Non-Profit Incident Response Playbook: A Step-by-Step Guide for Cyber Crisis Readiness
Executive Summary
When a cyber incident strikes, nonprofits face unique challenges: limited technical staff, no dedicated security operations center, and the urgent need to maintain donor and stakeholder trust during a crisis.
Without a pre-established incident response plan, organizations waste critical hours figuring out who to call, what to communicate, and how to recover — turning a manageable incident into an organizational crisis.
This playbook provides nonprofit leaders with a step-by-step guide to cyber crisis readiness — from preparation and detection through containment, recovery, and post-incident improvement. Designed for organizations without dedicated security teams, it provides actionable checklists and communication templates.
Download the full PDF for the complete analysis, frameworks, and implementation guidance.
Key Takeaways
- Pre-incident preparation checklist covering roles, contacts, communication templates, and backup verification
- Detection and triage procedures for common nonprofit attack types: phishing, ransomware, and data theft
- Containment strategies that minimize damage while preserving evidence for investigation
- Recovery procedures prioritizing mission-critical systems: donor databases, financial systems, and communications
- Stakeholder communication templates for donors, board members, funders, and media during an incident
- Post-incident review framework turning every incident into an improvement opportunity
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