Chapters in Crisis: Chapter Data Privacy Complaints

Data privacy is a complicated and ever-changing issue. For the best chance of success, talk with an attorney or consultant with experience in privacy regulation laws. In anticipation of new privacy regulations, many associations have taken the initiative to review and revamp their association and chapter data governance policies and practices.

One exercise that will help you get your hands around the data in your care or your chapter’s care is to map out the data lifecycle: how personal data enters the association or chapter and for what purpose, where it’s stored, with whom it’s shared, and when it’s deleted.

Many associations have developed new website privacy notices that state what visitor data they collect, why, and what they do with it.

Depending on the permission you receive from data owners (members, customers, and attendees), you may need to reconsider the sharing of data with third parties, such as sponsors, exhibitors, and other event partners.

Organizations with data subject to GDPR must figure out how to accommodate data subject rights. For example, members in the EU have the right to see their data, correct what’s wrong, and ask you to delete or return that data. Help chapters figure out what they need to do—and how to do it—if someone makes a request based on the rights granted to them by a data privacy regulation, such as the right to see their data.

Data privacy regulations have different requirements for notification in the case of a data breach. Make sure the chapter’s data breach plan and its people are capable of meeting those requirements.

Create a data privacy compliance checklist and other easy-to-read resources, such as tip sheets, for your chapter leader website. Make sure chapter leaders understand applicable privacy regulations, whether it’s GDPR and/or state laws. They must also understand what information is considered confidential and how to handle personal data, like credit card information.

Share sample policies and best practices for collecting and maintaining data, and sharing data with sponsors and exhibitors. For example, many people, maybe even some of your chapter leaders, believe it’s okay to add someone to a blast email list if the person gives you their business card. No, it’s not. You can’t add people to a distribution list without their permission unless you have an existing relationship, i.e., they’re a member, customer, or attendee.

As a component relations professional, you have to become a quasi-expert in many areas: financial management, nonprofit taxes and incorporation, cybersecurity, data governance, and the list goes on. Your chapter leaders need a basic understanding of these topics too. But you know what they say: teach what you need to learn. Encourage chapter leaders to share their knowledge and help each other develop the skills they need to stay out of trouble.