YOUR NONPROFIT IS ONE EMAIL AWAY FROM DISASTER

Last month, a small environmental nonprofit in Ohio lost $42,000.

Their bookkeeper received an email from the "Executive Director" asking for an urgent wire transfer to a new vendor.

The email looked legitimate. The tone was right. The signature matched.

It was completely fake.

This is called Business Email Compromise. And nonprofits are prime targets.

Why? You operate on trust. Your staff wears multiple hats. Your budgets are tight, which means cybersecurity often falls to the bottom of the priority list.

Attackers know this.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: 43% of cyberattacks target small organizations, and the average cost of a data breach for small entities is $108,000.

For most nonprofits, that's existential.

The 10 second verification rule

Before acting on any email requesting money, credentials, or sensitive data, take 10 seconds to verify through a different channel.

Email says it's from your ED? Call them.

Vendor sends new banking details? Call the number you have on file, not the one in the email.

Board member asks for donor lists? Text them first.

This simple pause breaks the urgency trap that scammers rely on.

Your one action for today

Forward this to whoever handles your finances and agree on a verification protocol for any request over $500.

That conversation takes five minutes.

It could save your mission.