A Better Deal for Data: Model Commitments to Unlock Data in the Nonprofit Sector

Abstract Nonprofits face persistent challenges in using data for program evaluation, research, and impact assessment, while simultaneously managing sensitive information about the communities they serve. Existing data governance frameworks have largely been developed for commercial or institutional contexts and are poorly suited to the organizational structures, capacity constraints, and mission-driven priorities of most nonprofits. More resource-intensive approaches, such as data trusts, have robust data governance but involve overhead costs that make them inaccessible to much of the nonprofit sector. Through a review of data governance literature and outreach to nonprofit stakeholders, we identify a gap in practically available tools for responsibly governing non-public data: data that cannot be made fully open. We propose the Better Deal for Data (BD4D), a lightweight framework of standardized commitments to ethical data stewardship modeled on the approach taken by open source software licenses and Creative Commons frameworks. The BD4D commitments address key barriers including declining trust in data sharing and the absence of consistent governance norms. By fostering sector-wide adoption, we aim to unlock vital non-open data for impact and research while promoting a culture of trust and ethical data stewardship.