PRIVACY POLICY
Techeot Sanaatan Foundation Section 8 Charitable Foundation | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Effective Date: 25 June 2026 Last Updated: 25 June 2026
1. Introduction
Techeot Sanaatan Foundation ("TSF," "Foundation," "we," "us," or "our") is a Section 8 charitable company registered in India, holding 12A and 80G registration under the Income Tax Act, 1961, working across Education & Skills, Culture & Heritage, Rural Development, Environment, Women Empowerment, and Health & Medical Aid.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect personal information when you visit our website at [techeot-sanaatan.org / sanaatanfoundation.org] (the "Website"), donate, volunteer, partner with us, or otherwise interact with us.
By using the Website, you agree to the practices described in this Policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the Website.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
| Category | Examples | Where Collected |
|---|---|---|
| Identity & Contact | Name, email, phone, address, city, organisation | Contact form, Donation form, Volunteer form, Newsletter, Partner Inquiry |
| Donation & Payment | Donation amount, cause selected, payment reference, 80G receipt details, PAN (for tax receipts) | /donate page (processed via Razorpay/PayPal) |
| Volunteer/Intern Data | Skills, availability, area of interest, resume/CV, references | Volunteer & Internship application forms |
| Partner & Collaboration Data | Organisation type, collaboration proposal, budget details, registration/CIN number | Corporate Partnership & International Collaboration forms |
| Communication Content | Messages, enquiries, subject category, attachments | General Enquiry Form, WhatsApp chat, email |
| Academic/Research Requests | Institution name, purpose of request | Research/Academic enquiry category |
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
- Usage Data: Pages visited, time on page, referring URL, click paths, device type, browser type, IP address (via Google Analytics 4, Meta Pixel, Google Tag Manager).
- Cookies & Similar Technologies: Session cookies, analytics cookies, and marketing pixels. See Section 7 (Cookies) below.
- Donation Funnel Data: Steps completed/abandoned in the donation flow, for the purpose of improving conversion and donor experience.
2.3 Information from Third Parties
- Payment confirmation data from Razorpay (domestic) and PayPal (international donations).
- CRM-linked data from Zoho CRM / HubSpot where donor or partner records are synced.
- Publicly available information about partner organisations or government bodies used to verify legitimacy of MoUs and collaborative engagements.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use personal information to:
- Process and acknowledge donations and issue 80G tax-exemption receipts for eligible Indian donations, maintaining donation records as required under Indian law.
- Respond to enquiries submitted via the Contact, Volunteer, and Partnership forms.
- Onboard and manage volunteers, interns, and fellows.
- Evaluate and execute corporate, institutional, and international collaborations, including MoUs.
- Send newsletters, programme updates, annual reports, and impact stories — only where you have opted in.
- Maintain the public Donor Wall (first name, city, cause, and donation range only — never full name, address, or exact amount, unless explicit consent is given).
- Comply with legal, regulatory, and audit obligations applicable to TSF as a Section 8 company under the Companies Act and Income Tax Act.
- Analyse website traffic and donation funnel performance to improve user experience (via GA4, Meta Pixel, GTM).
- Maintain security, detect fraud, and prevent misuse of the donation gateway.
We do not use personal data for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on individuals.
4. Legal Basis for Processing
Depending on your location and the nature of interaction, we process personal data on the basis of:
- Consent — e.g., newsletter sign-up, cookie preferences, donor wall listing.
- Contractual necessity — e.g., processing a donation, fulfilling a partnership MoU, onboarding a volunteer.
- Legal obligation — e.g., statutory record-keeping, tax receipt issuance, regulatory filings applicable to TSF.
- Legitimate interest — e.g., website analytics, fraud prevention, donor communication consistent with expectations.
For donors and partners located outside India (including under GDPR), we ensure an appropriate legal basis is identified before processing, and honour applicable data subject rights (see Section 9).
5. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell personal information. We may share data with:
| Recipient | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Razorpay / PayPal | Payment processing for domestic and international donations |
| Zoho CRM / HubSpot | Donor and partner relationship management |
| Mailchimp / Brevo | Newsletter and email communication |
| Google (Analytics, Tag Manager), Meta Pixel | Website analytics and donation funnel tracking |
| Statutory Auditors & Regulators | Compliance reporting, annual report audits, applicable statutory filings |
| Government Departments / Gram Panchayats | Where MoUs require beneficiary or partnership reporting |
| Corporate Partners (where such partners report under their own CSR obligations) | Aggregated/anonymised impact data shared at the partner's request to support their internal CSR documentation and reporting (GRI/BRSR); individual beneficiary data shared only with consent |
| International Funding Partners (where such partners are themselves FCRA-registered or operate under applicable cross-border funding frameworks) | Programme and utilisation reporting required by the partner's own regulatory obligations |
All third-party processors are required to handle data under confidentiality and data-protection obligations consistent with this Policy.
We may also disclose information where required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of TSF, our beneficiaries, or the public.
6. Note on Cross-Border Contributions and Corporate Collaborations
Techeot Sanaatan Foundation holds 12A and 80G registration, enabling us to directly receive and issue tax-exemption receipts for domestic (Indian) donations.
For foreign contributions and direct CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) funding, TSF works with a range of corporate, institutional, and international partners — some of whom hold their own regulatory registrations, such as FCRA registration or CSR-eligible status under the Companies Act, in their own right. Where a contribution or collaboration is routed through such a partner, the partner's own regulatory and reporting obligations apply, and TSF supports this by providing accurate programme data, utilisation reports, and impact documentation as required.
TSF is in the process of evaluating and pursuing FCRA registration and CSR-1 eligibility to enable direct foreign and CSR contributions in the future. Until such registrations are in place, TSF directs international or CSR-linked support through appropriately registered partner channels, and is fully transparent with donors and partners about the applicable structure for any given contribution. Donors and partners are welcome to contact us for clarity on how a specific contribution will be routed and reported.
7. Cookies & Tracking Technologies
Our Website uses cookies to:
- Enable core site functionality (e.g., language selection, EN/Hindi toggle).
- Measure traffic and behaviour via Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager.
- Track ad/referral performance via Meta Pixel (where applicable to donor outreach campaigns).
On your first visit, a cookie consent banner is displayed allowing you to accept, reject, or customise non-essential cookies, in line with GDPR requirements for international visitors. You may also manage cookies through your browser settings at any time.
A Google Translate widget is used as a multilingual fallback tool; please note that translated content is generated by a third-party service and TSF is not responsible for translation accuracy.
8. Data Retention
| Data Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Donation & 80G receipt records | As required under the Income Tax Act and Companies Act provisions (currently 8 years from end of relevant financial year, or longer if law requires) |
| Cross-border/partner-routed contribution records | As required under the relevant partner's regulatory framework, and as needed for TSF's own programme reporting |
| Volunteer/Intern applications | Up to 2 years from last contact, unless engaged, then per HR record norms |
| Newsletter subscriber data | Until unsubscribed or 3 years of inactivity, whichever is earlier |
| Website analytics data | As per Google Analytics/GTM default retention settings, configurable by TSF |
| Contact form/general enquiries | Up to 1 year unless related to an ongoing partnership or grievance |
9. Your Rights
Depending on applicable law (Indian data protection law, and GDPR for EU/EEA/UK visitors), you may have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you.
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Withdraw consent for newsletters, donor wall listing, or marketing communication at any time.
- Request deletion of your data, subject to our statutory retention obligations.
- Object to or restrict certain processing, including analytics tracking via cookie settings.
- Receive a copy of your data in a portable format, where applicable.
- Lodge a complaint with a relevant data protection authority.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 14.
10. Children's Privacy
Our programmes (Education, Health, Rural Development) may involve photographs, stories, or testimonials of minor beneficiaries. We collect and publish such content only with informed consent from a parent, guardian, or authorised institutional representative, and in accordance with our child safeguarding and image-use guidelines (no exploitative imagery; focus on dignity and agency, per UN Photo Guidelines). The Website is not intended for direct use by children under 18 to submit personal information independently (e.g., donation or volunteer forms), and we do not knowingly collect such data directly from minors without guardian involvement.
11. Data Security
We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including:
- SSL/HTTPS encryption with HSTS across the Website.
- Security plugins (e.g., Wordfence/iThemes Security) and regular vulnerability monitoring.
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) for administrative access.
- Daily automated backups.
- Restricted, role-based access to donor, volunteer, and partner databases (Zoho CRM/HubSpot).
While we take security seriously, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security of information transmitted to us.
12. Third-Party Links
Our Website may link to third-party sites (e.g., government portals, partner organisations, UN bodies, payment gateways, social media). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party sites and encourage you to review their respective privacy policies.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, registrations, or programme operations. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this Policy will indicate the most recent revision. Continued use of the Website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.
14. Contact Us
For any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact:
Techeot Sanaatan Foundation Address: [Registered Office Address], Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India Email: [privacy@techeot-sanaatan.org] Phone: [Helpline Number] Grievance/Data Protection Contact: [Name/Designation, if applicable]
This document should be reviewed by qualified legal counsel familiar with Indian data protection law, the Companies Act (Section 8 provisions), Income Tax regulations (12A/80G), and GDPR (for international visitor/donor compliance) prior to publication. Section 6 should be revisited and updated once TSF's FCRA registration or CSR-1 status is finalised.
Document prepared for: Techeot Sanaatan Foundation Website Legal Pages Version 1.1 | June 2026