Charity Spotlight: The role of digital in community building

Digital technology enables charities to reach more people, scale their impact, and build communities that amplify and sustain their work.

 

=Indeed, in recognition of its importance to the nonprofit sector, community building is one of seven categories highlighted in the .ORG Impact Awards, hosted annually by Public Interest Registry (PIR) to celebrate the work of charities working tirelessly across the globe to make a difference.

 

In 2025, the scheme’s eighth year, the award was given to Fonds pour les Femmes Congolaises (The Fund for Congolese Women), to recognise its work in empowering women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The charity also won the .ORG of the Year award, receiving $50,000 in donations from PIR to continue its vital efforts.

 

The charity, founded in 2007, partners with local women’s groups who would not be able to access other sources of funding, to provide initiatives that promote the rights of Congolese women and girls.

 

“The idea was to create a local fund, serving as a bridge between international donors and local initiatives led by women,” explains the charity’s website. Their work has now reached more than 1,600 women directly across 17 provinces in the DRC, supporting initiatives that eliminate gender-based violence, promote economic empowerment, expand HIV/AIDS and reproductive health education, and advocate for environmental justice. – and more.

 

“The winners of the .ORG Impact Awards are the very best of the .ORG Community and work tirelessly to create positive change every day,” said Jon Nevett, President and CEO of Public Interest Registry. “The work that this year’s .ORG of the Year winner, The Fund for Congolese Women, does to drive change from the ground up and uplift women in their communities deeply inspires me.”

 

To hear more about their work and understand the role that digital has played in building their community, in this article we speak to Wangechi Githaiga, Resource Mobilisation Officer, at the Fund for Congolese Women (FCW). Wangechi talks to us about how the charity’s services have evolved and how digital technology has helped it grow.

 

 

How digital technology powers FCW’s community

 

When asked how important digital technology is to the way FCW operate as a charity, Wangechi points to the importance of automation to help with programmatic, administrative and communicational tasks. For a charity that supports many projects, the ability to save time is critical – and something they hope to see continued with the advent of artificial intelligence.

 

“Digital technology is crucial because it enables the automation of various organisational tasks through the development of diverse software and work tools,” explains Wangechi.

 

“It also allows for the capture of high-definition (HD) images using smartphones and sophisticated HD devices, and the rapid dissemination of our field activities through online platforms (such as social media and websites), thereby increasing the visibility of the work carried out by the organisation.”

 

And while visibility is important, Wangechi is clear that the work itself could not happen without digital technology. She points to the importance of an internet connection, high-performance computers with long battery lives given the potential for power outages that can interrupt their work, virtual spaces like Dropbox to protect data, team applications like Zoom and Skype, and much more as instrumental to the work they do and the projects they collaborate on.

 

The wealth of digital tools in use have not just helped the here and now, they’ve also helped shape the charity’s future.

“Since the organization’s inception, our services have evolved significantly,” says Wangechi, “including the implementation of a server to host critical organisational data, a fibre optic internet connection, a virtual space to store organizational data and prevent loss, the creation of a website showcasing information about the organization’s activities, the acquisition of high-definition cameras for professional and presentable images, and the development of management software (financial, monitoring and evaluation, administrative, and programmatic).”

 

She adds that artificial intelligence (AI) is something the charity is looking at to “save time, increase productivity, and be more efficient and effective”, acknowledging that training is required.

 

“Today, everyone is striving to adapt their work tools to keep pace with digital advancements,” she notes. “When you don’t make an effort to learn, it’s difficult to progress in completing your tasks. For example, some funding bodies require financial management software and IT tools; without them, you won’t be eligible for funding. And you realize that this software streamlines the workload and makes the organization more efficient. We, in turn, also recommend that recipient organizations develop their own software. The challenge remains the use of certain digital tools, which requires a gradual learning process.”

 

Despite its challenges, however, Wangechi says that “the evolution of digital technology has ushered in a new era” and has enabled the organisation to evolve and grow, expanding its visibility, mobilising more technical and financial resources, and reaching more organisations and communities than ever.

 

When asked for advice for other charities looking to adapt their services to better serve their beneficiaries, Wangechi emphasizes adaptability: “Be attentive to the evolution of the work environment and the evolution of digital technology... adapt the work and tools accordingly, [and] train [your] beneficiaries through learning sessions.”

 

So while digital technology isn’t the heart of FCW’s mission, it is the engine that helps drive it forward. By embracing digital tools, the organisation has strengthened its community, expanded its reach, and amplified its impact across the DRC.

 

It’s a powerful reminder that when digital infrastructure supports grassroots leadership, meaningful change can scale.

 

 Discover more about FCW’s work below.

 

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