At Dunlap Law, we empower our clients through education and use our knowledge and expertise to fuel their development. Through trusted partnership we help them not only comply with the law but grow into the impactful organizations they aspire to be.

DAMA-I’s Challenges

DAMA International® (DAMA-I) is one of these clients. DAMA-I engaged Dunlap Law in 2022 when it faced a critical juncture in its growth. The 501(c)6 global nonprofit professional association has over 60 chapters worldwide and a well-regarded certification program, but it operated entirely through a volunteer board of directors.

DAMA-I grappled with outdated nonprofit governance documents and a legal structure that no longer supported its expansive operational reality or its vision. Recognizing their need for sophisticated guidance on nonprofit law and governance, DAMA-I chose Claire Guthrie Gastañaga, then a partner at Dunlap Law, to help it navigate this complex transition.

Here’s how DAMA-I’s president, Peter Aiken, describes the benefit of working with Claire, and Dunlap Law attorneys Brandy Brown, and Heather Hormel Miller as DAMA-I continues to evolve from an all-volunteer organization with a working board to a strategic board supported by full-time professional staff:

 “DAMA International has gone through a rapid period of growth and maturation. Our long-term relationship with the professionals at Dunlap Law has been key to keeping the board focused on appropriate priorities. I shudder to think how much longer and more expensive this journey may have taken without their guidance. Thank you, Dunlap!”

How Dunlap Law Supports DAMA-I’s Journey.

During Claire’s years at Dunlap Law, through a collaborative process using a customized subscription model, she worked closely with DAMA-I’s Board to develop a comprehensive governance strategy. While at Dunlap Law, Claire worked with the Board to rewrite the organization’s bylaws, creating two classes of voting members and configuring the Board so the classes would be equally represented while preserving the Board’s flexibility to elect some board members. This pivotal transformation, achieved through close collaboration with DAMA-I’s leadership, empowered both individual professional members and affiliated chapters with a clear role in DAMA-I’s governance. Claire still serves DAMA-I as outside general and governance counsel through her firm ChangeServant, PLC bringing decades of legal and nonprofit leadership experience to the work.

DAMA-I’s journey extended beyond governance. The organization developed a professional staffing structure, adjusted to the realities of affiliated chapters in countries around the globe, and further professionalized its certification programs. Claire worked in close collaboration with DAMA-I, her colleagues at Dunlap Law, and law firms with specialized expertise, to navigate the complexities of operating in countries with diverse legal systems and political environments, and with varying laws governing non-profit organizations and transfers of private data.

Dunlap Law continues to collaborate with Claire and serve DAMA-I.

Brandy Brown built the foundations of  DAMA-I’s global intellectual property program, advising on brand protection strategy, drafting and negotiating the licensing agreements that let DAMA-I’s work reach members while keeping its rights protected, including enterprise licenses and the growing web of chapter and contributor agreements that support translations of DAMA-I’s publications around the world. She leads enforcement of DAMA-I’s trademarks and copyrights internationally, pursuing infringement wherever it surfaces, from unauthorized translations to improper use of DAMA-I’s marks. She is guiding the organization through the certification mark landscape, and the emerging legal questions AI raises for DAMA-I’s content, translating each into clear, actionable guidance for the staff and  Board of Directors. The result will be a modern, well-run IP program that protects DAMA-I’s most valuable asset, DAMA-DMBOK® and the body of work built around it.

Heather Hormel Miller has facilitated the renegotiation of several of DAMA-I’s most important vendor relationships, guiding the organization through complex decisions on service delivery, pricing, and contract terms particularly with respect to publishing informed by her significant experience with the industry. Throughout, she has served as a trusted translator of complex legal and contractual issues for DAMA-I’s leadership team, helping the Board and executive staff make informed decisions about the organization’s vendor and partner relationships in the US and abroad.

Positioned for Growth, Ready to Achieve its Mission

Today, DAMA-I stands robust, with a diverse and growing board, empowered staff, and a  solid legal infrastructure—built upon sound nonprofit governance and adherence to global nonprofit law. DAMA-I is now truly poised to lead the future of data management worldwide, a testament to their vision and the power of a strategic legal partnership.