Why Cybersecurity Is Modern Stewardship
If you walked into your church or community centre and saw the front door wide open at midnight, you wouldn’t think, "That’s a job for the caretaker." You would close it. You would close it because you care about the building and the people who use it.
In 2025, our "buildings" are digital. Our filing cabinets are in the cloud, and our conversations happen over email. Yet, many leaders still view cybersecurity as a technical headache best left to "the IT person" (who is often just a willing volunteer).
The Myth of “Too Small to Target”
A common refrain in small charities is, "Why would anyone hack us? We have no money." Cybercriminals don't just want money; they want data. Your donor lists, volunteer details, and pastoral notes are valuable commodities on the dark web. Furthermore, automated "bots" don't care if you are a multinational bank or a local food bank; they rattle every door handle they find.
Stewardship Re-imagined
We are used to the idea of financial stewardship—accounting for every penny. But we must also embrace data stewardship.
Trust: People trust us with their most personal struggles and their financial details. A data breach shatters that trust faster than almost anything else.
The Watchman Principle: In ancient times, watchmen were posted on the walls not out of fear, but out of care for the city. Cybersecurity is simply the modern "posting of a guard."
Your "Easy Win" for Today: The 10-Minute Audit
You don't need to be a tech wizard to start. Grab a pen and paper. Spend 10 minutes listing every "digital key" your organisation holds. Who has the password to the email? Who can access the bank account? Who has the donor spreadsheet? Just knowing where your keys are is the first step to locking the doors.
