PRIVACY POLICY

Swags for Homeless Ltd (ABN:93 128 411 012) trading as Backpack Bed for Homeless  Nationally Registered Australian Homeless Charity — based in Queensland

1. Introduction

Backpack Bed for Homeless (ABN 93 128 411 012) is a registered Australian charity based in Queensland, committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose, and protect your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

Your generosity helps people sleeping on the street find warmth and dignity. We treat your personal information with the same care and respect you show to those experiencing homelessness.

By interacting with us — whether donating, volunteering, subscribing to communications, or visiting our website — you consent to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please contact us (Section 13) or refrain from providing personal information.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all individuals whose personal information we collect, hold, use, or disclose, including donors, website visitors, volunteers, subscribers, staff, contractors, and suppliers.

3. Anonymity and Pseudonymity

Where lawful and practicable, you may interact with us anonymously or using a pseudonym (APP 2). You can browse our website without identifying yourself. However, we will need your personal information for certain activities such as processing donations, issuing tax-deductible receipts, or managing volunteer applications. Contact our Privacy Officer (Section 13) to discuss how we can accommodate your preferences.

4. Personal Information We Collect

We only collect personal information reasonably necessary for our charitable functions (APP 3):

• Identification: Name, address, email, phone number, date of birth
• Donation and financial: Donation amount, donation history, payment details, transaction references. Your payment card details are processed directly by third-party payment gateways — we do not store your full card details on our systems.
• Volunteer: Application details, emergency contacts, skills, availability, background check information (where applicable)
• Communication preferences: Your opt-in/opt-out choices and preferred contact methods
• Website and technical: IP address, browser type, operating system, device type, pages visited, referring URLs, date/time of visit, cookie data, and usage information collected via Google Analytics and similar technologies
• Enquiries and feedback: Details of your questions, comments, or complaints
• Other: Any personal information you voluntarily provide

Sensitive information: We do not generally collect sensitive information (as defined in the Privacy Act). If we need to — for example, for volunteer background checks — we will only do so with your explicit consent or as required by law.

5. How We Collect Your Personal Information

We collect personal information (APP 3, APP 5):

• Directly from you: When you donate, volunteer, subscribe, contact us, or attend events — via our website, email, phone, post, or in person
• Through our website: Via cookies, Google Analytics, and similar tracking technologies (see Section 9)
• From third parties: Such as fundraising platforms (e.g., GiveNow), payment processors, event organisers, or social media platforms — only where you have consented to them sharing your information or where permitted by law
• Publicly available sources: In limited circumstances where lawful and reasonable

6. How We Use and Disclose Your Personal Information

We use and disclose your personal information for the following purposes (APP 6):

• Processing donations: Securely processing your gifts, issuing tax-deductible receipts, maintaining donation records
• Communications: Sending thank-you messages, newsletters, impact updates, fundraising appeals, and event invitations in accordance with your preferences (see Section 8)
• Volunteer management: Assessing applications, coordinating activities, conducting background checks where required
• Website improvement: Analysing website usage through Google Analytics to improve our site and services
• Legal compliance: Meeting obligations to the ACNC, ATO, Queensland Office of Fair Trading, and other regulatory bodies
• Internal administration: Management, planning, reporting, auditing, and maintaining records using platforms such as Salesforce and Mailchimp
• Responding to enquiries: Addressing your questions, feedback, and complaints

We only use personal information for the purpose it was collected, or a related purpose you would reasonably expect.

Who We May Disclose To

• Our team: Employees, volunteers, and contractors bound by confidentiality obligations
• Third-party service providers: Payment processors (e.g., Stripe, PayPal), analytics providers (Google Analytics), email platforms (e.g., Mailchimp), CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce), website hosting, IT support, and cloud storage providers
• Professional advisors: Lawyers, accountants, and auditors
• Regulatory bodies: Where required or authorised by law (e.g., ACNC, ATO, law enforcement)
• Others: With your express consent or as otherwise permitted by law

We will never sell your personal information.

7. Cross-Border Disclosure and Third-Party Services

Some of our third-party service providers operate outside Australia, including in the United States (APP 8). These may include Google (Analytics), Stripe, PayPal and other providers.

Important: When your personal information is shared with or collected by a third-party service provider, that provider's own privacy policy and terms govern their handling of your data. We do not control, and are not responsible for, the privacy practices, data handling, security, or legal compliance of third-party service providers. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party service you interact with.

We select service providers we believe maintain appropriate security practices, but we make no representations or warranties regarding their compliance with Australian or international privacy laws.

8. Direct Marketing

We may send you marketing communications about our work, fundraising, and events where you have consented or where permitted by the Privacy Act and the Spam Act 2003 (Cth) (APP 7).

Opting out is easy. You can unsubscribe at any time by:

• Clicking the unsubscribe link in any email
• Contacting our Privacy Officer (Section 13)

We will process your request promptly. We may still contact you for non-marketing purposes (e.g., donation receipts, responding to enquiries).

9. Website, Cookies, and Google Analytics

Cookies

Our website (https://backpackbed.org/au) uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to enable website functionality, remember preferences, and analyse usage.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics (operated by Google LLC, United States) to analyse website traffic. Google Analytics collects data including your IP address, pages visited, browser type, and device information. We have enabled IP anonymisation where available.

Google's handling of your data is governed by Google's own privacy policy and terms of service. We do not control how Google collects, stores, processes, or uses Analytics data. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the tools.google.com.

Other Tracking

We may use pixel tags or web beacons in emails to measure communication effectiveness.

Managing Cookies

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect website functionality. For guidance, visit allaboutcookies.org.

Third-Party Links

Our website may link to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites.

10. Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure (APP 11), including:

• SSL/TLS encryption for data transmitted through our website
• Firewalls, password protection, and access controls
• PCI DSS-compliant third-party payment processing — we do not store full card details
• Confidentiality obligations and privacy training for team members
• Secure storage of physical records
• A Data Breach Response Plan — in the event of an eligible data breach under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme (Part IIIC, Privacy Act), we will notify the OAIC and affected individuals as required by law

No method of internet transmission or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your personal information.

Data Retention

We retain personal information only as long as reasonably necessary or as required by law:

• Donation and financial records: Minimum 7 years (Australian taxation law)
• Volunteer records: Duration of engagement plus a reasonable period (generally 7 years)
• Other records: Retained as needed, then destroyed or de-identified (APP 11.2)

11. Access and Correction

You have the right to request access to and correction of the personal information we hold about you (APP 12, APP 13).

Contact our Privacy Officer (Section 13) with sufficient detail for us to locate your records. We will respond within 30 days, may require identity verification, and will provide written reasons if we refuse a request.

12. Government-Related Identifiers

We only collect, use, or disclose government-related identifiers (e.g., Tax File Numbers) where required or authorised by law (APP 9).

13. Contact Us and Complaints

For any privacy questions, concerns, access/correction requests, or complaints, contact our Privacy Officer:

Privacy Officer Backpack Bed for Homeless PO Box 1211, Cleveland QLD 4163, Australia

Email us via our website BackpackBed.org/au  Phone: 07 3286 9834

We will acknowledge complaints within 7 business days and aim to respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

Phone: 1300 363 992 Website: oaic.gov.au

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or technology. Updates will be posted on our website with a revised date. Significant changes may be communicated by email or website notice. Your continued interaction with us after changes constitutes acknowledgement of the updated policy.

15. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the State of Queensland and the Commonwealth of Australia. To the extent permitted by law, you agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Queensland and the federal courts of Australia sitting in Queensland in relation to any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information.

Nothing in this clause limits your right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) or any other regulatory body with jurisdiction under applicable law.

Thank you for supporting Backpack Bed for Homeless. Your compassion for people sleeping on the street inspires everything we do. We are honoured by your trust — in our mission and in the way we handle your personal information.

Swags for Homeless Ltd (ABN 93 128 411 012) Last Updated: 22 February 2026