In today’s association landscape, staying current with technology is no longer optional. Members expect a streamlined experience in every aspect of engagement, and your staff needs the right resources to complete their work efficiently and effectively, which technology makes possible.

However, as your association adopts new technology, the risk to your data security and privacy increases. Your organization stores a lot of information—much of it sensitive—on its members, community partners, and internal operations. That makes it a prime target for cyberattacks.

The best approaches to cybersecurity are proactive rather than reactive, which is why this guide discusses three ways your association can protect its data through its day-to-day practices, so you’re ready for any situation.

Leverage Built-In Software Security Measures

Your association management software (AMS) likely has several features built into it that are designed to protect the wealth of data this system contains. As a first step in your cybersecurity plan, check that your AMS includes all of the following measures and that they’re enabled:

• encryption, which scrambles information so that it’s unreadable without the right password or secret key to “unlock” it
• two-factor authentication (2FA) as a second layer of protection for employee logins, on top of strong passwords
• single sign-on (SSO) to centralize authentication for various platforms in one place and reduce the number of passwords team members have to track
• limited user permissions so that only authorized staff can view and edit sensitive data in the system
• automatic, recurring software updates that equip your AMS with the latest security patches the vendor has developed

Although these security measures are most important in your AMS, which likely stores the most data of any association system, you should also keep them in mind for other software that may contain sensitive information. For example, you might enable 2FA for your online member portal or limit user permissions in your event management platform so only trained employees (not volunteers) can access its full backend.

Create Data Governance Standards

In addition to consistent security measures, standardized policies and procedures keep everyone at your association on the same page about how to manage and safeguard data. Some areas to consider creating governance standards for include:

• General technology usage. This policy may cover a variety of day-to-day activities where cybersecurity comes into play, from how often employees need to change their email passwords to rules for accessing organizational software while working remotely.
• Website maintenance. These standards should dictate not only the parameters for updating website content, but also how to maintain privacy when collecting member data online, such as through event registrations or course sign-ups.
• AI usage. As AI plays a larger role in associations, guidelines for how and when to use these tools are increasingly important. They should require human oversight and prohibit entering member data into public generative AI engines.
• Data entry. Spell out when, by whom, and how new data will be entered into your systems to keep information consistent without putting it at risk. Although automating some processes and integrating systems can improve and secure data entry, it’s useful to make human oversight provisions here as well for extra security.

Share these procedures across your entire organization so everyone can reference them as they go about their daily tasks, and collect feedback from your team to help you update your policies over time. Additionally, consider making a public statement about your association’s data governance approach to build trust with current and potential members, and allow them to make an informed decision about opting in or out of data collection.

Train Your Team on Cybersecurity Best Practices

While technology and data policies set the standard for cybersecurity, employee training is what really makes this concept hit home. Incorporate some cybersecurity training into your onboarding process for new team members, and have existing staff take a refresher course approximately once a year (more often if they’re part of your IT team) to reinforce the basics and communicate any updates.

Your training sessions can be synchronous meetings or asynchronous courses, depending on staff schedules, but either way, they should be thorough and applicable to each individual’s role. During training, simulate common cyberthreats like phishing scams or ransomware attacks to assess your team’s responses to these issues and help them learn the best ways to respond.

Cybersecurity for associations is essential for trust-building, risk management, and operational efficiency, among other benefits. Use the tips above to get started, and reach out for professional technology consulting help if needed to ensure your organization is protected in all circumstances.