In short: schools own their alumni data and we process it on their behalf. Alumni choose what they share and can change their minds at any time. We never sell personal information.
1. Who we are
Alumnis is an online alumni management platform for South African high schools. It is operated by alumnis.co.za, based in Johannesburg, Gauteng ("Alumnis", "we", "us", "our").
This policy explains how we collect, use, share and protect personal information, as required by the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA").
2. Our role: responsible party and operator
We handle personal information in two different capacities, and it matters which one applies:
- When a school uses Alumnis, the school is the responsible party for its alumni records. It decides why and how alumni information is used. Alumnis acts as the school's operator and processes that information only on the school's instructions and under a written agreement.
- For our own business, such as handling enquiries from this website, managing school accounts and billing, Alumnis is the responsible party.
If you are an alum with a question about how your school uses your information, you can contact your school directly or contact us and we will pass your request on.
3. Information we collect
| Who | What we collect |
|---|---|
| Website visitors and enquirers | Name, role, school, email address, phone number, province and the content of your message. Basic technical data such as browser type and pages visited. |
| School staff (account users) | Name, work email, role, login details and a record of activity within the platform. |
| Alumni | Name, matric year, contact details, and any optional profile details the alum chooses to add, such as location, occupation, studies, mentoring availability and communication preferences. A record of the consent given and when. |
| Event attendees | RSVP status, ticket details and dietary or access requirements where an alum chooses to provide them. |
We do not intentionally collect special personal information (such as religious beliefs, health or race) unless an alum chooses to provide it and it is necessary for a specific purpose, for example an accessibility requirement for an event.
Information about children
Alumnis is designed for past pupils who have finished school. We do not knowingly collect personal information of learners under 18 through the alumni platform. Where a school uses Alumnis for mentoring programmes involving current learners, the school is responsible for obtaining consent from a competent person (a parent or guardian) as POPIA requires.
4. How we use information
We use personal information only for specific, lawful purposes:
- To respond to enquiries and demo requests sent through this website.
- To provide the Alumnis platform to schools under their subscription, including the alumni register, events, newsletters and mentoring.
- To set up, secure and support user accounts.
- To invoice schools and manage subscriptions.
- To improve the platform, using aggregated or de-identified information wherever possible.
- To meet our legal obligations.
We rely on one or more of the lawful grounds in section 11 of POPIA: consent, performance of a contract, a legal obligation, or a legitimate interest that does not override your rights.
5. Direct marketing
We send electronic marketing only with your consent, or to existing school clients about similar services, as allowed by section 69 of POPIA. Every marketing message includes a simple way to opt out, free of charge.
Communications a school sends to its own alumni through Alumnis are sent on the school's behalf, and alumni control their preferences in their profile.
6. Who we share information with
We do not sell personal information. We share it only:
- With the school that the alumni record belongs to.
- With service providers who help us run Alumnis, such as hosting, email delivery and payment processing, under written agreements that require them to protect the information.
- Where the law requires us to, or to protect our rights or the safety of others.
Our main service providers are: Afrihost (for hosting) & PayFast (for credit card processing).
7. Storage and cross-border transfers
Personal information is stored on Afrihost's servers located in South Africa. If information is transferred outside South Africa, we make sure the recipient is subject to laws, binding rules or an agreement that provide protection at least equal to POPIA, as section 72 requires.
8. How we protect information
We take appropriate, reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, damage and unauthorised access, including:
- Encryption of data in transit (TLS).
- Role-based access so school staff see only what their role requires.
- Strong password rules and secure authentication.
- Regular backups, monitoring and software updates.
If we have reasonable grounds to believe personal information has been accessed by an unauthorised person, we will notify the Information Regulator and the affected school or people as soon as reasonably possible, as section 22 of POPIA requires.
9. How long we keep information
- Enquiries: up to 24 months after our last contact, unless you become a client.
- Alumni records: for as long as the school's subscription is active and the alum has not withdrawn consent. When a school's subscription ends, we return or delete its data within 90 days.
- Billing records: for the period required by tax law (currently five years).
10. Your rights under POPIA
You have the right to:
- Ask whether we hold personal information about you and request a copy of it.
- Ask us to correct, update or delete information that is inaccurate, out of date or no longer needed.
- Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing that happened before.
- Object to processing on reasonable grounds and to direct marketing at any time.
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.
Alumni can update most details and preferences directly in their Alumnis profile. For anything else, email hello@alumnis.co.za. We will respond within a reasonable time and may need to confirm your identity first.
11. Cookies
This website uses only the cookies and browser storage needed for it to work properly. We do not use advertising cookies. If we add analytics in the future, we will update this policy and ask for consent where required.
12. Information Officer and complaints
Our Information Officer is responsible for compliance with POPIA:
- Name: Richard Shearer
- Email: privacy@alumnis.co.za
- Address: Sandton, Johannesburg, Gauteng
If you are not satisfied with how we handle a request or complaint, you may contact the Information Regulator (South Africa):
- Website: inforegulator.org.za
- Complaints email: complaints.IR@inforegulator.org.za
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on this page, with the date it was last updated. If we make significant changes, we will notify school clients by email.