Every organisation has this moment. New secretary, first week, and someone asks for the certificate of incorporation. Nobody knows where it is. The last secretary had it. On their laptop. Which they still have.
This article fixes that permanently. One folder structure, one filing rule, about 20 minutes of setup.
The only filing rule you need
Every file gets one question: will the next committee need this, whenever they take over?
Yes → it goes in Governance. Constitution, insurance, policies. The permanent stuff.
No, it's just for this year → it goes in this year's folder. Minutes, budgets, event plans.
That's it. No filing training, no judgement calls. Anyone on your committee can get it right first time.
Copy this structure
Before each new year starts, copy the empty folder set forward. The incoming committee inherits the same map every time.
Your constitution gets the VIP treatment
If a regulator, funder, or unhappy member ever comes asking, the question won't be "what are your rules?" It'll be "what were your rules on this date?"
So: exactly one file lives in Current. When the rules change, the old version moves to Superseded - along with the meeting minutes that changed it. Nothing ever gets deleted.
Old constitutions aren't clutter. They're evidence.
What to keep forever (and what can go)
Minutes, constitutions, incorporation documents - forever. No exceptions.
Financial and employment records - at least 7 years.
Child safety records - much longer, in some states decades. If your organisation works with children, check your state's requirements before deleting anything.
Everything else - before anything leaves Past Years, the committee approves it and the decision goes in the minutes. Thirty seconds of process, permanent peace of mind.
Four things worth knowing about Storage
Name files before you upload. Files can't be renamed once they're in - so fix the name on your computer first. Start with the date: 2026-03-14 AGM Minutes.pdf. Everything sorts itself. No more minutes_final_v2_FINAL.pdf.
Replacing a file breaks its old link. Every file gets a unique share link, and a new version means a new link. If your constitution is linked from your website, update the link when you update the file.
Sensitive documents don't go in Storage. Anyone with Storage Admin permission sees everything. Working with Children Checks and employment contracts belong on the person's contact record instead.
Part of a bigger body? You can share whole folders with your Connected Organisations, read-only. Perfect for a peak body or consultant pushing policy templates to every affiliate. Keep shared material in its own folder so what's visible stays deliberate.
One more thing: files from other apps
Attachments uploaded through Meetings and Emails land in your Archive section, not Storage. Handy for working documents - but signed minutes and final reports should be uploaded to Storage too, in the right year. One home for the permanent record.
The test
Your setup works when a brand-new secretary can find the constitution, the current insurance certificate, and last year's AGM minutes in under 30 seconds - without asking anyone.
Twenty minutes now. Never lose a document again.