Privacy policy
Your privacy is very important to us at Somaskanda Ashram
We hold and process personal information to allow us to provide opportunities for all to worship and serve God in His Universality and offer spiritual guidance and inspiration. We appreciate that you have decided to trust us with your information and will always try to act responsibly and professionally with it.
Our privacy promise to you
- We will keep your information secure and confidential and will not do with it anything which you would not reasonably expect.
- We will ensure all Community and Ashram team members and are trained to know how to handle your information properly and lawfully.
- We will only send you our e-mail newsletter or other e-mail or text communications about retreats, events etc if you specifically agree to us doing so. You can opt-out at any time.
- We will never sell or swap your data with a third party.
- If we pass information to other companies to do some specialist work (eg. donations processing, events management etc.) we will check that these companies comply with Data Protection laws.
- Any credit or debit card donations or transactions with us are secure and encrypted and comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. All card donations online are processed by third party providers, we do not have access to or hold any record of card numbers, expiry dates or security codes.
This Privacy Notice details how and why we obtain, use and protect your personal information.
Who we are
Somaskanda Ashram is closely connected to Skanda Vale, also known as the Community of the Many Names of God. We operate a multi-faith temple in Switzerland that provides the opportunity for countless of pilgrims to worship God in His Universality.
Somaskanda Ashram is set up as a foundation registered in Switzerland (CHE-242.670.302). Our address is Stiftung Somaskanda Ashram, Püschenweg 3, CH-7235 Fideris. Our website is: www.somaskanda.org and https://somaskanda.org.
What information do we collect about you?
This section applies to individuals who are visiting for a day or a shorter time.
Types of information
If you wish to visit the ashram we will ask you to provide your name and contact details including email and telephone. We also hold records of our communications with you.
Sources of your information
We obtain the information about you directly from you when you make a registration or enquire about visiting.
Purposes of processing your information
Our purpose for processing this information is so we can provide suitable environment for pilgrims wishing to visit the Ashram, monitor the proper use of our general facilities and fulfil our reporting responsibilities as a registered organisation.
Legal basis for processing your information
We rely on our legitimate interest in providing an environment that is suitable for you and members of your family group, subject to availability; and maintaining appropriate facilities for genuine pilgrims.
Who do we share information with?
Your information may be shared with reputable companies that provide us with a relevant service such as bookings management, always under strict guidelines to protect your privacy and your right to confidentiality. Where possible we will minimise the amount of information shared or anonymise records so as not to identify you as an individual. We may also need to share your information if required to do so by law, regulation or codes of practice.
Security
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access, disclosure, damage or loss, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard your information. The personal data in our secure databases are only accessible to the Ashram team on a need-to-know basis.
Keeping your information
We keep your personal information only for up to 18 months unless there are exceptional circumstances why we need to keep it for longer (for example, to maintain a record of people who have misused the facilities or Ashram). When your information is no longer required we will ensure it is disposed of in a secure manner.
This section applies to individuals who are using or have in the past used, enquired about or booked our accommodation.
Types of information
If you wish to make use of our accommodation we will ask you to provide your name, age, gender, address, contact details including email and telephone, emergency contact details, details of others in your family group and any special requirements. We also hold records of our communications with you.
Sources of your information
We obtain the information about you directly from you when you make a booking or enquire about our accommodation.
Purposes of processing your information
Our purpose for processing this information is so we can provide suitable accommodation for pilgrims wishing to stay at the Ashram, monitor the proper use of our accommodation facilities and fulfil our reporting responsibilities as a registered organisation.
Legal basis for processing your information
We rely on our legitimate interest in providing accommodation that is suitable for you and members of your family group, subject to availability; and maintaining an appropriate accommodation facility for genuine pilgrims.
Who do we share information with?
Your information may be shared with reputable companies that provide us with a relevant service such as bookings management, always under strict guidelines to protect your privacy and your right to confidentiality. Where possible we will minimise the amount of information shared or anonymise records so as not to identify you as an individual. We may also need to share your information if required to do so by law, regulation or codes of practice.
Security
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access, disclosure, damage or loss, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard your information. The personal data in our secure databases are only accessible to the Ashram team on a need-to-know basis.
Keeping your information
We keep your personal information only for up to 18 months unless there are exceptional circumstances why we need to keep it for longer (for example, to maintain a record of people who have misused the accommodation facilities or Ashram). When your information is no longer required we will ensure it is disposed of in a secure manner.
This section applies to individuals who have registered for or enquired about our spiritual seminars and retreats.
Types of information
If you wish to register for a place on a spiritual seminar or retreat, we will ask you to provide your name, gender, age, address, contact details including email and telephone, emergency contact details, details of others in your family group and any special requirements. If we are requesting a fully refundable deposit to confirm your place, we will also request payment details which may include credit/debit card and bank account details; these are processed by a third-party provider, we do not have access to or hold any record of card numbers, expiry dates or security codes. We also hold records of our communications with you.
Sources of your information
We obtain the information about you directly from you when you register for or enquire about our seminars or retreats or from your family member if they make a registration on your behalf. We may also obtain the information about you from partner agencies, who help us to process and manage your registration and payment.
Purpose of processing your information
Our purpose for processing this information is so we can provide opportunities for spiritual guidance and fulfilment, and suitable accommodation for pilgrims wishing to deepen their spiritual experience, to monitor the proper use of the Ashram facilities and fulfil our reporting responsibilities as a registered non-profit organisation.
Legal basis for processing your information
We rely on our legitimate interest in offering seminars and retreats for spiritual guidance and fulfilment, and making all necessary arrangements for these seminars and retreats.
Who do we share information with?
Your information may be shared with reputable companies that provide us with a relevant service such as bookings management or payment processing, always under strict guidelines to protect your privacy and your right to confidentiality. Where possible we will minimise the amount of information shared or anonymise records so as not to identify you as an individual. We may also need to share your information if required to do so by law, regulation or codes of practice.
Security
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access, disclosure, damage or loss, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard your information. The personal data in our secure databases are only accessible to the Ashram team on a need-to-know basis.
Keeping your information
We keep your personal information only for up to 18 months unless there are exceptional circumstances why we need to keep it for longer (for example, to maintain a record of people who have misused the Ashram facilities). When your information is no longer required we will ensure it is disposed of in a secure manner.
This section applies to individuals who have registered for or enquired about volunteering opportunities at the Ashram.
Types of information
If you wish to register with our volunteering (Seva) team, we will ask you to provide your name, age, gender, email address, telephone number, any specific skills, jobs you cannot do and your availability. We also hold records of our communications with you.
Sources of your information
We obtain the information about you directly from you when you register for or enquire about our volunteering (Seva) opportunities.
Purposes of processing your information
Our purpose for processing this information is so we can provide you with suitable volunteering opportunities, to compile a database of any specific skills available to support the Ashram’s activities and to plan work projects.
Legal basis for processing your information
We rely on our legitimate interest in providing opportunities for selfless service and spiritual upliftment and the smooth running of the Ashram.
Who do we share information with?
We will only share your information if required to do so by law, regulation or codes of practice.
Security
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access, disclosure, damage or loss, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard your information. The personal data in our secure databases are only accessible to the Ashram team and authorised Trustees on a need-to-know basis.
Keeping your information
We keep your personal information only for up to 18 months unless you have consented to us keeping it for longer. When your information is no longer required we will ensure it is disposed of in a secure manner.
Types of information
If we receive a donation from you we will need to process information such as your name, donation amount and date (other than for anonymous donations). Where relevant we will also need to process other information such as your address, e-mail, telephone number, credit/debit card details, bank account details, IP address and any other relevant information you may provide to us. We also hold records of our communications with you and of any communication preferences for e-mail or text messages you tell us about.
Sources of information
We collect this personal information about you when you make an online donation or debit/credit card payment or give us any other associated personal information. We may also obtain this information about you from other sources such as Payrexx who pass on donations you make to us.
Purpose of processing our information
Our purposes for processing this information are to process the donations and payments we have received from you, and:
- to process donations and payments we have received from you;
- to keep a record of your relationship with us and for internal administrative purposes;
- for fraud prevention, credit risk reduction or otherwise as required by law or regulation;
- and we may also use your personal information for other purposes which we specifically notify you about and, where appropriate, obtain your consent.
Legal basis for processing your information
We rely on our legitimate interest in processing your donation for administrative and accounting purposes, for example, thanking you for your support, making appropriate entries in our charity’s accounts and ledgers and for financial and trend analysis.
Who do we share your information with?
Information about our donors is held securely in our records where we store information such as donors names, contact details, donation amounts and other associated details about your interactions with us. Access to these secure records is restricted to the Board of Trustees. We also record information about donations (i.e. donor names, donation date and amount) on our accounting software.
We may sometimes need to share your information with trusted third parties who provide services to us such as our accountants. We have contracts in place with any of these trusted organisations and they are only allowed to process your information in strict compliance with our instructions.
Security
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, loss, damage or destruction we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard your information. However no data transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, therefore whilst we try to protect your personal information we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us over the Internet and you do so at your own risk.
If you use a credit or debit card to make a donation or payment the processing is done in accordance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. You can find out more about this at www.pcisecuritystandards.org.
Keeping your information
We keep your personal information only for as long as it is necessary and for compliance purposes. Generally, we are required to retain records of financial transactions, including donations, for at least 10 years after the end of the financial year of the transaction. When your information is no longer required we will ensure it is disposed of in a secure manner.
If you have subscribed to our e-newsletter we will, from time to time, send you news and updates about the Ashram and events via e-mail.
We will only do so with your consent and rely on this legal basis to provide you with this service. We will always provide you with a link in these e-mails to give you the option to remove yourself from this service.
Our blog is moderated and we do not display the full names of individuals nor addresses. If you post personal information on our website, your information is publicly accessible. Such information can be viewed online and collected by third parties. We are not responsible for the use of information by such third parties.
If you’re aged 16 or under, you must get your parent/guardian’s permission before you provide any personal information on our website.
Our website may contain links to other websites. This Privacy Notice only applies to our website so when you link to other websites you should read their own privacy policies.
Our website uses cookies to help you in your interactions with the site. Most cookies are session cookies, lasting only for the duration of your visit and are deleted when you close your browser. No personally identifiable data is collected. We do not use cookies to gather contact information about you and we do not share, sell or swap your personal information with any other third party for their marketing or fundraising purposes.
Our website uses Google Analytics (https://analytics.google.com/analytics) to allow us to track how popular our site is and to record visitor trends over time. Google Analytics uses a cookie to help track which pages are accessed. The cookie contains no personally-identifiable information, but it does use your computer’s IP address to determine where in the world you are accessing the site from, and to track your page visits within the site.
From time to time, we may embed external content from third-party websites (e.g. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram) within our website. These websites may utilise cookies and the Privacy Policy that will apply to such third-party content will be that published on the website of that third-party content provider.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies when you first visit our website.
The purpose of our use of cookies and Google Analytics is to maintain and monitor the performance of our website and the legal basis we rely on to process your information is our legitimate interests in making our website as effective as possible.
Please visit our Cookie Policy to find out more.
You have the right to privacy and to expect us to keep your information confidential and secure. You have the following specific legal rights, although not all of these rights will be applicable in all circumstances:
- Right to be Informed (to know how we are processing your personal data)
- Right of Access (to know if we have your data and to obtain a copy of your data)
- Right to Rectify (correct your data)
- Right of Erasure (delete your data)
- Right to Restrict Processing (to stop the processing of your data)
- Right of Portability (obtain your data in a common, machine readable format)
- Right to Object (to direct marketing, to processing for scientific/historical research or statistics, and to processing based on our legitimate interests)
If you wish to request access to any information we hold about you; if you change email address or any of the other information we hold about you is inaccurate or out of date; or if you have any queries or concerns about how we process your personal data, please contact us on info@somaskanda.org.
If you have any concerns that our collection or use of information is unfair, misleading or inappropriate you can also raise this directly with the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner’s Office (the FDPIC, the regulator that governs and controls the use of personal information and enforces your right to privacy and confidentiality) at https://www.edoeb.admin.ch/edoeb/en/home. However, the FDPIC will generally expect you to have contacted us to let us try to resolve your complaint in the first instance.
Changes to this privacy notice
We keep our Privacy Notice under regular review and we will place any updates on this web page. This Privacy Notice was last updated in January 2024.
How to contact us
This Privacy Notice is not exhaustive, so if you have any queries or would like further information, please contact us by e-mail at info@somaskanda.org.