American civil society is in its most vulnerable position in a generation. Funders and nonprofit leaders are facing a significant increase in harassment and threats, including cyber attacks, threats of physical harm, vilification campaigns across social media platforms, nuisance lawsuits and malicious FOIA requests, and even retaliatory actions from government actors. These attacks are often carefully orchestrated to limit or end a funder or organization’s ability to serve the public and the common good.
The experiences of eroding democracies globally tell us what to expect; our civic space — the space in which we organize, air differences of opinion, voice our dissent, and negotiate the compromises that define self-government — is constricting as it gets harder and more dangerous to participate in civic life. Funders, especially those supporting grantees working to advance and safeguard American democracy, should develop and implement plans to protect the safety and security of their grantees, as well as their own institutions, in this increasingly restrictive operating environment.
DFN will be partnering with cyber, security, legal, and communication experts to offer a member-exclusive series for funders interested in learning more about how to strengthen their security protocols. Participants will receive training and practical advice from these experts on a range of topics including: assessing an organization’s risks to cyber threats; choosing a secure communications platform; navigating threats to staff safety; responding to threatening and malicious legal actions; and more.
Register for part 1 of this DFN member-only briefing series below:
Registration for this briefing series is open to DFN members only. If you are unsure of your DFN membership status, or would like to become a DFN member, please reach out to Hillary Hooke, DFN Membership Manager at hillary@thirdplateau.com.