Charities and digital transformation – Are you ready?

A recent skills report concluded that 68% of charities believe that there will be a change in the voluntary sector by 2027 due to digital advancements.
The skills report reflected issues with digital fundraising, with as many as 61% of charities asked rating their digital fundraising skills as fair to low, and 63% rated their overall digital strategy the same.

In a world being taken over by digital and technological advancements, there are fears that the voluntary sector may be left behind.

Following research conducted by Lloyds Bank, 51% of charities displayed basic level digital skills and many large charities are recruiting digital officers which heavily suggests their willingness to invest in order to improve their digital efforts.

As well as investing in digital fundraising skills in order to open new avenues for potential donation, director at the Centre for Acceleration of Social Technology, Dan Sutch, believes there are more opportunities available when charities expand their digital knowledge. Dan Sutch states: “Habits and expectations for how we find resources and support have changed; digital is often the first channel people use. If important charity services aren’t accessible via digital, they’ll be hidden by the services that are – making our depth of expertise invisible and inaccessible.”

During a period in which the voluntary sector is facing various challenges, an improvement in digital workings could aid the sustainability of charities by creating a new channel of access for the general public.