How charities can save time and money

Charities are always under pressure to operate at a low cost so their services can stretch as far as possible. There is also external pressure as funds are often either donated by the public or by funders who have specific restrictions on how it is spent.

The cost-of-living crisis is putting additional strain on many charities, as service demand rises while resources dwindle. In this article, we explore how your charity can save time and money to continue maximising your impact despite these financial challenges.

Use digital

Using the right digital tools and developing the skills to use them is key for charities to save time and money. Digital technology can make your operations more efficient, streamlined, and agile, meaning that making an impact takes less time.

According to the 2023 Charity Digital Skills Report, only 48% of charities have a strategic approach to digital. To avoid wasting time in the long term, having a digital strategy can be helpful. To achieve this, ensure you have a clear picture of your starting point and form clear goals.

Collaborate

Have you ever wondered what would happen if all the people and organisations trying to tackle the same challenge started working together?

As seen by the work of the Fair Education Alliance, collaborating across sectors enables charities to stop competing for the same resources and start finding solutions on a bigger scale. By identifying shared priorities, charities can also co-ordinate in their messaging to ensure that their voice is used effectively to make policy changes. Collaboration can also involve sharing resources and skills.

Digital technology can be used to support collaboration, and collaboration within and beyond the charity sector can have a powerful impact, as seen in today’s environmental movement.

Make the most of charity sector support

Infrastructure charities are here to help you maximise your resources and make a big positive impact on the world. Be sure to make the most of their free offerings and savings.

Charity Digital

Yes, we are shouting ourselves out here – because we offer charities a number of fantastic services to help save time and money.

You probably already know about our content, but how about our digital technology catalogue? The Charity Digital Exchange offers charities access to free and discounted software and hardware from some of the world’s leading technology brands. Whether it’s setting up a secure internet connection or creating the best graphic design materials for your campaign posters, we can help you get the right tech – all while creating great savings for your charity.

We also run educational events for charity professionals. Our free 2023 Digital Fundraising Summit will inform attendees about the emerging digital fundraising ideas and provide opportunities to network, saving time on researching for your 2024 fundraising strategy.

Be sure to also check out our free past and future webinars and workshops led by charity sector and technology experts.

Find out more ways Charity Digital can help save your charity time and money here.

In Kind Direct

In Kind Direct distributes consumer products from manufacturers, retailers, and brands to charitable organisations, who can join their network for free. Through this process, these consumer goods can be of use to people experiencing financial hardship, hygiene poverty, domestic violence, unemployment, homelessness, and mental health issues. The charity believes everyone deserves access to life’s essentials and that no usable product should go to waste.

This saves charitable organisations money so that more funds can be focused on support and services.

Digital Candle

Digital Candle provides a free service where charity professionals can have a one-hour call with one of their 600 volunteer digital experts.

When we spoke to the charity’s Managing Director, Matt Collins, we learned that most charity professionals ask questions around how to identify the best customer relationship management system for their needs, how they can make use of the free Google Ad Grant, and how they can get on top of their social media strategies. Others ask very specific questions such as how to create an online map!

Pilotlight

Pilotlight helps charities gain capacity by providing free programmes that help professionals apply and grow their skills with help from business experts to help charities do more with the time they have.

The charity’s C.E.O. Ed Mayo told us, “Our impact results show that two years on from support through the Pilotlight 360 programme, charities, on average, increase their income by 44% and their reach (the number of beneficiaries) by 30%.”

Reach Volunteering

Reach Volunteering hosts an online platform where charities can connect with volunteers and trustees. The charity states, “When people volunteer their expertise, they help charities do more, and do it better. They enable charities and groups to invest in their infrastructure, extend their work, and innovate.”

Eligible organisations can create a profile, list opportunities, search and contact volunteers, and manage applications for free.

Upskill with online training

Upskilling your team can save your charity time and money by reducing training and recruitment costs, increasing productivity, and ensuring an adaptable and agile workforce.

There is a range of free online training available to charity professionals in addition to those explored above. Some of these are:

• Directory of Social Change – Charity training
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales – Trustee Training Modules
• The Open University – Developing leadership in the voluntary sector
• HubSpot Academy – All Courses and Certifications
• The National Council for Voluntary Organisations – Training and Events

In the Charity Digital team, we use Meeting-free Fridays as an opportunity to complete online training. We primarily use LinkedIn Learning, which enables managers to assign courses and has an up to 50% non-profit discount.