Digital Security Resources for Partners
Free and low-cost tools to keep your data and systems safe
Photo Credit: Shutterstock (via the Image Bank, Public Health - Seattle & King County)
From what we can see, this person working in a public place doesn’t have their password written on a Post-It note stuck on their laptop. They’re practicing a basic tip for good digital security behavior! Believe it or not, a password on a Post-It is a common way that data breaches can start.
COO has heard from some of our partner organizations that they’re interested in strengthening their knowledge of digital security and learning more about how to protect community data and their organizational infrastructure. We’ve compiled a list of opportunities for you, from the basics to far more advanced.
Some of the opportunities are coming up in the next few weeks, while others available on demand at your convenience. The resources below have been compiled by the COO Learning Community with additional suggestions from consultant Do Big Good. The opportunities include consulting services for partners, free or low-costs workshops and trainings, and online tools.
Getting Financial Support from COO
For trainings that have a fee: The COO Learning Community can offer support (as resources are available) to any King County based group or organization working to build community power for greater equity in health, housing, economic opportunity, and/or civic engagement.
If there’s something a partner wants but it isn’t listed here or available through Best Starts for Kids Capacity Building, the COO Learning Community may be able to support their participation. Here’s how:
· Submit a Coaching or Capacity Building request;
· Submit a Conference or Training request;
· Or email Whitney Johnson directly.
Finally, you can learn about opportunities like these through our Learning Community newsletter, which we send out 2-3 times a month. If you’re not already getting it, sign up here.
If you know of other opportunities for resources like these, especially from trainers who present culturally competent trainings, please let us know!
We have not vetted all of the below resources and opportunities. If you’ve had experience with any of them that you’re willing to share, feel free to email us.
Now, on to the resources!
1. Consulting Services
One of the Best Starts for Kids capacity building coaching consultants, Inclusive Data, offers capacity-building support for information technology (IT). If you’re a COO or Best Starts funded partner, visit the Capacity Building page to connect with these services at no cost.
2. Workshops and Trainings
Social Movement Technologies Global Community - Holistic Security for Activists, Campaigners, and Human Rights Defenders, May 26-27.
Cost: Starts at $135 for small nonprofits. Submit a request for financial support from the Learning Community
This course includes recorded content combined with a small-group 90-minute session limited to 15 participants and given at two times globally. You’ll work through a next-steps worksheet with guidance, and get feedback on your security organizational plan and answers to questions related to your organization’s needs.
Social Movement Technologies Global Community – We Keep Us Safe: Digital Security for Nonprofit Staff, June 4-5
Cost: Starts at $135 for small nonprofits. Submit a request for financial support from the Learning Community
This course includes recorded content combined with a small-group 90-minute session limited to 15 participants and given at two times globally, June 4-5. You’ll work through an implementation and next-steps worksheet and get support on how to build your organizational security strategically for your work.
Vision Change Win (VCW) – Get in Formation Training Series (G.I.F.T.S.) – Ongoing
Cost: Starts at $200 for 1 training, for up to 5 participants from your organization. Submit a request for financial support from the Learning Community
The Get In Formation Training Series (G.I.F.T.S.) is a chance for organizations to develop and deepen their safety and security infrastructure. Trainings happen virtually. At each level of the training series, organizations learn concrete strategies for identifying and addressing potential risks and developing safety structures that are scaled to the organization’s unique capacity, adaptive to changing conditions, and trauma-informed. In May, VCW announced its new G.I.F.T.S Anytime Pilot. Anytime sessions are recorded sessions that participants can complete anytime before June 30, 2025. Live Zoom sessions will also be available in May 2025 so participants can mix and match live and recorded sessions. Sessions are:
101: Introduction to Safety and De-escalation
201: Safety for Direct Actions and Events
301: Organizational Security Culture
401: Digital Security
Learn more and register for G.I.F.T.S. anytime training here: Vision Change Win Training Series Registration
Toolkit: And check out the Get in Formation Toolkit for useful resources and handouts. Vision Change Win refers back to this toolkit often during their trainings.
Re:Power Digital Safety and Security training cohort – next scheduled, October 13-14.
Cost: Free!
The Digital Safety and Security training will support participants to better understand the difference between safety and security, to practice making their campaigns more secure across all devices, and to become more confident in their ability to protect themselves and others from potential harm online.
Social Movement Technologies – Digital Security for Activists (Ongoing, self-guided)
Cost: Free!
With protests underway around the globe, activists are facing new challenges and heightened digital tracking and threats from state actors including the police, white supremacists and others. Captioning in 7 languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, Bahasa.
Vision Change Win - National Community Safety & Security School
A 10-month program available to organizations. The application period for 2024-2025 is currently closed; contact them to find out when the next session begins.
Building Movement Project (BMP) and Muslims for Just Futures (MJF) Advocacy and Movement Table
These organizations have been hosting Advocacy and Movement Table calls this year. They’re not digital or data security focused, but helpful for organizations looking to connect nationally. Sign up to join the Advocacy & Movement Table calls: BMP and MJF monthly call signup
3. Tools and Resources
There are lots of online guides, checklists, and other tools available. Here are two places to start, according to Do Big Good:
The Ultimate Cybersecurity Guide for Nonprofits: 10 Best Practices (2024)
What Nonprofits Need to Know About Security: A Practical Guide To Managing Risk (2021)
Additional online tools and resources available online that groups may find useful:
Activist Checklist – Digital Security Essentials guide
AnarSec guidance and tools: https://www.anarsec.guide/series/
BlackOut – Digital Security Tips Flyer
Blueprints for Change: Digital security basics for campaigners
Blueprints for Change: Activist Digital Security Practices
Commons Social Change Library: Digital Security Guide for Everyone (updated 2020)
Commons Social Change Library: Tools for More Secure Activism (from AUS)
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) – Surveillance Self-Defense guides: tips, tools and how-tos (multiple resources)
Infosec 101 for Activists: https://infosecforactivists.org
NIST Cybersecurity resources (for a more technical audience – this is what Best Starts consultant Inclusive Data uses)
Privacy Guides – Privacy Tools compilation
Consumer Reports security planner (for general public)
Document Translation resources
As we work to locate more resources in languages other than English, we’re including these resources in the meantime. Again, we have not fully vetted all of them. If you’re familiar with resources in other languages, please let us know.
https://www.ifla.org/enable-automatic-translation-in-your-web-browser/
https://lifehacker.com/tech/how-to-quickly-translate-text-in-any-web-browser
More to Come
We’re working on additional ways to support online, data, and digital safety/security as well as organizational risk assessment tools and trainings. Beginning June 12 is the first workshop in a series to support Best Starts for Kids and Communities of Opportunity partners to strengthen their organizational scenario assessment and planning tools, “What If: Leading in Times of Uncertainty.” Learn more and register here.
Make sure you hear about all these opportunities by signing up for the Learning Community newsletter!
Thank you to Mer Joyce at Do Big Good for suggesting some of these opportunities.