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GDPR Impact Goes Further Than Digital

It has been six months since the General Data Protection Regulation
(GDPR) went onto effect in the U.K. and it has changed the way nonprofits view and handle data, particularly the information about donors.

It’s no longer about keeping every piece of information. It’s about deciding what you don’t really need to know. Also, while the GDPR is viewed to be all about technology, it is also forcing executives to decide what they need in their hard copy file drawers.

Electronic and paper records have equal footing when dealing with donors and organizations. The U.K. Charity Digital News sat down with Philip Anthony, founder of the nonprofit tech organization Coopsys. According to Anthony, there are many things nonprofit managers have learned in the six months the GDPR has been in effect.

The key is having to justify the reason for processing data and decisions are being made on holding data only if it adds value. The future will be about machine learning and artificial intelligence but the human element will remain because compliance is just as much about organizational culture. Data is not an IT issue. It’s a business process issue, according to Anthony.

While the emphasis is on data, the real risk is to an organization’s reputation if GDPR guidelines are violated and there is an enforcement action.

For more on the regulations, please click here.

Read the complete interview here.