Charities discuss how digital is helping them overcome the challenges of COVID-19

This article is sponsored by Phoenix Software, which uses IT to support organisations to innovate, transform and connect services with people.

This week’s episode of the POD Phoenix podcast looks at the technology available to help charities meet the challenges they are having to face amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

This includes support in meeting the many difficult decisions they have had to make, such as asking staff to work from home, putting members of the team on furlough and having to close their doors completely during the uncertainty of the pandemic.

Support is available. This ranges from new technologies, guidance and funding. But this is not always easy to find.

The panel on this latest POD Phoenix episode to discuss the challenges charities are facing are Vincent Richardson (International Chief Technology Officer, Tech for Social Impact at Microsoft Philanthropies) Rosie Slater-Carr (Chief Information Officer at British Red Cross), Megan Griffith Gray (Director of Strategy and Transformation at NCVO) and Greg Dean (Charities Sector Sales Manager at Phoenix).

Included in their discussion is the effective digital solutions that are being deployed and how charities are also helping each other.

This discussion examines how Phoenix are working with Microsoft, their partners at NCVO and their customers to use digital effectively to meet the challenges of COVID-19.

Other issues looked at include the increase in demand for services that charities are facing as they support communities affected by the pandemic. According to a survey published at the end of March by the Institute of Fundraising, National Council for Voluntary Oranisations and Charity Finance Group, 43 per cent of charities are predicting an increase in demand for their services due to COVID-19.