To work as a cohesive team, nonprofit board members require tools that allow for communication. They handle sensitive information which could be a disaster when it is misused and must be protected. Despite the widespread acceptance of digital communications, including email, texting and messaging apps, they’re not sufficiently secure for board-level business and expose boards to cyberattacks.
Nonprofit board members are volunteers who bring a variety of knowledge, skills, and experience to their job. Many board directors also have other careers or jobs. Having these various obligations and responsibilities, however it can be difficult for them to maintain regular communication with each other.
The good news is, the right technology can assist. The integration of a chat, messaging and collaboration platform with a board management software or a document management system can simplify the process, preventing duplicates and data loss. It also offers protection against cyberattacks as well as secure conversations and documents.
Volunteer board members are often granted access to sensitive data. Hackers are aware of this and are targeting them with phishing attacks as well as ransomware, where criminals are threatening to release personal data unless they receive a sum of money. A board could also be subject to regulatory repercussions or diminished confidence in sensitive documents if they are accidentally shared via unsecured channels, like email or a mobile device. To prevent these problems the best solution is to have strict cybercheckboxes and an audit trail to ensure the integrity of data.
