Mar 6, 2023

Software Security Fortress  

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Just like Superman has his impenetrable fortress or Batman’s locked-down cave, your fundraising and donor management platform should offer you and your donors similar security. No jokers allowed.  

You are sustained by trusting donors. Using a secure platform gives them peace of mind that their personal and payment information can’t be misused or stolen.  Breaking that trust is the kryptonite to your mission’s success.  

Of companies that lose revenue due to a security breach, nearly four in 10 experience a loss of 20% or more. Nonprofits can’t afford that risk, so how can you make sure your platform is a match for supervillains?  

PCI and SOC 2 Compliance 

PCI Compliance requires that a company develops a security process to prevent, detect, and act on any possible security breaches. To be considered PCI compliant, companies must participate in training and regularly report on initiatives—firewall usage, encryption, anti-virus, vulnerability tests, and more—to ensure PCI compliance.  

SOC 2 compliance requires companies to regularly report on the high standards they have control of around the security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy as they relate to donor data. Being SOC 2 compliant means that a company is better able to defend against cyber-attacks and prevent breaches.  

PCI compliance and SOC 2 compliance demonstrate that a company is taking active, above-and-beyond steps and highly values your donors’ security.  

GiveSmart is both PCI and SOC 2 compliant. Looking for a partner that values your donors like you do? Get started today. 

The Risks of Using an Unsecure Platform 

Fines 

Security comes at a cost, but so does non-compliance.  

There are substantial fines that banks and credit card companies will implement if a company is lax with its security. Monthly charges can be up to $100,000 per month for violations, in addition to liabilities upwards of $75,000 for any breach. Make sure you’re passing that liability onto a merchant that can be trusted so that you don’t have to worry about those unexpected fines.  

Theft 

Aside from possible, additional cost, the theft of funds is a real threat. We require rigorous, highly-regulated onboarding for organizations so that any hard-raised funds are designated to your mission and your mission only. If you work with a platform lacking data integrity and with mediocre security, you are putting you and your donors at risk of losing funds that you cannot recover.  

Damaged Reputation  

If you experience a security breach, a damaged reputation is a big factor in how much that breach ultimately costs your nonprofit. In extreme situations, it could cost your nonprofit its status.  

A damaged reputation leads to diminishing retention and lackluster engagement from new supporters. When people walk away from your organization angrily, it is nearly impossible to get them back. Fundraising is hard enough. Look for a fundraising and donor management platform that supports easy, secure online giving and offers features like single sign on for staff and digital wallet payments for donors. 

Benefits of Using Secure Software 

Donor Trust 

Trust matters in all relationships and is a cornerstone between a donor and an organization. The majority of donors place “high importance” on trust before giving to an organization. Being transparent, providing audited financial statements, and providing a seamless, secure giving experience all lead to strong organizations that donors can trust. 

Attract and Retain Donors 

Donor retention hovers around 44%. Any new donor to your organization will more likely than not ever give to you again.  

Keeping donors informed on your mission and being transparent with your operations are two major ways you can keep donors giving. If people are uneasy that their information is being kept private or that the giving experience feels insecure, they will walk away. Give donors every reason to stay and invest in a secure platform. 

Increased Lifetime Donor Value 

When supporters trust you and feel connected to your mission, they continue to stay engaged. Their continued, uncontested support manifests in a one-time donor upgrading to a monthly donor, peer-to-peer volunteer, corporate sponsor, and more. Providing donors a secure, easy giving experience from the start establishes a strong relationship that can turn into so much more! 

GiveSmart is the secure giving experience your donors deserve. We’re proud of our security standards. Partner today with the only secure fundraising and donor management superhero you’ll need.

Connect with GiveSmart experts today. 

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What our clients say

We needed a platform to make sales online and to track and display ads for our sponsors. GiveSmart was perfect. We ended up making close to $15,000 more than we had hoped for. Definite better ROI than we anticipated. The interface is easy to use and provides plenty of options to get help if needed.

Michelle M.

The Rotary Club of South Whidbey Island

Using GS has created ease in auction bookkeeping, payments, and generating post-event thank you/tax letters. While we were online during COVID, our interactions with our GiveSmart via phone, email, and zoom were seamless. A representative always got back to us within the day. I would recommend GiveSmart to anyone doing a large online event.

Julie G.

MicroFinancing Partners in Africa

GiveSmart is highly flexible - you can use it for [a] simple registration and check-in, to full-scale galas with complex order forms, onsite upsells, live auctions, seating management, and more.

Jamie F.

Hope Chest for Breast Cancer

GiveSmart is easy to use and ideal for virtual events and can be used for in-person events to manage the silent auction, seating charts, and check-in to the event. Being able to use the platform for unlimited events within the contract year is very useful and being able to add other users and volunteers for different levels of access is helpful as well.

Dawn L.

Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County