| People spend an average of one hour every day just | | | | Within each of your main, top level folders, you |
| looking for things; things in their email inbox, | | | | would have subfolders. In your "Fundraising Events" |
| computer or printed files. If you had an organized | | | | folder, for example, you might then have individual |
| email file system, chances are you would require far | | | | folders for each event, or perhaps a monthly folder |
| less time searching for things and far more time | | | | structure makes more sense for how your |
| actually using the information you've found. | | | | organization operates it's fundraising activities. |
| Your incoming email can be classified as either a | | | | Once you've created your folder system, and have |
| "reference" email or an "action" email. Action emails | | | | made sure all of your storage systems match the |
| are those that you need to "do" something specific. | | | | same hierarchy, you'll find it easy to file and retrieve |
| Reference emails are all the other emails we get | | | | information from all of your various storage |
| each day, containing information or attachments we | | | | resources. |
| need to refer back to; and the ones we spend an | | | | Where To Save It |
| hour or day looking for! | | | | When an email comes in containing an attachment, |
| Setting up a strategy for dealing with all of these | | | | where should you save it? In your email folder, or in |
| emails makes it much easier to find them when you | | | | your computer's folder? A good rule of thumb is to |
| need them. First, consider what your most important | | | | save the attachment as a document in your |
| activities are that your non-profit or business needs | | | | computer's files under the appropriate folder |
| to focus on. You're going to create folders within | | | | whenever the message in the email isn't all that |
| your email program that are aligned with your | | | | important. Many times attachments are sent with an |
| personal objectives or projects; so that if you | | | | email message that says "File attached" or something |
| receive emails that don't fit into any of your folders- | | | | similar, and you don't need to save that for anything! |
| it's likely you won't even need to store it. | | | | It's always a good idea to save the documents in |
| Consistent Folder System | | | | your computer's files because the search function will |
| When creating your folder structure, you'll want to | | | | look within each document to find things- so if you |
| use the same hierarchy for all of your storage | | | | just can't find a document you need, you can search |
| systems. This means when you set up folders in | | | | for information based on what's in the document and |
| your email program, you will want to have identical | | | | have success finding it that way- quickly and easily. |
| folders set up in your computer (like in the My | | | | However, if your email with the attachment also |
| Documents section) so you can find and file the | | | | contains useful information, save the entire thing in |
| information easily. | | | | your email program's folders. |
| Create a "top-level" folder for each of your projects | | | | Since we're not quite "all digital" yet, and some |
| or objectives. Let's say you deal with a few main | | | | information is in physical, paper form, we still have a |
| activities in your non-profit, like "Fundraising Events", | | | | need for file cabinets and storage space that's not in |
| "Marketing", and "Annual Donation". These would be | | | | the computer. If you need to keep it in this manner, |
| the folders you see in your email program as well as | | | | you would file that information under the appropriate |
| in your computer's files, and again in your file cabinet. | | | | folder in a file cabinet. |