Privacy Policy

NGO Pulse, operated by SangoNet ("we", "us", or "our"), is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you use our website, platform, and services.

By using NGO Pulse, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the platform.

1 Information We Collect

We may collect personal information in various ways when you interact with our platform, including:

Account Information: Name, email address, password, organisation details, and profile information when you create an account.
Application Materials: CVs, résumés, cover letters, portfolios, and other documents you upload when applying for opportunities.
Listing Information: Job titles, descriptions, requirements, and company details when posting listings or advertisements.
Communication Data: Messages, support inquiries, and feedback you submit to us or other users through the platform.
Payment Information: Billing details and transaction records when making payments — note that full payment card details are processed by PayFast and not stored on our servers.
Automatically Collected Data: IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, and usage patterns collected via cookies and similar technologies.
AI Interaction Data: Inputs you provide to AI-powered features (such as proposal generation or CV creation) and the outputs generated.

2 How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

Providing, maintaining, and improving our platform and services.
Facilitating job applications, listings, and communication between users.
Processing payments and managing subscriptions.
Powering AI features to generate suggestions, proposals, CVs, and other assistance tools.
Sending account-related notifications, updates, and security alerts.
Responding to support inquiries and resolving disputes.
Sending promotional communications (with your consent, where required).
Analysing usage patterns to improve user experience and platform performance.
Complying with legal obligations and responding to lawful requests.

3 AI & Automated Processing

NGO Pulse uses artificial intelligence (AI) and automated systems for various features, including proposal generation, CV creation, interview simulations, project management suggestions, and content recommendations.

When you use AI-powered features, the inputs you provide (such as job descriptions, skills, project details, or personal background) are processed to generate relevant outputs. We may use this data to improve our AI models and the quality of our services.

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AI Data Handling: AI-generated outputs are based on patterns in data and should not be considered professional advice. We do not use your personal data to train third-party AI models without your consent. AI processing is designed to assist — not replace — human judgement. Please review all AI-generated content before use.

4 Payment Data

For online payments, we partner with PayFast, a PCI-compliant payment gateway. When you make a payment via PayFast, your card details, banking information, and payment credentials are processed entirely by PayFast — we do not receive or store your full payment card numbers or banking passwords on our servers.

For manual EFT payments, we may collect and store transaction references, invoice details, and proof-of-payment documents to verify and process your transactions. These records are kept securely and only for as long as necessary to fulfil our billing and legal obligations.

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Payment Security: All online payment transactions are encrypted using industry-standard TLS protocols. We encourage you to verify banking details carefully when making manual EFT payments and to keep records of all transactions.

5 How We Share Your Information

We may share your personal information with the following parties and for the following purposes:

Employers & Organisations: When you apply for a listing, your application materials are shared with the relevant employer or organisation.
Service Providers: Third-party vendors who help us operate the platform, including hosting providers (such as Hetzner or AWS), analytics services, email delivery services, payment processors (PayFast), and AI service providers.
Infrastructure Partners: Services such as Cloudflare for security, caching, and content delivery, and Google for analytics and search indexing. These partners may temporarily cache publicly accessible content to improve performance.
Legal & Regulatory Authorities: When required by law, court order, or governmental regulation.
Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganisation, or sale of assets.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes. We require all service providers to handle your data in compliance with applicable privacy laws and our contractual obligations.

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Public Content Notice: Content you explicitly mark as public — such as public job listings, organisation profiles, or shared documents — may be indexed by search engines and cached by content delivery networks. Please exercise caution when sharing sensitive information publicly. If you upload a CV or private document and do not mark it as public, it will not be shared publicly or with unauthorised third parties.

6 Data Storage & Security

All sensitive files and personal data are stored on encrypted cloud infrastructure with restricted access controls. We implement industry-standard security measures, including:

Encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest.
Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning.
Role-based access controls for our team members.
Secure password hashing and authentication protocols.
Monitoring for unauthorised access attempts.

While we take reasonable precautions, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, and you share information at your own risk.

7 Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this policy, or as required by law. When your account is deleted, we will remove or anonymise your personal data within a reasonable timeframe, unless retention is required for legal, accounting, or fraud prevention purposes.

8 Your Rights & Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Access & Update: View and update your personal information through your account settings.
Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated data by contacting us.
Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from marketing communications using the link in our emails, or adjust your notification preferences in your account.
Cookie Controls: Manage or block cookies through your browser settings.
Content Removal: Request removal of previously uploaded content — we will promptly delete it from our servers and, where applicable, request removal from third-party indexes and caches.

9 Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience, analyse usage, and deliver relevant content. These may include:

Essential Cookies: Required for core platform functionality, such as authentication and security.
Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the platform (e.g., Google Analytics).
Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences and improve your experience.

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling essential cookies may affect platform functionality.

10 Third-Party Services

Our platform integrates with third-party services, including PayFast (payments), Cloudflare (security/CDN), Google (analytics), and various AI service providers. These services have their own privacy policies, and we encourage you to review them. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party services.

11 Children's Privacy

NGO Pulse is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that a child has provided us with personal data, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

12 International Data Transfers

Your information may be stored and processed on servers located outside your country of residence, including through our use of cloud infrastructure and third-party services. We take steps to ensure that any international transfers comply with applicable data protection laws and that your data remains protected.

13 Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal obligations. The latest version will always be available on this page, with the effective date noted at the top. For material changes, we may also notify you by email or through an on-platform notice. Continued use of NGO Pulse after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.