Does your non-profit include an unsubscribe option within any group email messages?
An unsubscribe option is a link that lets the email recipient opt-out (withdraw their consent) of receiving future emails.
Does your non-profit know how long it is supposed to keep personal information?
Personal information should not be confused with financial or society records. For more information about recordkeeping, review our recordkeeping modules.
Does your non-profit collect personal information to use only for valid reasons?
Valid reasons are related to the operation of your non-profit. These reasons include: communicating with members, sending newsletters and invitations, service phone calls and emails, audit purposes, soliciting donations, and issuing tax receipts.
Invalid reasons are those that are not related to the operation of your non-profit. These reasons might include using the information for personal gain such as selling products to members.
Your non-profit should not collect information to use for invalid reasons.
Does your non-profit’s collection of personal information help fulfill its mission or purpose?
A non-profit’s purpose or mission is the reason it exists. This purpose or mission can be found in the non-profit’s constitution.
Do staff, directors/board members, and other volunteers receive training on your non-profit’s privacy policy?
Training means teaching people about the rules. From a privacy perspective, training means ensuring people are aware and understand their obligations under the policy.
Does your non-profit’s privacy policy explain when personal information might be disclosed?
Disclosed means making personal information available to another person or organization. Non-profits should only disclose personal information for the purpose it was collected or for a purpose reasonably related to the primary purpose. Non-profits should always consider the purpose prior to disclosing personal information.