GoVo is the digital volunteering platform (the 'Platform') operated by Royal Voluntary Service ("RVS") through which potential volunteers and those needing volunteers can be matched.
To run the Platform RVS will need to collect, use and store personal data relating to individuals who browse volunteering opportunities, create a profile on the Platform, and apply for volunteering opportunities and activities. RVS will also need to collect, use and store personal data relating to employees at organisations that post volunteering opportunities on the Platform ('Administrators'). This means that RVS is required to explain to Platform users how their personal data will be processed and what data protection rights they have.
Please read over this privacy notice carefully, because it contains important information about who we are and how and why we collect, store, use and share your personal data. It also explains your rights in relation to your personal data and how to contact us or supervisory authorities in the event you have a complaint. A plain English version of this privacy notice can be found here (link to plain English PN)
Key terms
In this privacy notice, for convenience, we use the following defined terms:
| Our data protection officer | Name: Geraint Jugessur Address: Hanley Centre, 29 Charles St, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST1 3JP Email address: (dataprotection@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk) Telephone: 029 2073 9184 |
| personal data | any information relating to an identified or identifiable living individual |
| We, us, our | ROYAL VOLUNTARY SERVICE (a company incorporated in England and Wales with registered number 2520413, and a registered charity with number 1015988) whose registered office is at Hanley Centre, 29 Charles St, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST1 3JP |
| You, your | A Platform user at whom this privacy notice is directed |
personal data we will collect
If you browse the Platform looking at volunteering opportunities and activities we will collect/obtain the information below from you:
When you create a profile on the Platform, we will need to collect/obtain the information listed below from you:
Persons aged 14 and over and residing in England, Scotland or Wales are eligible to use the Platform. We will therefore collect your legal name, date of birth and country of residence first to determine your eligibility to use the Platform.
You can decide whether you want to provide us with the following optional information about you:
If you are undertaking volunteering on behalf of your employer as a corporate volunteer we will also need your:
We refer to this information as 'Profile Data' in this privacy notice.
We will also receive the following information about you:
For Administrators, we will collect the following information from you:
How and why we use your personal data
Under UK data protection law, we can only use your personal data if we have a lawful basis for doing so. For example:
A legitimate interest is when we have a reasonable need to use your information, so long as this is not overridden by your own rights and interests.
The table below explains what we use your personal data for and our lawful basis for doing so under UK data protection law:
| What personal data we use | Why we use it | Our lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Data we collect automatically if you browse the Platform | To enable us to run the Platform effectively | Our legitimate interests and, in relation to our use of certain cookies, your consent. |
| Profile Data | To enable us to confirm your eligibility to use the Platform and to enable you to apply for volunteering opportunities and activities. | Our legitimate interest and those of the organisations who publicise volunteering opportunities and activities |
| Session ID and Remember Me ID | To allow Yoti to confirm whether you have an existing Yoti Digital ID, and to allow the Platform to recognise you as a user of the Platform. | Our legitimate interest in operating the Platform |
| Confirmation that your ID has been verified by Yoti | To confirm that you have a verified Digital ID with Yoti | Our legitimate interest and those of the organisations who publicise volunteering opportunities and activities in ensuring you hold a verified digital ID. |
| The information you input into our chat function or any query or concern you raise with us | So that we can deal with any queries or concerns we receive from you | Our legitimate interest in ensuring that the Platform is run effectively |
| Your legal name, preferred name and email address | So that we can communicate/correspond with you about the Platform | Our legitimate interest in ensuring that the Platform is run effectively |
| Your legal name preferred name and email address | To contact you for the purposes described in the section 'Promotional Communications' | Your express consent |
| Information relating to diversity, including age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and trans status. | So that we can develop targeted plans to reduce barriers and improve access to all our services and volunteer opportunities | Our legitimate interests in ensuring that the Platform is open to and supports as many individuals as possible. |
| Information relating to accessibility requirements | So that we can provide this information to any organisation you apply to undertake volunteering opportunities or activities with in order to facilitate your volunteering role. | Our legitimate interests in ensuring that the Platform is open to and supports any individual with accessibility requirements. |
| Information we obtain as a result of communications with individuals or others | For the purpose of dealing with complaints, concerns or safeguarding issues that have been raised with us and where necessary designating users are excluded. | Our legitimate interests in ensuring that the Platform provides organisations who publicise volunteering opportunities and activities with appropriate prospective volunteers. |
| For Administrators - Name, email address and organisation you are affiliated with | To enable you to create an account on the Platform on behalf of an organisation. To contact you for administrative purposes. | Our legitimate interests in enabling you to set up an organisational account on the Platform, and administering the Platform effectively. |
Digital ID We will use a third-party partner Yoti to assist us in confirming whether you have a Digital ID which will support your application for volunteering opportunities and activities in the Platform.
Existing Yoti Digital ID
Once you've created a profile on the Platform, you will be able to undergo the digital ID verification process. If you choose not to do so at this point, you will be directed to undergo this process thefirst time you apply for a volunteering opportunity. The process involves sharing an encrypted token including a session ID with Yoti so that Yoti can tell us whether you have a Yoti verified Digital ID. Yoti will only be able to confirm to us whether you have a verified Digital ID if you authorise them to do so.
If you have provided this authorisation, Yoti will confirm to us that you have a verified Digital ID, and it will also share with us your full name, date of birth and Remember Me ID. We will link the verified status to your profile and indicate with a tick that you have a verified Digital ID. We will compare the name and date of birth details with those you entered in your profile on the Platform to confirm your eligibility to use the Platform.
No Existing Yoti Digital ID
If you don't already have a Yoti verified Digital ID then you will be directed by the Platform via a QR code to the Yoti App where you can choose to create an account with Yoti in order to obtain a verified Digital ID.
Obtaining a verified Digital ID with Yoti involves providing some personal details and a passport (or similar) to Yoti, it also captures facial images and liveness videos in order to undertake the ID check. It may also use identity documents to improve and train their anti-fraud techniques and maintain a data base of fraudsters.
Once you have had your ID digitally verified, and if you have provided authorisation, Yoti will confirm to us that you have a verified Digital ID. It will also share with us your name, date of birth and Remember Me ID. We will link the verified status to your profile and indicate with a tick that you have a verified Digital ID. We will compare the name and date of birth details with those you entered in your profile on the Platform to confirm your eligibility to use the Platform.
Alternative identification process - if you cannot or would rather not use the Yoti identity verification method, you may contact the organisation offering the volunteering opportunity in which you are interested using the contact details in the Platform. You will then be able to discuss with that organisation the best way for you to verify your identity with them.
Yoti as our data processor
In relation to the following personal data Yoti will act as our data processor:
Where Yoti processes your personal data as out data processor, Yoti will be subject to contractual obligations to us only to process your personal data in accordance with our instructions, not to use your personal data for other purposes and to keep your personal data safe and secure.
Yoti as a sole controller
In relation to the downloading, installation and use by you of the Yoti App, you will have a direct relationship with Yoti. This means that in relation to Yoti's collection and use of the personal data you provide then for the purpose of verifying your Digital ID, Yoti will use that personal data in accordance with its own privacy notices and policies. Such privacy notices and policies should be available when you download, install and use the Yoti App. Any requests to exercise any of the rights referred to in the section 'Your Rights' below in respect of personal data processed by Yoti and any claims you have for misuse of the personal data processed by Yoti will need to be made against Yoti.
Diversity Data
We may process diversity data about you because we would like to develop targeted plans to reduce barriers and improve access to the Platform and volunteer opportunities.
Whenever we need to process diversity data about you, in addition to having a lawful basis for processing (as set out in the above table), we are also required to satisfy one or more additional conditions under UK data protection law. We will rely upon the following condition:
We are required to have an 'appropriate policy document' in relation to our processing of diversity data. If you would like to see a copy of our appropriate policy document, please contact us.
Accessibility Adjustment Data
We may process accessibility adjustment data about you in order to ensure that any adjustments you require to use the Platform are accommodated and any adjustments are communicated to the organisation who is publicising volunteering opportunities and activities to facilitate your volunteering. We will only share this data with organisations if or when they request it.
Whenever we need to process accessibility adjustment data about you, in addition to having a lawful basis for processing (as set out in the above table), we are also required to satisfy one or more additional conditions under UK data protection law. We will rely upon the following condition
Promotional communications
We will only use your personal data to send you GoVo marketing updates if you have given us your express consent to do so.
You have the right to withdraw your consent to us contacting you with GoVo marketing updates at any time. You can do this by contacting us at help@govo.org or by using the contact information below..
SHARING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA WITH OTHER THIRD PARTIES
We will need to share your personal data with certain other trusted organisations who are providing essential services to us in relation to the Platform. This includes:
We only allow our service providers to handle your personal information if we are satisfied they take appropriate measures to protect your personal information. We also impose contractual obligations on service providers relating to ensure they can only use your personal information to provide services to us and to you.
We may also disclose and exchange information with law enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.
We will continue to process your personal data as long as your profile remains active.
If the profile becomes inactive for a period of 3 years, we will retain your Profile Data for the period of inactivity (from the date of the last log in) and an additional period of 6 months thereafter to provide you with an opportunity to confirm that you wish the Profile Data to be securely deleted.
If you are excluded as a volunteer on the Platform we will retain the personal data required to identify individuals who have been excluded from the Platform for any reason.
In the event that a complaint, claim, safeguarding matter or other similar issue arises in relation to you we will retain such personal data relating to you as is necessary in relation to that complaint, claim, safeguarding matter of other issue in accordance with our retention schedule.
Deletion of personal data
Once it is no longer necessary for us to retain your personal data, we will ensure that it is permanently and securely deleted or anonymised.
Our retention schedule
Further details about our retention policy can be found in our retention schedule relating to the programme. Please contact us if you would like to be provided with a copy of this.
Where your personal information is held
Your personal data will be held in the UK on Microsoft Azure Cloud Storage Platform.
Under data protection law, you have a number of different rights which you can exercise free of charge. These are described in the table below. Some of the rights only apply in certain circumstances and not all of the rights will be relevant in relation to our use of your personal data:
| Access | The right to be provided with a copy of your personal data (the right of access) |
|---|---|
| Rectification | The right to require any mistakes in your personal data to be corrected |
| To be forgotten | The right, in certain circumstances, to require that your personal data is deleted |
| Restriction of processing | The right, in certain circumstances, to require use of your personal data to be restricted (for example, if you contest the accuracy of the data) |
| Data portability | The right, in certain circumstances, to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and/or transmit that data to a third party |
| To object | The right to object to your personal data being processed for direct marketing (including profiling) and the right, in certain circumstances, to object to the continued processing of your personal data on the basis of legitimate interests |
| Not to be subject to automated individual decision making | The right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (including profiling) that produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you |
For further information on each of these rights, including the circumstances in which they apply, please contact us or see the Guidance from the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) on individuals' rights under the General Data Protection Regulation.
If you would like to exercise any of your rights, please email, call or write to our Data Protection Officer (see below: 'How to contact us'). Please note that we will ask you to:
Any Profile Data provided by you will be stored in a secure database.
In addition, we have appropriate security measures to prevent personal data from being accidentally lost or used or accessed unlawfully. We limit access to your personal information to those who have a genuine business need to access it. Those processing your information will do so only in an authorised manner and are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
We also have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data security breach. We will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected data security breach where we are legally required to do so.
We hope that our Data Protection Officer can resolve any query or concern you may raise about our use of your personal data.
The supervisory authority in the UK is the Information Commissioner who may be contacted at (https://ico.org.uk/concerns) or telephone: 0303 123 1113.
This privacy notice was first published on 10th September 2025.
This version of the privacy notice was published on 6th October 2025.
We will make updated versions of our privacy notice available on the Platform.
Please contact us/our Data Protection Officer by post, email or telephone if you have any questions about this privacy policy or the personal data we hold about you.
Our contact details are shown below:
| Our data protection officer | Geraint Jugessur |
|---|---|
| Our postal address | Royal Voluntary Service, Hanley Centre, 29 Charles St, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST1 3JP |
| Our email address | Email address: (dataprotection@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk) |
| Our telephone number | 029 2073 9184 |