Data is the lifeblood of every non-profit organization. Yet, I notice that our clients do not have a data governance policy more often than not.

Why Not?

Because done correctly, it is a boatload of work. The effort is on par with implementing a new AMS (Association Management System) or DMS (Donor Management System). It involves the entire organization and all of its departments and systems.

Minimum Viable Data Governance?

MVDG? Ok, I made that up. Yes, end-to-end, enterprise-wide data governance is a great goal, and it’s worth doing. Unfortunately, the data shows that your organization will likely not undertake or finish a project like this anytime soon.

The good news is that you can get started today on something doable that will make a big difference.

Let’s call it Minimum Viable Data Governance or MVDG for short. It involves stripping data governance down to only the most essential things that can be achieved relatively quickly. It also involves dramatically reducing the scope.

Let’s Do This.

Cut Scope by Starting with One System - The Next New System.

Instead of developing a grand data policy for the entire organization, start with examining the data for next system you are implementing. For example, if you are replacing your AMS, develop the approach within that system’s context.

Focus On the High Value and Easily Achievable Items.

Inventory the data elements that the new system will carry (to the field level).  Focus on the things you can see.  For example, in a donor system, you can see someone donated on the constituent record.  Note the fields that are on that record.  Forget (for now) all of the transactional/system-generated data (deferral accounts, GL info, etc.) behind the scenes. 

It’s ok to work with aggregated swaths of data for now; for example, Home Address versus Home Street, Home City, Home State, Etc. or Name versus First Name, Middle Name, Last Name.

Then, for each data element, Document these six things:

1 - Ownership: Determine who owns this data? 
I.e., who is responsible for updating and maintaining it.

2 - Update Process: Document where did the information come from and how it is updated. Data is often updated in a myriad of ways. For example, suppose you are using Salesforce as your association software. In that case, the member record could be updated from Salesforce Communities by the member, from Salesforce or the Mobile App by a staff member, and from profile enrichment tools like data.com, narrative.io, and others.

3 - Usage: Document how the data is used.|
This step is where the rubber meets the road and, in my opinion, delivers the most value to the organization.  From my experience, non-profits don’t use 25%+ of the data they carry.  If the data has a clear usage, carry it over, otherwise do not.

Look for sacred cows as they make the best hamburger.  For example, can you eliminate the member’s physical address?  Fax number?

Set a goal of how little you can carry to the new system. Can you cut your data by 50%?  I’ll bet you can.  Think of the staff time spent to maintain this data as an inspiration for cutting it out.  

4 - Retention: Document how long the data needs to be retained. 

Financial data typically has to be retained for seven years.  Everything else warrants a discussion.  Do you need to know who attended your conference five years ago?  If so, why?  Deceased members? Committee participation from 1983?

In my experience, people default to keeping old data just in case they may, someday, need it.  That day never really comes.  Make it your default not to keep it.  If you are worried about it, print it out or store it in a format that can be accessed down the road (but not in the new system). 

Remember one of the key tenants of 2-Second lean; simplify!  Less can be more here.

5 - Quality Standard: Document what makes up good data quality for this ellement. 
For example, if it is a US-based address, does it need a zip code?  A documented quality standard will be invaluable when configuring a new system as we can put validation rules in place to enforce correct data entry.  It will also help data migration to flag bad/incomplete data before it gets into the new system. Most importantly it can be used as a training tool for staff.

6 - Security/Confidentiality: Document what security/confidentiality structures does this data need?
Is it ok to distribute, and if so, in what form? What impact does this have on GDPR and other data privacy regulations? This matters. I recently worked with a privacy organization that was growing by 20,000 members a single year! Privacy will be the issue in 2021 and the years ahead. Get ahead of this as soon as you can!

Where Do I Put this Information?

Since we are starting small, put this information somewhere it is easily accessed and updated. If you use Confluence, Sharepoint, or another intranet system, this is the logical choice. Google Sheets would be my choice just to get moving. I created this super simple spreadsheet that you can copy and use as a starting point.

What will I get for my effort?

A gold star.  Seriously though, the benefits will be substantial:

• Save Time and Money. The implementation of your new system will cost less and get done quicker.  As implementers, we spend a lot of back and forth time with clients regarding what data we need to take over, how it should look/be formatted, etc.  We also spend time determining how far we have to go back in time for data.  Having this at our fingertips will make this quicker (and therefore cheaper).
  
  

• Faster Onboarding. The system will be easier to learn.  I guarantee that you will carry substantially less data to the new system if you follow this process.  This will, in turn, make it easier for staff to be onboarded.
  
  

• Better Data Quality. Your data will be of higher quality. We all need to make more decisions based on data, but that is difficult if the data is not trustworthy. A data governance policy (even an abbreviated one) is the first step to better data.
  

• Better Member Experience. Better member/donor experience. No one likes entering data, including your constituents. Their life will be easier as well.

What do you think?

After you finish the MVDG, move on to the next system and the next. Getting started is half the battle.

Is this crazy?  Can an organization benefit from a Minimum Viable Data Governance initiative?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

If you are interested in getting help to perform this before an upcoming system transition, we’d love to be part of your project.

ABOUT GOJECTORY

At Gojectory we help transform professional and trade associations and non-profits with digital strategy and Salesforce consulting services. Let’s talk about what we can do for your organization.