Nonprofit organizations often have small staffs and a lack of funds for administrative equipment and resources. These challenges can make it hard to implement effective policies and protocols for document management. However, without a document retention and document destruction policy, your organization may be in trouble if you are ever under scrutiny or facing a legal investigation or audit.
At Citizens Business Archives, we have decades of experience working with local Southern Arizona nonprofit organizations for their document storage services, indexing, organizing, retrieval, and shredding services. We can help you maintain compliance with your organization’s document retention policy and streamline your procedures so they are more efficient and easier to follow. Here is our guide to creating an initial document retention policy for your nonprofit organization.
Understanding Which Documents Should Be Retained
The first thing you should do is gain a better understanding of which documents should be retained, which can be thrown away or recycled, and which need secure shredding services (and when). There is no one resource that outlines which documents nonprofit organizations in Southern Arizona need to retain, so you will need to assess Arizona laws and guidelines and do an audit of the types of documents your organization produces. In general, you should retain hard copies or originals of any signed documents or contracts, including employment contracts and personnel records, financial documents, tax documents, incorporation documents, leases, and donation allocation documents. You can keep scanned records or copies of donations made by check, receipts for donations, correspondence, and internal communications.
Keeping Permanent Records and Documents
Certain documents should be kept permanently, no matter how old they are. You should always consult with Arizona rules and regulations regarding specific document retention and destruction rules for nonprofits, but in general you should retain:
- Copies of checks, receipts, and credit card transactions
- Audit reports
- Incorporation documents
- Deeds and leases
- IRS determination letters and correspondence
- Financial statements
- Tax returns and documents
- Insurance policies
- Board meeting minutes
- Corporate resolutions
- Internal policy documents
Exploring Sample Document Management Policies
Before drafting your document management policy, review sample policies to see what they look like and what they include. You can consult with another local nonprofit to see how they created theirs, or you can ask Arizona Impact for Good for assistance.
Reviewing Hard Copy vs. Electronic Document Storage
You can keep scanned copies of some documents, but other documents, like the ones listed above, need to be kept in original form. Your document retention policy should cover both documents stored electronically and those stored onsite or at an offsite business document storage facility.
Implementing Employee Training
All of your employees and volunteers should understand how to handle electronic and hard copy documents they receive. They should not throw away or recycle any documents without first confirming that it doesn’t fall within your document retention policy. Any documents that contain private company information, personal information about donors and employees, or financial information should be shredded rather than put in the trash or recycling bin.
Finding a Secure Records Storage Facility
At Citizens Business Archives, we offer secure document storage for local nonprofits. Our facility is fire-protected and access controlled. We can pick up records and transport them to our facility, as well as locate and deliver records as needed. We also offer records indexing using a state-of-the-art computer system. This allows you to track the location of all documents and quickly request boxes or specific documents as needed.
Scheduling Document Shredding or Destruction
When the document retention period is over, you will need to permanently destroy each document. The safest and most effective method of document destruction for nonprofits is to shred the documents. At Citizens Business Archives, we offer secure document destruction. We can provide you with locked shred bins to keep on your property, where you can collect documents that need to be securely destroyed. We can also coordinate the destruction of documents that you are storing in our records facility.
Learn More About Our Nonprofit Document Storage and Shredding Services in Southern Arizona
To explore your options for nonprofit document storage and offsite or onsite document shredding services in Southern Arizona, contact us at Citizens Business Archives. Our experienced, friendly staff can help you find solutions for documents and records that you want to store offsite, and provide shred bins to collect documents that need to be securely destroyed. We have extensive experience working with nonprofits throughout Southern Arizona, and we can help you maintain compliance with your internal document management policy and state regulations. To learn more about our document shredding, document storage, and indexing services, call us today at (520) 882-4434 or contact us online.