A letter from Volunteer Centre Dorset regarding a cyber security incident involving their database provider.
Dear Colleague
We are writing to inform you of a cyber security incident involving Beacon CRM, which is the customer relationship management (CRM) system used by Volunteer Centre Dorset to securely manage our customer’s data.
What happened?
Beacon notified us on 3 August 2026 that they had identified a cyber security incident that may have affected all data held by them. Beacon is one of the UK's leading CRM providers for charities, supporting more than 1,000 organisations. Volunteer Centre Dorset was not individually targeted.
According to Beacon's current investigation, unauthorised access was gained to their systems and copies of some database backups were likely downloaded. Their forensic investigation remains ongoing, and at present, there is no evidence that any data has been published online or misused.
Our response
While we continue to closely monitor Beacon CRM’s ongoing investigation, upon notification we immediately activated our procedures, and actions have included:
- reviewing the data we hold and assessing any potential risks to individuals affected;
- notifying both the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and Charity Commission;
- implementing additional security measures where appropriate.
This has not affected our operational systems or our ability to continue delivering services. If Beacon's investigation identifies any information requiring us to take further action, we will do so promptly and in accordance with our legal obligations.
Vulnerable clients
If you are a referring partner, we want to reassure you that we are also writing to all people who have been referred to our services. Depending on the contact details we hold, we are communicating with them via email, letter or phone. Our communication explains what has happened, what we currently know, and the steps we are taking. As an additional precaution, we have also included scam awareness advice provided by Dorset Police to help people recognise and avoid fraudulent communications.
We appreciate that incidents of this nature are concerning. We remain committed to protecting the information entrusted to us and to communicating openly as further verified information becomes available.
If you have any questions, please contact us by email on
Kind regards
Voulnteer Centre Dorset
