ThinkOcean Society

Effective date: October 30, 2026

Last updated: October 30, 2026

ThinkOcean Society (“ThinkOcean,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a youth-led nonprofit organisation working to advance ocean education, conservation, and environmental action. We respect the privacy of the people who visit our website, support our work, attend our events, and participate in our network.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use and share it, and the choices and rights available to you. Please read it before submitting personal information to us.

1. Who We Are and What This Policy Covers

This Policy applies to thinkoceansociety.org and other ThinkOcean-controlled webpages that link to it. It also covers personal information ThinkOcean receives through our website-related communications, newsletter subscriptions, applications, donations, and event or programme registrations, to the extent ThinkOcean determines how that information is used.

External services, including donation processors, application forms, video platforms, and social media websites, may have their own privacy policies. We explain this further below. Local chapters or partner organisations may have separate responsibilities and privacy notices for activities they administer independently.

2. Information We Collect

The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us.

Information you provide. This may include:

• Contact details: your name, email address, phone number, country or region, and the contents of messages you send us.
• Newsletter information: your email address and any preferences you choose to provide when subscribing.
• Volunteer, team, or chapter applications: your name, contact information, school or organisational affiliation, experience, interests, availability, application responses, and documents you choose to submit.
• Events and programmes: registration details, attendance information, questions, feedback, and information you voluntarily provide to participate in a webinar, workshop, or other activity.
• Donations: information associated with a contribution, which may include your name, contact details, donation amount, date, transaction reference, and any information the donation provider makes available to us.
• Content submissions: text, photographs, videos, creative work, biographical details, or other material you submit for possible use in ThinkOcean publications, campaigns, or projects.

Please avoid including sensitive personal information in open-ended forms or emails unless we specifically request it and explain why it is needed.

Information collected when you use the website. Depending on the website features and settings in use, our hosting, security, and analytics services may receive information such as your IP address, browser type, device information, approximate location derived from your IP address, referring page, pages visited, and the time and date of your visit. Cookies and similar technologies may also be used, as described in Section 7.

Information from others. We may receive information from service providers that host our forms or process donations; from an event organiser, school, local chapter, or programme partner working with us; or from someone who refers you to a ThinkOcean opportunity. We use such information only for relevant organisational purposes and in accordance with applicable law.

3. How We Use Personal Information

We use personal information to:

1. Respond to messages, questions, and requests.
2. Send newsletters and other updates you have chosen to receive.
3. Review applications and communicate with prospective and current volunteers, team members, chapters, and programme participants.
4. Organise events, workshops, educational activities, and community initiatives, including sending practical registration information and follow-ups.
5. Process and administer donations, maintain donation records, and meet financial or legal obligations.
6. Review submissions and, where appropriate and authorised, publish content or acknowledge contributors.
7. Operate, secure, troubleshoot, and improve our website and services.
8. Protect participants and our organisation, prevent misuse, and comply with applicable legal requirements.

We do not treat an enquiry, application, event registration, or donation as automatic consent to receive a general marketing newsletter. Where an optional subscription is offered, you can choose whether to join.

4. Legal Bases for Processing

Where privacy laws require a legal basis, including where the EU or UK General Data Protection Regulation applies, we rely on one or more of the following, as appropriate:

• Consent: for optional newsletters or non-essential cookies where consent is required. You may withdraw consent at any time, without affecting earlier lawful processing.
• Steps you ask us to take or performance of an agreement: for relevant programme participation, applications, or arrangements you enter into with us.
• Legitimate interests: for responding to enquiries, coordinating our nonprofit activities, maintaining records, and improving the security and operation of our website, where those interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Legal obligations: for accounting, compliance, or other records the law requires us to maintain.

The appropriate basis depends on the activity and the law that applies to it. If we need information for a mandatory legal or administrative purpose, we will explain the consequences of not providing it where required.

5. When We Share Information

We share personal information only as needed for the purposes described in this Policy, including with:

• Service providers: organisations that provide website hosting, email delivery, form hosting, event tools, file storage, analytics, security, or donation processing. Their access is limited to their role, subject to applicable agreements and law.
• Authorised ThinkOcean personnel: staff, volunteers, and coordinators who need information to carry out relevant responsibilities.
• Chapters and programme partners: where sharing is reasonably necessary to review an application, organise an activity, or coordinate a programme. The extent of sharing depends on the project and the responsibilities of those involved.
• Public authorities or other parties where required: when necessary to comply with law, respond to lawful requests, protect rights or safety, or investigate misuse.

If you submit material for publication, information you authorise us to publish, such as a contributor name, biography, photograph, or quotation, may become publicly available. Please consider this before submitting content intended for publication.

6. Donations and Third-Party Forms

ThinkOcean may direct you to an external donation platform to make a contribution. Our current public website links to ActBlue for donations. When you use an external donation service, that provider collects and processes information under its own terms and privacy policy. ThinkOcean may receive donation records needed to acknowledge contributions, administer fundraising, or maintain required financial records. We do not ask you to send payment card numbers by email or through general contact forms.

Some applications, registrations, or newsletter signups may also be hosted by external services, including form providers. Before submitting information through an external form, please review any privacy notice provided on that form.

7. Cookies, Analytics, and Embedded Content

Cookies are small files that websites may store on your device. Depending on the configuration of our website, we or our service providers may use:

• Essential technologies for site functionality, reliability, and security.
• Analytics technologies to understand aggregate website use and improve the visitor experience.
• Embedded-content technologies when you interact with videos, maps, social media feeds, or other content provided by third parties.

Third-party embeds may collect information about your interaction with their content under their own privacy practices. You can manage many cookies through your browser settings, and you may have additional choices through a cookie-preferences tool if one is provided on our website. Where required by law, we will seek consent before using non-essential cookies or similar technologies.

8. Newsletters and Other Communications

If you subscribe to the ThinkOcean newsletter, we use your email address to send the updates you requested. You can unsubscribe through the link in a newsletter or by contacting us at info@thinkoceansociety.org. Unsubscribing from general updates will not prevent us from sending necessary replies or administrative messages relating to an application, donation, or event you have chosen to participate in.

9. How Long We Keep Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including any relevant legal, accounting, safeguarding, or recordkeeping obligations. The appropriate period depends on the type of information, the activity, and whether you remain involved with ThinkOcean.

For example, we retain newsletter contact details until you unsubscribe or they are otherwise no longer needed; application records for a period appropriate to recruitment and organisational administration; and donation records for applicable financial and legal retention periods. When information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to delete, anonymise, or securely dispose of it, subject to lawful exceptions.

10. International Access and Transfers

ThinkOcean works with people and chapters in different countries. As a result, personal information may be accessed or processed in countries other than the one in which you live, including through our international team and service providers. Data protection laws may differ between those countries.

Where a transfer is subject to legal requirements, we take steps to apply the safeguards required by the relevant law. You can contact us for more information about safeguards applicable to your information.

11. Security

We use reasonable organisational and technical measures appropriate to the information we handle, including limiting access to people who need it for their work. No website, email system, or internet transmission can be guaranteed completely secure. If a security incident occurs, we will take appropriate steps and provide notifications where required by law.

12. Your Privacy Rights and Choices

Depending on your location and the laws that apply, you may have the right to:

• Request access to personal information we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct inaccurate information.
• Request deletion of information, subject to applicable exceptions.
• Object to or request restrictions on certain uses of your information.
• Withdraw consent where our processing relies on consent.
• Request a portable copy of certain information, where applicable.
• Lodge a complaint with a relevant data protection authority.

You can make a request by emailing info@thinkoceansociety.org with “Privacy Request” in the subject line. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request. We will respond within the period required by applicable law and explain any lawful exception that prevents us from fulfilling a request in full.

You may also opt out of newsletter communications at any time as described in Section 8.

13. Children and Young Participants

Youth participation is central to ThinkOcean’s mission, and we take the privacy of younger participants seriously. Some of our educational activities may involve students or people under the age of 18.

We do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13 without any notice or parental consent required by applicable law. If you are a parent or guardian and believe a child has submitted personal information without the necessary permission, please contact us at info@thinkoceansociety.org. We will review the request and take appropriate steps.

For activities involving minors, additional notices, permission forms, or safeguarding procedures may apply, particularly when photographs, recordings, or identifying information could be published. Parents, guardians, schools, and programme organisers should contact us before submitting sensitive information about a child.

14. Links to Other Websites

Our website may link to external websites, donation services, educational resources, registration forms, social media platforms, or partner organisations. We do not control the privacy practices of those third parties. Their own notices and policies govern their services.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our website, programmes, service providers, or legal requirements. We will post the revised version on this page and update the “Last updated” date. If a change materially affects how we use personal information, we will take additional steps to notify affected people where required.

16. Contact Us

For privacy questions, requests, or concerns, please contact:

ThinkOcean Society

Email: info@thinkoceansociety.org

Please do not include sensitive personal information in your initial email unless it is necessary for your request.