Leveraging digital platforms greatly improves a nonprofit’s donor management efforts, allowing them to increase the efficiency of their fundraising, extend their reach to new donors, reduce the workload for a small team and capture important data. As your organization wades into these waters to boost fundraising, it’s important to understand cybersecurity, and how your team can improve it for your donors.
Nonprofits are concerned about security
In CohnReznick’s 2015 Not-For-Profit Governance Survey, the professional services firm found that online security is a major concern for nonprofit organizations. Respondents, which included professionals and board members from 470 nonprofits across the U.S., cited ensuring donor privacy, managing data and preventing fraud as important matters. While many of the nonprofits have identified cybersecurity as an issue, very few of them had actually taken any steps to implement new security measures.
Trust is critical to donor management
Simply put, donors need to know their funds and information are on a secure platform. Otherwise, you could lose them. Data breaches and hacking incidents have damaged the reputations of brands like Home Depot, Anthem and eBay. Likewise, breaches can damage a nonprofit’s reputation.
“Donors need to know their funds and their information are on a secure platform.”
Hackers target nonprofits and small businesses
Even if your organization is a small nonprofit, it could still be a target for hackers. A PortfolioSC article highlighted some of the reasons cybercriminals actually prefer nonprofits. Namely, they often do not have the large security staff that a major corporation would have, leaving potential vulnerabilities.
Many small organizations may not be aware that hackers see them as targets, so they might not be taking all the necessary precautions. Breaches can be especially harmful to these organizations, who rely on fundraising to help fulfill their missions. Ponemon’s latest Global Cost of Data Breach Report showed that while these costs can vary by industry, they continue to rise. The average attack costs companies $154 per second.
Donor software can help protect important data
Fundraising and donor management platforms with poor security can leave data vulnerable to a break. The right donor database software can maintain secure fundraising and donor management. Eleo offers robust security features, keeping your data and your donors’ information safe from breaches.
Eleo stores data in Microsoft Azure, a cloud service with security features that are constantly updated to maintain maximum protection. With Azure’s encryption and identity management, Eleo can protect donor information from any unauthorized access. In addition, cloud storage allows for instant backup in the event of any environment factors, so data won’t be lost or corrupted during an outage or other disruption.
To see how Eleo can protect donor data while streamlining fundraising efforts, sign up for your 30 day free trial.
