Document retention policy

This policy sets how long Redeemer Forge Incorporated (the “Corporation”) keeps its records and how it disposes of them. It covers every record, on paper or electronic — documents, spreadsheets, email, messages, photographs and data held in online services — made or received in the Corporation’s work or in any of its programs.

The Secretary is responsible for the Corporation’s governing records and for applying this policy. The Treasurer is responsible for financial and donor records. Each program leader is responsible for the records of their program, and hands them to the Secretary when they stop serving. No one may keep the Corporation’s records only in a personal account or device.

Record	Kept for
Articles of Incorporation, every amendment, and Florida annual reports	Permanently
Bylaws, policies, and every amendment to them	Permanently
Minutes of Board and committee meetings, and written consents	Permanently
The IRS determination letter, the application for it, and the federal tax ID letter	Permanently
Annual federal information returns (Form 990 series) and state filings	Permanently
Annual financial reports and any audit or review	Permanently
Signed annual conflict-of-interest statements	Permanently
Whistleblower log and the records of each report	Permanently
Insurance policies, and records of any claim	Permanently
Deeds, titles, and records of property the Corporation owns	Permanently; sale records 7 years after the sale
Records of restricted gifts (Bylaws Section 9.3)	Permanently
Grant applications, agreements, and reports	7 years after the grant closes, or longer if the grant requires
Bank statements, cancelled checks, deposit records, invoices, receipts	7 years
General ledger and accounting records	Permanently
Donor records and donor acknowledgments	7 years after the gift
Contracts and leases	7 years after they end
Charitable-solicitation registrations and renewals	7 years after they lapse
Employment and payroll records, if the Corporation ever has staff	7 years after the person leaves
Background-screening confirmations for anyone working with minors	Permanently
Permission, consent and emergency-contact forms for youth participants	7 years after the participant turns 18
Incident and safeguarding reports involving a minor	Permanently
General correspondence and email not covered above	3 years

Where a law, a grant agreement or an insurer requires a record to be kept longer than this table says, the longer period applies.

Personal information about participants, parents, donors and volunteers is kept only as long as this policy or the law requires, and is protected while it is held. Information about a participant under 13 is handled as the safeguarding and privacy policies adopted under resolution 20 of the consent provide.

When a record’s period has passed, it is disposed of so that it cannot be read or rebuilt: paper is shredded, and electronic records are deleted from every place they are stored, including backups once those backups cycle out. Records holding personal or financial information are never put out as ordinary waste.

When the Corporation becomes aware of a lawsuit, a government investigation or audit, or a complaint that could reasonably lead to one, the President shall at once tell everyone who holds relevant records to stop destroying them, whatever this policy would otherwise allow. The hold lasts until the President, on the advice of counsel where needed, confirms in writing that it has ended. Destroying a record to obstruct an investigation is a federal crime.

The Board reviews this policy at its annual meeting, and the Secretary confirms each year that the records past their period have been disposed of and that the records under a hold have not.