Truly making progress in one’s digital transformation journey requires
- Secure systems
- Modern tools
- Dedicated staff time
- Training and change management
- Ongoing maintenance and security
For nonprofits that operate on thin margins, these are not luxuries — they are necessities that remain out of reach without support. And as they strive day in and day out to meet their missions and serve their communities, often this is where corners end up being cut.
This is where funders come in.
Without attention to digital resilience, nonprofits are one breach, one outage, one stolen password away from significant harm — to their community, their mission, and their funders’ investments.
Digital Resilience Is Not Overhead — It’s Mission Protection and Optimization
Nonprofits cannot deliver services, protect vulnerable communities, or maintain public trust if their digital systems are failing or insecure. Some funders still think of this as administrative overhead, as something extra in addition to the core mission. But in today’s environment, digital resilience is not simply an operational concern — it is the backbone of mission success.
Digital resilience is what allows
- A domestic violence shelter to protect survivor identities
- An immigration nonprofit to safely store legal documents
- A nonprofit newsroom to safeguard sources
- A food bank to keep distribution systems running
- A climate organization to protect its research and campaigns
When a cybersecurity attack hits a nonprofit, the consequences are severe:
- Program operations halted for days or weeks or even months
- Critical data lost or held hostage
- Organizations' reputations damaged
- Staff emotionally exhausted
- Clients put at risk
- Organizational recovery that costs far more than prevention would have
Every funder who has supported an organization that has suffered a data breach or other type of cyberattack has learned this lesson the hard way: The cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of preparedness.
And not only do investments in digital resilience prevent the loss of productivity through cyberattack, they also promote higher productivity when new tools are used effectively. This means a higher return on a funder’s philanthropic investment.
This is not overhead — it’s strategic infrastructure that’s critical to achieving the mission goals that we are all focused on.
The Digital Resilience Program Is a Pathway to Progress
TechSoup’s Digital Resilience Program (DRP) offers a tested, scalable model for building nonprofit digital capacity:
- A structured yet flexible framework
- Thorough assessment of tech needs to identify strengths and gaps
- A detailed roadmap
- Hands-on implementation support
- Training to build critical staff capacity
- Funding that drives actual change at the organization level and leads to greater mission outcomes
By championing programs like the DRP, funders can play a catalytic role in strengthening the digital backbone of the organizations they support.
If funders truly care about equity, impact, and organizational health, digital resilience must be a top priority.
We cannot continue to ask nonprofits to deliver critical services with outdated, insecure systems. Every funder who expects nonprofits to deliver top-quality outcomes — but does not fund the necessary infrastructure — is inadvertently contributing to instability within the causes and the organizations they care about.
It’s time for philanthropy to make a choice.
Continue to treat digital resilience as optional
… and accept that grantees will remain vulnerable to disruption, data loss, staff burnout, and preventable crises.
OR
Invest in digital resilience as core mission infrastructure
… and ensure that nonprofits — especially the smallest, most underresourced organizations — are equipped to operate safely, confidently, and effectively in a digital-first world.
Funders routinely invest in leadership development, strategic planning, governance improvements, and financial management. Why? Because these investments strengthen nonprofits’ long-term stability. Digital resilience belongs in that same category. It protects every program, every grant dollar, and every community served.
A Challenge to Philanthropy
TechSoup is calling on funders to champion resilient, future-ready organizations. The DRP has demonstrated that relatively modest funding can help nonprofits do the following:
- Prevent catastrophic breaches
- Safeguard sensitive community data
- Strengthen staff capacity
- Adopt modern tools confidently
- Reduce operational risk
- Focus on mission, not technological crises
Now more than ever, philanthropy must focus on this critically underserved area. Anything less risks the progress we have made so far. Nonprofits cannot be expected to withstand the digital threats of the modern world without the resources to do so. Funders have both the power and the obligation to fix this gap.
A Call to Champion Resilient, Future-Ready Nonprofits
TechSoup invites funders to join us in making digital resilience a sectorwide priority.
Supporting the DRP means helping nonprofits build long-term digital strength. It means safeguarding the sensitive data of vulnerable communities and empowering staff to innovate and adapt. And it means taking a leading role in creating a more stable, effective, and resilient nonprofit ecosystem.
Philanthropy has the power to ensure that nonprofits are not left behind as technology and threats rapidly evolve. The time to invest is now.
To learn more, visit our website.
