Privacy Policy

Punya(“Punya”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is a registered non-governmental organisation based in India. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal information when you use our website at https://punya.ngo and the Punya mobile application (collectively, the “Platform”).

By using the Platform you consent to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the Platform.

We collect information in three ways: directly from you, automatically, and from third parties.

2.1 Information you provide

• Account data — name, email address, phone number, and password when you create an account.
• Donation and payment data — name, billing address, PAN (for 80G receipts), and payment method details. Full card numbers are processed directly by our payment provider and are never stored by us.
• Profile data — optional profile photo and preferences you set within your account.
• Communications — messages, feedback, or enquiries you send us via email, contact forms, or in-app chat.

2.2 Information collected automatically

• Usage data — pages visited, features used, time spent, and click patterns, collected via our analytics service.
• Device and log data — IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, and crash reports.
• Cookies and similar technologies — see Section 7 for details.

2.3 Information from third parties

• Payment processors may share transaction confirmation details with us.
• If you sign in via a social account (e.g., Google), we receive basic profile data (name, email, profile photo) from that provider.

We use your information to:

• Create and manage your account and process donations or sponsorships.
• Issue tax receipts and comply with Indian financial reporting obligations (e.g., FCRA, Income Tax Act).
• Send transactional communications — donation confirmations, sponsorship updates, and cow care reports.
• Send optional newsletters and programme updates (you can opt out at any time).
• Improve and personalise the Platform using aggregated analytics.
• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents.
• Comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests from authorities.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties, nor do we use it for advertising unrelated to Punya's mission.

Where applicable law requires a legal basis for processing, we rely on:

• Contract — to process donations and manage your sponsorship.
• Legal obligation — to comply with Indian tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements.
• Legitimate interests — to improve the Platform, prevent fraud, and communicate about our work.
• Consent — for optional communications such as newsletters. You may withdraw consent at any time.

We share your information only in the following circumstances:

• Service providers — payment processors, cloud hosting providers, email delivery services, and analytics tools that process data on our behalf under data processing agreements.
• Partner gaushalas— limited operational data (e.g., a sponsor's first name) to facilitate cow care updates. We do not share full contact details with gaushalas without your consent.
• Legal requirements — when required by law, regulation, court order, or governmental authority.
• Organisational transfer — in the event of a merger, acquisition, or restructuring of Punya, your data may be transferred to a successor organisation that will honour this policy.

We retain personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. Donation records and financial data are retained for a minimum of 7 years as required by Indian law. After this period, data is anonymised or deleted. You may request deletion of your account and associated data at any time (see Section 9).

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to operate the Platform and understand how it is used.

• Essential cookies — required for authentication and core functionality. Cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies — help us understand usage patterns so we can improve the Platform. You may opt out via your browser settings or our cookie preferences.

Most browsers allow you to refuse or delete cookies. Disabling essential cookies may affect Platform functionality.

We implement industry-standard technical and organisational measures to protect your data — including TLS encryption in transit, access controls, and regular security reviews. No system is perfectly secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at hello@punya.ngo.

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction — ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion — request erasure of your data where we have no overriding legal obligation to retain it. You can also delete your account directly from the app under My Account > Delete Account.
• Portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Withdrawal of consent — opt out of marketing communications at any time via the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us.

To exercise these rights, email us at hello@punya.ngo. We will respond within 30 days.

The Platform is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with their data without appropriate consent, contact us and we will delete it promptly.

Punya operates in India. Some of our service providers (e.g., cloud hosting, analytics) may process data outside India. Where this occurs we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place consistent with applicable data protection law.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the revised policy with an updated effective date. For significant changes we will notify registered users via email. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

For privacy-related questions, requests, or complaints: