Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how “North Star Bulgaria” Foundation (“the Foundation”, “we”, “us”) collects and uses personal data when you visit this website or interact with us through it.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and to processing personal data in a lawful, fair and transparent manner in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable Bulgarian law.

By using this website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

2. Who we are – data controller

The data controller responsible for this website is:

“North Star Bulgaria” Foundation Registration number: 208503646 Address: General Gurko str. 7, Burgas, Bulgaria Telephone: +359876760762 Email: Northstarbulgariafoundation@gmail.com

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or about how your personal data is handled, you can contact us using the above details.

3. How we collect personal data

We may collect personal data about you when you:

• visit and browse our website;
• make a donation via payment services that we use (such as PayPal and Stripe);
• interact with embedded content from third-party services such as Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.

The website does not use a contact form and does not provide a newsletter signup at launch, so those particular types of data are not collected via this site.

4. Types of personal data we collect

4.1. Website usage and analytics data

When you visit the website, we and our service providers (for example Google Analytics) may automatically collect certain information from your device, including:

• IP address;
• browser type and version;
• device type and operating system;
• pages viewed, links clicked and time spent on pages;
• referring site or source.

This information is collected using cookies and similar technologies for statistical and analytical purposes.

4.2. Donation and payment-related data

If you choose to make a donation through PayPal or Stripe, those providers will collect and process your payment details on their own secure systems.

The Foundation does not receive or store full payment card details. We may receive and store information such as:

• your name;
• your email address;
• the donation amount, currency and date;
• a transaction or reference number;
• your country or billing address if provided by the payment provider.

We use this information to confirm and record the donation, thank you, maintain accurate financial records and comply with legal and accounting obligations.

4.3. Social media and embedded content data

When you view or interact with embedded Facebook, Instagram or YouTube content on our website, those third-party providers may collect information about you directly, including your IP address, device information and how you interact with their content.

This collection is governed by the privacy policies of Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and Google (YouTube), and not by this Privacy Policy.

5. Legal bases for processing

We rely on the following legal bases for processing personal data:

• Legitimate interests: to operate and improve the website, understand how visitors use it, and promote our charitable activities (for example, via analytics and social media embeds), provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.
• Performance of a contract or steps taken at your request: to process donations you choose to make through PayPal or Stripe and to issue confirmations or receipts.
• Legal obligations: to maintain appropriate financial and accounting records and to comply with applicable laws and regulations.
• Consent: where required for certain non-essential cookies, analytics or similar technologies, and where you have actively given such consent.

6. How we use personal data

We may use personal data for the following purposes:

• to operate, maintain and improve our website and services;
• to understand how visitors use the website and to compile aggregate statistics;
• to process and acknowledge donations and maintain accurate financial records;
• to comply with legal, accounting and tax obligations;
• to protect our rights, property and safety, and those of our users and partners.
• We do not sell personal data and do not use it for large-scale profiling or automated decision-making.

7. Sharing of personal data

We may share personal data with:

• Payment providers: PayPal and Stripe, in order to process donations; they act as independent controllers or processors of payment information under their own terms and privacy policies.
• Analytics providers: such as Google Analytics, for aggregated statistics about website usage.
• Technical service providers: such as website hosting and maintenance providers, who may process data on our behalf under appropriate contractual safeguards.
• Public authorities: where required by law, for example in connection with tax, accounting or regulatory obligations.

We require service providers who process personal data on our behalf to implement appropriate security measures and to process data only in accordance with our instructions and applicable law.

8. International transfers

Some of our service providers, such as PayPal, Stripe, Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and Google (YouTube/Analytics), may transfer personal data outside the European Economic Area.

Where such transfers occur, they are subject to appropriate safeguards (for example, standard contractual clauses or other mechanisms recognised by the GDPR) as described in those providers’ privacy policies.

9. Data retention

We will retain personal data only for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including:

• website analytics data: for a period consistent with our configuration of Google Analytics;
• donation records: for the period required by accounting, tax and charity law and for maintaining accurate financial records;
• any data required in connection with disputes or legal claims: for the duration of the claim and any applicable limitation period.

After the relevant retention period has expired, personal data will be deleted or anonymised.

10. Cookies and similar technologies

The website uses cookies and similar technologies to:

• enable basic site functionality;
• collect statistical information via Google Analytics;
• display embedded content from third-party services such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, which may set their own cookies.
• Where required by law, we will seek your consent before setting non-essential cookies or using similar technologies.

You can usually manage or disable cookies through your browser settings, and Google provides an optional browser add-on that allows you to opt out of Google Analytics.

11. Your rights

Under the GDPR and applicable Bulgarian law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right of access – to obtain confirmation as to whether we process your personal data and to receive a copy of it.
• Right to rectification – to have inaccurate or incomplete personal data corrected.
• Right to erasure – to request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Right to restriction – to request that we restrict processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests, including profiling related to those interests.
• Right to data portability – to receive personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller, where applicable.
• To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at Northstarbulgariafoundation@gmail.com.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Bulgarian Commission for Personal Data Protection or with your local supervisory authority within the EU if you believe that your rights have been infringed.

12. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Children

This website is not specifically directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children via this site.

If you believe that a child has provided personal data to us through the website, please contact us so that we can delete such data where appropriate.

14. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes in law, our practices or the services we use.

Any changes will be posted on this page, and the updated version will take effect from the date of publication.

15. Contact

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or about how your personal data is handled, please contact:

“North Star Bulgaria” Foundation Email: Northstarbulgariafoundation@gmail.com Address: General Gurko str. 7, Burgas, Bulgaria Telephone: +359876760762