Policy 6 of 6
Communications and Social Media
To protect the dignity of the people we serve in everything we publish, and to be clear about who may speak for the organisation.
ADOPTED
This policy was adopted by the board of The Schaffa Foundation, recorded as adopted on 22 September 2026. It is reviewed at least every two years, and sooner if the law changes or an incident shows a gap.
The rule that governs everything else
We never publish anything that identifies a person we serve. No photographs of guests, no names, no stories about an individual, no images where someone could recognise themselves or be recognised by others — whether or not they appear to have consented at the time.
Somebody eating a meal in a public square has not agreed to appear in a fundraising campaign, and a person’s worst week should not become our content. Where we want to show the work, we photograph the team, the table, the food and the setting.
IF IN DOUBT, DO NOT POST IT
A photograph that would embarrass the person in it is not made acceptable by good intentions or by a caption about dignity. Nobody has ever regretted not posting a picture.
Photographs and consent
- Volunteers and staff may be photographed with their consent, and may ask at any time for an image of them to be removed.
- Nothing identifying a volunteer under 18 is published without written consent from a parent or guardian.
- Personal phones are not used to photograph at a service except by arrangement with the site leader.
- Images are stored with our other records and are not shared outside the organisation without a reason.
Who may speak for the organisation
Public statements on behalf of Street Buffet — to media, to funders, or on our own channels — are made by a director or by someone they authorise.
Volunteers are warmly encouraged to talk about their own experience of volunteering with us. When doing so, make it clear you are speaking for yourself, and apply the same rule about guests as above.
Anyone approached by a journalist should refer them to a director rather than answering, however straightforward the question seems.
How we talk about the work
- Describe people as people. Not “the homeless” as a category of person, and never in language that reduces someone to their circumstances.
- Do not overstate. If we do not have a figure, we do not invent one or round it up.
- Give credit where partners, donors and volunteers are involved, and check with them before naming them.
- Correct mistakes openly and promptly rather than quietly deleting them.
Accounts and access
A record is kept of every account operated in the organisation’s name and who has access. Access is removed when someone leaves a role. Accounts are secured with two-factor authentication where the platform supports it.
Anything posted from an organisation account is the organisation speaking, whoever typed it.
If something goes wrong
If material is published that breaches this policy, take it down first and work out what happened afterwards. Tell a director immediately. If a person who has been identified contacts us, we apologise, remove the material, and tell them what we have done.