How to create a member account

Once you become a GISF member, you will receive a welcome message with information on how to access your full member benefits, including the member-only area of the website.
A member of the secretariat will create an account for you.
Please check your junk folder for a WordPress email if you have not received your login details. You can contact gisf-info@gisf.ngo for assistance.

Please note that access to the members’ area is limited to up to three primary points of contact from within your member organisation. Your name, organisation, and email address will be made visible to other GISF members.

How to log in

In the top right-hand corner of the website, you will find a ‘Member login’ link.
Click the link and enter your login details

What to do if you forget your website login details

On the login page, under the details form, there is a link for ‘Password recovery’. Select this link to receive an email allowing you to update your password.
If this does not work, please reach out to any member of the secretariat, the emails for whom can be found on the contacts page on our website.

If you are experiencing any issues accessing the member website, please contact the PMO team at gisf-americas@gisf.ngo or gisf-info@gisf.ngo.

GISF Chat

The GISF Chat is built on top of a tool called Mattermost.

About the GISF Chat Facility

Please note that access to the GISF chat is automatically granted for your three primary SFP contacts- in addition you may request to add regional colleagues. Technical specialists are also permitted in select channels on request (i.e., country director or SFP for a specific context, or an IT colleague in the digital channel, etc.). Please contact the Project and Membership team to request access.
GISF Chat is deployed on a server using best practice security in an EU data centre. The server is backed up once every 24 hours.
The platform is designed to help teams and communities communicate quickly and in an efficient manner.
The GISF chat on Mattermost is open-source and self-hosted. This means that it would be very difficult for someone to hide deliberately malicious malware. It also means that GISF controls the usage and location of the data.

Creating an Account

Via the GISF website

In the top right corner of the GISF homepage, you will find a link to the GISF chat.
The link will open our chat and you will see the login page. Enter your details there.

Via the desktop app

Download software from https://mattermost.com
The first time you use the software, you must add the GISF server
In “Server Display Name” type “GISF”
In “Server URL” type https://chat.gisf.ngo
Then click”Add”

Joining Channels on GISF Chat

In order to allow the best and most secure communications, we have several channels on our GISF Chat platform.
Currently, there are 19 channels, including Afghanistan, Haiti, Pakistan, Ukraine, West Africa, and Digital Security.
The channels are sorted by contexts and themes, allowing individuals based or interested in specific regions to ask questions and share information with others.
Utilise the ‘@channel’ function to draw the attention of everyone in the channel!

Request Security Focal Point (SFP) Change Form

Each member organisation appoints a primary, secondary, and tertiary SFP to represent them at GISF. Members may also include regional SFP contacts. If your organisation has recently undergone a change in employees, and there is a new SFP, please complete this form so we can keep up-to-date with GISF members. SFPs enjoy invitations to our roundtables, webinars, workshops, forums and more.

Factal Access

Our members enjoy access to a growing network of security-conscious humanitarian organisations. With over 130 members, we provide ample opportunities to get involved and engaged with others.

Each member organisation is now eligible for access to the Factal platform (www.factal.com), where you can keep up-to-date with news stories as they break. Please complete this form to request access for your organisation.

Event Types

This form serves the purpose of bringing clarity to the various events that GISF hosts and how you can get involved, either as an attendee or as a speaker or co-host.

Roundtables

The aim of these events is to provide a safe space for peer to peer engagement and information exchange. Occasionally an external speaker will provide a technical update or members will be asked to start the conversation with their own observations to share their insights and experiences. All contributions are helpful.

Webinars

Webinars aim to facilitate information dissemination and discussion around a particular topic or context of interest. Technical experts, academics, and members present their knowledge and experience followed by an opportunity to ask questions and discuss the points raised.

Workshops

At GISF, we organise at least four workshops each year – though, in recent years, we’ve run as many as 10. Our workshops offer organisations development opportunities beyond security, for example, for staff from different backgrounds and departments.

Bi-annual forum

Each year we host two forums for our members to come together with experts and explore cutting-edge issues affecting humanitarian security risk management. These forums usually take place in person but include a virtual component to allow for greater accessibility and are an excellent opportunity to network with counterparts from other NGOs.

Our tips for getting the most out of your GISF membership

Member Services