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I think it’s fair to say that privacy is a hot-button topic this year. In 1999, the CEO of Sun Microsystems said, “You have zero privacy…Get over it”. In 2010, Mark Zuckerberg stated that privacy was dead. Zuckerberg must feel a sense of irony with what he experienced this year over privacy. And it includes the transfer of Facebook users’ information to Cambridge Analytica.

I’m not sure how things will go. But there’s a good chance that privacy as we knew it is finished. Still, there’s a tension between privacy and sharing. We willingly share our data on social media. Moreover, browsers track us all over the internet.

The General Data Protection Regulation was set into European law. Still, it affects American companies and nonprofits. You probably noticed that lawyers already figured out how to get around it. Mostly, you agree to tracking, or whatever else gets explained in Terms of Service. If not, you can’t use the platforms that provide news, entertainment, and allow you to shop. So, that went well.

Donor Privacy

Many nonprofits have a trove of donor information. But, they haven’t taken the steps to ensure that information is not stolen. Also, they don’t take the time to inform people how their data gets used. And that’s something everyone with a site on the internet should do. Nonprofits have names, addresses, emails, birth dates, credit cards, social security numbers, mobile numbers, etc. So, it doesn’t take a genius to see how this data can get used in bad ways.

A consultant told me when she raised the privacy issue, many leaders said they were unaware it was a priority. But, they expressed their support for transparent public privacy policies. Still, they have no idea they should have terms of service or donor privacy policies on their websites. Candidly, I don’t know how that can even be a credible thought in today’s world.

Data and Nonprofits

Donors should know when they give their data to a nonprofit, there’s a chance their data gets sold to brokers. Some nonprofits do this for revenue. In short, they earn money for the names and data they sell to brokers. Suppose you work at an organization that sells donor data to brokers. In that case, you should clearly state that information in your donor policy. Meaning, it’s an ethical matter.

In recent years, criminals picked up on the fact nonprofits store a wealth of information. And it’s reasonably easy for them to crack the “safe” open. Further, to make matters worse, criminals already store donor data. But, affected nonprofits decide not to make it public for fear of causing donations to dry up.

Protecting Data

Nonprofits occupy a unique position in our society. And it often comes with tax-exempt status. That’s primarily because of their work in improving society. Thus, nonprofits should provide a few minimums to ensure integrity and ethics when accepting donor information.

  • They can remind people to delete the web “cookies” files stored on a person’s computer.
  • Nonprofits should create and publish a “Donor Privacy Policy.” A simple example is provided by Charity Navigator, which you can review here
  • Publish “Terms of Service.” Take a look at samples from leading nonprofits. You can also look at an example from National Council of Nonprofits or TopNonprofits.

Every nonprofit should have a donor privacy policy and terms of service on their website. Make sure your nonprofit has the basics done. If you don’t, there’s no reason to expect people to support your group. Plenty of other nonprofits show transparency and should get rewarded.

 

 

Author of “Not Your Father’s Charity: Grip & Rip Leadership for Social Impact” (Free Digital Download)

© 2018 Wayne Elsey and Not Your Father’s Charity. All Rights Reserved.