Notion for NGOs: a practical setup

What is a Notion workspace, and when does an NGO need one?

Notion is an online tool where teams keep documents, notes, databases and checklists in one place. A workspace is your organisation's whole Notion account. Many teams start using it page by page, with no plan. After a few months nobody can find a policy, and three people keep three versions of the same template.

This guide is about setting up the workspace so that it stays tidy. It does not cover how to track projects with databases. For that, read our article on managing humanitarian projects with Notion. Here we cover structure, permissions and rules.

Step 1: Decide what the workspace is for

Write down, on paper, what you will put in Notion and what you will not. A good first list for a small NGO is:

• Policies, procedures and templates that everyone needs.
• Team pages: meeting notes, work plans, onboarding guides.
• A staff directory and "who to ask" page.

A list of what stays out is just as important. Bank details, passwords, and personal data of people you serve belong in systems with stronger controls. Read our guide on data protection for NGOs before you decide.

Step 2: Create teamspaces

Notion calls a dedicated area for a team a teamspace. According to Notion, each workspace has at least one teamspace that includes everyone by default. You can add more, and each has its own members and permission levels.

A simple structure:

Notion lets you set a teamspace as open, closed or private. Open means anyone can join and view. Closed means everyone can see it exists but needs an invitation. Private, available on Business and Enterprise plans only, hides it from people who are not members. Match the setting to the content. Check which plan you need before you promise a private space to your leadership team.

Step 3: Build a simple page structure

Start with a Home page in the Company teamspace. Put four things on it: how to use this workspace, links to each team's space, a list of templates and the house rules. Keep nesting shallow. If people need more than three clicks to find a page, the structure is too deep.

Make a short set of templates: meeting notes, activity report, onboarding checklist and decision record. Pair this with our guide to meeting notes that make reporting easier.

Step 4: Set permissions by role

Notion lets you set a different permission level for each person, group or teamspace. The levels include full access (edit and share), can edit, can comment and can view. Database pages also have "can edit content", which lets people add entries but not change the structure.

Apply the lowest level that lets a person do their job.

1. Give full access to a few owners per teamspace.
2. Give can edit to staff who write in the pages.
3. Give can comment to reviewers and managers.
4. Give can view to everyone who only reads.
5. Invite outside people as guests to specific pages only.

Name at least two workspace owners, and review the member list every quarter.

Step 5: Write short house rules

Rules prevent mess. Five is enough:

• Name pages with a clear title and date where it matters.
• Every page has an owner, shown at the top.
• Use templates; do not copy old pages.
• Archive pages that are out of date.
• Do not put sensitive data in Notion.

Put the rules on the Home page, and repeat them in onboarding for new staff.

Low connectivity and language

Notion needs an internet connection for most work, and it can be slow where bandwidth is low. If many of your staff work in the field, test the tools on real connections before you roll them out, and keep a plain document copy of the most important procedures. Notion pages can hold Burmese and English text. Agree which language each page type uses, so staff know where to look.

Rolling it out

Start with one team for four weeks. Fix the structure, then add other teams. Train staff in a short session, using your own pages. Review usage after three months and remove what nobody opens.

How EMPO can help

EMPO is a reliable, Myanmar-based training and consultancy provider and one of the country's leading names in practical NGO training, with 1,200+ people trained and 15 partner organisations. We support organisational development and deliver training online or in person across Myanmar, in English and Burmese. See our services or contact us to plan a workspace set-up session for your team.

Sources

• Intro to teamspaces — Notion Help Center
• Sharing & permissions settings — Notion Help Center