Privacy Policy
Last updated: 26 September 2026
This Privacy Policy explains what personal data Thaagam Foundation collects when you use the Website, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. By using the Website you agree to the collection and use of your information as described here.
Definitions
- You means the person using the Website, or the company or other organisation on whose behalf that person is using it.
- Foundation, we, us and our mean Thaagam Foundation, a non-profit organisation incorporated as a Section 8 company under the Companies Act, 2013, with its registered office at No 6, Dhanammal Street, Spurtank Road, Chetpet, Chennai 600031, India.
- Website means thaagam.org and its pages, including m.thaagam.org.
- Donor means a person or organisation that makes a donation through the Website.
- Beneficiary means a person who receives help through our work, including a person for whom funds are raised, such as for school fees or medical treatment, and a person living in an orphanage, a home or on the street whom our field teams serve.
- Volunteer means a person who registers with us to take part in our work.
- Personal Data means any information about an identified or identifiable person. It includes a name, contact details, a government identity number, a photograph or video, date of birth, location, and information about interests or preferences.
- Service Provider means a company or person that processes data on our behalf, such as a payment gateway, a messaging provider or a hosting provider.
- Cookies are small files a website places on your device to remember information about your visit.
What we collect
Information you give us
When you donate, create an account, volunteer or contact us, we may ask for:
- your first and last name;
- your email address and phone number;
- your address, city, state and PIN code;
- your date of birth;
- your PAN, Aadhaar number or another government identity document or certificate, where it is needed, for example to issue a tax-exemption receipt or to verify a fundraising request;
- photographs you upload, such as a picture for a birthday or memorial donation.
Information collected automatically
When you use the Website we collect Usage Data: your device's IP address, browser type and version, the pages you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, device identifiers and other diagnostic data. On a mobile device this also includes the device type, its operating system and the mobile browser you use.
If you allow it in your browser, we also collect your device's location (latitude and longitude) to show you where you are and the work happening near you. If you do not allow it, we estimate your general area from your IP address instead. You can turn location access off in your browser settings at any time.
Cookies and similar technologies
We use cookies, tags and scripts to run the Website and to understand how it is used:
- Essential cookies keep you signed in, protect your account and complete your donation. The Website cannot work without them.
- Preference cookies remember choices you make, such as your login details or language.
- Analytics and advertising cookies are set by Google and Meta to measure visits and the performance of our campaigns.
You can set your browser to refuse cookies or to warn you when one is sent. If you refuse essential cookies, parts of the Website may not work.
How we use your data
- To process your donation, issue your receipt and send you the photographs and videos of the service you funded.
- To manage your account and your donation history.
- To contact you by email, phone, SMS or WhatsApp about your donation, your account or your request.
- To tell you about our causes, campaigns and events, unless you ask us to stop.
- To answer your questions and support requests.
- To keep the Website secure, prevent fraud and improve how it works.
- To meet our legal, tax and audit obligations.
Who we share it with
We do not sell your Personal Data, and we do not hand it to other organisations for their own use. We share it only:
- with Service Providers who process it for us, such as payment gateways, messaging and email providers, and hosting providers, who may use it only to provide their service to us;
- with advertising and social media platforms such as Meta and Google, for marketing and to measure our campaigns;
- where the law requires it, or a court or government authority validly asks for it;
- where it is needed to protect the rights, property or safety of the Foundation, our users or the public, or to investigate fraud.
Beneficiaries
Our work is shown to donors through photographs and videos taken in the field. This section explains how we handle the Personal Data of the people we serve.
- We collect a beneficiary's name, age, photographs, videos and, for a fundraising request, supporting documents such as identity proof, school fee records or medical records.
- We use this data to verify the need, to carry out the service, to send proof of the service to the donors who funded it, and in our reports, communications and marketing, including on social media and in advertisements.
- Our field teams take photographs and videos openly at the time of the service. A beneficiary who sees this and comes forward to receive help agrees to be photographed, and to those photographs and videos being shared with donors and used in our communications and marketing. A beneficiary who does not want to be photographed may tell the field team, and will still receive help.
- For a fundraising request, the beneficiary, or the person applying on their behalf, agrees to this use when they submit the request.
- A beneficiary, or their parent or guardian, may ask us to stop using a photograph or video, or to remove it, by contacting us using the details below.
How long we keep it
We keep Personal Data only for as long as it is needed for the purposes in this policy, or as long as the law requires, for example for tax and audit records. We keep Usage Data for a shorter time, unless it is needed for security or to improve the Website.
Where it is stored
Your data is processed at our offices and by our Service Providers, whose servers may be located outside India. We take reasonable steps to make sure it stays secure and is handled as this policy describes.
Security
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data. No method of sending or storing data over the internet is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Your rights
You may ask us to show you the Personal Data we hold about you, to correct it, or to delete it where we are not required by law to keep it. You may also withdraw consent you have given, or ask us to stop sending you messages about our campaigns. Contact us using the details below to make a request.
Links to other websites
The Website may link to sites we do not operate. We are not responsible for their content or their privacy practices.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the new version on this page and update the "Last updated" date above, and for a significant change we will also tell you by email or with a notice on the Website. Please review this page from time to time.
Contact us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you can contact us:
- By visiting our Support page — for a refund, a query or anything else
- By writing to [email protected]
- By phone: 080 6916 9691