Privacy Policies for Nonprofits

ByBria Sundton
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Illustration of laptop with privacy policy on screen.

It’s Spring time and you know what that means. Spring Cleaning! Spring cleaning is a natural way of resetting and preparing to welcome a new year of seasons. It’s a great time to look at company policies, closet cleanouts, and window washing. We’d recommend starting with one of the most important––your privacy policy.

We’re reviewing our privacy policy and making a few adjustments. How can I get started on yours? Look at our ideas to help your nonprofit approach its privacy policy. 

Why Does My Nonprofit Need a Privacy Policy?

Any organization that collects personal information must have a privacy policy- including nonprofits. Personal information is any data not available or tied to an individual. This includes addresses, phone numbers, payment information, and social security numbers, to name a few. Clients, donors, and volunteers have a right to privacy. A privacy policy details how the organization honors that right and uses information.

What Should Our Privacy Policy Include?

Privacy policies vary depending on the industry, type of information, and local legal requirements. Any policy should cover the type of information collected, how and why it’s obtained, how it’s used, if it’s shared and with whom, and how long it’s stored. 

Crafting these sections will give your policy a solid start. Research other organizations and scope out what sections to include. We recommend checking out similar organizations, searching on Google, or even using AI.

How Can We Draft One?

While using AI to identify missing info is efficient and ethical, don’t use it for actual legal copy. Draft the policy yourself or use an accredited generator such as Termly. However you draft the policy, we recommend having a lawyer review it to ensure it covers all bases. 

Rules of Thumb

  • Keep the legalese to a minimum so the language remains accessible and transparent.
  • Link the finished policy in an easy-to-access location, like the website’s footer.
  • Include the organization’s contact information at the bottom so users know where to direct their questions.

Let us know if you have any questions about our content. Happy policy writing!