Hackers Want Your Donor Data
Why Hackers Target Nonprofits
Nonprofits may not store corporate trade secrets, but they do store a goldmine of donor data: names, email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers, credit card information, donation history, and sometimes even Social Security numbers. All of this is incredibly valuable on the black market.
Cybercriminals are opportunists. They know that many nonprofits operate with limited technical resources, making them what experts call "low-hanging fruit." In fact, 60% of nonprofits have reported cyberattacks in the past two years, yet 70% lack a formal cybersecurity policy. It’s no wonder nonprofits are increasingly targeted by phishing scams, ransomware, and data theft
The Real Cost of a Breach
A single data breach can do more than just compromise personal information. It can derail your mission. Consider these consequences:
Loss of Donor Trust: A breach erodes the very trust you’ve spent years building. Donors may pull back or stop giving altogether.
Financial Damage: The average cost of a breach for nonprofits is around $200,000. That’s money that could otherwise fund programs and services.
Operational Disruption: Attacks like ransomware can halt your ability to accept donations, access data, or deliver services.
Legal Risk: Data privacy laws increasingly require nonprofits to disclose breaches and face potential penalties.
In short, a breach is more than a technical issue—it's a crisis of credibility, impact, and funding.
Real-World Breach Examples
Here are a few sobering examples of nonprofit organizations that fell victim to cyberattacks:
Save the Children (2017): Lost nearly $1 million to a phishing scam that tricked staff into wiring funds to a fraudulent contractor.
Utah Food Bank (2015): Hackers stole 10,000 donor records, compromising names, addresses, and payment data.
Red Barn (2015): Suffered a site-wide hack during a key fundraising event, forcing them to abandon their website and rebuild from scratch.
Girl Scouts of Texas (2014): Their website was defaced by hackers during active registration for summer camps, shaking the confidence of parents and supporters.
If it can happen to them, it can happen to any nonprofit—big or small.
What You Can Do Now
Secure Donor Data: Use encrypted storage and secure payment systems.
Train Your Team: Ensure staff and volunteers are trained to spot phishing attempts and use strong passwords.
Update Your Systems: Patch software regularly and avoid using unsupported technology.
Work with Experts: Partner with organizations like Nehemiah Networking Solutions, which specialize in protecting nonprofits affordably.
Nehemiah offers services like email protection, ransomware defense, and phishing simulations to help prevent attacks before they happen. Protecting your donor data means protecting your mission—and we’re here to help.
Nonprofits are the heart of our communities, built on the foundation of trust. Donors give generously, believing their contributions and personal information are safeguarded. However, this very trust makes nonprofit donor data a prime target for hackers. Protecting this data is not just a technical necessity, but a moral imperative to honor the faith donors place in us.
