Hi everyone.
Those of you who are members will have recently received your Nature’s Home magazine asking you to choose how the RSPB can contact you in the future.
This is an incredibly important request and has promoted some questions and discussions from both visitors and volunteers out on the reserve.
As a result, I was asked if I would write a blog setting out a little bit more about it, in order to hopefully answer some of those questions.
The RSPB is proud of how it handles our supporters' data. We do not share your details with other charities and we do not sell or pass your details to any other third parties for them to market directly to you or use for their own benefits.
However, new regulations come into effect from May 2018 and these will govern how the RSPB, as a charity, can contact you - our supporters. When the new regulations come into force, we won’t be able to keep in touch with supporters who haven’t explicitly opted in to hearing from us – except contacting members about their membership. Were we unable to speak to our supporters in the future, our ability to save nature would be greatly diminished.
We therefore need every member and supporter to tell us through which channels – text, phone, email, post – you’re happy to hear from us. And also to tell us if there are any channels you definitely don’t want us to use to contact you!
We are encouraging people to respond online to keep costs down (post and phone are also available though).
It doesn’t have any effect on your membership renewal and you will still receive your Nature’s Home magazine. But there any many important ways and reasons for contacting our supporters – like the 65,000 RSPB supporters who stood up to defend the EU Nature Directives. Taking part in activities such as the half a million people who take part in Big Garden Birdwatch. Volunteering time and expertise. Providing funds such as the 10,000 people who donated to our Mersehead reserve appeal to buy more land. If we can’t contact you in future, we can’t easily involve you in any of these things.
So, if you still have your copy of Nature's Home to hand, please use your Unique Contact Number (UCN) and follow the instructions that came with the magazine. And if you no longer have your UCN to hand, don't worry just phone 0300 777 2610 or visit www.rspb.org.uk/yes and, when prompted, enter your contact information. You should then be able to make your opt in choices.
And if you still have any questions, then please either ring our membership services at the Lodge or pop into the reserve and have a chat.
Regards
Matthew