- Charity Cyber Security
Protecting Charities from Cybercrime & Building Donor Trust
Charities rely on trust. But cybercriminals see charities as easy targets, often with limited budgets and volunteer-led IT. From phishing scams to donor data breaches, even the smallest incident can damage a charity’s reputation and funding.
CYBIONE helps UK charities protect their cause, their people, and their data affordably.
Protect your mission
What Matters Most for Charities
GDPR & Donor Data Protection
Keeping donor and beneficiary details safe.
SARs (Subject Access Requests)
Handle personal data requests correctly, without stress.
Cyber Essentials Certification
Show funders and partners you’re secure and professional.
Affordable Tools
Enterprise-level security without the enterprise-level price tag.
Volunteer & Staff Training
Empowering your team to spot risks like phishing and fraud.
Reassurance with Stats
The UK’s cyber threat level is rising fast with 90 severe incidents last year and state-backed groups increasingly targeting UK organisations. Charities aren’t exempt. A simple certification like Cyber Essentials can give donors confidence and help unlock funding.
90
Severe Incidents Last Year
State-backed
Groups Targeting UK
Affordable
Security Solutions
Certified
Donor Confidence
Cyber Essentials For Charities - FAQs
What is Cyber Essentials for charities?
Cyber Essentials is a government-backed scheme designed to help all organisations, including charities, protect themselves against the most common online security threats. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the UK’s authority on cyber security, states that implementing the five core controls of Cyber Essentials can prevent around 80% of common cyber attacks.
For charities, Cyber Essentials is particularly important for several reasons. Charities hold valuable and often sensitive data on beneficiaries, donors, and staff, making them a prime target for cyber criminals. By achieving certification, a charity can demonstrate its commitment to protecting this data, building and maintaining trust with its supporters and the public. Furthermore, having the certification helps charities meet their legal obligations under the UK GDPR, which requires organisations to take appropriate measures to secure personal data. It also can be a prerequisite for bidding on certain government contracts and grants, opening up new funding opportunities.
Why should charities and non-profits consider Cyber Essentials?
While charities are not legally required to get Cyber Essentials certification, there are several compelling reasons why charities and non-profit organisations should consider Cyber Essentials certification.
1. Protecting Vulnerable Data
Charities often handle highly sensitive information, not only about their staff and donors but also about the vulnerable people they support. This can include personal details, health records, and financial data. A cyber attack could expose this information, leading to severe harm for individuals and causing significant reputational damage to the charity. Cyber Essentials provides a robust, government-backed framework to protect against the most common threats that could compromise this data.
2. Building and Maintaining Trust
Trust is a charity’s most valuable asset. Donors, volunteers, and beneficiaries place their confidence in an organisation to manage their resources and information responsibly. Achieving Cyber Essentials certification is a clear and public demonstration of a charity’s commitment to protecting its digital assets. This enhances credibility and provides peace of mind, which can be a key factor in securing and retaining support.
3. Securing Funding and Contracts
In the UK, Cyber Essentials certification is often a mandatory requirement for charities and other organisations bidding for government contracts. Beyond this, a growing number of grant-making bodies and corporate funders are now asking for evidence of a strong cyber security posture as part of their due diligence. Having the certification can therefore open up new opportunities for funding and collaboration that might otherwise be inaccessible.
4. Cost-Effective Risk Mitigation
Charities typically operate on limited budgets and may not have a dedicated IT security team. Cyber Essentials provides a clear, prioritised, and cost-effective strategy for implementing the foundational security measures that defend against the majority of common cyber attacks. It helps to ensure that limited resources are used efficiently to tackle the most significant risks, which is a key part of the Charity Commission’s guidance for trustees on managing risk.
5. Legal and Regulatory Compliance
The UK GDPR requires organisations to implement “appropriate technical and organisational measures” to ensure the security of the personal data they process. While Cyber Essentials is not a direct substitute for GDPR compliance, it provides a recognised and effective baseline of technical controls that helps a charity meet this legal obligation. This proactive approach can reduce the risk of a costly data breach and any associated fines from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
How much does Cyber Essentials certification cost for a charity?
The cost of the basic Cyber Essentials self-assessment is tiered based on the size of the organisation. While the official fee is set by the scheme, charities should also factor in potential additional costs for preparing for the assessment, such as updating hardware, software licences, or obtaining consultancy support if they lack in-house IT expertise.
For small charities with limited resources, the total cost can vary. However, the investment is generally seen as cost-effective, as the certification helps to prevent expensive cyber attacks and can lead to new funding opportunities that require this level of security. Furthermore, some grant-making bodies or tech companies may offer financial support to charities looking to get certified.
Do we need Cyber Essentials if we use a third-party IT provider?
Even with an external IT provider, your charity is still responsible for its own data security. Your IT provider can help you meet the technical requirements, but the certification covers your organisation’s entire IT estate and practices, including how staff use devices and manage data.
The scope of the certification includes all devices and systems that are in use within your charity, even those managed by a third party. While your provider will be a crucial partner in the process, your organisation must still complete the self-assessment and ensure that policies, such as user access control and secure configurations, are followed across the board.
Do charities need a data protection officer?
Not all charities are legally required to appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO), but many will be. The requirement for a DPO depends on specific conditions outlined in the UK GDPR, rather than the type or size of the organisation itself.
A charity must appoint a DPO if its core activities involve:
Large-scale, regular, and systematic monitoring of individuals. An example of this would be a charity that uses extensive CCTV to monitor public spaces or systematically tracks the online behaviour of a large number of people.
Large-scale processing of “special category” data or data relating to criminal convictions. “Special category data” includes sensitive information such as health records, religious beliefs, or racial or ethnic origin. For many charities that work with vulnerable people or in the health and social care sector, the processing of this kind of sensitive information is a core activity, making a DPO a mandatory requirement.
Even if a charity does not meet these specific criteria, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) advises that appointing a DPO or someone to fulfil a similar role is an excellent practice. This is because it helps to ensure accountability and demonstrates a commitment to data protection, which is crucial for building public trust and mitigating the risk of a data breach.