It’s the season of ghosts, ghouls, and glowing pumpkins — but for many UK charities, the biggest fright doesn’t come from haunted houses. It comes from cyber threats targeting online donations, charity websites, and supporter data.
With more donors giving online than ever, charity website security and safe donation forms are critical to protecting your reputation and your donors’ trust. This Halloween, let’s shine a torch into the shadows and uncover some simple, effective steps to keep your charity’s online fundraising safe from the cyber spooks.
👻 1. Lock Down Your Charity Donation Platform
Your donation form is at the heart of your online fundraising — and one of the main targets for cyber criminals.
- Use a trusted, PCI DSS compliant donation provider that prioritises security and encryption.
- Make sure your charity website runs on HTTPS (SSL) and that your donation pages show the secure padlock icon.
- Regularly test your donation journey to make sure links and payment pages haven’t been hijacked or redirected.
- Be vigilant about third-party scripts and GTM containers: unmanaged scripts running through Google Tag Manager or similar tools can introduce serious vulnerabilities, such as unauthorised data capture or payment redirection. As highlighted in our PCI DSS v4.0 guidance blog, you should “audit, authorise, and continuously monitor all third-party scripts on donation pages” to maintain compliance and protect donor information. goDonate clients can contact us to help with this.
💡 If something looks strange in your donation form or you find a broken link — don’t ignore it. Investigate it straight away.
A growing concern in the charity sector is the rise of credit card testing – Fraudsters use stolen card details to make small, low-value donations on genuine charity websites, simply to check whether the cards are still active.
Doesn’t sound so serious? These fraudulent transactions can damage your payment reputation, incur additional processing costs, and overwhelm your systems.
Use fraud detection tools, transaction velocity limits, and reputable payment partners to help identify and block suspicious activity before it escalates.
🧛 2. Protect Passwords Like Treasure
Weak or shared passwords are an open invitation for hackers.
- Use strong, unique passwords for all charity systems — especially your donation platform, CRM, and banking access.
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible.
- Immediately remove access for staff or volunteers who leave.
🧄 Think of MFA as garlic for hackers — it keeps the vampires away.
🦇 3. Guard Against Fake Fundraisers and Imposters
Fraudsters sometimes create lookalike websites or social media profiles to trick donors.
- Regularly search your charity’s name online to spot imposters early.
- Report fake accounts or pages impersonating your charity.
- Keep your official branding, logo, and donation links consistent across every channel.
🕯️ If you find a fake fundraiser using your name, act fast — don’t let it drain your supporters’ trust.
🧙♀️ 4. Train Your Team to Be Cyber-Smart
Even the best technology can’t replace an alert, informed team.
- Run short sessions on cyber security for charities — covering phishing, password management, and data protection.
- Encourage a “report anything suspicious” culture.
- Use free tools like the NCSC Small Charity Cyber Guide to stay up to date.
✨The more aware your team is, the safer your donors’ data will be.
🕷️ 5. Beware of Phishing Tricks
Fake emails pretending to be from donors, suppliers, or payment processors are one of the most common threats facing charities.
- Always check the sender’s domain carefully.
- Never click on suspicious links — go directly to the platform instead.
- Train your staff to spot phishing attempts and report them.
🕸️ If a message feels “off”, it probably is. Better to double-check than risk a data breach.
💀 6. Back Up Your Charity Data (Before It Disappears Into the Abyss)
Losing donor data or donation records is every fundraiser’s nightmare.
- Keep regular encrypted backups of your website, donor database, and financial systems.
- Store backups in a secure cloud environment or an external location, separate from your main system.
- Test your backups occasionally to make sure they actually work — before a cyber curse strikes.
🎃 Final Thoughts
Protecting your charity’s online donations doesn’t need to be scary. By reviewing your systems, training your team, and using trusted partners, you can make your online presence safer — and show donors their support is in good hands.
This Halloween, make sure your digital doors are locked, your passwords are strong, and your website stays a place for treats, not tricks. 🍬
For more help and free resources, check out:
Cyber Security FAQs for Charities
Charities handle sensitive donor and payment data, making them a target for cybercrime. Good cybersecurity protects donations, donor trust, and your charity’s reputation while reducing the risk of fraud or data breaches.
Use a trusted, PCI-compliant donation platform with HTTPS encryption. Regularly check donation pages for errors or suspicious activity and avoid hosting payments on unsecured systems.
Use strong passwords, enable multi-factor authentication, keep software updated, back up data regularly, and limit system access to only those who need it.
Train staff and volunteers to spot suspicious emails, avoid unknown links, and verify unusual requests. Always log in to systems using official websites, not email links.
Monitor your charity name online, use consistent branding, and share official donation links clearly. Report fake websites or social media accounts as soon as they appear.
Yes. Even basic cyber awareness training helps teams recognise phishing, protect passwords, and respond quickly to security threats, reducing the risk of costly incidents.
Regular backups protect donation records and donor data if systems fail or are attacked. Store backups securely and test them to ensure they can be restored quickly.