Protecting Reproductive Rights: How NNAF Keeps Their Network Safe

The National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) is a network of nearly 100 grassroots abortion funds that work to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access. They organize at the intersections of racial, economic, and reproductive justice, centering the people who need abortion access most.

In the year following the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, NNAF's network deployed approximately $47 million to help people access abortion care. This included $37 million in direct abortion funding and over $10 million in practical support like transportation, lodging, and childcare. That represents an 88% increase in funding compared to the year before, helping tens of thousands of people access the care they need.

NNAF supports their member funds with grants, leadership development, infrastructure, and technical assistance, creating a coordinated national movement that has been operating for over 30 years. We worked with Akira, the IT Coordinator at NNAF, to roll out Kanary to hundreds of fund members over the course of 2024 and are actively onboarding new team members today.

Problem: The DDoS attack that cost $200,000

Reproductive rights organizations have always been a target. In 2016, NNAF experienced a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack during their biggest fundraising events of the year, disabling their website and obtaining access to donor lists. The attack forced NNAF to redirect over $200,000 to crisis management, hiring legal counsel and an IT security team. But the digital threats intensified after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.

In August 2022, just months after the Dobbs decision, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and local prosecutors threatened NNAF's member abortion funds with criminal prosecution for helping Texans access legal abortions in other states. Organizations like Fund Texas Choice, the Lilith Fund, and others were forced to halt their work, fearing felony charges that could result in fines and even imprisonment.

The National Abortion Federation reported an uptick in threats of 20% in 2022 alone. Anti-abortion extremists weaponize public records requests to obtain deeply personal information about abortion providers and staff, then publish detailed dossiers on doxxing websites containing home addresses, family members' identities, and where people went to school.

This is what motivated NNAF to reach out to Kanary. "In the reproductive justice movement, there are a lot of bad actors trying to get info of folks on staff or fund members, so the main problem to address is to make sure these bad actors don't get easy access to their personally identifiable information," Akira emphasized. These threats are critical for NNAF staff, board members, and the 100 abortion funds in their network.

Solution: Finding a values-aligned partner

NNAF had previously tried DeleteMe to address the digital safety risks that their team faced. "We saw some success, but wanted to move to a more values aligned platform," Akira says. The switch to Kanary wasn't just about better technology. It was about partnering with a company that understood the specific threats facing reproductive justice workers, and that could also expand protection across their entire network. "Kanary’s offering allows us to expand our offering to more fund members," Akira notes, highlighting NNAF's vision to protect not just their own staff, but the grassroots organizers across their 100-fund network.

Impact: Kanary’s removed 10,000+ exposures since 2024

In May 2024, NNAF began rolling out Kanary to their organization. Their goal was to protect hundreds of accounts across their staff, board, and member fund coordinators. And the support Team Kanary provided in following up with members, sending reminders, and participating in trainings goes above and beyond the typical vendor relationship.

"Just a one time notice won’t cut it," Akira explains. "A lot of people we work with have a lot on their plate. Signing up for a privacy service isn't a top priority until something bad happens. With Kanary, we're seeing good signs." In Q3 2024, Kanary removed over 2,000 records, maintaining removals in the thousands each quarter since. "I think it's been quite helpful because I saw our staff get that extra security layer, knowing the PII is not easy to access," Akira says.

From an administrative perspective, the platform and account onboarding/off boarding has been easy to manage. Instead of manual invite flows, Kanary’s provisioned easy to use codes that allow member funds to grant access to new sign ups directly, not having to involve NNAF admins. "As an admin, it's pretty intuitive, pretty user friendly to get people set up and manage membership on our account," Akira notes and goes on to say, “Comms between Kanary and NNAF have been really consistent and prompt, which is one of the most important things in a working relationship like this. For example, y'all quickly incorporated an new field in our invite template and we’re looking forward to sharing feedback on the roadmap as the partnership grows." The NNAF team is optimistic about continuing to expand protection across their network.

Measuring what matters

For NNAF, success is measured in both numbers and impact:

• 415 accounts protected across staff, board, and member organizations

• Less than 5 minutes per month in administrator time managing member invites or accounts

• 10,000+ exposures removed in the first year

• 100 member abortion funds positioned to expand protection across their network

"Appreciate all the work y'all have done for the NNAF. I know a lot of our members are really excited. Sending a lot of gratitude to you and your team," Akira says.

How you can get Kanary for your team or organization

If your organization faces similar risks (whether you're doing reproductive justice work, advocacy in politically charged areas, or simply have staff who need protection from targeted harassment) you can set up Kanary for your entire team in less than 5 minutes.

Visit kanary.com/enterprise to get started. We'll handle the data removal, the monitoring, and the ongoing protection. You handle the essential work of serving your communities and fighting for justice.