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American Humanist Association

Advocating progressive values and equality for humanists, atheists, and freethinkers

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      For over 80 years, the AHA has proudly served as the leading progressive voice in America on behalf of humanists, atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers.

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Records Retention and Document Destruction Policy

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The Records Retention and Document Destruction Policy identifies the record retention responsibilities of staff, volunteers, and members of the board of directors, for maintaining and documenting the storage and destruction of the American Humanist Association’s documents and records.

The American Humanist Association takes seriously its obligations to preserve information relating to donor privacy, litigation, audits and investigations. Records are stored in a safe and secure manner. Documents and financial files that are essential to the operation of the American Humanist Association in an emergency will be duplicated or backed up regularly and maintained off-site or securely on the cloud.

From time to time, the Executive Director or President may issue a notice, known as a “legal hold,” suspending the destruction of records due to pending, threatened, or otherwise reasonably foreseeable litigation, audits, government investigations, or similar proceedings. No records specified in any legal hold may be destroyed, even if the scheduled destruction date has passed, until the legal hold is withdrawn by the Executive Director or President as appropriate, depending on who issued the hold.

File Category

Item

Retention Period


Corporate Records Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation Permanent

Corporate resolutions Permanent

Board and committee meeting agendas and minutes Permanent

Conflict-of-interest disclosure forms 4 years

Finance and Administration Audited financial statements and auditor management letters 7 years

Payroll records, check register and checks, bank deposits and statements 7 years

General ledgers and journals (includes bank reconciliations 7 years

Investment performance reports 7 years

Equipment files and maintenance records 7 years or after disposition

Contracts and agreements 7 years after all obligations end

Insurance Records Policies — occurrence and claim types Permanent
Policies — claimed-made type Permanent

Accident reports, safety (OSHA) reports, and claims 7 years

Group disability records 7 years after end of benefits

Real Estate Deeds Permanent

Leases (expired), mortgages, security agreements 7 years after all obligations end

Tax IRS exemption determination and related correspondence Permanent

IRS Form 990 Permanent

Charitable Organizations Registration Statements 7 years

Human Resources Employee personnel files Permanent

Retirement plan benefits (plan descriptions, plan documents Permanent

Employee handbooks, employee orientation and training materials Permanent

Workers comp claims (after settlement) 7 years

IRS Form I-9 (store separate from personnel file) Greater of 1 year after end of service, or three years

Withholding tax statements 7 years

Timesheets 3 years

Technology Software licenses and support agreements 7 years after all obligations end

Document Destruction

The Executive Director is responsible for the ongoing process of identifying its records, which have met the required retention period, and overseeing their destruction. Destruction of financial and personnel-related documents will be accomplished by shredding.

Electronic Documents

Electronic documents will be retained as if they were paper documents. Therefore, any electronic files that fall into one of the document types on the above schedule will be maintained for the appropriate amount of time. Backup and recovery methods will be tested on a regular basis.

Compliance

Failure on the part of employees to follow this policy can result in possible civil and criminal sanctions against the Organization and its employees and possible disciplinary action against responsible individuals. The President will periodically review these procedures with legal counsel or the organization’s certified public accountant to ensure that they are in compliance with new or revised regulations.

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American Humanist Association
1821 Jefferson Place, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-238-9088
800-837-3792 (toll-free)
202-238-9003 (fax)
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