party (for example, supporting the University via JustGiving or a crowdfunding page) then we may obtain information about you from that third party. The receipt of data by DARO in this manner is subject to the third party’s own privacy policy. A list of parties with whom we partner in this way is available on request. Data obtained in this way are treated no differently to any other once held by DARO and are bound by the terms of this Privacy Notice as soon as they are received.

The University’s alumni portal (UCD Alumni network), is hosted by (opens in a new window)Graduway who are contractually bound to provide this service to the University and our alumni, students and supporters.  The UCD Alumni Network allows users to update their details online, access a directory of UCD alumni, and, subject to an individual registrant’s authorisation, participate in online mentoring programmes.  To enable us to offer this service if you are a graduate some of your data will be stored in Graduway.  Users are subject to this Privacy Notice and the additional terms and conditions (link to Graduway).

Tools may be used to help us improve the effectiveness of the University’s communications with you, including tracking whether the emails we send are opened and which links are clicked within a message. We monitor website visits and use tools such as Google Analytics to improve our website and services.

We may use automated or manual analyses to link data together to help us identify your potential for supporting the University, to provide you with an improved experience, to send you communications which are relevant and timely, to identify volunteering opportunities or opportunities for providing support which may be of interest to you, and to avoid approaching you with opportunities which are not of interest.

All of this enables us to raise vital funds, sooner, and more cost-effectively, in support of the University’s strategic objectives. We always seek to ensure that any opportunities we present are aligned with your interests, based on the research we conduct.

If you have concerns or queries about any of these purposes, or how we communicate with you, please contact us at (opens in a new window)alumni@ucd.ie

We will always respect a request by you to stop processing your personal data.

You can choose which type of information you would like to receive from DARO and we will ensure that we only use your personal information to contact you with information that is relevant to you.

If you provide us with contact details for a method of communication, we will assume that you have given us your consent for us to update your record and communicate with you using this information unless you have told us otherwise.

Contact details provided directly by you will update any previous preferences in relation to this channel unless you inform us otherwise.

You can change your marketing and contact preferences at any time by contacting us at (opens in a new window)alumni@ucd.ie or (opens in a new window)info@ucdfoundation.ie

For new graduates, after the graduation ceremonies your contact information will be passed to DARO so that we can keep in contact with you. You can choose to opt out of receiving information relating to the University and its activity from DARO including volunteering and fundraising at any time by e-mailing (opens in a new window)alumni@ucd.ie or by unsubscribing at the end of any e-mails sent.

We share categories of past student data (excluding financial or gift information) which is relevant with UCD and its Colleges.  We work closely with the Colleges to provide our shared alumni and supporters with a coordinated and centralised communications approach through DARO. Except for the College of Business which has access to our DARO database and its own Alumni Relations team to support its past students.  In addition, the Schools of Law and Medicine also have access to their past students’ information on our DARO database.  Colleges and schools have access to only their specific students on the alumni database, and we maintain other electronic and paper records.  Any transmission of data to or from the Colleges about their alumni is managed through agreed processes which comply with relevant data protection legislation.

Additionally, we share data of our alumni (which does not include financial data) on a considered and confidential basis, where appropriate, with:

• Affiliated organisations and individuals which support and provide services to alumni and supporters, such as:
  • University Clubs and Societies
  • volunteer partners closely related to us (e.g. development and advisory board members, alumni societies, alumni group representatives, reunion class champions)
  • educational units associated with the University that award scholarships
• Third parties engaged by the University to provide Fundraising and Communications related services, such as:
  • Third Party Agencies Who Provide Us With Data About Alumni And Supporters
  • Consultants Advising Us On Individuals’ Capacity To Donate To Support UCD’s Fundraising Strategy And An Individual’s Potential To Donate Based On A Considered Judgement
  • To Enable More Effective Communication With You, We May Engage With Other Contractors Who Provide Services To Us That Improve Our Engagement With You or Who May Provide Services To You On Our Behalf
• Banks who carry out financial transactions on behalf of UCD Foundation for example, through UCD Foundation uploading direct debit uploads

All personal information is treated confidentially and with respect for the benefit of the University and its members in accordance with the Data Protection Act and GDPR.

Any personal information we obtain will be held securely on the DARO database. This is hosted within the EU and is fully SAS 70 Type II Certified and PCI DSS compliant. We take appropriate steps to ensure that we only record and store information which is relevant, that we keep securely, that is accurate and up to date.

Personal information will not be disclosed to external organisations other than those acting on the instructions of the University or UCD Foundation. Where this is the case, a written contract or appropriate data sharing agreement will be put in place between the University or UCD Foundation and the third party to set out the purposes for which the information can be used and the security measures that must be in place.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties under any circumstances or permit third parties to sell on the data we have shared with them.

We also facilitate communication between individual alumni, but in doing so we do not release personal contact details without prior permission.

We may also disclose relevant contact details to fellow alumni who are arranging reunions or other alumni events if we believe they may be of interest to you.

Any transfers of your data overseas (outside of the European Economic Area), for example to an international alumni organisation or UCD Chapter, as set out above, are protected either by an ‘adequacy decision’ by the European Commission (declaring the recipient country as a ‘safe’ territory for personal data) or by standard contractual clauses adopted by the European Commission (which give obligations for the recipient to safeguard the data) or, based on DARO’s self-assessment of the risks involved with the transfer and its determination that the data will be adequately protected during and after the transfer.

You have the right to:

• Ask us for access to, or rectification of your data held on DARO databases
• Restrict processing (pending correction or deletion)
• Object to communications
• Ask for the transfer of your data electronically to a third party (data portability)
• Opt out at any stage by emailing (opens in a new window)alumni@ucd.ie or (opens in a new window)info@ucdfoundation.ie

UCD’s Data Protection Officer is responsible for monitoring compliance with relevant legislation in relation to the protection of personal alumni data.

If you wish to amend the type of alumni communications you receive or the way in which the DARO contacts you, please contact: (opens in a new window)alumni@ucd.ie

If you have any concerns or queries about this policy, or about how we hold and use your alumni data, please contact (opens in a new window)alumni@ucd.ie

If you wish to request access to any of your personal information held by UCD Foundation, please contact (opens in a new window)info@ucdfoundation.ie

You have the right to lodge a complaint to (opens in a new window)dataprotection@ucd.ie

The legal basis for processing your personal data for the interdependent purposes set out above is that it is necessary for the pursuit of UCD’s legitimate interests (carried out on their behalf through DARO), or the carrying out of a task in the public interest.

We always handle your personal data securely and minimise its use, and there is no overriding prejudice to you by using your personal information for these purposes.  In addition, there is no statutory or contractual requirement for you to provide us with any personal data.

The controller for your personal data is UCD and UCD Foundation through a joint controller agreement, and can be contacted at (opens in a new window)alumni@ucd.ie or (opens in a new window)info@ucdfoundation.ie

UCD Foundation and UCD will retain your data indefinitely on the DARO database in support of your lifelong relationship with the University or until you request us to do otherwise.  UCD Foundation and UCD will publish on their websites (www.ucd.ie/alumni, (opens in a new window)www.ucdfoundation.ie) any changes we make to this privacy policy and notify you by other communication channels where appropriate.

Where you exercise your right to erasure, UCD through Registration will continue to maintain a core set of personal data (name, subject(s), matriculation and graduation details, unique University identification number and date of birth) to ensure UCD does not contact you inadvertently in future, and to maintain your academic record for archive purposes.

UCD Foundation may also need to retain some financial records about you for statutory purposes (e.g. Tax back, anti-fraud and accounting matters).

If you have any concerns about any personal data that may be held by your College, you will need to contact the College separately.

You can view the full list of cookies used on UCD websites here.