If your charity handles personal data-whether that’s donor details, beneficiary records, volunteer applications, or staff information-then GDPR applies to you. While the regulation has been around for a few years now, many non-profits still find data protection a confusing and sometimes overwhelming area to navigate.
But compliance doesn’t have to be complex or expensive. At its core, GDPR is about treating people’s data with fairness, transparency, and care. For charities, this aligns with values many already hold: protecting the vulnerable, building trust, and being transparent with supporters.
This guide explains what GDPR means in practice for charities and offers simple steps to help you stay on top of your responsibilities.
What Is GDPR and Why Does It Matter?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a legal framework that governs how organisations collect, use, and protect personal data. It applies across the UK via the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Personal data refers to any information that can identify someone-such as names, email addresses, donation histories, or case notes. For charities, this often includes particularly sensitive data related to health, ethnicity, religion, or financial need.
GDPR gives people more control over how their data is used, and it places responsibilities on organisations to manage that data carefully. This includes being transparent about data use, keeping data secure, and respecting individuals’ rights.
How GDPR Applies to Charities & Non-Profits
Charities are not exempt from GDPR. In fact, many charities process high volumes of sensitive information that GDPR is specifically designed to protect. That might include safeguarding records, case files, or protected characteristics such as disability or ethnicity.
As an organisation handling such data, you’re likely to be classed as a “data controller” under the law. This means you are responsible for deciding why and how personal data is used and for ensuring it is handled lawfully.
GDPR applies across a wide range of your activities:
- Collecting donations online or in person
- Sending fundraising or marketing emails
- Managing mailing lists or supporter databases
- Recording volunteer or staff details
- Storing safeguarding concerns or case records
- Using third-party tools such as CRMs or email platforms
Being compliant does not mean you can’t do these things-it simply means doing them in a way that’s secure, fair, and transparent.
Key Principles of GDPR
GDPR is built around seven core principles. These should guide how your charity collects, stores, and shares personal data:
- Lawfulness, fairness, and transparency: you must be clear about what data you’re collecting and why. Make sure people know how their information will be used.
- Purpose limitation: you may only use data for the reason you collected it, unless you have a clear legal reason to use it differently.
- Data minimisation: you should only collect the data you actually need.
- Accuracy: it’s your responsibility to keep data up to date and correct inaccuracies quickly.
- Storage limitation: you may not keep data for longer than necessary. Have a clear retention policy.
- Integrity and confidentiality: you must keep data secure, both technically and organisationally.
- Accountability: you must be able to demonstrate the steps you’re taking to comply.
These principles should shape your policies, inform staff training, and be reflected in your day-to-day processes and systems.
Common GDPR Challenges for Charities & Non-Profits
Charities often face specific challenges when it comes to compliance. These include:
Uncertainty about what lawful basis to use for fundraising or marketing communications. Many teams are unsure whether they need consent or if legitimate interest is sufficient, and this can lead to inconsistency or inaction.
Lack of time or expertise to maintain documentation such as privacy notices or retention schedules. For small teams in particular, data protection tasks are often squeezed in alongside other responsibilities.
Difficulty managing older data collected before GDPR came into effect. This can create confusion about whether the data is still valid and what should be done with it.
Using multiple third-party platforms without clear agreements or policies in place. Without the right data processing agreements, this can expose the charity to unnecessary risk.
Inconsistent training or awareness across staff and volunteers. Even with good policies in place, misunderstandings or gaps in awareness can undermine compliance efforts.
These issues are common, especially in smaller teams. But with a structured approach, they can be addressed gradually.
Practical Steps to Strengthen GDPR Compliance
Improving compliance doesn’t have to mean starting from scratch. Here are some actions that many charities can take right away:
Audit your data
Map out what personal data you hold, where it’s stored, who has access to it, and how long you’re keeping it.
Review your privacy notice
This should be easily available to view by anyone interacting with your organisation, written in plain English, and cover all the ways you collect and use personal data.
Clarify your lawful bases
For each type of processing, make sure you know whether it’s based on consent, legitimate interest, legal obligation, or another lawful basis.
Update contracts and agreements
If you work with external providers (like email platforms or CRMs), make sure you have appropriate data processing agreements in place.
Train your staff and volunteers
Even a short briefing can go a long way. Everyone should know what data protection means for their role. Ideally you should record that they have had, understand and agree to terms of the training.
Create a data retention policy
Decide how long you’ll keep different types of data and how you’ll securely dispose of it when no longer needed, and then implement processes to ensure this happens.
Have a plan for data breaches
Know what to do if something goes wrong. A simple incident response plan can help you act quickly and meet legal obligations.
Maintaining Compliance Over Time
GDPR compliance isn’t a one-off task. It’s something that evolves as your organisation, systems, and activities change.
Make data protection part of your regular processes. Include it in team meetings, project planning, and trustee updates. Set a reminder to review your policies and training each year. And when you adopt a new system or launch a new initiative, think about the data implications early on.
The goal is not perfection-it’s steady improvement and a culture where data is handled thoughtfully and responsibly.
Final Thoughts
GDPR can seem like a technical or legal exercise, but it’s a crucial way to demonstrate respect for the people whose data you hold, and to commit to using that data wisely.
For charities, this is not a box to tick. It’s an opportunity to build trust, reduce risk, and ensure that your systems support your values. With the right mindset and a few practical steps, compliance becomes not just achievable, but a positive part of how you work.
Book your free consultation today to find out whether your organisation is GDPR compliant, and what steps you can take to strengthen your security.
