Wise Giving Wednesday: Building Trust Part 8

A story posted on April 7^th by The Chronicle of Philanthropy highlights the importance of cybersecurity for charities. For obvious reasons, donors want to make online donations without fear of their credit card numbers being accessed by hackers. Many charity websites don’t just confine visitor interactions to contributions, they also may invite people to email questions or request assistance related to the organization’s mission.  So, privacy and security is more than a donation safety issue, it is about the potential theft of all types of charity data.  

The latest issue of the Wise Giving Guide, also addresses cybersecurity. We take a look at the various types of attacks charities encounter, from data breaches to social media and phishing.  We also discuss how charities can protect themselves from these attacks, maintaining a higher standard of donor trust.  Finally, we offer advice on how donors can be proactive in avoiding security pitfalls both with their own computer and mobile devices and in their online activities.

Standard 18 of our Standards for Charity Accountability addresses the issue of donor privacy in two ways. One part of this standard calls for charity websites to have a posted privacy policy that covers at least four points:

• What data is being collected and how it will be used;
• How to contact the charity t review your data and request corrections;
• If applicable, how to inform the charity one does not want this data shared with others; and
• What security measures the charity has to protect personal information. 

Charities need to be making sure they are protecting themselves, their stakeholders, and their donors from cybercrime.  In next week’s edition of #WiseGivingWed, BBB WGA will address another aspect of donor privacy: mailing lists. 

We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors.  Visit Give.org to check out any charity before giving.  Our recently evaluated charities include:  

• Southeastern Guide Dogs
• Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee
• Heartbeat International
• Mennonite Central Committee

Finally, remember to let us know by going to https://give.org/ask-us-about-a-charity1/ if you are interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one. 

H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance