Best practices on improving data security, making the case for creating the policies, and the impact of AI on data security.
Carolyn speaks with guest Jeff Gibson from Build Consulting to answer questions about why data is important to nonprofits, how your data can get really widely distributed in different tools in different departments, and why it is important to do an audit and assessment to know what data you have.
Do you know where your data risks lie? Do you know you are in compliance with laws and your internal policies? Do you have a data policy? What do you need to know about data governance for nonprofits?
Listen to Podcast
Jeff has over 25 years in nonprofit IT including as CIO (Chief Information Officer), but recognizes that many staff at nonprofits work with data or use tools that create databases – but don’t have a data background or expertise with database management. That can create holes in your cybersecurity that cause real risks for your organization.
But it can be really difficult to see a need for specific data policies. It can be difficult to convince leadership to prioritize the time to do a data assessment and create data policies. And at small to medium sized nonprofits without resources for a compliance team, it can be hard to monitor compliance with your own policies and with legal requirements.
Jeff shared his experiences and insights into these difficulties and offered some tips on making the case for the danger of unmanaged data. If you are feeling anxious about your data security policies, this discussion on data governance for nonprofits will give you ideas on how to move forward.
For more on creating or revising IT policies generally, review our webinar and previous podcast with Jeff Making IT Governance Work for Your Nonprofit.
Want to skip right to our blog post of free resources on free templates and frameworks for creating IT Policies for nonprofits?
Like podcasts? Find our full archive here or anywhere you listen to podcasts: search Community IT Innovators Nonprofit Technology Topics on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Pandora, and more. Or ask your smart speaker.
Presenters
With over 25 years of experience, Jeff Gibson has led key initiatives in various sectors, including non-profits, government, startups, and in corporate settings. He has a proven track record of improving operations and managing costs to support growth in both large organizations and small enterprises.
Build Consulting only works with nonprofits, foundations, associations, and higher education organizations, bringing unmatched experience leading nonprofit technology transformation to their clients. Working with nonprofit organizations is their exclusive focus and over the years their team members have performed assessments and created technology roadmaps for more than 500 local, national, and global nonprofit organizations.
Carolyn Woodard is currently head of Marketing and Outreach at Community IT Innovators. She has served many roles at Community IT, from client to project manager to marketing. With over twenty years of experience in the nonprofit world, including as a nonprofit technology project manager and Director of IT at both large and small organizations, Carolyn knows the frustrations and delights of working with technology professionals, accidental techies, executives, and staff to deliver your organization’s mission and keep your IT infrastructure operating. She has a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Johns Hopkins University and received her undergraduate degree in English Literature from Williams College. She was happy to discuss data governance for nonprofits with guest Jeff Gibson.
Transcript coming soon.
Ready to get strategic about your IT?
Community IT has been serving nonprofits exclusively for over twenty years. We offer Managed IT support services for nonprofits that want to outsource all or part of their IT support and hosted services. For a fixed monthly fee, we provide unlimited remote and on-site help desk support, proactive network management, and ongoing IT planning from a dedicated team of experts in nonprofit-focused IT. And our clients benefit from our IT Business Managers team who will work with you to plan your IT investments and technology roadmap if you don’t have an in-house IT Director.
We constantly research and evaluate new technology to ensure that you get cutting-edge solutions that are tailored to your organization, using standard industry tech tools that don’t lock you into a single vendor or consultant. And we don’t treat any aspect of nonprofit IT as if it is too complicated for you to understand. When you are worried about your email safety and spam, you shouldn’t have to worry about understanding your provider.
We think your IT vendor should be able to explain everything without jargon or lingo. If you can’t understand your IT management strategy to your own satisfaction, keep asking your questions until you find an outsourced IT provider who will partner with you for well-managed IT.
If you’re ready to gain peace of mind about your IT support, let’s talk.
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash