The value of integrated technology

The charity sector is navigating challenging times. Many organisations are tackling fundraising fatigue at a time when individual donations are falling, while demand for services only increases. These difficult periods are where the right technology really makes a difference.  

The right technology can amplify a charity’s impact, while preserving their time and resources. CRM systems can create better supporter journeys, while search engine optimisation (SEO) and social media tools can enhance online visibility, pulling in more donors and volunteers at a time of greater need. Google Ad Grants can help you appear to potential supporters at a time they are searching your cause, and volunteering software can improve the volunteering experience to boost recruitment and retention.  

Too often, these activities exist in siloes. Charities use technology systems that don’t talk to each other, creating disparate impressions of what operations actually look like. Many charities in the 2025 Charity Digital Skills report cited significant technological challenges that reflect this reality, with one saying “I really want a functioning database that integrates with all the tools we use but we have so many other challenges that this doesn’t seem to be a priority for anyone else!” 

But integrating their technology should be a priority for charities. Bringing tools together in one place gives charities a complete overview of their supporters, beneficiaries, volunteers, and their needs and motivations.

Charities can take actions that expand on others, building momentum and providing teams with a one-stop-shop for everything they need to deliver more impact.  

Essentially, connecting technology makes it easier for charities to provide the smooth, joined-up experiences that supporters and volunteers have come to expect, as their digital tools talk to each other, preventing any sticky issues or irrelevant communications. With one place for everything, charities can reduce time spent on administrative tasks and spend more time on developing the strategy that will advance their mission. 

This is exactly the aim behind the Access Charity Suite. As part of the Access Charity Suite, charity software providers Access are bringing together their digital tools under a single umbrella, enabling charities to manage everything from fundraising to volunteering in one place, with one login, and one vendor offering the answers they need.  

In this article, we explore more about which digital tools charities can bring together under the Access Charity Suite, how they can support charities with their unique goals, and the value integrating technology can bring to their bottom line. 

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How can the Access Charity Suite help my charity? 

Google Ad Grants 

Google Ad Grants provide charities with up to £95,000-worth of free Google ads every year. Google ads ensure organisations appear at the top of search results relevant to their cause. It makes charities visible to potential supporters at the exact time that they are looking for information the organisation can provide. It can boost traffic and drive donations, at a time when individual donation levels are precarious.  

To access and maintain Google Ad Grants, charities must meet a list of specific criteria and manage their ads effectively, or else risk losing their grants. This is where Access can help. Access has worked with hundreds of charities to help them manage their Google Ad Grants, including humanitarian charity Afghanaid, which recieved a 100% increase in donations to its crisis appeal as a result of the partnership. 

Access’ Google Ad Grants service also helped Surrey-based charity Kicks Count expand their search terms to capture more supporters looking for pregnancy-related advice, while preventing wasted ad spend on negative keywords and irrelevant searches.  

Visibility is everything to charities in 2026. Growing their online presence and social media engagement was seen as a priority for 64% of charities, according to the 2024 Charity Digital Skills report, while three in five wanted to grow their reach. Google Ad Grants help charities do just that.  

Fundraising and donor journeys 

It is tale as old as time in the charity sector: as fundraising gets harder, demand for services grows. One in five people say they cannot afford to give to charity, according to the 2026 UK Giving report. The report also revealed that there are six million fewer donors than they were a decade ago, costing charities an estimated £12.4 billion in lost fundraising revenue.  

So finding innovative ways to fundraise, nurturing existing donors and attracting new ones, and diversifying income streams has become increasingly urgent for charities. Creating great supporter experiences can make all the difference. And that’s where fundraising software and CRM systems come into their own.  

Access’ fundraising CRM Donorfy can bring campaigns, events, Gift Aid, memberships, and major donors together, so charities can strategise how they reach their different audiences and identify patterns in behaviour. It reduces the admin required to understand donors and gives charities everything they need to build stronger relationships with their supporters.  

Access Raise is a digital fundraising platform designed for charities to help them drive awareness, engagement, and impact. For Kicks Count, it offers an intuitive donor journey through Kicks Count’s own site, leading to increased donations and better engagement. Supporters are kept engaged within the charity’s system with Access Raise allowing fundraisers to create their own pages. Kicks Count can effectively manage multiple fundraising streams, from event ticket sales to personalised giving page, all in one place.  

Access describes Raise as “your digital front door”. It describes Donorfy as “your supporter command centre”. And together with Access Charity CRM, charities can make sure their supporter journeys hit all the right milestones, with no missed opportunities and smoother experiences for those who would advocate for them.  

Volunteering 

Charities don’t just need funds to keep services running; they need volunteers.  But to recruit and retain volunteers requires careful management, creating an environment where participants feel valued, supported, and rewarded for their contribution to a cause they care about. It requires more than a one-size-fits-all approach to meet the needs of every volunteer.   

Access’ volunteer management software Assemble supports charities with their volunteer recruitment and onboarding processes and helps them engage volunteers across multiple roles. 

Volunteer recruitment can take significant time and resources. Re-recruiting more volunteers can be a drain if charities fail to provide a good volunteer experience once they’ve brought people on board. So having a tool that can help manage the volunteer experience, build reliable schedules based on skills and availability, share messages, keep volunteers engaged, and track needs and preferences, can be invaluable to charities that rely on the good will and time donated of their supporters. The RSPCA, for one, has seen a 224% growth in volunteer numbers since using Assemble. 

What is the value of integrating these tools? 

With £95,000-worth of free Google ads bringing interested parties to your website, CRM systems making it easier for charities to segment supporters and meet them where they are, and volunteer management software creating volunteer experiences that suit every convenience, the value of each tool is huge. The value of these tools working together is something else entirely.  

For Kicks Count, a small charity, the investment in Access Raise and Google Ad Grants was significant. Yet, since its partnership with Access, Kicks Count has grown from an £18,000 charity to a £140,000 charity.  

“For a small charity, spending £5,000 to £10,000 is a huge decision, but we knew we had to invest in the right tools to grow,” explain Kicks Count. “Thanks to Access, we’ve grown massively as a charity. That investment has been absolutely transformational.”   

“Data stops living in separate systems and starts telling a single story,” Access concludes. “Campaign performance informs supporter journeys. Volunteer engagement is visible alongside donor activity. Advertising insights connect directly to long-term value. 

“Connection changes behaviour because it changes what is visible. And when visibility improves, performance tends to follow.” 

To find out more about the Access Charity Suite, and the power of integration, click the button below. 

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