Ethical Data Use
As Gonzaga University adopts a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and strives to meet the growing expectation for communication that is both personalized and relevant, the institution’s communication teams must use data in ways that are effective and ethical. This responsibility is especially important because the University is rooted in Jesuit values, which emphasize transparency, respect for individual privacy, and the responsible use of information. These guidelines provide practical guidance to help marketing professionals apply ethical principles to data-informed strategies, improve message relevance, and build trust through communication practices that prioritize audience dignity and autonomy.
Data Quality
Maintaining high data quality is essential for ethical, personalized communication. One key approach is implementing a data minimization policy, which helps ensure that only the data necessary for a specific communication purpose is collected, stored, and used.
According to General Protection Regulation (GDPR), the European Union’s data protection law, data minimization is a core principle of data protection. It is intended to prevent organizations from collecting or retaining more personal data than is needed to fulfill a clearly defined purpose (Room et al., 2021). Following this principle supports not only compliance, but also the organization’s commitment to transparency, trust, and responsible stewardship of constituent information.
Best Practices
Limit the use of subscriber send list data and solely for its intended purpose. It decreases the risk of audience frustration—especially when using technology that does not clearly indicate whether individuals who have unsubscribed are successfully blocked from receiving further communication. If such systems are used without safeguards, it becomes difficult to ensure that constituent preferences are respected, which can undermine credibility and damage relationships.
Adopt a limited data retention policy (Miller, 2024). In practice, this involves setting a clear timeframe for how long static audience send lists are stored in the organization’s digital systems. Regularly reviewing and purging outdated data supports better decision-making and minimizes unnecessary risk.
Data Literacy
High data quality depends not only on the systems in place, but also on the people who use them. A key factor is data literacy. For communication teams, building strong data literacy skills is essential for collaborating with data and IT professionals and for ensuring that data is used responsibly.
When teams lack shared understanding, the risk of using inaccurate or irrelevant data increases (Morrow, 2021), which can lead to misaligned messaging and damaged trust with constituents. Strengthening data literacy is a long-term strategy that requires ongoing learning and support. However, there are immediate steps communication professionals can take to improve data quality and audience targeting.
For example, when requesting audience send lists, teams should include suppression parameters in addition to inclusion criteria. This helps ensure that unintended recipients, such as outdated personas or unsubscribed individuals, are excluded from outreach. These practices help prevent off-target messaging and support a more respectful and efficient use of data.
This further reinforces the importance of a well-developed communication strategy that is informed by ethical data practices and designed to ensure each message is relevant, timely, and aligned with the audience’s preferences.
Data Control
As communication strategies become more data-informed, it is essential to maintain transparency and support audience autonomy. A long-term strategy should include tools that give individuals greater control over their engagement. Two key features that support this goal are a self-service subscription center and preference-based automation.
These tools allow constituents to manage the type, frequency, and format of communication they receive. By offering choice, they demonstrate how ethical principles such as respect for individual privacy and informed consent can be put into practice. They also help organizations scale meaningful, two-way communication without overstepping audience boundaries.
From the subscriber’s perspective, a lack of clear controls can increase perceptions of privacy risk and contribute to a loss of trust (Strauß, 2017). When people feel they no longer have control over their personal information, it undermines the relationship between organization and audience. Prioritizing data control not only builds trust but also strengthens the foundation for more effective and respectful communication.
Ethical data use is not just a compliance issue; it is also a core part of building trust and delivering meaningful communication. As your team adopts new CRM tools and data-informed strategies, these guidelines are here to support a thoughtful, responsible approach. By focusing on data quality, strengthening internal data literacy, and giving audiences clear choices about how their information is used, you help create communication that is both effective and respectful.
Grounded in Jesuit values, this approach puts people first. It ensures that your messages are not only relevant, but also delivered with care, transparency, and integrity.