Who we are

Our website address is: http://campaignsolutions.ie.

We are committed to protecting your personal information

Campaign Solutions provides a consultancy and research service, advising on fundraising strategy, legacy plans, provides legacy training and more to charities and not-for-profit organisations in Ireland.

It completes periodic research assignments which make up a minority of its overall work. Some of these were wealth screenings. We also carry out prospect research, where information about a prospective donor is undertaken by a researcher. Campaign Solutions has also carried out media and web reviews to help identify people who are associated with an institution or its cause to make the charity client aware that that a person who has been in the news who may be of relevance from a fundraising, communications or volunteering perspective.

Campaign Solutions is committed to complying with the provisions of the Data Protection Act. 

This document addresses a number of categories of individuals – those using this website, those contacted for marketing purposes by Campaign Solutions who work in charities (typically fundraisers), charities availing of the Campaign Solutions wealth research service and members of the public.

Data we collect from website users

By using the Campaign Solutions website, or by providing any personal information to Campaign Solutions, you consent to the collection and use of your personal information as set out in this Privacy Policy.

Information (including contact details) that you supply to us about you, whether via our website, by email, or by other means, will be securely stored by us.

We may use this information for the purposes of communicating with you for any business we are conducting with you, and to inform you about our services. This may include adding you to our mailing lists.

Campaign Solutions maintains a listing of charity fundraiser contacts (Excel) – with about 400 organisations listed and one or more contacts for each organisation. You may opt out of any of our mailing lists at any time by emailing us at info@campaignsolutions.ie with a note of your requirements.

We will not disclose your contact information to anyone who is not an employee or contractor of Campaign Solutions unless we have your permission to do so, or are required to do so by law.

You may ask us to delete your contact information at any time by emailing us at info@campaignsolutions.ie

Work undertaken is generally kept private. However, if we undertake work for a charity, we may name your organisation in a list of clients that we produce and disclose from time to time, unless you request us in writing not to do so.

Cookies

Cookies are tiny files that are stored on your computer to remember information and to improve your experience. Most websites collect cookies. Campaign Solutions does not collect or process cookies as its website is essentially a brochure website, with little or no other interaction sought or provided, nor analytics on site traffic undertaken. People can make contact via the ‘Contact Us’ section. A very small number choose to leave comments on blog posts. Full access to the website is provided to all visitors.

Data we collect from publicly accessible sources

Separately, the Campaign Solutions wealth database contains over 17,000 records of high net worth and well-connected individuals. These are largely Irish based. Northern Ireland based individuals have largely been removed from the database as Campaign Solutions does not operate there. A small number are UK or US based – people with Irish links. The vast bulk of the 17,000 names are likely to be Irish millionaires in the top 1% – 3% of wealth nationally, the vast majority of whom would be expected to be either capable of a personal gift or to open the door to a gift of €5,000 or more. In some cases, people may be included for their connections to people of wealth, or for other benefits that might arise (e.g. their celebrity could potentially help generate attention for the charity). The database contains data gathered entirely from publicly accessible sources; including:

  • Internet; general google searches, company websites, online-only articles, social media, justgiving.com, linkedin.com
  • Public registers of personal and corporate information
  • Newspapers, newspaper supplements and journals
  • Published directories and rich lists
  • Online news archives
  • Company and charity websites

We gather this information to provide services to not for profit and other fundraising organisations to assist them in their fundraising, and elements of the information gathered are shared with these organisations. In most cases a snapshot, rather than detailed profiles are provided.

Wealth is estimated using figures in reputable sources such as published Rich Lists and newspaper articles where available. We also look at company annual reports for remuneration and shareholdings, property values from newspapers and property websites and assets to give an indication of personal wealth, a company’s net worth and the relevant shareholdings a person may have. We also consider other indicators that may inform such as donation history (where that information is in the public domain), charity board memberships, club membership, career history, location and number of homes, lifestyle, wealth of contemporaries and social circles and inheritance.

We also note interests including environment, health and disability, medicine, children and young people, international development, education, the arts, welfare, heritage, animal welfare, military, sport and other hobbies. Information regarded as sensitive data under the Data Protection Act will only be collected where that data has been revealed by the individual concerned (for example, in a media interview).

How we store your information

Our business depends on handling data confidentially. We have taken technical and organisational measures to ensure that your personal information remains secure at all times. Data is maintained locally on password protected (encrypted) files.

Campaign Solutions does not, but may at some stage in the future, use the services of subcontractors to ensure that your data is held in a secure environment. This policy will be updated to reflect any future change if that is the case.

Your data will remain within the European Economic Area (“EEA”) at all times unless you consent otherwise.

How we handle your information and other organisations

We may disclose personal information to third parties if we are under a duty to disclose or share your personal data in order to comply with any legal obligation; or in order to enforce or apply our terms of use for this website or other agreements; or to protect the rights or property of Campaign Solutions. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organisations for the purposes of fraud detection and protection.

Data Sent to us for research services

Use of our research services requires that you (a charity) send us personal data for the purposes of the service.

We will sign a confidentiality agreement with you prior to receipt of any such data.

As per this confidentiality agreement: 

  • All data that you send to us remains your property.
  • You will provide, via a subcontractor, a secure method for sending and receipt of data from you and for the return of results to you.
  • All data sent to us by you will be treated in confidence.
  • Our use of your data will be as Data Processor under the terms of the Data Protection Act.
  • Your data will be stored as an encrypted file.
  • No part of your data will be disclosed to anyone who is not an employee or contractor of Campaign Solutions, either physically or verbally unless we are required to do so by law.
  • Your data will not be transferred or held by us outside of The Republic of Ireland.
  • We will securely delete data you send to us 3 months from receipt, or at any time on request and will confirm having done so by email to you the client. 

Information or data we supply

We may supply information or data on researched individuals, companies, or trusts and foundations to not-for-profit organisations as part of our services, either directly or via subscription services. Any such information or data supplied by us to you (a charity) will be from publicly accessible information sources only.

How to access your personal information

You – as an individual – have a right to know whether or not Campaign Solutions holds any information about you (personal data) and a right to be provided with your information in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

You can request your personal information by emailing Niall at info@campaignsolutions.ie or by writing to us – please email first for the address.

We will always try to ensure that the data we hold is up to date, reasonable and not excessive. You have the right to:

  • Request a copy of the information we hold about you (Subject Access Request)
  • Update or amend the information we hold about you
  • Change your communication preferences at any time
  • Ask us to remove your personal information from our records
  • Withdraw consent where consent has been given
  • Object to the processing of your information for any of the purposes outlined above.

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, or would like to receive a copy of the information we hold about you, please see our guide to accessing your personal information for more detailed instructions.

For further information on the Ireland’s Privacy Principles, you can visit The Data Protection Commission’s Office website.

Legitimate Interest

Campaign Solutions’ interest in helping charities find major donors is a lawful legitimate interest under both the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulation. How we collect and use data in respect of our Wealth Database is clearly defined in this Privacy Policy. This interest is real and present; the government has objectives to increase philanthropy in Ireland. As a precursor to a formal government policy ph philanthropy (expected in 2023) the report: ‘The Landscape of Philanthropic Giving in Ireland’ was prepared by Indecon in December 2021.

Campaign Solutions collect publicly accessible data on individuals we believe are capable of making or influencing a charitable donation of €5,000 or more. These individuals are typically in the top 1%-3% by wealth in Ireland and would reasonably expect to be contacted by charities that they already support, local charities or those where a common interest is revealed from the data available. Major donors expect not-for-profit organisations to be well informed. The people on our database are financially aware, busy individuals who would expect research to be carried out on them before any approach for a major donation was made. Research has been undertaken in the UK that reflects this assertion.

The privacy rights and interests of the data subject are not negatively affected; the data used is already easily accessible within the public domain. The interests of Campaign Solutions, the charity and the individual are closely aligned. A Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) has been completed to ensure that the data subject’s rights are considered and protected. Campaign Solutions always recommends that a DPIA is undertaken by charity clients for prospect research projects undertaken by Campaign Solutions for charity clients.

Data retention: The Campaign Solutions ‘Data Retention Policy’ is available on request. Data (profiles) in many cases will be stored (but updated) for the long term but are reviewed regularly and data clean-ups ensure deletions happen as required.

Update or changes to the privacy policy

We reserve the right to make changes to this Privacy Policy. Each time you visit this site you should check this Privacy Policy to check that no changes have been made to any sections that are important to you. This policy was last reviewed on 12 December 2022.