For a charity without a dedicated IT team, managing backups effectively can feel overwhelming but is absolutely essential. Backups are copies of your important data—such as donor records, financial information, and volunteer details—that can be restored if the original data is lost, corrupted, or held hostage by cybercriminals. Without reliable backups, your charity risks losing vital information that supports its mission and daily operations.
Why backups matter for charities
Data loss can happen for many reasons: accidental deletion, hardware failure, ransomware attacks, or even natural disasters. For charities, the impact isn't just technical—it can mean interrupted services, loss of donor trust, and potential breaches of UK data protection rules like the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR. These regulations require you to protect personal data and have plans to recover it if something goes wrong. Downtime caused by data loss can also reduce staff productivity and harm your reputation.
A typical scenario
Consider a charity with around 50 staff and volunteers that relies on a mix of cloud services and local computers. Without an IT team, backups might be inconsistent or forgotten. When a ransomware attack encrypts their files, they lose access to recent donor and event data. Because they lack a tested backup and recovery plan, restoring data takes days, causing delays in fundraising and reporting. A managed IT provider steps in to automate daily backups, store encrypted copies offsite, and regularly test restores, ensuring the charity can quickly recover and continue its work.
Practical checklist for managing backups
- Ask your IT provider: How often are backups taken? Are backups stored offsite or in the cloud? Are backups encrypted and protected from unauthorised access?
- Check backup testing: How often do they test restoring data to confirm backups work? Request evidence or reports.
- Review access controls: Who can access backup data? Ensure multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strict permissions are in place.
- Understand retention policies: How long are backups kept? This affects compliance and your ability to recover from incidents.
- Confirm compliance alignment: Does the backup solution support your obligations under UK GDPR and Cyber Essentials? For example, does it log backup activity and support audit readiness?
- Internal checks: Verify that critical data sources (e.g. CRM, finance systems, emails) are included in backups and that staff know who to contact if they notice data issues.
- Plan for disaster recovery: Beyond backups, ask about the provider's ability to help restore systems quickly to reduce downtime.
Next steps
Even without an in-house IT team, your charity can protect its data and operations by working with a trusted managed IT provider experienced in backup and disaster recovery. They can tailor solutions to your needs, handle technical details, and help you meet compliance expectations. Start by discussing your current backup arrangements, risks, and recovery goals to build a practical, reliable plan that supports your charity's ongoing work.