Define the release decision
An authorized finance or compliance recipient needs a restricted contribution extract for an approved audit, finance or stewardship task but does not need unrelated donor records, personal correspondence or permanent archive access.
Verify the authorized recipient and transfer only the requested donor evidence through an approved, auditable route.
Run the control sequence
- 01Verify the nonprofit, export purpose, named recipient and approved delivery channel.
- 02Create a minimized recipient packet instead of sharing the broad working archive.
- 03Send the encrypted packet and its credential through separate approved channels.
- 04Record manifest, sender, recipient, transfer time and acknowledgement without logging donor details.
- 05Revoke temporary access and reconcile local copies after confirmed receipt.
Preserve enough evidence
Record the donor extract identifier, fundraising cycle, source device or system, export date, manifest, responsible custodian, authorized recipients, key location, encryption environment, recovery result, retention rule and next review date. Do not put passwords, recovery secrets or unnecessary donor details in the decision record.
Keep the manifest, custodian, approved recipient, key-separation decision, restore result and retention owner together without copying donor details into the record.
Keep surrounding controls visible
File encryption does not authorize a recipient, establish consent, prove receipt, validate gift restrictions or tax receipting, or control copies created after decryption.
Donor-export preparation can create extra copies on tablets, laptops, removable media, synchronization folders and recipient devices. The archive owner must address those copies separately and verify the current software release before relying on product behavior.
Questions to ask
Should the archive password travel with the donor extract?
No. Send the archive and its credential through separate approved channels, and verify the authorized recipient before release.
Does encryption make a donor extract accurate or authorized?
No. Encryption restricts file access; it does not establish gift validity, tax treatment, donor consent, recipient authority or gift restrictions.
Primary references
References support specific controls and do not imply endorsement.