Free · Certificate included

Cybersecurity for Nonprofits

Protect your mission, your money, and your donors’ data — no IT degree required.

40 min Beginner 7 modules Pass 80%

For: Nonprofit staff, volunteers, and leaders

What you’ll learn

Spot phishing and social-engineering attacks before you click
Lock down accounts with strong passwords, a password manager, and MFA
Stop business email compromise (BEC) wire fraud and protect donor & volunteer PII
Respond to ransomware and a suspected breach with a calm, basic incident plan

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Course outline

1
Why nonprofits are a target
Many nonprofit leaders assume attackers only chase big banks and Fortune 500 companies.
5 min Quiz Interactive
2
Phishing & social engineering
Phishing is a fake message — usually email, but also text ("smishing") or phone call ("vishing") — designed to trick you into clicking a malicious link, opening an…
6 min Quiz Interactive
3
Passwords, password managers & MFA
Passwords are the keys to your donor database, your email, and your bank.
6 min Quiz Interactive
4
Ransomware, malware & backups
Malware is any malicious software — viruses, spyware, and the most feared type, ransomware, which encrypts your files and demands payment to unlock them.
6 min Quiz Interactive
5
Money & email: stopping BEC wire fraud
Business email compromise (BEC) is one of the most financially damaging cybercrimes — and nonprofits are squarely in the crosshairs.
6 min Quiz Interactive
6
Protecting donor & volunteer data
Your nonprofit is entrusted with personally identifiable information (PII) — donor names and payment data, volunteer applications, background-check results, client…
5 min Quiz Interactive
7
When something goes wrong: incident response basics
Even careful organizations have incidents.
5 min Quiz Interactive

Sources & further reading

VolunteerBadge Academy courses are provided free for general educational and informational purposes only. Every course is researched from reputable, authoritative sources (cited on the course), but VolunteerBadge and ScreenForge Labs, LLC make no representations or warranties of any kind — express or implied — as to the accuracy, completeness, currentness, reliability, or suitability of the content for any purpose. Content may contain errors or omissions and may become outdated, and laws, regulations, standards, and best practices vary by jurisdiction and change over time. This material is not legal, medical, mental-health, clinical, financial, safety-certification, or other professional advice, and completing a course or earning a certificate creates no professional relationship, license, accreditation, or endorsement and is not a substitute for training, certification, supervision, or policies required by law, your organization, your insurer, or a licensing body. Always follow your organization's own policies and applicable law, use your own judgment, and consult a qualified professional (such as an attorney, licensed clinician, or medical provider) about your specific situation. In an emergency, call 911 (or, for a mental-health crisis, 988). To the fullest extent permitted by law, VolunteerBadge and ScreenForge Labs, LLC disclaim all liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content or participation in any course.