Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 29 July 2026  ·  Last Updated: 29 July 2026

1. Introduction and Purpose

This Privacy Policy ("Policy") explains how Animal Welfare and Rescue Foundation (AWRF), a non-governmental organisation dedicated to animal welfare and rescue, collects, uses, stores, discloses, and protects personal data belonging to individuals who interact with us — including donors, volunteers, newsletter subscribers, website visitors, and other stakeholders. AWRF is committed to processing personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently, and to respecting the privacy and data protection rights of every individual with whom we interact.

This Policy has been prepared in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDP Act") and other applicable laws of India. It sets out our practices regarding personal data collected through our website (https://awrf.org.in), donation platforms, volunteer registration forms, newsletters, email communications, and offline interactions connected to our online services.

By accessing our website or providing your personal data to us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this Policy, we request that you refrain from using our website or providing your personal data to us.

2. About AWRF (Data Fiduciary)

Under the DPDP Act, AWRF acts as a "Data Fiduciary" — the entity that determines the purpose and means of processing personal data. Our details are as follows:

• Organisation Name: Animal Welfare and Rescue Foundation (AWRF)
• Website: https://awrf.org.in
• Registered/Operating Address: VILLA B-30/107, 2-R-5, Prabhat Nagar Colony, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
• Email: contact@awrf.org.in
• Phone: +91 8577955955

AWRF undertakes charitable, rescue, rehabilitation, and awareness activities relating to animal welfare, and processes personal data in connection with donations, volunteering, newsletters, and general website engagement in furtherance of these objectives.

3. Scope of the Policy

This Policy applies to all personal data collected by AWRF through:

• Our website and any sub-domains or web applications operated by AWRF.
• Online donation forms and payment gateways integrated with our website.
• Volunteer registration and application forms.
• Newsletter sign-ups and email communications.
• Cookies, analytics tools, and similar tracking technologies used on our website.
• Correspondence via email, phone, or contact forms relating to any of the above.

This Policy does not apply to third-party websites, applications, or services that may be linked from our website but are not owned or controlled by AWRF. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services before providing them with personal data.

4. Definitions

For the purposes of this Policy, and consistent with terminology used in the DPDP Act, the following definitions apply:

• Personal Data: Any data about an individual who is identifiable by or in relation to such data.
• Data Principal: The individual to whom the personal data relates. Where the individual is a child, includes the parent or lawful guardian of such child.
• Data Fiduciary: The entity (alone or with others) that determines the purpose and means of processing personal data — in this case, AWRF.
• Data Processor: Any entity that processes personal data on behalf of a Data Fiduciary, such as a payment gateway or email service provider engaged by AWRF.
• Processing: Any wholly or partly automated operation performed on digital personal data, including collection, recording, organisation, storage, use, sharing, or erasure.
• Consent: Free, specific, informed, unconditional, and unambiguous affirmative agreement given by a Data Principal to the processing of their personal data.
• Child: An individual who has not completed the age of eighteen years, as defined under the DPDP Act.
• Consent Manager: A person registered with the Data Protection Board of India who enables a Data Principal to give, manage, review, or withdraw consent.

5. Categories of Personal Data Collected

Depending on how you interact with AWRF, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

• Identity information: full name, gender, date of birth (where relevant), and photograph (for volunteers).
• Contact information: email address, phone number, postal address, and city/state.
• Financial information: donation amount, payment method, and transaction reference (card and bank details are processed directly by our payment gateway partners and are not stored by AWRF).
• Professional/background information: occupation, skills, and availability (for volunteer applicants).
• Communication preferences: newsletter subscription status and topics of interest.
• Technical and usage information: IP address, browser type, device information, and browsing behaviour on our website.
• Correspondence: any information you provide when you email us, call us, or fill in a contact form.

6. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically through cookies, log files, and analytics tools, including:

• IP address and approximate geographic location.
• Browser type, version, and device/operating system.
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, referring website, and click patterns.
• Date and time of access, and session duration.

This information helps us understand how visitors use our website, improve site performance, and measure the effectiveness of our awareness and fundraising campaigns. Further detail is provided in the "Cookies and Tracking Technologies" section below.

7. Donation-Related Information

When you make an online donation to AWRF, we collect information necessary to process and acknowledge your contribution, which may include your name, email address, phone number, postal address, PAN (where required for tax-exemption receipts), donation amount, and payment reference details.

Actual payment card, UPI, or net-banking credentials are collected and processed directly by our authorised third-party payment gateway providers under their own security protocols; AWRF does not store your full card or banking credentials on its own systems. Donation records are retained to issue receipts, comply with applicable financial and tax laws, and maintain accurate accounting and audit trails.

8. Volunteer Information

If you apply to volunteer with AWRF, we collect information submitted through our volunteer registration form, which may include your name, contact details, age, location, areas of interest or expertise, availability, prior experience with animal welfare work, and any additional information you choose to share in your application.

This information is used to assess volunteer applications, assign suitable roles or rescue activities, communicate schedules and opportunities, and maintain internal records of our volunteer network. We may retain historical volunteer records to recognise long-term contributors and for organisational reporting.

9. Newsletter and Communication Preferences

If you subscribe to our newsletter or opt in to receive updates, we collect your email address (and optionally your name) to send you information about our rescue operations, campaigns, events, and fundraising initiatives.

You may unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in every email, or by writing to us at contact@awrf.org.in. Once you unsubscribe, we will stop sending you marketing communications, though we may retain a record of your prior subscription and opt-out for compliance purposes.

10. Legal Basis for Processing

Under the DPDP Act, AWRF processes personal data primarily on the basis of your free, specific, informed, and unambiguous consent, given at the time you submit information through our website, donation forms, volunteer forms, or newsletter sign-up.

In certain circumstances, we may also process personal data for "certain legitimate uses" recognised under the DPDP Act, such as where you have voluntarily provided data for a specified purpose (for example, making a donation or applying to volunteer) and have not indicated that you do not consent to its use, or where processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, respond to a medical emergency, or fulfil a request made by you.

You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, as described in the "Rights of Data Principals" section below. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

11. Purposes of Processing

AWRF processes personal data for the following purposes:

• Processing and acknowledging donations, and issuing donation receipts and tax-exemption certificates where applicable.
• Reviewing and managing volunteer applications, and coordinating volunteer activities and rescue operations.
• Sending newsletters, campaign updates, and impact reports to subscribers who have opted in.
• Responding to enquiries submitted via email, phone, or contact forms.
• Operating, maintaining, and improving our website and online services.
• Analysing website usage and campaign performance through analytics tools.
• Complying with applicable legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting obligations.
• Preventing fraud, abuse, or unauthorised use of our website and donation systems.
• Maintaining internal records for governance, reporting, and audit purposes.

12. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies (such as web beacons and analytics scripts) to enhance user experience, remember preferences, and analyse website traffic. Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit our website.

12.1 Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential cookies: necessary for core website functionality, such as processing donations securely.
• Analytics cookies: help us understand visitor behaviour and improve our website (for example, through tools such as Google Analytics).
• Preference cookies: remember your settings and choices to enhance your browsing experience.

12.2 Managing Cookies

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings at any time. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website, including the donation process. Where required by applicable law, we will seek your consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device.

13. Third-Party Services

AWRF engages trusted third-party service providers (acting as Data Processors) to help us operate our website and deliver our services, including:

• Payment gateway providers, to process online donations securely.
• Email and newsletter service providers, to distribute communications to subscribers.
• Website hosting and content delivery providers.
• Analytics service providers, to help us understand website usage.

These third parties are permitted to process personal data only for the specified purposes for which they are engaged, and are required to implement appropriate security safeguards. AWRF does not sell, rent, or trade personal data to any third party for their independent marketing purposes.

14. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We may share personal data with:

• Third-party service providers described above, strictly to perform services on our behalf.
• Government authorities, regulators, or law enforcement agencies, where required by applicable law, legal process, or a valid order from a competent authority.
• Auditors, legal advisors, or tax authorities, where necessary to comply with financial reporting, tax-exemption, or audit obligations applicable to AWRF as a registered NGO.
• Successor entities, in the event of a merger, restructuring, or transfer of AWRF's operations, subject to equivalent privacy protections.

AWRF does not disclose personal data to any third party for that party's own independent marketing or commercial purposes without your explicit consent.

15. International Data Transfers

AWRF primarily processes and stores personal data within India. However, some of our third-party service providers (such as certain cloud hosting, email, or analytics platforms) may process or store data on servers located outside India.

Where personal data is transferred outside India, we take reasonable steps to ensure that such transfers comply with the DPDP Act and any conditions or restrictions notified by the Government of India from time to time regarding cross-border transfer of personal data, and that recipient service providers maintain adequate security safeguards.

16. Data Retention

AWRF retains personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required to comply with applicable legal, tax, accounting, or reporting obligations, whichever is longer.

• Donation records are retained in accordance with applicable tax and financial record-keeping requirements.
• Volunteer records are retained for the duration of active involvement and a reasonable period thereafter for organisational and reporting purposes.
• Newsletter subscriber data is retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
• Website analytics data is retained in accordance with the retention settings of the analytics tools we use.

When personal data is no longer required for these purposes, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with applicable law.

17. Security Measures

AWRF implements reasonable technical and organisational security safeguards to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, loss, or destruction. These measures may include encrypted data transmission (SSL/TLS), access controls restricting personal data to authorised personnel, secure payment processing through PCI-DSS compliant gateways, and periodic review of our data handling practices.

While we take reasonable steps to protect personal data, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

18. Rights of Data Principals under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

As a Data Principal, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data, subject to the conditions prescribed under the DPDP Act:

• Right to Access Information: to obtain a summary of the personal data AWRF holds about you and the processing activities undertaken.
• Right to Correction and Erasure: to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data, and to request erasure of personal data that is no longer necessary for the purpose it was collected, subject to our legal retention obligations.
• Right to Grievance Redressal: to raise concerns or complaints regarding the processing of your personal data with AWRF, and to escalate unresolved grievances to the Data Protection Board of India.
• Right to Nominate: to nominate another individual to exercise your rights on your behalf in the event of death or incapacity.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: to withdraw previously given consent at any time, with such withdrawal taking effect prospectively.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in the "Contact Details" section below. We will respond to verified requests within a reasonable time and in accordance with the timelines prescribed under the DPDP Act.

19. Children's Personal Data

AWRF's website, donation forms, volunteer registration, and newsletter are intended for use by individuals who are eighteen years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children without verifiable parental or guardian consent.

Where a volunteer applicant or website user is a child, as defined under the DPDP Act, we will seek verifiable consent from the child's parent or lawful guardian before processing such data, and we will not undertake processing that is likely to cause detrimental effect on the well-being of the child, including behavioural monitoring or targeted advertising directed at children. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child without appropriate consent, we will take steps to delete such data promptly.

20. Data Breach Response

In the event of a personal data breach, AWRF will take prompt steps to contain and investigate the incident, assess its impact, and mitigate any harm to affected Data Principals. Where required under the DPDP Act, AWRF will notify the Data Protection Board of India and affected Data Principals of a personal data breach in the manner and within the timeframes prescribed by applicable law and any rules issued thereunder.

21. Grievance Redressal Mechanism

AWRF has designated a point of contact to address queries, concerns, and grievances relating to the processing of personal data under this Policy. If you have any concerns, please contact us at:

• Email: contact@awrf.org.in
• Phone: +91 8577955955
• Postal Address: VILLA B-30/107, 2-R-5, Prabhat Nagar Colony, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

We will endeavour to acknowledge and address your grievance within a reasonable period. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may escalate the matter to the Data Protection Board of India, established under the DPDP Act.

22. Changes to the Privacy Policy

AWRF may update this Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other operational reasons. Any changes will be posted on this page along with a revised "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Where changes are material, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you through our website or, where applicable, by email.

23. Contact Details

If you have any questions, requests, or concerns regarding this Policy or AWRF's data processing practices, please contact us at:

• Organisation: Animal Welfare and Rescue Foundation (AWRF)
• Website: https://awrf.org.in
• Email: contact@awrf.org.in
• Phone: +91 8577955955
• Address: VILLA B-30/107, 2-R-5, Prabhat Nagar Colony, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

24. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

This Policy shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and other applicable data protection and information technology laws. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with this Policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, without prejudice to any statutory right you may have to approach the Data Protection Board of India or other competent authority.

© 2026 Animal Welfare and Rescue Foundation (AWRF). All rights reserved.