Hello All,
When I read about the CASL (Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation) a few years ago, I got especially concerned. In a nutshell, it says that Canadian citizens can file governmental complaints against organizations if they receive unsolicited emails; organizations can be liable for thousands of dollars. I'd say that 95% of our constituents are US citizens, so the legislation doesn't directly impact us immensely. However, I know that it is probably likely that the US will follow suit within the coming years.
Now, we have an opt-in only policy, of course, for anybody that we send emails to, so I am not overly worried about that. I'm concerned about what is considered best practice regarding if a constituent opts in to our emails in paper (sign up sheet at an event, checks a box in a donor envelope), how long should we retain the paper copy verifying that they did so? I realize there is no law for this; I am only seeking best practice. Is it best to hold on to these for a year? Is it a waste of time to hold on to these documents anyways?
Any advice specifically regarding constituents that opt in to emails via paper would be greatly appreciated.