This section provides templates with sample language you can use to inform your organization’s policy choices.
Within each category you will find sample language help you move through the decision-making process more quickly and provide you with sample language that can help you articulate your organization’s values. Use these to inform your staff and board discussions as you create policies. You should consult with a lawyer before finalizing official organizational policies.
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Privacy
Privacy policies are used on websites to explain to people how the organization collects and uses their digital data.
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Intellectual Property
These policies apply to digital information you create, collect, and share including text, video, photographs, and quantitative data.
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Terms of Service
Organizations use Terms of Service on their websites to explain their responsibilities for what takes place on the site.
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Vendor Contracts
These sample policies cover the use of an organization’s data by software or hardware vendors or consultants, including volunteers.
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Consent for Data
Organizations often collect data from people in digital form, or that they plan to digitize later. This can happen in many forms - conducting interviews, running surveys, or recording a visiting speaker’s presentation.
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Database Licenses
Many organizations license data from other sources. These policies will help you think about the terms under which you do so.
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Data Philosophies
Many organizations are developing policies that reflect a commitment to share data openly and accessibly.