Nonprofit Digital Hygiene - How to Perform a Virtual Spring Cleaning
It’s almost spring. I am starting to see midriffs and shirts coming off on jogs or at the park. It’s very exciting!
Spring is in the air. That means it’s time for spring cleaning and your nonprofit could probably use a scrub. Let me explain.
Why Digital Hygiene Matters
As nonprofit professionals, it’s easy to let our organizations get as cluttered as our junk drawer (don’t pretend you don’t have a catch-all junk drawer!)
As nonprofit leaders, it is our responsibility to keep our organizations purring along in tip-top shape. That means nonprofits need tune-ups and maintenance just like any other valuable things in our lives.
One way to make sure your organization is in tip-top shape and able to handle change is to set aside dedicated time for digital hygiene. A couple of key reasons to do this:
Digital hygiene matters now more than ever. With hybrid and remote work, well-organized electronic files are essential.
Our organizations don’t belong to us. When we eventually leave our organizations, the executive director, the board, or our replacement person needs to be able to find things.
I recommend creating an annual virtual spring cleaning. This means setting aside a 4-7 hour window where your staff takes no meetings and does no email. You suspend your normal work and just tend to your digital assets.
Digital Hygiene: The Basics
For nonprofit digital hygiene, there are a few key areas and tasks you’ll want to cover.
File Organization
Make sure that all digital files are placed in the correct folders. I personally believe you should never have more than 10 folders in any “parent” folder and no more than five loose files that aren’t in a folder. It’s easier to search and find things if your digital filing system isn’t just a giant pile of files with different characters, numbers, and unintelligible symbols in them.
Make sure all folders and files are named in a way that is intuitive and helpful in case you were to leave the organization and your replacement needed to find information. If someone were to use the search function in your filing system, they should easily find the folders and files that relate to the search. This is a good time to go through
Screenshots
Downloaded files that may be in the wrong location
Misnamed files or files with generic names
Consider a naming convention so all files are named consistently and dated correctly. This is important to ensure it’s clear which is the latest or final version of a document. Consider using a similar naming convention for folders.
Delete all duplicate, old, or extraneous files to reduce confusion and save storage space.
Software, Programs, and Browsers
Is your operations manual updated so that all team computers, phones, hardware, and equipment is accounted for with model numbers, price, serial numbers, and pictures?
Have you saved website bookmarks you thought you were going to come back to but never did? Well, this is a good day to visit and delete them.
Delete browser extensions you no longer need.
Delete programs on your computer you no longer need.
Tackle saved or unread messages on Slack or other chat services.
Do you have software that needs to be updated? Today is the day!
Do you have anti-virus or anti-malware software that hasn’t been run in a while? Run it.
Do you use task management or project management software like Asana, Trello, Basecamp, or a spreadsheet? Revisit long overdue tasks and tackle them or triage them for a later date.
Passwords and Digital Security
Are all your passwords saved securely in a location where your ED or board could access them if you left the organization? I recommend a password manager like LastPass or 1Password that can be shared across the team as needed. I advise against having a folder or file titled “passwords and logins.” Consider password-protecting this file if you use a document.
Update any passwords that have been unchanged for too long.
Update or add security questions to key sites.
Remove unneeded payees from online banking.
Governance and Due Diligence
Make sure you have the latest and final copy of key files like:
Job descriptions
Final approved policies from the board
Final approved bylaws
Agendas and minutes from all board meetings
Consider saving email for last, once you’ve completed the rest of your virtual spring cleaning.
Sit down with your inbox and consider:
Do you have folders with emails that need to be addressed?
Can you remove unneeded “flags” or “stars” from emails that no longer need them?
Is your email folder structure serving your current needs?
Look in your spam folder for emails that should not be there. Move them to your inbox to train your filters to behave correctly.
Make sure your “unsent” or “draft” folder is in order.
Are there any emails more than 2 weeks old that you have sent, that have not been responded to? Do they need attention?
Start Your Digital Hygiene Today
As a gift to you, I have converted this checklist into a sample letter you can send to your staff creating a virtual spring cleaning day. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this tool and if you do something similar.
