How large charities can use the Charity Digital Code of Practice

The 2022 Charity Digital Skills report highlighted a troubling trend in the charity sector, as the gap widens between how large and small charities are using digital.  

 

The report revealed that the number of charities with a digital strategy had decreased since 2021, from 60% to 56%.  This was suggested to be in part due to smaller charities failing to adopt a digital strategy. 

 

The report recommended that the charity sector use the findings of the report to benchmark their success and learn how other organisations are embracing digital.  

 

The Charity Digital Code of Practice (CDCoP) can also support this process, giving charities of all sizes a framework that defines what success looks like across seven different digital areas, including leadership, culture, and skills. It aims to help organisations understand the key actions that they need to take to use digital more effectively to improve their impact and efficiency. 

 

While large charities are, in general, more likely to be further ahead in their digital journey, with dedicated teams for digital marketing, social media, and more, embedding digital in our operations is not a finite process.  

 

Digital strategies continually need reviewing and revising, as our goals change and the world of digital moves on. What worked in the previous year may not work today, as audience behaviours change and new technologies emerge. 

 

The CDCoP offers tailored guidance for large charities (defined as those that generate more than £1 million annually) and points to resources that can help make them refine their digital strategy to make them more sustainable in the future. 

 

It also provides illustrative examples from organisations who have already championed digital successfully, including case studies from charities who did so under pressure during the beginning of the pandemic. 

 

Below are three more ways that large charities can use the Charity Digital Code of Practice.  

 

 

Focus your strategy 

 

A digital strategy should be a fluid thing. Charities should revise it regularly to ensure they are still using digital in the most strategic way for their users. Audiences may change – for example, you may be attracting different demographics than before – and the channels you used to communicate with them before may no longer be relevant. 

 

One of the most difficult elements of revising your digital strategy is keeping it focused, stripping away the non-essential elements as needed so the new version doesn’t become bloated and less effective.  

 

The CDCoP gives large charities a set of guidelines that helps them focus their digital strategy  and demonstrates what overall success looks like for organisations of their size.  

 

For example, the Code proposes that the strategy “should have a clear owner who is a leader within the charity and who should have the mandate for change”. Digital should be embedded within the organisation’s day-to-day operations and goals, rather than existing separately as an “add-on”.  

 

It also advises that some large charities may be able to create more detailed strategies for individual strands of their digital usage, such as plans for fundraising and service delivery. However, not all charities will have the resources to do this and it is best to have one detailed strategy rather than overstretch themselves with many.  

 

 

Create a digital-first culture 

 

The success of a charity’s digital strategy depends on its people as well as its goals. Creating a digital-first culture ensures that digital remains at the forefront of your employees’ minds when making decisions. It also means that they will have more buy-in and actively want to drive your mission goals forwards with digital.  

 

The CDCoP says: “The right culture will develop the confidence and motivation of staff and volunteers in digital, empowering them to collaborate, use data to improve decision making and be more transparent.” The aim is to improve collaboration, break down siloes, and develop the right mindset to embrace digital innovation. 

 

Large charities may find creating a digital-first culture particularly challenging, with more employees to bring on board, in many different areas of the organisation. The CDCoP acknowledges the importance of leadership in creating motivation for their teams, including celebrating and recognising success and communicating how digital will contribute to their goals. 

 

It also includes guidance on how to manage change, collaborate, and take on new lessons as ways of working develop.  

 

 

Manage risk  

 

Managing risk is a big responsibility for all charities, particularly in times of uncertainty. Failing to do so can lead to a damaged reputation and a lack of trust between an organisation and its audiences, including supporters and beneficiaries. 

 

For larger charities, maintaining that trust is crucial, especially when communicating on a large scale. It can be more difficult to ensure authenticity and to control every aspect of what goes out from your organisation.  

 

The CDCoP’s guidance for managing risk is the same for both small and large charities. In order to be able to identify and mitigate risk, the Code recommends that charity leaders ensure “that they have sufficient skills and knowledge to make informed decisions about any ethical issue”.  

 

It also highlights the importance of looking after cybersecurity, managing suppliers, data compliance, and transparency in the name of openness and accountability.