Nonprofit Adviser

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Cybercrime is on the rise, and nonprofits are often more vulnerable to attacks than companies and government agencies. Yet few charities are making cybersecurity a priority, even though protecting against hacks is often simpler — and far less expensive — than recovering from them.

Creating a plan to bolster cybersecurity can seem intimidating, but the biggest mistake a nonprofit can make is to do nothing at all, experts say.

One easy way to start: Get up to speed on the key vocabulary you’ll need to know when tackling this work. My colleague Emily Haynes created a glossary of common cybersecurity terms and concepts that can help you.

For example, groups just starting to focus on their digital security should consider threat modeling, Emily explains. The practice uses a framework to identify all information that needs to be protected; understand how that data is stored and shared within the organization; assess any threats to that information or weak points in its security; and take steps to guard against attacks on that data. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has a useful guide to basic threat modeling.

Learn all the lingo in Emily’s glossary.

To get more guidance, watch our recent online forum with a panel of several experts, Strengthening Cybersecurity in the Age of A.I.

Have a great week,
Lisa Schohl
Senior Editor, Advice

Tip of the Week

Reimagine GivingTuesday to stand out from the pack. Instead of asking for money, use the occasion to express gratitude to your supporters from the past year, recommends Seth Rosen, chief development officer at the American LGBTQ+ Museum. “Our staff, our board members, and our volunteers use GivingTuesday just to thank our donors,” he says. It’s less expected and a more relaxed change of pace from the other appeals your donors will likely be receiving that day. For more tips, read Create a Winning Year-End Strategy in 2024: Here’s How.

New Grant Opportunities

Your Chronicle subscription includes free access to GrantStation’s database of grant opportunities.

School Libraries: The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries provides funds to the nation’s neediest schools so that they can extend, update, and diversify the book and print collections in their libraries with the goal of encouraging students to develop a love of reading and learning. Funding may be used to purchase printed or Braille volumes, audio books, e-books, magazine/serial copies or subscriptions, and e-magazine subscriptions. Eligible applicants include public schools, neighborhood schools, charter schools, and others. Application deadline is December 6.

STEM Learning: The Advancing Informal STEM Learning program seeks to center engagement, broaden participation and belonging, and further the well-being of individuals and communities who have been and continue to be excluded, underserved, or underrepresented in STEM. The current solicitation encourages proposals from institutions and organizations that serve public audiences and specifically focus on public engagement with and understanding of STEM.