We know that effective data governance starts with a clear understanding of your data landscape. We’ve created three go-to documents—a Business Glossary, a Data Sources Inventory, and a Data Quality Issues Log—to help you enhance data quality, improve collaboration, and make more informed decisions. Each document is a powerful tool on its own, and together, they are designed to form a strong foundation for managing your organization’s data.

The Business Glossary provides a unified, authoritative dictionary for all of your organization’s terms. This ensures everyone, from development to program staff, is using the same language. For example, if your fundraising team defines a “donor” as anyone who has given in the last two years, but your community giving team only includes those who’ve given over a certain amount, their numbers and messaging won’t align. By standardizing these terms, the glossary eliminates confusion and improves communication and data consistency.

The Data Sources Inventory is a comprehensive map of where your data lives. It catalogs all the systems—like your donor management, volunteer, or program tracking databases—that create or store data. This is crucial for data discovery and demonstrating accountability. If your organization needs to identify all systems containing sensitive donor information to ensure privacy, the inventory provides a quick and accurate reference, building trust and helping to meet compliance requirements.

The Data Quality Issues Log is a dynamic tracker for every data problem. It helps your organization move from a reactive approach to a proactive one by documenting, managing, and resolving data issues systematically. When a Major Gift officer notices incorrect figures on their pipeline report, they can log the problem here. This allows the organization to track and prioritize the issue, understand and fix the root cause, and prevent it from recurring.