Direct Technical Assistance
Hands-on help with the systems an organization already depends on: accounts and access, backups, devices, email, and the everyday infrastructure that fails quietly until it fails badly.
A Volunteer-Driven 501(c)(3) Public Charity
Technology Help for the Organizations That Get Targeted Most
SpaceBoat provides free technology and cybersecurity support to nonprofits serving LGBTQ+ and other underserved communities.
These organizations are frequently targeted and rarely resourced to defend themselves.
A small organization defending a vulnerable community should not have to choose between doing its work and doing it securely.
The organizations we work with tend to have two problems in common. Their technology was set up by whoever happened to be available at the time, and the people they serve have good reason not to want their information exposed.
A larger institution would hire someone to handle both. We want budget and staff size to stop being the reason a small organization goes without.
Sound Familiar?
Most of the Organizations We Help Have No IT Staff at All
They have whoever is closest to the problem. If any of these have come up at a staff meeting, they're the kind of thing to send us.
“Our email keeps landing in everyone's spam folder, and we don't know why.”
“Someone sent our director an invoice that looked real. Was it?”
“We've been getting threats. Could they reach our systems?”
“The volunteer who set all of this up moved away last spring.”
“Our participant records live in one person's personal account.”
“Our domain expired. Nobody remembers whose card it was on.”
What We Do
Our Work Takes Four Forms
SpaceBoat volunteers contribute professional information technology and cybersecurity expertise to organizations that could not otherwise obtain it.
Security Assessment and Remediation
A plain assessment of where an organization is exposed, written in ordinary language, with a prioritized plan that a staff member without technical training can actually carry out.
Education and Training
Practical instruction for staff, volunteers, and boards, so that capability stays with the organization after we leave.
Incident Response
Help when something has already gone wrong: a compromised account, a lost or stolen device, a suspected breach. We work the problem with you and help you decide what to do next.
How It Works
Three Steps, and the First One Is an Email
Tell Us What's Happening
Email us a description in whatever words you'd use out loud. You don't need the right terminology. Figuring out what's actually going on is part of the job.
We Talk It Through
A short call to understand how your organization runs, what you already have, and what you're trying to protect. Nothing you tell us leaves SpaceBoat.
We Help, or Point You Elsewhere
That might be a straight answer, hands-on work alongside your staff, or an assessment with a plan attached. If it turns out we're the wrong people for it, we'll say so and tell you who to call.
How We Work
We Aim to Make Ourselves Progressively Less Necessary to You
Three of the five values we hold ourselves to. These are the ones you'll notice while working with us.
- Practicality. We recommend what a small organization can actually implement and sustain, rather than what would be ideal in a well-funded environment.
- Confidentiality. We learn where organizations are vulnerable. That knowledge is held in strict confidence, and every volunteer is bound to protect it.
- Dignity. We meet organizations and their staff where they are, without condescension about what they do or do not already know.
Get in Touch
Ask Us the Question You Think Is Too Small to Ask
Small questions are usually worth asking, and they're often the quickest thing for us to answer. Tell us what your organization does and what's on your mind.
- hello@spaceboat.org
- Location
- Colorado