WASHINGTON STATE COMPUTERS STOLEN In brief: Nonprofit agency loses data in overnight theft of computers | Spokesman.com | Aug 22, 2009:

August 22, 2009 in City
In brief: Nonprofit agency loses data in overnight theft of computers

From Staff And Wire Reports
The Spokesman-Review

Three laptops and two computers containing irreplaceable data belonging to a small nonprofit agency were stolen overnight Thursday as the group prepared for its largest annual fundraiser.

Charity donors pay for a cruise on Lake Coeur d’Alene and buy auction items for the benefit of CenterPointe, a United Way-funded group that offers social and recreational activities for people with disabilities.

The computers contained information about reservations and the auction items, said Spike Cunningham, executive director.

The cruise, planned for today, will go on as scheduled.

“Checkout (of the auction items) won’t be easy,” Cunningham said. “We will be using paper and pencil.”

The theft in the 1400 block of North Washington Street occurred Thursday night or early Friday, Cunningham said. Someone had a key.

“We do have insurance,” Cunningham said. “All of our equipment needed to be replaced anyway. It’s the data that’s irreplaceable,” including submitted grant information, donor lists, United Way applications, e-mail and mailing addresses, benefactor information and promotional material.

From now on, “we are going to make sure we back up the data,” Cunningham said.