Background
Mariposa Kids is a San Francisco–based nonprofit dedicated to bringing free play into the lives of children under the age of 12 in an effort to inspire their natural curiosity and independence. The organization relies on digital tools to coordinate staff and volunteers, safeguard sensitive child and family information, and engage donors and funders—making data protection an essential part of its commitment to care and accountability.
As Mariposa Kids continued to grow its programs and partnerships, leadership recognized the importance of ensuring that its digital systems reflected the same level of trust, responsibility, and intentionality that define its on-the-ground work.
The Opportunity
While Mariposa Kids had not experienced any significant security incident or data breach, leadership was clear-eyed about the evolving risk landscape. Rather than waiting for a problem to occur, the organization chose to act proactively—seeking an independent review to validate existing practices and identify opportunities to further strengthen its digital safeguards.
This forward-looking approach aligned with Mariposa Kids’ values and with increasing expectations from funders around responsible data stewardship and operational resilience.
The Solution
Mariposa Kids partnered with Mission Secure to complete a Google Workspace Security Assessment guided by Mission Secure’s Security Lifecycle Framework. The engagement was supported by volunteer subject-matter experts Google Cloud . The assessment provided a holistic view of Mariposa Kids’ security posture, focusing on high-impact areas such as email protections, access management, and governance around shared data and applications. Mission Secure delivered a clear, prioritized roadmap designed to support continuous improvement—without disrupting daily operations.
Impact and Outcome
The engagement equipped Mariposa Kids with:
- Clear insight into current strengths and targeted opportunities for enhancement
- Practical, low-friction steps to further reduce risk and improve resilience
- A shared framework for leadership discussions around cybersecurity and compliance
- Greater confidence in responding to funder, donor, and partner expectations
Under the leadership of Ryan Hazelton, Executive Director, cybersecurity was reinforced as a natural extension of Mariposa Kids’ commitment to protecting the well-being, privacy, and trust of the children and families it serves.
A Stronger Foundation for Sustainable Impact
By choosing to act before a crisis, Mariposa Kids strengthened its digital foundation while staying focused on its mission. The organization is now better positioned to scale its programs, deepen partnerships, and continue delivering life-changing outcomes—supported by a resilient and trustworthy technology environment.
Project Participants
- Ryan Hazelton, Executive Director, Mariposa Kids
- Volunteer Security Experts, Google Cloud