Best practices for nonprofit database management
Although not every database and team will face the same challenges, there are certain best practices to follow when it comes to database management.
1. Work with a dedicated system administrator
The most important element of database management is always your system administrator.
When you have multiple people in a team entering data and owning their part of the database, managing data integrity is essential to prevent sensitive data being compromised. That job should be assigned to a dedicated system administrator, whose main priority is managing security profiles, updating permissions and ensuring your nonprofit’s database is up to date.
It’s not just a case of administering access to the database as a whole – it can also be as granular as allowing certain people access only to the specific data rows and fields that are relevant to their role. When you’re getting down to that level of security control, you need a system administrator to manage and keep track of it.
2. Invest in the right resources
It might sound obvious, but one of the best practices for database management is making sure you invest in having the right people and skills on the job.
When you’re looking at a system administrator, there are two ways nonprofits can go about filling this role. One is to hire a system administrator and embed them within your organization. The other is to find a partner like fusionSpan to provide fractional administration and support.
Working with a partner to provide database administration can be highly beneficial to nonprofits, as it allows them to quickly bring in a trained system administrator without the ramp-up time that comes with hiring new. And if that person leaves, it’s east for a partner to move around resources and step in so that you don’t miss a beat.
3. See database management as a cybersecurity matter
When database management isn’t upheld, it can have significant implications for your cybersecurity.
For one, if you have too many users with total access to the database and no administrator to implement controls, that creates multiple points where bad actors can gain access to your sensitive customer data. But there’s also risk from within your own team if all of those users have permission to access, update and override data that should be locked away from them.
The implementation of a new CRM should start with tightening access before gradually opening things up to more members of the team, but often people want to rip off the bandaid rather than move in stages. Then when a leak or an attack happens, they realize the vulnerabilities that should have been addressed.
But by that point, it’s too late. The whole point of database management and cybersecurity is to be proactive, not reactive. From the very beginning you and your system administrators should be managing database access to cover off any vulnerabilities before they can put your nonprofit at risk.
4. Embrace new features and ways of working
When the technology behind your database is constantly being updated, it’s best practice to ensure your organization is keeping up to speed.
That doesn’t just mean updating the software – it’s also about exploring what’s new with each update and how that can help make your database management more effective. When each new release comes out, your system administrator should be asking if it can allow your team to do any part of their job better – and if so, they should lead the adoption of it and enforce the best possible practice.
Not only does this ensure your CRM and database aren’t falling behind, but it can also be used to better empower the other database users within your organization. For example, they might not usually be trained to pull reports, but if a new release makes it easier for them, you could review whether training would empower them to add more value in their role.