Transforming Document Management for a Growing Not-for-Profit
When we first connected with this not-for-profit organization, their document storage practices were a maze with no map. Files lived everywhere—on personal drives, shared drives, and scattered SharePoint libraries. There were no formal rules for document storage, retention, or archiving. While the teams had access to Microsoft 365, Teams, and SharePoint, usage was inconsistent. Some employees were tech-savvy, while others were new to document management tools—or hesitant to change their familiar habits. IT was keen on enforcing storage limits and autoarchiving, but there were also years of legacy files, including hundreds of scanned documents with no names or clear purpose.
In short, the system was slowing everyone down—and no one was sure where to start.
our approachWe began with a current state assessment, working closely with IT, HR, Finance, and leadership to:
Understand how documents were being stored and accessed
Identify user pain points, skill gaps, and change readiness
Review existing technology and cost considerations
Explore opportunities to create clear, scalable policies
We recommended leveraging SharePoint—already part of their Microsoft 365 environment— because it was cost-effective, centralized, and could be managed with permissions that aligned with organizational roles.
From there, we designed a SharePoint structure that felt familiar to users while improving efficiency:
Libraries with metadata for easy search and filtering
A folder-like view for those comfortable with traditional navigation
Clear site and subsite structures with top and left-side menus
Quick links on landing pages so users could access documents in multiple ways
Synced folders for desktop access, supporting different work styles
Because Teams access was restricted by IT, we kept the SharePoint experience browser-based, adding desktop shortcuts for convenience. We also worked with IT to embed retention policies directly into the document libraries, so rules were visible and easy to follow. Departments were engaged in defining these policies, ensuring Finance and HR requirements were met.
To keep costs low, this four-month project was delivered part-time, leveraging the organization’s internal IT team, an experienced Project Manager / Business Analyst, and an administrator to support coordination and content migration. This collaborative model allowed us to keep consulting hours focused on design, policy, and training, while internal resources handled day-today implementation tasks.
Finally, we rolled out a comprehensive training program, including:
Live user sessions for beginners
Step-by-step documentation
Role-specific guidance for accessing, storing, and archiving files
THE resultsBy the end of the project:
File clutter was dramatically reduced through policy-driven cleanup and collaborative decision-making with document owners.
IT had confidence in storage limits, retention schedules, and auto-archiving processes.
Every department received hands-on training, improving confidence and adoption across all teams.
Staff could now store, find, and share documents in ways that suited their work style—whether via desktop, browser, or direct links.
Policies were clear, accessible, and built into the very tools employees were using.
THE IMPACT✓ Streamlined and scalable document management system
✓ Balanced organizational governance with user-friendly access
✓ Raised the bar for how the not-for-profit manages and shares information
✓ Strengthened support for the organization’s mission
